University of Maine System Colleagues –
As you know from my previous message, I presented our Unified Accreditation recommendation (PDF) to the University of Maine System Board of Trustees at its regular September meeting in Fort Kent earlier this week. Your colleagues Jim Thelen, Kay Kimball, Ray Rice, and Kim Jenkins and I explained our recommendation and answered questions, as did your presidents.
I’m pleased to report that the Board unanimously approved our recommendation to begin talking with you and your campus leaders across Maine about the plan to unify our university accreditations in the University of Maine System. I’d like to again call your attention to our Guiding Principles, which will be the framework we will follow in our discussions with you.The Guiding Principles pledge, among other things, that our faculty will continue their key shared governance role in academic policy and curriculum development and that our campuses will remain where they are, continuing all programs and activities that best serve our students and State.
I pledged to the Board that I would visit every campus at least three times this semester and next to hear from you about these and other matters. I hope you will watch for these visits on your campus calendar and spend some time with me, our System colleagues, and your fellow campus leaders to help us construct the unified accreditation plan that the Board requested for its November meeting.
You can read more about what else is happening across the System in the Board materials.
I would like to close with some personal notes about our System academic colleagues. Bob Neely, our Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, retired at the end of August. I’ll miss his wise academic perspectives and collegial nature. Kay Kimball, your Machias colleague and the Deputy Vice Chancellor for the last two years, helped us manage System academic affairs until Robert Placido could take on duties as the Interim Vice Chancellor. I owe a debt of gratitude to both Kay and Robert, and I’m glad they’ll continue working with us. Finally, I’m particularly pleased that Rosa Redonnett will take on an expanded but more focused portfolio as Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Success and Credential Attainment. I admire Rosa’s tenacity and know she’ll do great work for Maine on these important Board priorities.
Best wishes for a productive fall. I hope to see you on campus soon.