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University of Maine President Peter S. Hoff is slated to arrive at the University of Texas’s Arlington campus today as that school’s search for a new president narrows. Hoff, along with four other national collegiate administrators, was named as a finalist for the position earlier this month.
According to The Shorthorn, UTA’s student paper, a series of forums will be staged over the next two weeks for the finalists to meet and answer questions from student groups, faculty and administrators. Hoff is the only current university president among the short list of candidates, which includes James D. Spaniolo, the dean of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University; Arthur C. Vailas, the vice chancellor for research at the University of Texas Houston; Bob Smith, the interim dean at the University of Arkansas Honors College; and Roderick J. McDavid, the vice president for Academic Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“This group of candidates was very enthusiastic about Arlington, and I think the campus sold itself,” Teresa Sullivan, the UT system vice chancellor, told the Star-Telegram, a local paper, this week.
Hoff visited the Arlington campus once during the initial stages of the UTA search, in what he said was an “incognito visit … to get a feel for the physical presence of the university.” But pressed for comment this week, Hoff insisted that his attention was on doing his job at UMaine.
“It was very nice to think about me, and for them to seek me out, and it was flattering to be thought of that well,” Hoff said. “[UTA] is a good enough place that I will definitely go and hear what they have to say and tell them what I’m about. But I’m just not looking to make a big move. If it happens, I’ll think about it at the time.”
Hoff, who was educated at the University of Wisconsin and Stanford University, assumed the presidency at UMaine in 1997, after several years as vice president at various state colleges. The UMaine president operates under a two-year, renewable contract, but his term is technically open in length. Hoff is one of UMaine’s longest-serving presidents.
“I’m 59 years old and I love my job,” Hoff said. “To talk about a career move at this stage is probably not the right way to characterize it. What I would say is having become a president here – it sounds a little trite and a little clich�d – but I really found what I wanted to do when I grew up.”
Hoff said he entered his presidency at UMaine with a specific set of goals – many of which, including enrollment increases and a faculty strengthening, have been achieved – but he still regards his mission in Orono as incomplete.
“Clearly there’s an agenda for me or whoever leads this university,” Hoff said. “A big piece of it is what I’d call capital right now. It’s so focused on getting the operating budget up, and that remains a challenge. For me, or whoever, there’s clearly an issue of convincing the state and private donors to come forward and keep this university strong.”
Dean of Students Robert Dana did not comment directly on Hoff’s finalist standing at UTA, but said in an e-mail that Hoff has been a “consistent voice for protecting the rights of students,” and said his impact on student life has been “dramatic.”
“He has supported my every effort to make this a student-friendly institution,” Dana said.
