Twitter
Facebook
Reddit
Digg
Tell us what you think!Send a letter to the editor about this or any other article in The Maine Campus.
Students who attended the final open meeting for the presidential search had the opportunity to question Interim President Robert Kennedy regarding issues facing the University of Maine in upcoming years.
Kennedy took over the presidency several months ago, upon the resignation of former President Peter Hoff. Kennedy served as provost of the university during Hoff’s presidency.
“I have been extremely proud to represent the institution over the past several months,” Kennedy said.
He began by stating the importance of the open forum for students to gain insight on his past administrative experience, and what qualifications make him a desirable candidate for the permanent position. Kennedy said he has worked at six of the top 25 public universities; five of those were Land Grant institutions. He said that student interaction is very important to him and that the student meeting is significant to him.
“The reason I moved here was interaction with the students,” he said. “I am overwhelmed by the student body and how they give back to the institution.”
Kennedy said that as provost he did not have as much ability to be visible to the students and that he has been pleased with the increased interaction with students as interim president.
“It is critical for the president to hear directly from the students,” he said.
Relationships established with faculty and administration are important to UMaine students, according to Kennedy, who further stated that Orono is desirable to students because the opportunity is here to cultivate relationships between the faculty and administration.
Kennedy said he was pleased to report that 75 percent of students who attend UMaine report that the university was their first-choice higher education facility. Kennedy stated that this reflects the quality of education and reputation of the university.
“The best marketers in the institution are the students,” he said.
Kennedy acknowledged the positive reputation of the university, coupled with strong relations to other schools in the state, greatly benefit Maine by providing opportunities for individuals seeking a four-year degree. Kennedy said he believes that part of this success is partly due to forming stronger relationships with other campuses, as seen recently with the Maine Community College System and University of Maine System transfer agreement.
UMaine formerly held seven individual partnering agreements with MCCS colleges, according to Kennedy. Now, a system agreement sets guaranteed admission to UMS schools with junior standing to MCCS students who desire to complete a baccalaureate degree, as long as all admissions requirements have been completed.
“I’m hopeful,” Kennedy said when questioned about the success of the transfer program.
Kennedy said the agreement is an excellent opportunity to increase enrollment at UMaine.
“It serves the greater good,” he said.
UMaine’s enrollment rate has been ever-increasing over the past eight years, according to Kennedy. He also stated that enrollment rates are looking good for the next academic year, and that out-of-state enrollment is currently up 24 percent from last year.
He said out-of-state enrollment is vital to the issue of diversity on campus. Higher percentages of minority students typically come from other states.
“[Diversity] is a priority we have to stand behind,” Kennedy said. “This is something I feel very strongly about.”
Kennedy said he has worked on several successful grants for minority programs. He previously helped to organize and form minority graduate student associations. He said his strong commitment to diversity is shown through awards he has received as a faculty member from diversity-related programming.
Another issue of importance to Kennedy is the presence of more student traditions. Traditions help students connect to the institution, and helps students to give back, according to Kennedy.
“Students are interested in more traditions,” he said. “I moved here from Texas A&M, they are among the most in having traditions.”
Greek organization members have many traditions. Greek system alumni also provide the largest amount of monetary alumni contributions to the university. It shows the importance of traditions and the affect they have on the undergraduate experience, according to Kennedy.
“He is very well-informed. I am very pleased by his commitment to traditions. It is essential to bringing back our alumni and creating pride in our Alma Mater,” junior Heidi Wurpel said.
Anne Schmidt, graduate assistant for New Student Programs was pleased with Kennedy’s perspectives on diversity.
“He is thinking on a greater level, how to bring minorities to UM,” she said. “One of the most important, in terms of diversity, Maine needs to prepare students for the world.”
