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Robert A. Kennedy has been named president of the University of Maine. According to a press release, University of Maine System Chancellor Joseph W. Westphal made the announcement on Friday, making Kennedy the 18th president of the university.
Kennedy has been serving as interim president since August, after Peter Hoff resigned from the position. He has been with UMaine since 2000, when he was hired to serve as provost and vice president of academic affairs, and was later was named executive vice president and provost.
Westphal and University System Board Chair Charles L. Johnson made the announcement at a news conference held in Bangor during a break in a meeting of the System’s board of trustees. Westphal said Kennedy’s experience had much to do with the decision.
“Dr. Kennedy was selected from among a highly competitive pool of candidates and nominees as a result of a national search,” Westphal said. “He is an accomplished scholar and researcher. He is experienced as a senior leader at several of our nation’s top public universities. He understands the special and distinct role and responsibilities of a land-grant university to its home state and to the nation. He is experienced working as part of a university system, here and in other states. He demonstrated that he has the confidence and support of key constituencies within and outside of the university.”
He said while the other candidates were highly qualified, Kennedy had the qualities and knowledge necessary for the demanding position. Following the announcement, Kennedy spoke in Orono and expressed his thanks and appreciation.
“I am sincerely humbled to be named president of the University of Maine,” Kennedy said. “It is an honor to have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the many distinguished presidents who have led the University during its remarkable history … I look forward with great enthusiasm to leading the University of Maine as it continues to play a growing and significant role in shaping the future of Maine and the world beyond the state’s borders.”
Bangor Daily News