University of Maine - Organization and Administration

Organization and Administration

UMaine is the flagship of the University of Maine System. The senior administration of the university consists of President Paul W. Ferguson, Provost Sue Hunter, Vice-President for Administration Janet Waldron, Vice-President for Research Michael Eckardt, Vice-President for Enrollment Management Jimmy Jung, and Dean of Students Robert Dana. The senior administration governs cooperatively with the Chancellor of the University of Maine system, James Page and the sixteen members of the University of Maine Board of Trustees (of which fifteen are appointed by the Governor of Maine and one is the current Maine State Commissioner of Education). The Board of Trustees has full legal responsibility and authority for the university system. It appoints the Chancellor and each university President, approves the establishment and elimination of academic programs, confers tenure on faculty members, and sets tuition rates/operating budgets.

UMaine is also one of a handful of colleges in the United States whose Student Government is incorporated. Student Government was formed in 1978 and incorporated in 1987. They are classified as a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation. It consists of a legislative branch, which passes resolutions, and an executive branch, which helps organize on-campus entertainment and guest speakers, works with new and existing student organizations, and performs other duties. Other organizations fall under the umbrella of Student Government Inc., including representative boards, community associations, and many other student groups. The Maine Campus, the student newspaper, is also incorporated and does not operate under or receive money from student government.