PORTLAND, Maine (AP) _ The president of the University of Southern Maine will be leaving her post this month.
University of Maine System Chancellor James Page announced Tuesday that Theo Kalikow will leave the office July 18. She will become acting vice chancellor of the University of Maine System through the end of her contract in 2015.
Kalikow has served as the interim president since July 2012.
Page said in a statement that it's time for new leadership to ``address the university's ongoing fiscal challenges'' and other issues facing the school.
Students have been protesting the elimination of three academic programs as the school grapples with a multi-million dollar budget shortfall.
Page says it's continuing to look for a new interim president and the search for a permanent president will begin this fall.
