PORTLAND, Maine - The University of Southern Maine has a new president. Harvey Kesselman of Stockton University in New Jersey will officially take the reins in July, and he promises to bring a collaborative approach to his leadership. Recent cuts in programming and positions have strained both the school and relations between administration and faculty and students. But USM seems to be united in a renewed hope for change.
It's been a tumultuous few years at USM. The school has faced flat state funding, declining enrollment, and budget cuts. Contentious relationships with leadership have prompted a rapid succession of presidents.
The most recent flap came last fall when Interim President David Flanagan announced plans to eliminate several academic programs and 50 faculty positions. So the news that someone else will take the helm, says sophomore finance major Kyle Clark, is "kind of a big deal. I mean, hopefully no more drama about the old one. Kind of tired of hearing about that."
Many students and faculty hope that new President Harvey Kesselman will mark a new chapter for USM. He was chosen by a 14-member committee of students, staff, board members, community leaders, and faculty - including Faculty Senate Chair Jerry LaSala.
"This is the first time in several years that we've had a president who was appointed through a collaborative process," LaSala says, "and we're very excited about that."
Kesselman rose to the top from a field of 80 candidates, which included finalist Glenn Cummings, former speaker of the Maine House and current interim president at the University of Maine at Augusta.
University of Maine System Chancellor James Page says Kesselman stood out for his breadth of experience at New Jersey's Stockton University, where he held both academic and administrative positions over the past three decades.
"For nearly five years, he has been provost and executive vice president of Stockton University in New Jersey, overseeing a $75 million operating budget, 800 employees, and 8,600 students," Page says.
Harvey Kesselman says he was drawn to USM, in part, because of its challenges. They're similar to issues Stockton University has confronted, and Kesselman says he'll implement one tried and true philosophy to address them. "We always put student success as our number one priority," he says. "This will be the cornerstone of my presidency."
Kesselman says another top priority is to boost enrollment. The new president is also tasked with shepherding USM into a Metropolitan University model that embraces community-based learning. Portland Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chris Hall says the chamber is a willing partner in that goal.
"What could be better than having USM be one of the engines that brings people to this region, shows them how beautiful it is, and connects them in meaningful ways to employment here that engages and transforms our community into an even better and stronger place?" Hall says.
Another task laid out for Kesselman is to be a collaborative leader. That, he says, is a given. He says shared governance at Stockton University has been the foundation of the school's success. "It's the only way I know how to do business, and it's the only way I want to do business," he says.
It's the kind of leadership that USM needs, says the vice president of the faculty union and Economics and Women and Gender Studies Professor Susan Feiner. Her only concern is whether Kesselman will have the latitude to be the president he says he wants to be.
"This is USM's last shot," Feiner says. "If this president can't work with us to focus on academic excellence and to help us do what we know how to do, and really work with our students, then there's really not going to really be a USM in five years."
For now, though, the feeling at USM is excitement, and, says USM Junior Muna Hussein, "It's like a sense of hope. Like a new sense of hope, I feel like."
Harvey Kesselman says he officially starts in July, but he's already laying the groundwork for his new presidency.
