Dr. James Page appointed UMS Chancellor

FORT KENT - The chair of the University of Maine System Board of Trustees Michelle Hood announced that today the executive committee of the board named Dr. James H. Page, a University of Maine at Fort Kent alumnus and native of Maine, as the next UMS Chancellor.

DR. JAMES PAGE

In her announcement via webcast to the University of Maine system, Hood referred to the new chancellor's combined business and academic experience as a key part of his appointment. She said the criteria the Board laid out for the new chancellor required a leader to move the UM system forward.

She said, "Dr. Page is the right kind of leader to move the University of Maine system to this new level."

Page was a professor of philosophy at the University of Kansas, taught philosophy at the University of Maine, and is currently the CEO of James W. Sewell company in Old Town. Page described the state university system as a "critical state-wide educational and economic resource for the state of Maine."

A NEW LEADER - Members of the UMFK faculty and staff listen to the annoncement of the new UMS Chancellor over a webcast at the Alumni Conference Room on the Fort Kent campus. - Daigle image

He said the branch of philosophy with which he was involved was essentially "complex problem solving", and said, "It's exactly the kind you would want in a business situation." Page said his job is to help the UM system establish new goals and to become "more aligned, more nimble, more innovative, and more accountable."

He pointed out that in all of the conversations he'd had with people on every campus, no one had expressed satisfaction with the status quo.

Page said he was deeply honored by the opportunity afforded by this appointment. He said he plans to engage directly with the stakeholders, and intends to be "a very public voice."

He said, "I am mindful that I do so on behalf of the people of Maine."