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University of Maine president Robert A. Kennedy is racking up the miles on his Toyota Highlander, talking to people across the state about what’s happening at the flagship campus.
After pointing out UMaine’s research and development successes, new graduate programs, burgeoning enrollment, and the accomplishments of students, faculty, and alumni, audiences invariably come away surprised.
“They say they had no idea that much was going on, and that the university was such a vital resource to the state.”
One recent week found him in Portland speaking to supporters of the Maine Center for the Arts, in Freeport with the Maine Coalition for Educational Excellence, at Orono High School for a National Honor Society induction ceremony, and then in Houlton with a Rotary club. “People like hearing about the University of Maine, and I like talking about it. My car is 18 months old and has 51,000 miles on it,” he says.
His presidency, like his car, is relatively new—he was named president in April 2005—yet from day one Robert Kennedy has focused on driving UMaine forward.
Judging by the numbers, he is succeeding. During the past two years, the number of in-state first-year students attending the University of Maine has increased by 4% and the number of out-of-state first-year students by 20%, with enrollment now topping 11,400. Since 2004, the Orono campus has seen a 55% spike in the number of first-year students from out of state.
“I think that says a lot about the increasing status and reputation of the University of Maine,” he says.
While it may be gaining in national stature and reputation, the University of Maine is anything but an ivory tower. “We’re working with everyone, reaching out and collaborating to discover what possibilities exist and how we can work together to contribute to the state of Maine.”
One part of that outreach is geographic: In addition to extension offices, UMaine has a satellite campus (the Hutchinson Center, in Belfast), research facilities in Walpole, Monmouth, Franklin, Jonesboro, and Presque Isle, and forest holdings statewide.
Partnering with other facilities also plays a key role in the University of Maine’s outreach efforts. Kennedy explains: “If we have five people working in an area and there’s somebody at the University of Southern Maine or Jackson Lab working in the same area, together we can accomplish so much more. It’s a good use of taxpayer dollars. By collaborating, we’re not reinventing the wheel.”
As Kennedy keeps his eye on giving taxpayers a good return on their investment, he is also proving his mettle as a fundraiser. Last spring, he was involved in obtaining a $6.9 million, three-year National Science Foundation grant for forest bioproducts research and development. In January 2006, he launched a six-year, $150 million fundraising campaign to pay for faculty positions, student scholarships, and renovations and upgrades to buildings.
While the University of Maine has long been recognized as Maine’s primary educational institution, it has only recently become appreciated for the major role it provides in economic development.
“No other land grant university in the country is as important to its home state as the University of Maine is in providing jobs, training and education, and social and cultural fulfillment,” Kennedy says. While he admits that Maine came late to the table in appreciating the importance of R & D to the economy—in its 2006 report card, the Corporation for Enterprise Development ranked Maine 50th in university research—“we’re making up for lost time.”
In recent years University of Maine researchers have examined the impact of climate change, created new and better uses for wood composites, searched for alternative fuels, and developed improved screening techniques for cancer. More intellectual property, such as patents and copyrights, has been created through UMaine research than the other dozen research institutions in Maine combined. And, Kennedy says, it’s paying off.
“For every dollar the state invests in our research facilities, equipment, and staff, the university brings in, on average, more than five dollars in research grants and contracts. I can’t think of an investment that the legislature makes that pays as great a return as the University of Maine. We’re a tremendous economic gain to the state.”
“Only one state generates more spin-off business, per dollar of state investment in university research, than Maine,” Kennedy adds. Nearly two dozen companies have been started as a result of University of Maine research programs.
Research goes on not only at the flagship campus in Orono, but at sites around the state, including a blueberry farm in Jonesboro, a potato farm in Presque Isle, the Franklin Aquaculture Center, and the Darling Marine Center in Walpole. And if Maine’s Office of Innovation has its way, that’s only the beginning: Its ambitious Science and Technology Plan calls for increasing the state’s R & D activity to $1 billion by 2010.
Kennedy is up for the challenge. Prior to coming to UMaine in 2000 as vice president of academic affairs, Kennedy served for eight years as vice president for research and associate provost for graduate studies at Texas A & M. A biochemist and botany scholar, he previously worked for the National Science Foundation and several other prestigious universities.
“Bob Kennedy understands the value of research,” says Jake Ward, the university’s assistant vice president for research, economic development, and government relations. “He brings that experience and vision which allows him to grasp R & D’s importance to the state and to make sure it’s integrated in all aspects of the university environment.”
While on the road, Robert Kennedy tailors his presentations to each audience, but he always likes doling out surprises. While many people are familiar with the success of Maine Black Bear athletic teams, for example, he says fewer realize what the university’s scholar-athletes achieve academically. “On average, they have a 3.11 grade point average and graduate at a higher rate than students in general.”
He also likes debunking the idea of the Maine “brain-drain.” Contrary to popular belief, “70 to 80% of students from Maine who graduate from the university stay in Maine for their first job. When people hear this, they are shocked and delighted. I can almost literally see jaws drop, they are so accustomed to hearing that there’s no opportunity for young people here and that they have to leave the state for good- paying professional opportunities.”
In fact, Kennedy says, 40% of out-of-state students also stay here in Maine for their first jobs. “It’s a brain gain,” he says. “We’re importing intellectual talent into the state.”
But while it’s important to “look on the bright side,” Kennedy does not like the fact that almost half of the students who graduate from Maine high schools end up going to college out of state and typically don’t return. “We still have to worry, because every young person we lose is a loss in terms of human resources and what they can contribute.”
President Kennedy also has an eye on improving the university’s retention and graduation rates. His goal is to increase the percentage of students who return for their sophomore year from just under 80% to 85%–90%, and the percentage of students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree within six years from just under 60% to 70%–80%.
“We spend a lot of money recruiting students and we lose our investment if they don’t continue,” he says. “It’s also a huge loss in human resource capital to the state.” In 2005, at Kennedy’s behest, Robert Dana, dean of students, put into place a screening program to determine if first-year students are socially, academically, and psychologically ready for college. If not, they are assigned tutors or counselors.
“The president’s goal was to connect students academically and socially, and assure that resources and support services were provided to make the initial year of college successful,” Dana says. “This is the Maine way, and it means a lot to our students. It is one of the Kennedy touches that make this place so special.”
Thanks to the Connections Program, some 15 more students returned for their sophomore year than would have otherwise, Dana says. “That is 15 more students poised for greatness, and that is significant.”
Dana says Kennedy meets regularly with students to ask about life on campus and about any concerns they may have. “They like him—he’s very real with them. This is unique for a college president who has numerous demands on his time, but it is very natural for Bob Kennedy and this quality makes him stand out as a very special university leader.”
Kennedy also regularly reaches out to alumni. He has traveled to California, Arizona, Florida, Texas, and South Carolina, as well as Washington, D.C., bringing graduates up to speed on university activities and asking them to contribute—not just financially, but personally as well. He encourages them to serve on committees and advisory boards, as mentors for students, and as “informal lobbyists,” explaining to legislators about the importance of the University of Maine to the state. He and his wife, biochemistry and molecular biology professor Mary Rumpho Kennedy, also entertain alumni during reunion and homecoming weekends. Whether it’s in their 1870s Victorian President’s House or the handsome Buchanan Alumni House, the rafters ring as graduates reconnect and reminisce.
“Many of them haven’t been back to campus in a while, and they like to hear what’s going on,” he says. “We show them the impact their support of the university can have on their reputation. The value of their degree changes constantly with the recognition that the University of Maine has.”
Alumni achievements also reflect on UMaine, and President Kennedy takes special pleasure in talking about the accomplishments of its graduates. Beyond headliners like Stephen King and Olympia Snowe, there are also lesser-known achievers, like four-star U.S. Navy admiral Gregory Johnson, a 1968 alumnus of UMaine, who grew up in Westmanland, outside of Caribou, and became executive assistant to William Cohen, a Bangor native and former secretary of defense.
“We have so many people associated with the university doing such unbelievable things. They come back and serve as role models, putting the University of Maine on a world stage unlike anything else."
But there’s more to do. Within the next few years, Kennedy aims to have UMaine cited in U.S. News & World Report as among the top 50 public institutions in the country. It’s an aggressive goal, as the university is not yet in the top 100. “We need to be there, and we should be there,” he says. “We’ll have greater visibility and recognition at the national level so we can attract good people as well as private and public funding.”
Even as he tells alumni about all the good things going on at, and planned for, the University of Maine, they, in turn, let him know about the positive impact their alma mater has had on them.
“Everyone, to a person, has said that the University of Maine prepared them as well or better than any person they’ve met,” he said. “They never felt any less prepared than their colleagues who went to more prestigious schools.”
Citing a recent article in The Wall Street Journal that said 90% of the Fortune 500 CEOs received their bachelor’s degrees at a public institution, Kennedy smiled.
“Wouldn’t you think they all came from Harvard? But no—most are from public universities. In the state of Maine, that’s largely the University of Maine.”
Kennedy plans to continue his travels as the University of Maine’s tireless ambassador. Meanwhile, his words appear to be resonating.
“When I tell people that the future of the state is dependent upon the University of Maine, they nod their heads in agreement,” he said.
“They get it.”
After pointing out UMaine’s research and development successes, new graduate programs, burgeoning enrollment, and the accomplishments of students, faculty, and alumni, audiences invariably come away surprised.
“They say they had no idea that much was going on, and that the university was such a vital resource to the state.”
One recent week found him in Portland speaking to supporters of the Maine Center for the Arts, in Freeport with the Maine Coalition for Educational Excellence, at Orono High School for a National Honor Society induction ceremony, and then in Houlton with a Rotary club. “People like hearing about the University of Maine, and I like talking about it. My car is 18 months old and has 51,000 miles on it,” he says
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His presidency, like his car, is relatively new—he was named president in April 2005—yet from day one Robert Kennedy has focused on driving UMaine forward.
Judging by the numbers, he is succeeding. During the past two years, the number of in-state first-year students attending the University of Maine has increased by 4% and the number of out-of-state first-year students by 20%, with enrollment now topping 11,400. Since 2004, the Orono campus has seen a 55% spike in the number of first-year students from out of state.
“I think that says a lot about the increasing status and reputation of the University of Maine,” he says.
While it may be gaining in national stature and reputation, the University of Maine is anything but an ivory tower. “We’re working with everyone, reaching out and collaborating to discover what possibilities exist and how we can work together to contribute to the state of Maine.”
One part of that outreach is geographic: In addition to extension offices, UMaine has a satellite campus (the Hutchinson Center, in Belfast), research facilities in Walpole, Monmouth, Franklin, Jonesboro, and Presque Isle, and forest holdings statewide.
Partnering with other facilities also plays a key role in the University of Maine’s outreach efforts. Kennedy explains: “If we have five people working in an area and there’s somebody at the University of Southern Maine or Jackson Lab working in the same area, together we can accomplish so much more. It’s a good use of taxpayer dollars. By collaborating, we’re not reinventing the wheel.”
As Kennedy keeps his eye on giving taxpayers a good return on their investment, he is also proving his mettle as a fundraiser. Last spring, he was involved in obtaining a $6.9 million, three-year National Science Foundation grant for forest bioproducts research and development. In January 2006, he launched a six-year, $150 million fundraising campaign to pay for faculty positions, student scholarships, and renovations and upgrades to buildings.
While the University of Maine has long been recognized as Maine’s primary educational institution, it has only recently become appreciated for the major role it provides in economic development.
“No other land grant university in the country is as important to its home state as the University of Maine is in providing jobs, training and education, and social and cultural fulfillment,” Kennedy says. While he admits that Maine came late to the table in appreciating the importance of R & D to the economy—in its 2006 report card, the Corporation for Enterprise Development ranked Maine 50th in university research—“we’re making up for lost time.”
In recent years University of Maine researchers have examined the impact of climate change, created new and better uses for wood composites, searched for alternative fuels, and developed improved screening techniques for cancer. More intellectual property, such as patents and copyrights, has been created through UMaine research than the other dozen research institutions in Maine combined. And, Kennedy says, it’s paying off.
“For every dollar the state invests in our research facilities, equipment, and staff, the university brings in, on average, more than five dollars in research grants and contracts. I can’t think of an investment that the legislature makes that pays as great a return as the University of Maine. We’re a tremendous economic gain to the state.”
“Only one state generates more spin-off business, per dollar of state investment in university research, than Maine,” Kennedy adds. Nearly two dozen companies have been started as a result of University of Maine research programs.
Research goes on not only at the flagship campus in Orono, but at sites around the state, including a blueberry farm in Jonesboro, a potato farm in Presque Isle, the Franklin Aquaculture Center, and the Darling Marine Center in Walpole. And if Maine’s Office of Innovation has its way, that’s only the beginning: Its ambitious Science and Technology Plan calls for increasing the state’s R & D activity to $1 billion by 2010.
Kennedy is up for the challenge. Prior to coming to UMaine in 2000 as vice president of academic affairs, Kennedy served for eight years as vice president for research and associate provost for graduate studies at Texas A & M. A biochemist and botany scholar, he previously worked for the National Science Foundation and several other prestigious universities.
“Bob Kennedy understands the value of research,” says Jake Ward, the university’s assistant vice president for research, economic development, and government relations. “He brings that experience and vision which allows him to grasp R & D’s importance to the state and to make sure it’s integrated in all aspects of the university environment.”
While on the road, Robert Kennedy tailors his presentations to each audience, but he always likes doling out surprises. While many people are familiar with the success of Maine Black Bear athletic teams, for example, he says fewer realize what the university’s scholar-athletes achieve academically. “On average, they have a 3.11 grade point average and graduate at a higher rate than students in general.”
He also likes debunking the idea of the Maine “brain-drain.” Contrary to popular belief, “70 to 80% of students from Maine who graduate from the university stay in Maine for their first job. When people hear this, they are shocked and delighted. I can almost literally see jaws drop, they are so accustomed to hearing that there’s no opportunity for young people here and that they have to leave the state for good- paying professional opportunities.”
In fact, Kennedy says, 40% of out-of-state students also stay here in Maine for their first jobs. “It’s a brain gain,” he says. “We’re importing intellectual talent into the state.”
But while it’s important to “look on the bright side,” Kennedy does not like the fact that almost half of the students who graduate from Maine high schools end up going to college out of state and typically don’t return. “We still have to worry, because every young person we lose is a loss in terms of human resources and what they can contribute.”
President Kennedy also has an eye on improving the university’s retention and graduation rates. His goal is to increase the percentage of students who return for their sophomore year from just under 80% to 85%–90%, and the percentage of students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree within six years from just under 60% to 70%–80%.
“We spend a lot of money recruiting students and we lose our investment if they don’t continue,” he says. “It’s also a huge loss in human resource capital to the state.” In 2005, at Kennedy’s behest, Robert Dana, dean of students, put into place a screening program to determine if first-year students are socially, academically, and psychologically ready for college. If not, they are assigned tutors or counselors.
“The president’s goal was to connect students academically and socially, and assure that resources and support services were provided to make the initial year of college successful,” Dana says. “This is the Maine way, and it means a lot to our students. It is one of the Kennedy touches that make this place so special.”
Thanks to the Connections Program, some 15 more students returned for their sophomore year than would have otherwise, Dana says. “That is 15 more students poised for greatness, and that is significant.”
Dana says Kennedy meets regularly with students to ask about life on campus and about any concerns they may have. “They like him—he’s very real with them. This is unique for a college president who has numerous demands on his time, but it is very natural for Bob Kennedy and this quality makes him stand out as a very special university leader.”
Kennedy also regularly reaches out to alumni. He has traveled to California, Arizona, Florida, Texas, and South Carolina, as well as Washington, D.C., bringing graduates up to speed on university activities and asking them to contribute—not just financially, but personally as well. He encourages them to serve on committees and advisory boards, as mentors for students, and as “informal lobbyists,” explaining to legislators about the importance of the University of Maine to the state. He and his wife, biochemistry and molecular biology professor Mary Rumpho Kennedy, also entertain alumni during reunion and homecoming weekends. Whether it’s in their 1870s Victorian President’s House or the handsome Buchanan Alumni House, the rafters ring as graduates reconnect and reminisce.
“Many of them haven’t been back to campus in a while, and they like to hear what’s going on,” he says. “We show them the impact their support of the university can have on their reputation. The value of their degree changes constantly with the recognition that the University of Maine has.”
Alumni achievements also reflect on UMaine, and President Kennedy takes special pleasure in talking about the accomplishments of its graduates. Beyond headliners like Stephen King and Olympia Snowe, there are also lesser-known achievers, like four-star U.S. Navy admiral Gregory Johnson, a 1968 alumnus of UMaine, who grew up in Westmanland, outside of Caribou, and became executive assistant to William Cohen, a Bangor native and former secretary of defense.
“We have so many people associated with the university doing such unbelievable things. They come back and serve as role models, putting the University of Maine on a world stage unlike anything else."
But there’s more to do. Within the next few years, Kennedy aims to have UMaine cited in U.S. News & World Report as among the top 50 public institutions in the country. It’s an aggressive goal, as the university is not yet in the top 100. “We need to be there, and we should be there,” he says. “We’ll have greater visibility and recognition at the national level so we can attract good people as well as private and public funding.”
Even as he tells alumni about all the good things going on at, and planned for, the University of Maine, they, in turn, let him know about the positive impact their alma mater has had on them.
“Everyone, to a person, has said that the University of Maine prepared them as well or better than any person they’ve met,” he said. “They never felt any less prepared than their colleagues who went to more prestigious schools.”
Citing a recent article in The Wall Street Journal that said 90% of the Fortune 500 CEOs received their bachelor’s degrees at a public institution, Kennedy smiled.
“Wouldn’t you think they all came from Harvard? But no—most are from public universities. In the state of Maine, that’s largely the University of Maine.”
Kennedy plans to continue his travels as the University of Maine’s tireless ambassador. Meanwhile, his words appear to be resonating.
“When I tell people that the future of the state is dependent upon the University of Maine, they nod their heads in agreement,” he said.
“They get it.”
