The University of Maine at Presque Isle will mark an important milestone in its history when it hosts the Inauguration of Dr. Linda K. Schott as its Eleventh President on Friday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. in Gentile Hall. Linking Generations Through Teaching and Learning serves as the theme of the event and it will be reflected in several special ways throughout the ceremony. A reception will follow in the Campus Center; refreshments will be served. All campus and community members, as well as those from further afield, are invited to attend and take part in the celebration.
As part of the inaugural theme, the ceremony will include a very special processional that involves all generations of learners, from small children to lifelong learners. Delegations from more than a dozen elementary and secondary schools in Aroostook County, as well as many other officials and distinguished guests, will participate, signifying the many generations of learners connected with the institution.
Also during the event, President Schott will discuss how UMPI has linked generations of learners through educational endeavors and the many ways the University contributes to the strength and vitality of the region. She will also speak about the ways the University, and higher education in general, have evolved over time, and where the institution is poised to go from here.
“We need to continue to meet the needs of the region, but to do so in a way that adapts to new realities and allows us to lead boldly into the future,” President Schott said. “The University intends to do that in several ways in the coming years, through more experiential and problem-based learning, through greater service to our adult students, and by introducing our students to much more comprehensive career preparation support starting their first year on campus.”
Dr. Linda K. Schott became UMPI’s 11th president in July 2012. Her path to Maine has taken her from a cattle ranch in the Texas Hill Country where she grew up to universities throughout the South, Midwest, and Western United States. All of her experiences have helped to shape her beliefs in both the value of a college degree and the importance of meeting the wide-ranging needs of younger and older adults alike as they strive to attain a college education.
President Schott earned a B.A. in history and German in 1979 from Baylor University. She then attended Stanford University, earning an M.A. in History in 1982 and a Ph.D. in History and Humanities in 1986. She returned to Texas to begin her teaching career, working at Texas State University, Texas Lutheran University, and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
She went on to serve as the Director of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Eastern Michigan University and later as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In 2008, she became the Dean of the School of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.
Dr. Schott is a specialist in intellectual history and the history of women in the United States. She has published several articles on women in Texas and in the peace movement and is also the author of Reconstructing Women’s Thoughts: The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, 1915-1941, published by Stanford University Press in 1997.
All are invited to attend UMPI’s Presidential Inauguration. For more information, please visit www.umpi.edu/inauguration or contact Ethelyn Boyd at ethelyn.boyd@maine.edu or 207-768-9525.
In concert with the Inauguration, some University offices may close as early as 2 p.m. on Sept. 13. Offices will post notice of any early closings no later than Monday, Sept. 9.
