First Impression from the President

President Peter S. Hoff

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It seems like only yesterday that Dianne, Jay, and I drove through a snowstorm in May to spend three days visiting Orono and exploring the idea of coming here. We met solicitous Mainers who expressed concerns for these "Californians" facing such severe conditions. Few realized that we were actually hardy Midwesterners in disguise, and that a few snowflakes could hardly dim our enthusiasm for the unspoiled Maine landscape and for the traditional beauty of the Orono campus. We happily traded the warm California climate for the supportive warmth of the Maine people, and we never looked back.

Now that I have been UMaine's president for five years, though, it is a time to look back and take stock of how far the University has come, and where we are headed. Five years at UMaine represents a milestone. Since the unparalleled tenure of Arthur Hauck (1934-1958), only two UMaine presidents have served beyond five years (Howard Neville for six and Lloyd Elliott for seven). The time has flown by, marked by significant improvements in the way UMaine is regarded across the state and treated in Augusta, strong enrollment gains accompanied by increasing academic strength in the student body and faculty, astonishing gains in state and federal support for research that helps the economy, much-needed renovation and construction of University facilities, and remarkable success on the nation's playing fields and ice sheets matched by championship performances in classrooms and international professional meetings.

I hope you enjoy the article that begins on page 14. Thanks to Margaret Nagle and the UMaine Today staff for their work on the interview, which gave me the opportunity to put into words my thoughts on both the past five years and on the very bright future of The University of Maine.

Doing the interview gave me a chance to reflect on how much I enjoy being in Maine, how much I enjoy traveling from Kittery to Madawaska talking to people about our flagship university, and especially how much I enjoy and draw energy from our students and their successes.

Peter S. Hoff
President