EMCC head may step down for Florida post

Photo / Courtesy of Maine Community College System Dr. Lawrence Barrett, president of Eastern Maine Community College, said he is stepping down after tentatively accepting a job offer in Florida.

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Eastern Maine Community College President Lawrence Barrett is potentially stepping down after announcing that he has tentatively accepted a job offer in Florida.

The Maine Community College System announced Friday that Barrett has been selected as the new president of Florida Gateway College in Lake City, Fla. Barrett, who has led EMCC for five years, said his move into the new position is pending final contract negotiations.

“This decision was not made lightly. Eastern Maine Community College and the Bangor region community have provided me with some of the most rewarding work and partnerships I have experienced in my over 28 years in higher education,” he said in a prepared statement. “However, for both my family and me, Florida Gateway College is a great next step, and I am excited to continue to make an impact in the lives of students at an institution that offers both two- and four-year degrees.”

The community college system credited Barrett for leading EMCC through a period of sustained growth, noting that enrollment has grown 20% to 2,613 students this past fall since he became president. Under his leadership, the college also received a grant in 2011 from the Michigan-based Kresge Foundation as part of its Achieving the Dream initiative, which aims to keep community college students in school and earn more credits. That same initiative recognized EMCC as a “leader college” last year for helping improve student success.

“Larry Barrett has been a stellar president for [EMCC], and we will be sorry to see him go,” Derek Langhauser, the community college system’s interim president, said in a prepared statement. “His energy, enthusiasm and commitment to his students’ success and to the greater Bangor community have characterized his tenure at EMCC. We wish him all the best.”

Barrett’s last day is expected to be on July 30. Langhauser is expected to appoint an acting leader during the search for Barrett’s successor.

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