N.J. educator named as USM's president

James Page, chancellor of the University of Maine System, announced today that Harvey Kesselman, currently the provost and executive vice president of Stockton University in Pomona, N.J., is the new president of the University of Southern Maine.

A first-generation college graduate who progressed to doctorate in education as a non-traditional student, Kesselman has been responsible for a $75 million operating budget at Stockton University, which has 800 employees and 8,600 students. In his 35 years with that university, he also has served as a dean and professor in the School of Education, interim vice president for administration and finance and vice president for student affairs, among several other positions.

Kesselman was selected as part of a collaborative eight-month national search that resulted in an applicant pool of 80 candidates and campus visits in February where hundreds of students, staff, faculty and community members engaged in discussions with three presidential finalists. He was one of two finalists to replace interim USM President David Flanagan, the other being Glenn Cummings, interim University of Maine at Augusta president and former Maine House Speaker.

“The foundation of our success at Stockton was that we always worked together, not just on the ideas, but on the implementation, review and refinement of those ideas,” Kesselman said in a press release announcing his appointment. “We always put student success as our number one priority and this will be the cornerstone of my presidency at USM. If students succeed, we all succeed, and that is our goal.”

His anticipated starting date at USM is July 1.

“We built some bridges that needed building — trustees and faculty, administrators and community members, students with all of the above — bridges that can serve USM and the entire university system very well in these challenging times,” said James Erwin, chairman of the search committee and a member of the UMaine System board of trustees.

Page highlighted Kesselman’s role in generating three decades of sustained enrollment growth at Stockton University and a 2014 faculty job satisfaction survey that found 87% of Stockton’s faculty was “satisfied or very satisfied” to be working at the university.

Falling enrollment, layoffs and faculty dissatisfaction with the university’s leadership have been hallmarks of USM’s recent history under former presidents Selma Botman and Theodora Kalikow.

As part of its transition to a Metropolitan University, USM has set an objective of attaining a Carnegie Classification as an “Engaged University” by 2020. Kesselman was involved in Stockton University's successful effort to achieve that classification five years ago.

“Five years ago Stockton received its Carnegie Classification,” he said. “Since that time, scores on national surveys have shown a more active and engaged student population. This has contributed to an expansion of faculty and student research, an increase in positive media coverage, more internships with businesses and not-for-profits and, most importantly, improved student retention and graduation rates. These are the results I know we can, and will, achieve together at USM.”