UMA names new president — its fifth since 2014

Rebecca Wyke is the new president of University of Maine Augusta.

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By Staff

Two months after the announced departure of James Conneely as its president, the University of Maine at Augusta said Friday it has named his replacement.

Rebecca Wyke, the UMaine System’s vice chancellor of finance and administration, will take over as president, succeeding James Conneely, who said April 11 he would vacate the post on June 30. Conneely served as president for 18 months.

Wyke, an Augusta resident, will start July 1 and has a three-year contract. The board of trustees’ executive committee made the decision June 8.

She will be the fifth president since September 2014, the Associated Press. Her appointment, the UMaine System said in a press release, “follows an extensive campus and community engagement period to discuss the university’s need for stable leadership and opportunities to advance UMA’s service and scholarship missions.”

“Helping students overcome obstacles is the greatest obligation and opportunity in public higher education today,” Wyke said in the press release. “The faculty and staff at UMA are talented and dedicated public servants who have an unmatched commitment to expanding access and student success. It has been a privilege to work with my UMA colleagues over the years, and I am pleased to have this new opportunity to serve alongside and lead our dynamic and dedicated team in Augusta, in Bangor, and at our University College locations across Maine.”

In her role in finance and administration, Wyke was credited with saving the UMaine System $82 million a year and developed a statewide approach to administrative functions within the seven-campus system. She joined the UMaine System in 2008 after serving as commissioner of the Maine Department of Administration and Finance. She served as UMA’s president for six months prior to Conneely’s appointment.

“Dr. Wyke is an excellent choice for the position,” said Frank Ellis, professor of psychology and human services at UMA. “She certainly understands UMA, its students, faculty and administration and will work diligently to help us fulfill our potential. President Wyke possesses many of the skills we will need in a leader as we better position the university to serve today’s students and achieve long-term, institutional success.”