UMF president leaving to take new job at The College of New Jersey

Courtesy / University of Maine System University of Maine at Farmington President Kathryn A. Foster has accepted an appointment to serve as the next president of The College of New Jersey, effective July 1.

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By Staff

University of Maine at Farmington President Kathryn A. Foster has accepted an appointment to serve as the next president of The College of New Jersey, effective July 1.

Foster, who became UMF’s 14th president in 2012, was hired to lead the Ewing Township, N.J., college of 7,400 students following a national search that resulted in 80 candidates. Her pending departure and appointment was announced Tuesday by University of Maine System Chancellor James H. Page.

“President Foster is a dynamic and extraordinarily talented higher education leader and advocate,” Page said in a news release. “The University of Maine at Farmington is a stronger institution, better positioned for success and service to Maine and its students because of Kate’s inspired guidance. The board of trustees and I are grateful for the time she has spent with us as a colleague and a friend. We thank Dr. Foster for her service and wish her and The College of New Jersey every success.”

Foster will continue to serve as UMF’s president through June 30.

Page plans to immediately begin discussing leadership needs at UMF with campus and community stakeholders, including a campus visit scheduled for April 4. A plan for transitional leadership will be developed based on stakeholder input and an assessment of institutional needs and opportunities. The plan is expected to be announced before the end of the current semester.

Accomplishments of Foster’s six-year tenure as UMF president cited in the UMaine System news release include: Enrollment stabilization, improvements in student success, 10-year accreditation and the alignment of plans for programming and investment with university strategic goals for recruitment, retention, advancement and marketing. Improvements to the UMF campus during her tenure include a refurbished gymnasium, improved classroom and student spaces, upgraded residence halls, the construction of a central biomass heat plant that reduces dependency on fossil fuels and permanent use of athletic fields for university and community use.

Foster has served on the boards of the Greater Franklin Development Corp. and JMG (formerly Jobs for Maine’s Graduates). In 2016 she was named by Maine magazine as one of the “50 People Charting the Future of Maine.”

“We have been so fortunate to have Kate Foster leading our campus and serving our community these last six years,” said Lisa Laflin, chairwoman of the UMF Board of Visitors and executive director of the United Way of the Tri-Valley Area. “We have built stronger partnerships and made important progress on our aspirations for the region and its future by working with President Foster and her team at UMF. Kate will always have grateful friends and a strong legacy of leadership in Farmington and throughout western Maine.”

Foster, a native of New Jersey, said in a message sent Tuesday to the extended UMF campus that she was deeply grateful for the support and camaraderie she enjoyed in Farmington since 2012. “Many would understand the strong tug to new opportunity, but Mainers especially will appreciate the powerful pull to home,” she said.