PRESQUE ISLE — The University of Maine at Presque Isle is welcoming nearly 20 new faces to campus with the hiring of six new faculty members, five new staff members, three new administrators and four new coaches. Joining the ranks as new faculty members are Dr. William Breton as assistant professor of special education; Patric Edward as assistant professor of business management; Dr. Lynn Eldershaw as assistant professor of sociology; Jason Johnston as assistant professor of wildlife ecology; Dr. Harold Jones as professor of foundations education; and Dr. Shawn Robinson as assistant professor of mathematics.
Staff members coming on board include Heather Craig as communications center assistant; Lynn McNeal as director of the Regional Teacher Development Center; Tammera Race as library clerk; Rachel Rice as coordinator of media relations; and Aaron Tomlinson as head athletic trainer.
New administrators include Dr. Michael Sonntag as vice president for academic affairs; Christine Corsello as dean of students, and Dr. Reginald Nnazor as chair of the Education School.
The university’s new coaching staffers are Tracy Guerrette as head women’s basketball coach – she also will be handling sports information for the university; Peter Jakl as head nordic ski coach and lecturer; Tammy Krul as head women’s soccer coach; and Mike Michaud as head men’s baseball coach.
“This is a wonderful strengthening of already strong programs and administrative structures at the University of Maine at Presque Isle,” President Don Zillman said. “We are thrilled with the diversity of background, experience and geographical location from which our new employees come. Their rich and diverse experiences make them a marvelous addition to the student education and mentoring that is a hallmark of the university.”
Dr. William Breton comes to the university from the Bucksport School Department where he was director of the special services programs. He received the award for the 2004 State of Maine Department of Education Commissioner’s Recognition Award for meeting the needs of children and youth at risk. He earned his doctorate in education administration and his master’s degree in special education from the University of Maine and his bachelor’s degree from Fort Kent State College.
Patric Edward comes to the university from Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker in Bangor, where he served as a staff accountant. While in the region, he earned his master’s degree in accounting from the University of Maine. He previously worked at the University of Maine at Presque Isle as a computer technician while earning his bachelor’s degree in accounting and business management. He graduated as valedictorian of his class.
Dr. Lynn Eldershaw comes to the university from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, where she served as a postdoctoral research fellow. She simultaneously served as an instructor at Grant MacKwan College in Edmonton, Alberta. Eldershaw earned her doctorate from the University of Waterloo, her master’s from Acadia University and her bachelor’s degree from McMaster University.
Jason Johnston comes to the university from the University of Maine, where he earned his doctorate in biological sciences. He earned his master’s degree in entomology and applied ecology from the University of Delaware and his bachelor’s degree in biology with environmental studies from Bowdoin College.
Dr. Harold Jones comes to the university from the University of Great Falls, Montana. He also has held positions at Lander University, Idaho State University and Purdue University, Calumet. He received his doctorate from the University of Iowa, his master’s from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University.
Dr. Shawn Robinson comes to the university after working as an assistant professor of mathematics at Rutgers. He earned his doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from Emory University.
New employees
PRESQUE ISLE – The University of Maine at Presque Isle recently announced the hire of several new staff members who have come on board just in time for the new academic year.
Lynn Robert McNeal begins serving this fall as the director of the Regional Teacher Development Center for the University of Maine at Presque Isle. McNeal comes to the university from the Caribou Technology Center, where he served as director for a number of years. Prior to this position, he was an associate professor at Husson College teaching computer applications.
His professional memberships have included the Maine Association of Vocational Education Administrators, Maine Principals Association, Maine Vocational Association, American Vocational Association, Vocational Industrial Clubs of America, Maine Leadership Consortium and the Aroostook Principals Association.
During the 1996-1997 school year, he was awarded the Administrator of the Year Award by the Caribou School System. While in the military, he received the award for Airman of the Month three times and was selected to serve on the President’s All Volunteer Military Council.
McNeal is a 1967 graduate of the University of Maine at Presque Isle where he received a bachelor’s degree in education. During his military career, he attended the Air Force Community College and received a diploma in precision measurement equipment. Upon returning to civilian life, he returned to the University of Southern Maine and received a bachelor’s degree in vocational education in 1978, a master’s degree in administration in 1988 and a certificate of advanced studies in administration in 2000.
Rachel Rice has joined the University of Maine at Presque Isle as the new media relations coordinator. In this position, she will report directly to the president and be responsible for all media coverage for the institution.
Rice comes to the university from the Bangor Daily News where she had been a reporter for the past four years. Rice also has served as an adjunct journalism lecturer and adviser to the student newspaper for the university for the past three years. Prior to this, Rice worked as a reporter for the Aroostook Republican and News in Caribou.
Rice received a bachelor’s degree in English writing with a minor in education from the University of Maine at Presque Isle. During her educational career, she completed an internship with WAGM-TV in Presque Isle, she was named a Millennium Scholar by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and received a scholarship from the Maine Association of Broadcasters.
The university also had six employees who came on board during the last academic year but have not been introduced to the community yet.
Dr. Tomasz Zdzislaw Herzog began his career at the University of Maine at Presque Isle as an associate professor of education during the spring 2007 semester. He came to campus from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he was an adjunct professor in the history department. He was also an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Civic Education at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland. Prior to this, Herzog was a visiting professor in the School of Social Work in Konin, Poland, and from 1993-2000 he taught in the Department of Sociology and Education at Adam Mickiewicz University.
Herzog received his Ph.D. in Education in 2002 and his master’s degree in sociology from Mickiewicz University. His thesis was titled “Reconstruction of Educational Ideologies As Seen In Selected Trends of the Contemporary Polish Right-wing Political Movements.” He also did non-degree studies in civic education and educational policy at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and studied educational leadership there. He did his undergraduate studies in philosophy at Theological Seminary, Society of Christ for Polish Migrants, in Poznan.
Michelle Cofske has assumed the position of Distance Education Technician I at the Houlton Higher Education Building for the University of Maine at Presque Isle. During college, she also worked part-time for the Shiretown Motor Inn as a desk clerk. Prior to going to school full-time, she also worked for C&C Discount, Burrelle’s and Wal-Mart in Houlton.
Cofske graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle with a bachelor’s degrees in accounting and business management in May 2007. During her college career she worked for the Houlton Higher Education Building in the clerical field.
Patricia K. Pelkey, who now is serving as an administrative assistant in the Admissions Office, is certainly no stranger to the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Prior to this permanent position, she worked in a temporary status in the Registrar and Admissions Office for the past two years. She also has been a substitute teacher for SAD 1 and worked for Northern Maine Oral & Facial Surgery in Presque Isle.
Trisha, as she is known to everyone, graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle in 2000. While attending classes, she also worked in various offices – such as with the registrar’s, Conferences and Special Programs, Academic Affairs and Admissions – in work study positions.
Linda McLaughlin joined the University of Maine at Presque Isle last spring as an administrative assistant for the School of Business and International Studies. She comes to the university from the Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone where she served as a registrar and administrative assistant. In this position, she was responsible for student schedules, running transcripts and keeping an access scholarship data base.
McLaughlin graduated from Northern Maine Technical College in 1995 with an office systems technology associate’s degree. She also took an access database management course from the University of Maine at Presque Isle and received a 4.0.
Tony Cochran started his career with the University of Maine at Presque Isle last spring as a student records support staff member. Cochran came to the university from the Army National Guard where he was a battalion career counselor in Caribou. Prior to this position, his civilian jobs included working at Loring Job Corps Center and the Van Buren Police Department.
Cochran graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle with an associate’s degree in criminal justice. While attending classes, he worked 20 hours a week as a work-study student in the audio-visual department under the direction of former employee, Jim Brown.
Jennie Savage started working for the University of Maine at Presque Isle this spring as the assistant director of financial aid. Prior to this position, she was the program consultant for Catholic Charities of Maine, The Christopher Home. She was the sole consultant for the 24-hour residential care facility staffed by nine family teachers. In this position, she was responsible for evaluating family teachers and service delivery through in-home observations and the assessment of quality assurance systems, providing 24-hour on-call consultation and crisis intervention and reviewing client records quarterly to assure compliance with state licensing and agency standards.
Savage received her master’s degree in business from Husson College in 2001 and a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from the University of Maine at Orono in 1995.
