PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — University of Maine at Presque Isle President Linda Schott is leaving to lead Southern Oregon University, University of Maine System officials announced Monday night.
“With all that we have accomplished together at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, it was a very difficult decision to consider and accept a new position at a new institution,” Schott said in a news release. “Exploring new professional challenges at an institution serving a similar, but larger, student body and delivering both bachelor’s and master’s degrees is an opportunity I need to pursue.”
The system hired Schott in 2012 after a national search that drew 77 applicants.
She’ll assume the Southern Oregon post before the start of the next school year. Southern Oregon University, located in Ashland, Oregon, is focused on liberal arts, much like UMPI, but has an enrollment of about 6,000 students, compared with 1,400 at UMPI, and it also offers master’s degree programs.
System Chancellor James Page plans to visit UMPI before the end of the month to discuss ways to “continue the institution’s momentum” under temporary leadership. He expects to name an interim president before Schott leaves, according to the news release.
