Fitzgerald appointed interim academic dean at NMCC

14 years ago

Fitzgerald appointed interim

academic dean at NMCC

    PRESQUE ISLE — A respected faculty member and administrator who has served Northern Maine Community College for the better part of three decades has been appointed to the top academic post on campus. 

    Ronald Fitzgerald of Presque Isle, who first joined NMCC as a general education and math/science instructor in 1981, has been tapped by President Timothy Crowley to assume the post of interim academic dean for the 2010-11 academic year.
    In addition to his 29 years in the classroom, Fitzgerald is an experienced administrator, having served as department chair for the arts and sciences (formerly general education) department since 1988, as trade/tech area coordinator for four years, and as acting dean for adult and industrial education for a year.
    “I am pleased that Mr. Fitzgerald has agreed to serve as interim academic dean. Through his work as a faculty member and administrator at the college, he has provided guidance and support for students, as well as his colleagues,” said Crowley. “His commitment to quality will serve the college well as he takes on this new assignment. I am grateful to Ron for his commitment to NMCC and his willingness to serve in this capacity.”
    Fitzgerald’s work in both the NMCC and higher education community is vast. He co-chaired the most recent and highly successful self-study effort undertaken by the community college for its 2008 accreditation review by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). In addition, he has served as an evaluator on regional accreditation teams for NEASC at visits to other colleges in Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and at an international school accredited by the same body in Luzern, Switzerland.
    “I am looking forward to working collaboratively with NMCC faculty across the disciplines over the coming year. One of the hallmarks I quickly came to appreciate when I was first hired to teach here at NMCC in the early 1980s is that the faculty and staff are focused and truly care about the students and their success – both in the classroom and beyond. That level of commitment is what provides this institution with a unique margin of excellence,” said Fitzgerald.
    His commitment to education extends beyond the post secondary level. He is a past school board member and former chair of the SAD 1 school board and has served on the Maine State Adult and Community Education Advisory Board.
    Fitzgerald earned his master of education degree from Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, N.H. in 1994. He earned his undergraduate credential, a bachelor of science degree, from the University of Maine at Presque Isle in 1969.
    Just last fall, his alma mater (UMPI) named him the recipient of their 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award. He has also appeared in the “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers” publication on five different occasions since 1997. At NMCC, Fitzgerald is a past recipient of the President’s Award and has been recognized for excellence in instruction and curriculum development and for outstanding service.
    He belongs to several professional organizations including the Maine Education Association, the National Education Association and the Mathematical Association of America.
    Fitzgerald fills the position left vacant in September 2009, when former NMCC academic dean Alan Punches left the campus to assume a similar role at a college in Oklahoma. The position was unfilled for the 2009-10 academic year. A national search to find a permanent academic dean this past spring was unsuccessful.
    A new search will be conducted in the spring of 2011.