Raymond named new department chair
for arts and sciences
at community college
PRESQUE ISLE — A humanities instructor who has taught at Northern Maine Community College for two decades has been selected to lead the arts and sciences department on campus. David B. Raymond of Mapleton has been appointed by NMCC President Timothy Crowley to the department chair position recently vacated by Ronald Fitzgerald, who was named interim academic dean at the college.

RONALD FITZGERALD, left, was recently named interim academic dean at NMCC, while David Raymond, right, was appointed by NMCC President Timothy Crowley to replace Fitzgerald as arts and sciences department chair. Fitzgerald, of Presque Isle, first joined NMCC as a general education and math/science instructor in 1981, while Raymond, of Mapleton, has been a full-time faculty member at the college since 1990.
Raymond, who has been a full-time faculty member at NMCC since 1990, is highly regarded as a leader amongst his colleagues on campus, having served as president of the faculty senate and president of the faculty union. He has also chaired several college committees including strategic planning and curriculum, as well as an accreditation sub-committee during NMCC’s most recent accreditation review.
In addition to steering several campus groups and organizations, Raymond has been a key figure in the evolution of NMCC to a comprehensive community college, including his leadership role in the development of the associate of arts degree in liberal studies and his work on the assessment of the general education core offering of courses.
“I am extremely pleased that David has agreed to assume the arts and sciences department chair position. His 20 years of teaching experience here at NMCC will be a tremendous asset as he assumes this important position,” said Fitzgerald. “I feel honored to have been replaced by David and I know that he will continue to move this department in a positive direction as we meet the challenges associated with being a comprehensive community college.”
Prior to joining the NMCC campus community, Raymond served as a part-time instructor at the University of Maine at Presque Isle for nearly a decade. He additionally has nearly 30 years’ of experience in accounting, including 20 years running his own tax practice.
As new chair of the arts and sciences department, Raymond is hoping to draw from his own professional experience, time in the classroom and leadership opportunities to build upon a strong foundation.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as chairman of the arts and sciences department,” said Raymond. “I will strive to continue the good work established by my predecessor, Ron Fitzgerald, who set the bar for the liberal arts … not only on this campus, but system-wide.”
Raymond has written a number of professional papers and conducted several presentations in his nearly 20 years as a college classroom instructor. He has also researched and subsequently authored a number of articles that have appeared in regional and national publications.
His work has been recognized both by the NMCC campus community and by outside constituents. He was named a co-recipient of the NMCC Student Senate Instructor of the Year Award in 2003, presented with the President’s Award for outstanding service to the college in 2002, and honored as the Outstanding Tech Prep Educator by the Northern and Eastern Maine Tech Prep Consortium in 1999.
In 2000, the Northern Maine Community College Foundation Board, on which Raymond served as treasurer from 1990 through 2002, honored him with the Eagle Award for outstanding service to the organization. He has also been named to the “Who’s Who in American College Teachers” publication on four different occasions.
Raymond’s community involvement has included serving as the moderator for town meetings for Mapleton, as a member of the Ethics Forum Committee of The Aroostook Medical Center, and as a volunteer for SAD 1 on both the assessment and design teams.
He holds a master of arts degree in humanities (literature) from California State University in Dominguez Hills (2001) and a master of arts degree in history from the University of Maine at Orono (1985), as well as a bachelor of arts in history from the University of Maine at Presque Isle (1980).