National higher education expert
to speak at UMPI
PRESQUE ISLE — Dr. Richard Keeling, a nationally recognized expert on transformative change for higher education, will be the next speaker in the 2012-13 Distinguished Lecturer Series at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Dr. Richard Keeling 
will deliver his talk “The Future of College: Rethinking American Higher Education,” which also serves as the keynote for UMPI’s 12th annual University Day, on Tuesday, April 9, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. His presentation is free and open to the public.
Dr. Keeling is the co-author of the recently published book, “We’re Losing Our Minds: Rethinking American Higher Education,” which argues for substantial change in the culture of higher education to support higher quality and better value in undergraduate education in the United States. He also leads New York City-based Keeling and Associates, LLC, a comprehensive higher education consulting practice whose mission is improving outcomes in higher education by creating change for learning.
The theme of this year’s University Day is “Linking Generations through Teaching and Learning.” During his talk, Dr. Keeling will discuss higher education’s conflicting priorities such as cost vs. quality, college for credentialing or higher learning, diversity of learning formats and systems, whether college is a consumer product or a public good, and the ultimate challenge of preserving higher learning as higher education changes.
Since founding K&A, Dr. Keeling has worked with more than 500 institutions and organizations in the United States and Canada over nearly 25 years of practice. He believes that learning should be transformative, that learning must be at the core of the mission of colleges and universities and that sound processes of institutional renewal can enable campuses to improve learning in its broadest sense.
Dr. Keeling earned his bachelor’s degree in English with highest honors from the University of Virginia and received his M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine; he completed residency in internal medicine and fellowship in hematology. He is the father of three children and has five grandchildren.
Keeling’s talk serves as the kickoff for University Day, with a full day of events following on Wednesday, April 10. From about 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., more than 100 students are expected to offer talks and presentations on their research and community service. A complete schedule of University Day activities can be found at www.umpi.edu/uday.
