Orono, Maine — University of Maine System Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Robert Placido has been named the Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, effective Dec. 5.
While a national search is conducted to fill the position, Jeffrey St. John, associate vice chancellor for accreditation and strategic initiatives, will serve as interim vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Placido joined the University of Maine System in 2017 after a 20-year career at Texas Woman’s University. In collaboration with chief academic officers at UMS universities, he has overseen the creation of innovative academic programs and the development of System-wide unified accreditation — the first-in-the-nation statewide unified accreditation from the New England Commission on Higher Education. Placido, a four-year U.S. Air Force veteran, noted earlier this year when he was awarded the Maine Military and Community Network’s Coin of Excellence that helping other veterans achieve their higher education goals is particularly rewarding.
“Robert’s dedication to academic excellence and student success has made a difference for Maine public universities,” says UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy. “We appreciate his commitment to public higher education and the difference it can make for students and the state, and we wish him well in the next chapter in his career.”
Placido will oversee academic policy, student preparation, collegiate programs, student services, and federal postsecondary authorization and compliance. The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education consists of 25 colleges and universities, and constituent agencies.
“I pour myself into my work and bond closely with the people around me, so it is painful to say farewell,” Placido says. “I am grateful for my time at the System and the pleasure of living in Maine.”
About the University of Maine System
Established in 1968, the University of Maine System (UMS) unites seven Maine’s distinctive public universities, comprising 10 campuses and numerous centers, in the common purpose of providing quality higher education while delivering on its traditional tripartite mission of teaching, research, and public service.
In 2020 UMS became the first and only statewide enterprise of public higher education in the country to transition to a unified accreditation for the system. Much different than a merger or consolidation, unified accreditation is a new operating model for the University of Maine System that removes the primary barrier to inter-institutional collaboration.
A comprehensive public institution of higher education, UMS serves more than 30,000 students annually and is supported by the efforts of more than 2,000 full-time and part-time faculty, more than 3,000 regular full-time and part-time staff, and a complement of part-time temporary (adjunct) faculty.
Reaching more than 500,000 people annually through educational and cultural offerings, the University of Maine System also benefits from more than two-thirds of its alumni population residing within the state; more than 123,000 individuals.
The System consists of seven main campuses: The University of Maine (UMaine), including its regional campus the University of Maine at Machias (UMaine Machias); the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA); the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF); the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK), the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI); and the University of Southern Maine (USM). The System also includes a UMA campus in Bangor, USM campuses in Gorham and Lewiston-Auburn, the University of Maine School of Law, and the University of Maine Graduate and Professional Center.
Please follow these links to the UMS Logo, UMS and individual university style guides and an image and biographical information for Chancellor Malloy.
