— The University of Southern Maine, roiled in recent years by enrollment and budget shortfalls, will soon have a new set of shoulders to help bear and resolve those problems.
Selma Botman, 57, who is now executive vice chancellor and provost in the City University of New York system, was selected by a committee headed by University of Maine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude to take over his former job as USM's president.
The author of three books, Botman, who holds degrees from Brandeis, Oxford and Harvard, now manages a staff of more than 15 academic deans and directors with a budget of more than $60 million. She also oversees CUNY's Honors College and School of Law.
Moving from a system with 230,000 students and 6,300 faculty members spread over 23 colleges in New York City to a school with three campuses and 10,200 students may seem like a bit of a step down, but it could also be a substantial professional challenge to be the person in charge of bringing Southern Maine's largest system up to its full potential.
And a challenge it will be. If approved by UMS trustees at their meeting Monday, Botman, who was selected over three other applicants for the position, will inherit what was an $8.2 million deficit over the past four years, caused in great part by declining enrollment.
Interim USM President Joseph Wood has trimmed nearly $5 million in current and projected expenses, and the school is pondering cutting up to a quarter of its 108 degree programs.
Botman, who has a record of attracting and retaining students in the CUNY system, will need to put her management and relationship skills to work quickly in her new position.
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