Gov. Paul LePage will speak Tuesday at the dedication of the University of Maine at Farmington’s Education Center, which will be named in honor of former UMF president Theodora J. Kalikow.
The dedication ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. on the corner of High Street and South Street with tours of the center offered starting at 3 p.m.
LePage will join speakers UMF President Kathryn Foster and University of Maine System Chancellor James Page at the dedication of the Theodora J. Kalikow Education Center.
Kalikow was president of UMF from 1994 to 2012, the longest serving president of the university since it became a four-year college in 1945. Under Kalikow’s time at UMF, the school was named One of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report for 15 consecutive years.
She also played a large role in establishing UMF’s commitment to sustainability as an early signatory of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.
“The ground work for UMF’s commitment to environmental stewardship was begun under Theo’s early leadership to promote and invest in sustainable practices,” Foster said in a news release for the dedication.
Kalikow was awarded the Green Building Leadership Award from the Maine Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council for her commitment in promoting environmentally responsible buildings.
The Education Center, completed in 2007, uses geothermal energy for its heating and cooling system. Construction materials through the building are made of sustainable and recyclable materials. The 44,500-square-foot building is home to the College of Education, Health and Rehabilitation.
Kalikow retired at the school’s 2012 commencement, telling the gathering, “It’s been a terrific ride. I’ve enjoyed the heck out of it, and every day has been a surprise.”
A month after she retired, Kalikow was named president of the University of Southern Maine after Selma Botman, who had held the job for four years, requested reassignment.
Kalikow, 71 at the time, said she’d planned to enjoy retirement at her Mount Vernon home and work as a consultant for the University of Maine System, but took the USM job at the request of Page. In July 2014 she took a one-year vice chancellor position in the university system to develop a one-year community engagement initiative.
Lauren Abbate — 861-9252
Twitter: @Lauren_M_Abbate
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