President Danielle Ripich speaks in Washington, D.C., on decade of steering UNE to success

President Danielle Ripich
President Danielle Ripich

On October 18, 2016, University of New England President Danielle Ripich served as one of five invited speakers at the general session of the annual meeting of the Eastern Association of College and University Business Offers (EACUBO) in Washington, D.C. Ripich, who became the fifth president of UNE in 2006, spoke about guiding the university through a period of unprecedented growth.

In her talk, titled “Be Bold – Sail for the Deep Waters Only,” Ripich discussed the realization of the vision of UNE that she shared in her inaugural address in which she instructed students, faculty and staff to, in the words of Walt Whitman, “steer for the deep waters only.”

In a decade marked by economic crisis and cost-cutting in higher education, UNE, with Ripich at the helm, increased enrollment from 4,000 to 12,000 students; expanded its campuses in Biddeford and Portland; opened a revolutionary study-abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco; grew its number of colleges from three to six; and transformed from an institution struggling to make payroll to a thriving university on sound financial footing.

With her June 2017 retirement on the horizon, Ripich said that now is a natural time for reflection on her years at UNE and enjoyed sharing her “deep water” journey at the EACUBO meeting. “‘Steering for the deep waters only’ is about being bold and innovative,” she shared. “It’s about being socially conscious, globally aware, and willing and ready to disrupt the status quo. It’s about taking initiative and taking risks.”

After sharing the story of UNE’s remarkable transformation with EACUBO members, Ripich joined UNE’s Chief Business Officer Nicole Trufant for a discussion of the ways in which a president and CBO partnership can propel an institution forward.

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The Eastern Association of College and University Business Officers (EACUBO) is one of four regional associations affiliated with the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).  It was founded in 1919 to promote effective and ethical business and financial administration in colleges and universities. Its primary goal is to provide high quality professional development opportunities that are relevant and timely. 

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.