Office of the President
Selma Botman
See President Botman's complete resume.
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The University of Southern Maine’s 10th president Selma Botman joined USM on July 1, 2008. Shortly after her USM appointment, President Botman said, “Universities must serve as drivers of economic development, generators of new knowledge, centers of cultural and recreational opportunities and pathways to student success that culminate in thoughtful citizenship, satisfying careers and principled lives. The success of our students is, in fact, the most important indication that USM is doing the job entrusted to us by the State of Maine: providing the best education possible.”
As one of her first initiatives, she initiated a strategic planning process that resulted in the University’s new plan Preparing USM for the Future 2009-2014. The new strategic plan envisions the transformation of USM into a model 21st-century public comprehensive university deeply rooted in service to the aspirations of central and southern Maine and dedicated to student success. President Botman serves on the board of the Portland Museum of Art and has visited 11 Maine high schools, talking to students about the value of a baccalaureate degree.
Throughout her career as an administrator and professor, President Botman has demonstrated a commitment to ensuring student success, creating academic programs that are innovative and relevant as well as developing collaborative relationships with community partners.
She most recently served as Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost for the City University of New York (CUNY), the nation's largest urban public university. Under her leadership, CUNY’s academic reputation flourished, and the University became a national model of excellence in contemporary urban public education. . In addition to leading successful efforts to create a School of Public Health, an Institute for Demographic Research, a master’s in Middle Eastern studies, and CUNY’s first-ever online degree, she worked to ensure that students of all backgrounds have opportunities to benefit from CUNY’s intellectual resources through a new associate's degree program that removes barriers to college completion.
Prior to joining CUNY, President Botman served as Special Assistant to the Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. She was also Vice President for Academic Affairs at the statewide University of Massachusetts system for six years. At UMass, she led a five-campus environmental studies initiative that addressed community needs. She strengthened technology and engineering education throughout Massachusetts by bringing together K-12 teachers, university faculty, and retired engineers to design new programs that were introduced to secondary schools. President Botman also visited 60 high schools across the state to promote the university’s academic, cultural, and athletic strengths.
President Botman, who grew up outside of Boston, holds a B.A. in psychology from Brandeis University, a B.Phil in Middle Eastern studies from Oxford University, and an A.M. in Middle Eastern studies and a Ph.D. in history and Middle Eastern studies from Harvard University. She is a scholar of modern Middle Eastern politics and society who has taught and published extensively.
