BANGOR, Maine — Eastern Maine Community College President Lawrence Barrett announced Thursday tentative plans to step down from the post he has held for nearly five years.
“I have tentatively accepted an offer to serve as president of Florida Gateway College in Lake City, Florida, pending final contract negotiations,” Barrett said in a written statement shared with faculty and staff at the Bangor campus.
“This decision was not made lightly,” he said. “In my over 28 years of experience in higher education, Eastern Maine Community College and the Bangor region community have stood out as some of the very best places I have been a part of.
“However, for myself and for my family, Florida Gateway College is a great next step, and I am excited to continue to make an impact in the lives of students at an institution that offers both two- and four-year degrees,” Barrett said.
Before Barrett was appointed EMCC’s president, he served as vice chancellor of enrollment management and student services at Purdue University North Central in Westville, Indiana.
He succeeded Dr. Joyce Hedlund, who had served as EMCC president for 16 years before becoming president of Washington County Community College in Calais.
“I am very proud of all Eastern Maine Community College has accomplished in the last five years and am grateful to our talented faculty, staff, students, and community members for their collaboration and hard work,” Barrett noted in his statement.
“It is bittersweet to be leaving behind such a fine institution and many wonderful colleagues and friends, but I know EMCC is in a good place and poised for even greater success in the years to come,” he said.