Northern Maine Community College president to retire next month

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Northern Maine Community College President Tim Crowley will retire August 1.

Crowley, who has been president of the Presque Isle campus since 2002, announced his plans Wednesday in a press release from the Maine Community College System.

Crowley joined NMCC in 1985 as dean of students after completing his baccalaureate and master’s degrees at the University of Southern Maine and Harvard University Management Development Program in Higher Education, respectively. He was named vice president and academic dean in 1991.

At the start of Crowley’s career, the school was known as Northern Maine Vocational Institute. During his tenure, he oversaw the college’s transition from mostly technical to community college-based programs, including early childhood education, business administration, nursing, precision manufacturing and wind power technology.

“Tim’s commitment to excellence and advancement, combined with his unwavering focus on student success and regional partnerships, has been the key to the college’s outstanding reputation,” said David Daigler, president of the Maine Community College System.

Crowley, who lives in Caribou, is a board member of Loring Development Authority, tasked with redeveloping the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, and has overseen the Northern Maine Growth Initiative, aiming to recruit immigrants and asylum seekers for the local workforce.

He will leave campus as NMCC renovates a former dorminatory into a child care center and more space for short-term workforce housing and continues to see student enrollment increase yearly .

In reflecting on his long career, Crowley said that NMCC has grown to become a trusted community partner for workforce growth.

“We have worked to embrace becoming the community’s college,” Crowley said. “Together we have built a place where the community comes together to solve problems and set directions for future growth.”

NMCC Academic Dean Angela Buck will serve as interim president during the next school year. The college plans to launch a search for the next president this fall.

Correction: This article has been amended to correct the date Crowley became NMCC president.