Three-quarters of the institutions in the University of Maine System are led by women—twice more than the national average.
ORONO, Maine — For decades, women were not welcome in STEM fields. But at the University of Maine, women are leading the institution with the hope of ensuring future generations don’t have to jump over the same hurdles they did.
In 1986, less than 10 percent of universities and colleges had female leaders, according to Pew Research. In 2022, that raised to 32.8 percent. However, in the University of Maine System, women lead three-quarters of its universities.
At the University of Maine in Orono, Dr. Joan Ferrini-Mundy leads as president. Long before she was leading a university, she was working to help young women.
“My research was about math learning. How can I help people learn it better,” she said. “Particularly, how can we help women do better.”
When Guidoboni was pursuing …