FARMINGTON – In a presentation entitled “Theo’s Last Lecture,” the president of University of Maine at Farmington invoked John Dewey, Gone With the Wind and Star Trek.
“The fact is, we’ve done amazing things here,” President Theo Kalikow told an audience of faculty members, students and residents of Farmington.
Kalikow’s lecture, entitled “Save Starfleet Academy,” was presented at the Lincoln Auditorium as a lead-in to the Symposium day, an event the president started 13 years ago to allow students to showcase their work. The talk was arranged by the Alpha Lambda Delta, the first year Honors Society, as “Theo’s Last Lecture,” modeled after the famous last lecture written by Professor Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon University.
Kalikow arrived at UMF in 1994, having last worked at Plymouth State College as a professor, dean and interim president. She stayed for 18 years, and is the longest-serving president of UMF since the school became a four-year college in 1945.
Discussing a book of 1950s science fiction she found at the dump, Kalikow noted it reflected values of the 1950s, despite the futuristic settings and plots. Today’s science fiction and fantasy however, reflected the 21st century, Kalikow said, and one constant inclusion were systems of education; the battle school in Ender’s Game, Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series and Starfleet Academy in Star Trek. Given the challenges facing colleges today, Kalikow wondered what the future of education would resemble.
“We need to defend public education today,” Kalikow said, “so we can save Starfleet Academy tomorrow.”
She noted that UMF was the first public college in Maine, chartered in the 1863 to teach educators, and stressed that the farmers and townspeople on young Farmington had considered the institution critical enough to pour valuable resources and time into. Those people, living on the frontier, knew how important UMF would be, Kalikow said.
“Democracy has to be born anew every generation,” Kalikow said, quoting philosopher John Dewey, “and education is its midwife.”
UMF was critically important to the students it prepared for life, Kalikow said, but also the community of Farmington.
“Imagine UMF without the F,” she said. “Imagine the F without the UMF — bad.”
The president held the question and answer period before the lecture began, saying that taking questions after the speech felt “anti-climatic.” To answer a question about what she felt the most positive change she had seen at UMF since arriving 18 years ago was an increase in the level of pride in the institution by those who worked there.
“When I got here, people weren’t proud enough,” Kalikow said. “People didn’t know what they’d done and they didn’t know what they were capable of.”
Stating she was “most proud” of the faculty, Kalikow got laughs when she noted that without the teachers, UMF would be a “third-rate resort.”
I was as 2nd year student at UMF when President Kalicow was inaugurated and was pleased to be in attendance at the event. At the reception in North Dining Hall afterward, I went over to Theo’s father and thanked him for raising such a great female leader. I have never forgotton what he said next. He said that he was proud of her, but what he really wanted to know was if the kids [college students] like her. I assured him that we did. I have been a proud alumni of UMF and was grateful to have had the opportunity to be there during her tenure. She will be missed. Thanks, Coach!