UNE hires new provost

The University of New England, which has campuses in Portland and Biddeford, said Friday that it has hired a new provost following a national search.

Rhode Island College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Joshua Hamilton will take over as provost and vice president and senior vice president for academic affairs at UNE on April 15, the university said Friday in a news release.

UNE President James Herbert said he is looking forward to Hamilton’s contributions to shaping and expanding the university’s academic programs.

“I have full confidence that incoming Provost Hamilton will be a tremendous asset to UNE through the pursuit of innovative ideas and strategies that will enhance the university’s stature as a national leader in higher education,” Herbert said in the release. “His impressive record of accomplishments as an administrator, researcher, mentor and teacher will serve the UNE community well.”

Hamilton received a bachelor of science degree in biology from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, and he earned both a master’s degree in genetics and a doctorate in toxicology from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He was awarded a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship to support his research training at Dartmouth, according to UNE.