Five Women Promoted to Full Professor at the University of Maine

The board of trustees of the University of Maine System has approved the promotion of 14 faculty members to the rank of full professor. Five of these promotions went to women.

Kathleen P. Bell was appointed full professor of resource economics and policy in the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture. A member of the faculty since 2001, Professor Bell is a graduate of Bowdoin College in Maine. She is past president of the Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association. Professor Bell holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland-College Park.

Amy M. Blackstone was promoted to professor of sociology. She is also chair of the sociology department at the university. Dr. Blackstone joined the faculty at the University of Maine in 2003. She is the author of the textbook Principles of Sociological Inquiry: Qualitative and Quantitative Methods (Flat World Knowledge, 2012). Professor Blackstone is a graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Susan K. Gardner was named professor of higher education in the College of Education and Human Development. She has been on the faculty at the university since 2010. Dr. Gardner is a graduate of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. She holds a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a Ph.D. from Washington State University. She also serves as associate dean of accreditation and graduate affairs.

Laura A. Lindenfeld was appointed full professor of mass communication and media studies & public policy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She is the co-author of the forthcoming book Feasting Our Eyes: Food Films, Cultural Citizenship, and U.S. Identity (Columbia University Press). Dr. Lindenfeld, who joined the faculty in 2000, holds a master’s degree from the University of Bonn in Germany and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis.

Judith R. Pearse was promoted to professor of electrical engineering technology. She has served on the faculty at the University of Maine since 2001. In 2009, she was the recipient of the Presidential Outstanding Teaching Award from the university. Professor Pearse holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Maine.