The Mitchell Institute Higher Education Professional of the Year Award recognizes higher education professionals whose extraordinary service to students supports the Institute’s mission of helping young people from Maine to pursue, afford, and achieve a college education. Eligibility details are below. Submit your nominations today!
“These are the advisors, coaches, career counselors, and members of admission, financial-aid, and student-life staffs, who are boots-on-the-ground and working longer than normal work weeks to lift up and support Maine students,” said Mitchell Institute President and CEO Jared Cash.
Since the award’s inception, we have been honored to recognize three exceptional professionals who exemplify this commitment:
Ron Milliken (2022), the longest-serving director of financial aid at a Maine college or university in recent memory, who retired from a 47-year career at the University of Maine at Farmington in early September 2022.
Mercedes Pour (2023), the Director of College Access and Secondary Partnerships within the Maine Community College System, whose leadership and strategy for all Early College initiatives at Maine’s seven community colleges have dramatically increased Early College enrollment.
Al Bean (2024), the longtime University of Southern Maine Director of Athletics, who retired after a 31-year career maintaining an unwavering focus on the student in student-athlete.
More details about each of these recipients is available below. Formal announcements celebrating the 2025 Mitchell Institute Higher Education Professional will be made later this year.
Eligibility
Candidates for the Mitchell Institute Higher Education Professional of the Year must have 10+ years of service to the field of higher education in Maine and represent higher education professional staff that support student enrollment, growth, and success, such as personnel in Academic Advising; Admissions; Athletics and/or Recreation; the Bursar’s Office; Career Services; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; Financial-Aid; Orientation; the Registrar’s Office; Residential Life; Student Life; and other student-facing departments on college campuses.
Nominations for the Mitchell Institute Higher Education Professional of the Year will close at midnight on September 17, 2025.
Al Bean – The longtime University of Southern Maine Director of Athletics, who retired after a 31-year career maintaining an unwavering focus on the student in student-athlete. Bean’s transformational leadership grew USM Athletics to 23 varsity teams serving nearly 500 student-athletes each year who have achieved hundreds of NCAA tournament appearances and conference championships. Most notably, the number of Scholar Athletes (students achieving at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA) grew from 34 at the inaugural ceremony in 1988 to a record 257 recipients during the 2023 celebration. His leadership extended beyond campus as Commissioner of the NCAA’s Division III Little East Conference.
Mercedes Pour – The Director of College Access and Secondary Partnerships within the Maine Community College System, providing system-wide leadership for Early College initiatives at Maine’s seven community colleges since 2014. Pour’s leadership drove policy shifts prioritizing equity of access, growing Maine high school students earning college credit through Early College programs to a record 5,000+ students. Her vision led to the Spring Ahead program in partnership with Southern Maine Community College, ensuring early college benefits reached underrepresented students. Her professional field impact includes close partnership with the University of Maine System’s Early College team, making policy decisions that gained national attention for Maine’s programs.
Ron Milliken – The inaugural recipient and longest-serving director of financial aid at a Maine college or university, who retired from a 47-year career at the University of Maine at Farmington. Milliken’s innovative leadership developed the highly successful Peer-to-Peer Financial Literacy Program at UMF in 2013, training students to provide financial education to fellow students. The program’s success led the University of Maine System to expand the program statewide in 2017, enabling trained peer student educators across all campuses. His professional field leadership earned him the Maine Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators’ Distinguished Service Award in 1991 and the Finance Authority of Maine’s 2019 Education at Work Award.