To: The Maine State House, The Maine State Senate, and Governor Janet Mills
Save Prof. Julie Ziffer (USM Physics)
Julie Ziffer is a valuable member of the University of Southern Maine faculty, who is highly acclaimed by her peers, and whose continued employment is required for University of Southern Maine to keep a viable physics major.
Why is this important?
We are starting this petition to retain a tenured and recognized member of the faculty who has led a number of projects to encourage women into STEM programs, is a revenue generating professor in a deficit laden school, has an asteroid named after her, and teaches twice as many classes per year as the Physics professors at Orono. Due to the retrenchments put forth by the interim President Flanagan and Provost McDonnell, in December she will be unceremoniously ripped from the Physics program against her tenure and union contract. This decision will not only affect students currently enrolled in the program but will negatively impact the overall quality of education at the university and drive income earners from Southern Maine.