Gordon Donaldson
Professor of Education, College of Education and Human Development

Professor Gordon Donaldson has been a dedicated and effective educational leader. He teaches in the College’s Educational Leadership program specializing in school-level leadership. In his exemplary teaching, he has gone beyond the traditional classroom, scheduling classes evenings and weekends across the state thereby reaching students all over Maine and the Maritimes.

A U.S. Department of Education grant in the 1990’s enabled Gordon to take the lead in developing a model for understanding how leaders develop the skills of leadership, an important breakthrough that led to the Maine School Leadership Network and the International Network of Principals’ Centers at Harvard.   Gordon has been instrumental in transforming the way leaders are educated at the University of Maine, in leading the international movement to foster leadership in schools, and in creating the doctoral program in Educational Leadership.

Gordon is an applied scholar and has linked his scholarship directly to the needs of Maine children, families, schools and communities and has played a very active role in Maine public education as co-chair of the Commission on Secondary Education, partnering with Maine school districts, Maine LEAD, the Maine Development Foundation, and others.  Professor Donaldson’s scholarly work is renowned.  His books, articles and presentations inform and influence the education of leaders and school improvement nationally and beyond. His two latest books, How Leaders Learn: Cultivating Capacities for School Improvement and Cultivating Leadership in Schools:  Connecting People, Purpose, and Practice are prime examples of his effective work in educational leadership.

Gordon is a key opinion leader within the faculty.  He has served the college…and has been called upon to provide leadership at the campus level as well. Virtually everywhere one turns in education circles within Maine, Gordon’s imprint is there through his positive contributions. And the same can be said of his national stature as well. 

Those words, written in 1991 in support of Gordon’s promotion to full professor are descriptive of his work for all of his 25 years here.  The College and the University thank you, Gordon for your dedicated service.