Since established in 1989, the ten Libra Professorships at the University of Maine have been transformational in attracting and supporting outstanding faculty. Libra Professors, among the best and brightest in their fields of study, have provided exceptional educational opportunities for thousands of UMaine students across disciplines over the last three decades. The design of the program ensures that active recruitment of new faculty is ongoing as new ideas are constantly being explored and developed at our flagship research university.

Meet two of our current Libra Professors below:

Libra Professor in Maine Business School (MBS)

Dr. Rusty Stough

Dr. Rusty Stough arrived at UMaine with a plethora of experiences. In his undergraduate career, he majored in Chemistry and Biology while also being a student-athlete on the football team. Upon graduation, he began a pharmaceutical research career. The success of his research brought him into the world of marketing, which eventually led him to pursue his Masters in Colorado, and later, his Ph.D. in Wisconsin. As he was looking for his next career move into higher education, Rusty and his wife were thrilled to find Maine as their next destination.

The Libra Foundation’s support of his position has allowed Rusty to bring his family to Maine while continuing to grow as a professional, a teacher, and as a lifelong learner. Through his professorship, Rusty has worked to create and sustain partnership programs in his classrooms that work with local employers to find out what skills they are looking for in their job candidates. Because of these programs, Dr. Stough’s students are graduating with highly sought-after skills in the business world, such as computer programming. He has also started a partnership with Penobscot Theatre Company, which spawned a mutually beneficial relationship between the theater and UMaine students. Those students gain real-world marketing experience by helping to promote some of the shows, including last season’s well-received performance of 9-5.

Stough has also offered himself as a mentor for both undergraduate and graduate students working on research projects in the business school. One of his favorite memories since being at UMaine was publishing a paper with one of his undergraduate students on the role of verification among social media and internet influencers.

 Stough has also presented his research on non-conscious attention at a few virtual conferences and hopes to travel to some in person as a UMaine representative in the coming years. The Libra Foundation has been instrumental in helping Stough make these strides here at UMaine, “we do things with eye-tracking and other EKG-type things that are expensive and it’s expensive to get participants in to recruit for our research. The Libra allows me to do that very easily.”

Stough’s students feel the benefits of this funding as they gain tangible and transmissible skills in the classroom and in their desired professional fields. This is made possible with the funding for a Teaching Assistant, giving more students one-on-one assistance and support, which makes all the difference in their educational experience.

The Libra Foundation opens the doors at UMaine for professors who make a huge impact on their student’s lives and the University community. Thanks to the Libra Foundation, UMaine has been lucky to welcome Dr. Rusty Stough as someone who represents the innovation, drive, and passion that Black Bears take pride in as we seek to define tomorrow.

Libra Professor in the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture

Dr. Margaret L. Estapa

Growing up in Iowa, the coast was an unfamiliar and mysterious place to Dr. Margaret Estapa, but the Libra Foundation helped her build her dream career as a UMaine Oceanography instructor at the Darling Marine Center. Black Bear alum Meg Estapa completed her Ph.D. in the Oceanography program at UMaine with the help of her mentors, professor emeritus Dr. Larry Mayer and professor Emmanuel Boss. After graduating in 2011, Estapa worked at Skidmore College in New York until Dr. Mayer retired in 2019. Estapa applied for his position and moved back to Maine, much to the delight of her family, many of whom love Maine.

Her position is made possible with the assistance of the Libra Foundation, and Dr. Estapa has made sure the support is put to good use. Students in Estapa’s courses in the Semester-by-the-Sea program have the unique opportunity to practice repeated, hands-on scientific methods skills through the Estapa Lab.  During Semester-by-the-Sea, students are often out in the field collecting samples, operating tests in the lab, and being exposed to cutting-edge technology and methods. Access to Estapa’s facilities and technology is possible because of the generous financial support from the Libra Foundation.  Touching on her passion for field-based learning and teaching, Estapa said, “the courses that are farther from my expertise are the ones where I learn the most and the ones where I grow the most as a scientist and a teacher. The ones that are closer to my expertise, I don’t necessarily grow as much, I just have deeper conversations about things. There’s so much to like about all of them, regardless of how close they are to what I do.” Continuing from her Ph.D. work, Estapa is researching the ocean’s carbon cycle and how the ocean and marine life interact with climate change and global warming. In addition to the resources for ongoing projects, the Libra Foundation has also helped with startup costs for new projects such as Estapa’s Marine Microplastics Research program and research using remote sensing of the coastal environment through some of the satellites in orbit around the Earth.

Estapa’s lab continues to contribute to a field of research that is near and dear to Mainers and is relevant and urgent for the entire planet. Her return to UMaine is thanks to the Libra Foundation and their professorship program. Estapa’s gratitude for the Libra support extends even beyond her career, “I’m living the life I want to live for personal and professional reasons.”