Danielle Newberry Ripich, 1967
B.A., Cleveland State University
M.A., Cleveland State University
Ph.D., Kent State University
President
University of New England
Biddeford, Maine
Citation awarded on Saturday, June 3, 2017
Danielle became the University of New England’s fifth president in 2006. Under her leadership, the University has seen unprecedented growth, including the launch of a College of Pharmacy, College of Graduate Studies, and College of Dental Medicine, as well as five Centers of Excellence for Research and Scholarship and a UNE campus in Tangier, Morocco. During her decade of leadership, UNE tripled enrollment, built 14 new buildings and was listed by Princeton Review and other rankings among the top colleges and universities in the country.
Before assuming the UNE helm, Danielle served as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor at Case Western Reserve University, and as dean of the College of Health Professions at the Medical University of South Carolina.
She holds a Ph.D. in speech pathology from Kent State and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in speech pathology from Cleveland State. She is internationally recognized for her language research, particularly in the areas of child language and Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions and the American Speech Language and Hearing Association. She has published extensively and served in editorial positions on numerous journals.
Danielle has held several leadership positions in her professional and civic life. Maine Ahead magazine called her “the powerhouse behind Maine’s largest private university,” and Mainebiz named her a Woman to Watch and Maine’s Business Leader of the Year. She was named Business Leader of the Year by Junior Achievement of Maine and the Economic Leader of the Year by the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce. She has been honored by the American Heart Association and by Cleveland State for her service and accomplishments.
Danielle and Terry Ripich ’66 are the parents of Amy Newberry Roddey, Michael Forde Ripich, and Sarah Caroline van Raalten. They have seven grandchildren.
