FARMINGTON – University of Maine at Farmington President Theodora J. Kalikow is the recipient of the 2006 Deborah Morton Award. It was presented at a convocation ceremony on the University of New England’s Westbrook college campus recently

The award is presented each year by the trustees of the University of New England to recognize outstanding women who have achieved high distinction in their careers and public service or whose leadership in civic, cultural or social causes has been exceptional, according to a statement from UMF on Friday. The award was named in memory of Deborah Morton, valedictorian of the 1879 class of the Westbrook Seminary, the forerunner of Westbrook College, which merged with the University of New England in 1996.

Kalikow has been president of the University of Maine at Farmington since 1994 and is a guiding force in Maine’s educational and civic life, the statement said. Under her leadership, UMF has received top regional rankings in U.S. News & World Report for 10 consecutive years and has been recognized as one of 20 model universities committed to maximizing student potential in “Student Success in College: Creating Conditions that Matter,” published by the American Association for Higher Education.

Kalikow is a member of the board of directors of the Finance Authority of Maine, the Maine Humanities Council, and chairs the University of Maine System’s diversity committee. She is a former board member and chair of the Western Mountains Alliance, and has also served on the boards of the Association of American Colleges & Universities, the American Council on Education’s Commission on Women, and the Millennium Economic Development Advisory Committee formed by U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine.