FARMINGTON — Theodora J. Kalikow, University of Maine at Farmington president, has announced the appointment of Daniel P. Gunn, chair of the UMF Division of Humanities and professor of English, as the university’s interim provost and vice president of academic affairs, effective July 1.

As chief academic officer of the university, Gunn will provide leadership for all aspects of academic life, continue to strengthen UMF’s academic and research programs and maintain UMF’s dedication to excellence.

Gunn has been a faculty member at UMF since 1980 and has served the university as an educator, researcher and administrator. He has an intimate knowledge of the university’s policies and procedures, having served as chair of the Department of Humanities for more than 15 years, where he has coordinated programs and faculty in English, foreign languages, philosophy and religion. In this leadership position, he was instrumental in instituting the competitive and highly successful bachelor of fine arts in creative writing program at UMF and his efforts have helped increase the number of students majoring in humanities from fewer than 50 in the early 1980s to 270 in 2010.

In addition to his service as chair of his department, Gunn has also provided leadership for six academic departments and more than 80 faculty members as the interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in spring, 2008. He was elected chair of the Faculty Senate, served as chair of the Affirmative Action Committee and helped bring Alice James Books — an independent cooperative poetry press — to UMF.

Gunn has also been active in community theater, performing with Sandy River Players, Workshop Productions and Mount Vernon Players.

He received his bachelor of arts degree in English, magna cum laude, at College of the Holy Cross and his Ph.D. in English literature at Boston College.