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Education

A.B., Muhlenberg College, 1968
M.A., University of Southern Mississippi, 1972
M.A., University of Southern Mississippi, 1974
M.S., University of Southern Maine, 1980
C.A.G.S., Berne University, 1999
Ph.D., Berne University, 2000

• Jon A. Schlenker, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, has been a full-time faculty member at UMA since January 1975 after a five year stint at Jones County Jr. College, Ellisville, Mississippi. He has also taught as an adjunct faculty at six other colleges/universities. While at UMA he has served as Chair of the Division of Math, Science, and Social Science; Dean of Students; Coordinator of Social Sciences; and Director of the Honors Program for over 25 years, as well as faculty sponsor of UMA's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, International Honor Society for over 20 years. He has been a pioneer in distance education since 1978, having taught 8 courses on interactive television (over 170 times), 6 courses on the internet (12 times), and one course via compressed video (5 times). He has authored several articles and made dozens of presentations on distance education nationally and internationally.
  
  
  With regard to honors education, he has served as President of the National Collegiate Honors Council (with over 800 colleges and universities), President of the Northeast Regional Honors Council (an organization of over 200 colleges and universities), and twice President of the Maine Honors Council. He also has made dozens of presentations at national and regional honors conferences. He is the co-author of two books: The Choctaws and In the Public Interest: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Maine, as well the author of many articles and book reviews.
  
  
  Personally, Jon was born in Takoma Park, Maryland (his family actually lived in Washington, D.C.), but grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, eventually graduating from Muhlenberg College with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology. He began graduate school at the University of Hawaii, but earned graduate degrees at the University of Southern Mississippi (an M.A. in sociology and and M.A. in anthropology), an M.S. in adult education from the University of Southern Maine, a Certificate in Advanced Graduate Study (higher education/adult education)and a Ph.D. (adult education/higher education) from Berne University International Graduate School in St. Kitts. His wife, Barbara, is an R.N. and is a wellness nurse at MaineGeneral Medical Center, and they have been married for almost a half a century. They have 3 daughters: Lori (B.A., UMaine and M.A. museum studies, George Washington U.) works at the University of Kansas; Jennifer (B.A. sociology, UMaine; M.S. human development, UMaine; and certificate in human resourses, Northeastern U.); and Jessica (B.A. psychology, UMaine and M.S. family therapy, University of Rhode Island) is a counselor in Massachusetts. They have 3 grandsons, Edward, son of Jennifer and her husband, Mark, and Spencer and Parker, sons of Lori and her husband Andy, and a granddaughter, Margaret, daughter of Jennifer and Mark.
  
  
  Besides teaching, Jon's special interests are all types of sports and travel. His Myers-Briggs Type Indicator has been scored as ESPN and he has been accused of watching 3 sporting events on 3 TVs at the same time (that's a slight exaggeration--only 2). He coached the UMA soccer clubs for over 20 years, and still enjoys surfing, snorkling, and playing softball, soccer, and basketball. Whenever he gets the time and money, he likes to travel (usually to warm places with quiet beaches).