One of the University of Maine’s longest-serving deans and a force for education has died.
Robert Cobb, the dean emeritus of the College of Education and Orono resident, died Sept. 29 at 80 years old after a battle with cancer. Cobb became the dean of the College of Education and Human Development in 1977 and served in the role for 30 years before retiring in 2007.
When Cobb retired he was, at the time, the longest-serving dean of an education college in the country.
In 2017, UMaine’s College of Education and Human Development created a scholarship fund called the Robert “Bob” A. Cobb Scholarship Fund to provide financial aid to undergraduate students in need.
While dean, Cobb spearheaded a movement to prompt positive learning environments for young athletes called Sports Done Right. That model took hold across the country.
“Bob established much of the critical infrastructure on which our College of Education and Human Development has grown, including a commitment to meeting the needs of learners of all ages in Maine,” University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy said.
Cobb is survived by his wife Shayne, a daughter, and a son, as well as five grandchildren.
