ORONO — The University of Maine College of Education and Human Development honored former dean of education, Robert Cobb, at the Buchanan Alumni House on April 7.

To celebrate his nearly 40 years of service to the university, the event launched the establishment of the Robert “Bob” A. Cobb Scholarship Fund, which will provide financial aid to undergraduate students in need. Cobb said it is an honor to be recognized, and the scholarship fund being established in his honor is humbling and gratifying.

Before his 38 years at UMaine, with 30 of them as dean, Cobb grew up on a dairy farm in Winthrop. When he retired, he was the longest serving dean of a college of education in the United States.

He became a major player in state education policy, working with the Maine Legislature, the Maine State Board of Education, the Maine Department of Education, and organizations representing teachers, principals and superintendents.

Robert Cobb