Bowdoin Communications VP Martin Mbugua to Depart; Scott Hood Named Interim

Martin Mbugua, Bowdoin College’s senior vice president for communications and public affairs, will depart the College at the end of February for personal and family reasons. Scott Hood, senior vice president emeritus, will return in an interim capacity beginning March 1 while Bowdoin conducts a national search for a permanent successor.

The change in leadership touches a central office for campus outreach and town-gown relations. The communications and public affairs office manages college messaging to students, faculty, staff and the Brunswick community, coordinates media relations and public information, and handles notices for campus events and emergencies. A transition in that office arrives as the spring semester ramps up and community engagement events resume, making continuity a priority for campus administrators and local stakeholders.

Scott Hood’s interim appointment is pitched as a move to steady operations during the search process. Hood served previously in senior administration and holds the emeritus title, signaling institutional familiarity and experience with Bowdoin’s internal procedures and external relationships. His return is intended to preserve institutional memory and maintain established channels with local media, municipal officials and community organizations in Sagadahoc County.

For residents of Brunswick and surrounding towns, the immediate impact will be practical: who to contact for press inquiries, event information and official College updates may shift as interim leadership takes over. Town offices, local nonprofits, and cultural organizations that partner with Bowdoin for lectures, performances and public programs should monitor college communications for any interim contacts or procedural notes. College leaders have indicated that daily functions of the communications office will continue while the national search proceeds.

Institutionally, the vacancy requires Bowdoin to balance a public search with the need for steady messaging. A national search signals the College’s aim to attract candidates with experience in higher education communications and public affairs, but it also raises questions about timelines, selection criteria and how a new leader will shape outreach priorities and community engagement. Those are decisions that will affect how Bowdoin frames enrollment communications, crisis response and public programming in the years ahead.

What comes next for residents is watchful attention to college announcements and outreach schedules. Scott Hood will oversee the communications office starting March 1, and the College will move forward with a national search for a permanent senior vice president for communications and public affairs; local partners should expect continuity in service during the transition and updates as the search unfolds.