At this time she developed an interest in the Middle East but believed it was too late to change majors and thus stayed with psychology until graduation.
[2][3] After Harvard, Botman began her career in education in 1987 when she taught in the political science department at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA.
[3] She was a tenured full professor in the Departments of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Lowell campuses.
[6] In spite of these efforts when Botman became USM President on July 1, 2008[5] she did inherit debt instead of a clean slate, and along with it she was faced with dropping enrollment and flat state funding.
[7] In Fall 2008, she initiated a strategic planning process, which concluded in spring 2009 with the publication of Building Maine's Future: 2009-2014.
Botman attempted to guide the university through a complex restructuring effort, which she intended to increase the quality of education and to remove barriers to interdisciplinary exchange and programmatic development.
She developed a five-year strategic plan, Preparing USM for the Future: 2009-2014 intended to restore the university's fiscal health.
[12] Botman stated that a $140 million budget was being developed that would not include layoffs, due to the ongoing reorganization and prior reductions in staff.
[12] But by February 2012 Botman announced that there was a shortfall of five million dollars and compared the university's situation to being cast out of Eden.
[13] Botman sought to establish a fund to protect the university's credit rating and maintain operations during a time of financial difficulties.
[14] She also said she decided to resume the practice of hiring tenure-track faculty, which she said would enrich the university community and help sustain competitive academic programs.
[20][21][22][23] Effective July 9, 2012, Botman left her position as president to take a post at the University of Maine System chancellor's office.