Maine’s path to statehood in 1820 followed years of tensions with the political and economic powers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, of which Maine was a part. Now, 200 years later, remnants of those early political, economic, and cultural issues remain. As Maine celebrates its bicentennial as a state, what can we learn by revisiting…
As has been the case for Native Americans most everywhere, for centuries Maine’s original inhabitants have maintained their Tribal Nations as well as resisted and struggled against powerful political and social forces for the rights, opportunities, and protections legally retained by them as indigenous people and promised to them in treaties. While minor progress has…
In May, the University of Maine System trustees voted to change the name of C.C. Little Hall to Beryl Warner Williams Hall. Beryl Warner Williams ’35, ’40G, ’72 Hon. was the first Black graduate to earn a degree in mathematics at UMaine. “She serves as a model and exemplifies the kinds of accomplishments that we…
By Nina Mahaleris ’20 Author’s note: This article references Jordan Marie Daniel using they/them pronouns, as the subject prefers. JORDAN MARIE DANIEL ‘11 (full name: Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Daniel) hadn’t exactly intended for a life in the limelight. Daniel, who belongs to the Kul Wicasa Oyate, also known as the Lower Brule…
A FIRST-EVER STUDY of Black Bear alumni makes clear that a UMaine education pays dividends for both the students who enrolled and the taxpayers who help fund the university. The study, commissioned by the UMaine Alumni Association and conducted in 2020 by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, explored a wide range of ways that…
As UMaine grapples with increasing its commitment to DEI, it cannot forget its past. The following story is disturbing but provides a tragic glimpse into the type of racism and violence that took place on UMaine’s campus. It should serve as an example of how unknown and suppressed stories affect our ability to understand perspectives…
You are invited to an online event on March 25 at 5:00 pm, when the UMaine Alumni Association will co-host the Maryann Hartman Awards with the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program. The three awardees to be honored are UMaine alumnae Sharon Barker ’71, ’87G, retired director of UMaine’s Women’s Resource Center; Maulian Dana ’06,…
Bernard Lown ’42 (right, with Mikhail Gorbachev), one of the University of Maine’s most accomplished and influential alumni, died on February 16, 2021 at age 99. The pioneering cardiologist, author, and peace activist cofounded International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and received the Nobel Peace prize in 1985. In 1962 he invented the…
This fall, the Alumni Association will launch the Robert Talbot Civil Rights Speaker Series as part of a campus and community collaboration with the Greater Bangor Area Branch of the NAACP. The Robert Talbot Civil Rights Speaker Series is intended to “promote dialogue and engagement that advances the political, social, educational, and economic equality of…
An anonymous donor has made a $100,000 gift to create the Wabanaki Student Development and Success Fund at the University of Maine Foundation. The fund will assist Native American students pursuing University of Maine degrees “so that they can graduate as tomorrow’s leaders of their communities.” John Bear Mitchell ’96, ’99G, Wabanaki Center outreach and…
Join the UMaine Alumni Association on Wednesday, December 16 for a Zoom webinar “‘Most Wonderful Time of the Year’: Religious Holidays in December.” The webinar and Q&A, scheduled for 5-6:00 PM, will be presented by Derek A. Michaud ’99, lecturer in UMaine’s Department of Philosophy and the coordinator of its Religious Studies and Judaic Studies…
Janine di Giovanni ’83, recipient of the Alumni Association’s Bernard Lown ’42 Humanitarian Award, has spent more than three decades writing about the lives of people in war-torn regions, from the Balkans to the Middle East and African nations. Watch her interview with Ric Tyler ’87, recorded during isolation caused by the pandemic: https://vimeo.com/447293283.