The University of Maine Foundation established a Student Crisis Fund in late March to address the emergency needs of students whose lives were disrupted so suddenly by the COVID-19 pandemic. With matching funds from both an anonymous donor and the Foundation, the Student Crisis Fund, which has raised more than $150,000, has helped students address…
The University of Maine community is responding to the numerous challenges presented by the COVID-19 epidemic. Faculty, staff, students, the administration, and alumni are addressing the pandemic in various ways. UMaine Online helped countless faculty members transition to online learning and different departments have contributed in a variety of ways. On the now-quiet campus, several…
Three UMaine alumnae have been selected as recipients of the 2020 Maryann Hartman Awards. Left to right: Sharon Barker ’71, ‘87G, retired director of UMaine’s Women’s Resource Center; Maulian Dana ’06, Penobscot Nation Ambassador; and Kandyce Powell ’69, executive director of Maine Hospice Council are recipients of the awards, which recognize Maine women whose achievements in…
This creative diagram is circulating widely on social media. It offers Black Bears and friends a well-intentioned “how-to” for washing hands thoroughly and long enough to reduce the possibility of contracting COVID-19, a newly identified type of coronavirus. COVID-19 has had a greatly disruptive impact on campus life in Orono and throughout the U.S. Most…
Given the uncertainty about the impact and length of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alumni Association has reluctantly canceled its 2020 Alumni Achievement Awards Dinner and Recognition Ceremony, which was scheduled for April 24th. Instead, a video tribute to our honorees is being produced and will be shared with alumni and friends through digital media in…
WHEN HE FIRST ARRIVED in Orono in 2000 to start his college career, Matt Rodrigue ’04 understandably had no idea that in less than 15 years he would become a leading figure in resolving one of the United States’ biggest public financial crises. But that’s exactly what happened, as the Farmington native became a prominent…
PENOBSCOT AMBASSADOR Maulian Dana ’06 learned early on to speak her truth. Dana feels the voices of her ancestors running through her blood and bones. Appointed in 2017 as ambassador to the Penobscot Nation, she endeavors to honor the past and address present-day tribal issues — all while keeping her eyes focused on the…
UMaine professors Elizabeth DePoy, Stephen Gilson, and Vince Caccese are part of the team that developed Afari, a specially designed wheeled walker that assists people with their mobility. The Afari enables people with mobility impairments, who otherwise would be limited by standard walkers, to move in a variety of outdoor terrain. A recent Bangor Daily…
ASK ANY COLLEGE or university administrator to list priorities, and you’ll likely hear some combination of these answers: Academic excellence. Access. Innovation. Ask Shontay Delalue ’00, ’03G? She has something important to add. “You can’t do any of that without equity and diversity,” says Delalue, who has served as Brown University’s vice president for institutional…
EMMA HARGREAVES recently graduated as valedictorian of her class at Old Town High School, and was named one of just two Maine students in the 2019 class of U.S. Presidential Scholars. While she will tell you how hard she worked to keep up with all of her Advanced Placement classes, she also credits some one-on-one…
ON A BRIGHT FEBRUARY MORNING, under a blue sky that seemed to hold the promise of spring, Aislinn Sarnacki ’10 strode through a white pine forest at the Stover Preserve in Belfast and down to the snowy banks of the Passagassawakeag River. Sarnacki, a Bangor Daily News reporter, is familiar to many outdoor…
New signs with place names in Penobscot language were recently installed on campus as part of a collaboration between the university and the Penobscot Nation. This collaboration follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding which focuses on creating positive, mutually beneficial relationships between the campus community and Native community members. “At its core [the…