University

Final beam of Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center installed.
August 17, 2021

Crosby’s Legacy

Oliver Crosby, a member of the Class of 1876.  When the final beam of the Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center was installed during a virtual Topping Off Ceremony in February 2021, the Crosby Clip played a part. The Crosby Clip is part of the legacy of UMaine mechanical engineer-ing graduate Oliver Crosby, a member…

Wesley Dunkle, the winner of this year's Annual UMaine Tuition Raffle
August 17, 2021

Sophomore Wins Raffle

Wesley Dunkle of Rockland, ME, is the 2021 winner of the Alumni Association’s annual Tuition Raffle. On May 6, UMaine Alumni Association president and CEO John Diamond ’77, ’89G drew the winning ticket, which Daniel ’95 and Christine Thurston Dunkle ’96 submitted for their son, who will be a sophomore in the fall. The ticket…

August 17, 2021

New Deans Named

Three new deans recently joined the University of Maine. Penny Bishop is dean of the College of Education and Human Development, Norm O’Reilly is dean of the Graduate School of Business, and Diane Rowland was named dean of the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture. Bishop was previously a professor of education and former…

Portland Waterfront
August 17, 2021

UMaine Establishes Portland Gateway

The University of Maine has established the Portland Gateway to provide a one-stop connection and point of access to the vast array of innovative research, education, and outreach resources, programs, and services at the state’s research university in Orono and its facilities statewide. Portland Gateway acts as the front door for the university engagement in…

Beryl Warner Williams '35, '40G, '72 Hon | Williams Hall (previously Little Hall)
August 17, 2021

Little Hall Becomes Williams Hall

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…

August 17, 2021

Singal, Plourde, Scheyder Among 2021 Alumni Awards Honorees

SEVEN INDIVIDUALS and one family have been selected as recipients of the Alumni Association’s 2021 Alumni Achievement Awards. The 2021 awards program was sponsored by The Jackson Laboratory. The Hon. George Singal ’67 was selected to receive the Alumni Career Award, the Alumni Association’s highest honor. Singal has had a long, distinguished career in law.…

August 17, 2021

A new study confirms it:

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…

August 17, 2021

Reflections on a Father Figure

I FIRST SAT DOWN with Coach Red in 2013 at Tim Horton’s. He had just been named the new head coach at Maine. I was retiring from playing pro hockey and was excited to discuss becoming one of his assistant coaches at my alma mater. I prepared for our meeting to talk hockey strategies, recruit-ing,…

August 17, 2021

Long Overdue

UMaine’s student and faculty diversity is among the lowest in the nation. The University’s administration and the Alumni Association commit to changing that. LIKE MOST AMERICAN land-grant institutions, UMaine is a national research university. It attracts faculty and students from across the U.S. and scores of nations—all 50 states and more than 75 countries during…

August 17, 2021

“When you know better, you do better”

IN LATE 1987, JUNIOR Doug Dorsey was asked something that only 38 other students and two faculty members on campus could answer with any degree of authority: “What’s it like to be Black at UMaine?” The question, posed by a writer for this magazine, was prompted by the obvious — the ubiquitous whiteness of the…

August 17, 2021

Looking Back, Looking Forward

IN MAY AND JUNE, the Alumni Association invited nearly 30 alumni of color to share their UMaine experiences through a series of conversations via Zoom. The conversations occurred in the context of President Joan Ferrini-Mundy’s public commitment to ensuring “inclusive excellence” at the university through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). As students, nearly all of…

August 17, 2021

An Untold Horror

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…