Philip and Susan Keene Morse, both members of the University of Maine’s Class of 1964, have pledged $1 million to support UMaine’s Athletics Facilities Master Plan. The master plan is part of the UMS TRANSFORMS initiative, launched by the Harold Alfond Foundation’s historic gift in 2020. The Morses, who met at the university, have generously…
The University Inn and Academic Suites, situated on College Avenue and overlooking the Stillwater River in Orono, was sold in December and will become an office complex for Texas-based Tyler Technologies. The familiar landmark opened in 1964, and served generations of alumni with its 48 hotel rooms. Tyler Technologies provides software and services to public…
Black Bear alumni, faculty, staff, and students are among Maine’s most productive innovators and entrepreneurs. In this month’s column, the husband-and-wife team of Stephen Gilson and Elizabeth DePoy, both professors of interdisciplinary disability studies and social work at UMaine, provide updates on the adaptive mobility device they invented in 2013. Called the Afari, the sleek,…
Former UMaine basketball standout Kim Corbitt ’05 holds an essential behind-the-scenes position with the Phoenix Suns. Corbitt became the Phoenix Sun’s Senior Vice President of People and Culture last summer. She oversees all human resource functions for the Suns as well as for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, Phoenix Suns Arena, and all the affiliated entities. …
Do you know an alum who has a history of involvement with the UMaine Alumni Association? There’s still time to nominate an alumnus or alumna for the Suzanne K. Hart ’68 Alumni Service Award. The award recognizes exemplary leadership and extensive service, in multiple ways and over a lengthy period of time, to promote the…
David Patrick ’16, ’19G is cofounder of Racial Equity and Justice (REJ), a nonprofit that provides consulting services, educational support, and professional development programs. REJ seeks to raise awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion issues. With cofounder Desiree Vargas ’20, he works to help communities of color “survive and thrive with greater equality, justice, liberation,…
Nolan Altvater ’21 is working to create resources and fill gaps that will help Maine educators teach Native history and culture. The Passamaquoddy student, who is enrolled at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is coordinating with Portland public school educators and tribal leaders to develop resources and materials that will assist K-12 educators in…
Jim Boylen ’87 will serve as head coach of the USA Basketball Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team. The team began competing in late November in their efforts to qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Boylen began coaching after graduating from UMaine, and most recently was head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Read more here.
Five panelists and a UMaine graduate student recently came together for a kitchen-table dialogue about the state of Black feminism in Maine as well as their roles as activists, community leaders, and change-makers. The webinar celebrated Black feminism as an ongoing, multi-faceted, transformative force in the speakers’ lives, as well as in communities across the United States and right here…
Maine Governor Janet Mills held a press conference outside Buchanan Alumni House on December 1 to mark the progress of the Maine Climate Council and announce new initiatives to combat climate change. Members of UMaine’s Climate Change Institute have worked with the state to advance measures to mitigate climate change. President Joan Ferrini-Mundy welcomed Gov.…
Sarah Dubay ’97, ’00G, a member of the University of Maine Alumni Association Board of Directors, passed away on November 12, 2021. Sarah was a prominent civic and community leader who lived with her husband, Jeff Teunisen, in Bangor. Besides her involvement with the UMaine Alumni Association and Black Bear Athletics, she was a member…
UMaine alumnus Jordan Stevens ’10, who served as captain of the Black Bears in 2009, was named the 37th head football coach at UMaine. “We are thrilled Jordan Stevens has accepted our offer to be the next head coach for UMaine Football,” said Director of Athletics Ken Ralph. “He has a proven track record of…