UMaine music education majors have partnered with middle school students in Old Town to provide free private music lessons online. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the middle school students have been unable to play their instruments together in person. Philip Edelman, assistant professor of music education at UMaine, and Shianne Wheeler Priest ’96, ’08G, director of…
Two prominent UMaine political scientists placed the 2020 elections in historical context as part of “Politics in America,” a 60-minute webinar held as part of the Alumni Association’s virtual Homecoming last week. Dr. Richard Powell, recipient of UMaine’s 2020 Distinguished Maine Professor Award, and Dr. Robert Glover covered a variety of topics related to Maine…
Bucking national trends in higher education, UMaine’s fall enrollment increased to its highest level since 2009, according to university data released on Friday. UMaine reported a total student enrollment of 11,741, a 1.5 percent increase over its fall 2019 total. The growth surprised some observers, given that economic conditions and personal concerns about COVID-19 have…
The University of Maine’s “UMaine UVote” education and outreach initiative has been working to encourage students to vote. The Division of Student Life coordinates the program. Because many college students are first-time voters, UMaine held a campus-wide voter registration drive in September. A web page is dedicated to information, whether students want to register to…
The University of Maine Foundation exceeded its $200 million goal by $8 million, according to UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and University of Maine Foundation President Jeffery N. Mills. The comprehensive campaign that raised a total of $208,586,510 has four major priority areas — Fostering Student Success, Ensuring Access for All of Maine, Catalyzing Maine’s Economy,…
More than 400 people joined the UMaine Alumni Association’s webcast “First Persons: The Wabanaki Peoples of Maine” on October 8. Panelists included Penobscot Ambassador Maulian Dana ’06 (top left), indigenous rights attorney Sherri Mitchell ’08 (bottom right), and nurse practitioner Bridgid Neptune (bottom left). Donna Loring ’86, ’17 L.H.D. (top right), senior policy adviser to…
Alumni from the Class of 1953 to the Class of 2023, including residents of Washington State and California to Maine, participated in this year’s virtual Homecoming. While it wasn’t the traditional celebration, alumni joined an array of activities that campus partners organized. President Joan Ferrini-Mundy kicked off the weekend with a welcome and Q&A session,…
The University of Maine will be a major beneficiary of the Harold Alfond Foundation’s historic $240 million gift to the University of Maine System. UMaine President Ferrini-Mundy noted that the historic gift would “benefit our students for decades.” She added, “With $20 million from the Alfond Foundation, we will develop new programs to support student…
UMaine’s new academic year started on August 31 with approximately 11,200 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled. They arrived with new protocols and practices in place to protect the health of the UMaine community as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Over 14,000 wellness-maintenance kits have been distributed to students and employees. Signs across campus remind everyone that…
As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. That’s what the UMaine Alumni Association is doing as it prepares for Homecoming 2020. In light of safety precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, UMaine will hold its 2020 Homecoming on October 16-18 online as a set of “virtual” activities. Homecoming will feature a…
Join the Alumni Association for a live webinar “First Persons: Maine’s Wabanaki Peoples” on Thursday, October 8th at 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM (Eastern) via Zoom. The session will feature a panel of representatives from Maine’s Penobscot Nation who will share their perspectives on the history of Maine’s First Peoples as well as the public…
For a recent update on this season’s Black Bear sports, watch Director of Athletics Ken Ralph, soccer head coach Scott Atherley ’89, ’91G, and football coach Nick Charlton discuss the challenges of COVID-19 on UMaine athletics. Members of the women’s basketball team discuss measures that the Athletics Department took to keep them safe. Watch the…