John Diamond ’77, ’89G, president and executive director of the UMaine Alumni Association, was selected as the 2018 recipient of the nation’s top award for higher education advocacy and government relations. Diamond received the Marvin D. “Swede” Johnson Achievement Award on December 6th during ceremonies held in Atlanta as part of the annual Higher Education…
Alison Bromley Siviski ’11 was recently named an “Emerging Maine Icon,” as part of Anania Media’s series highlighting young entrepreneurial leaders in the state. As the feature story explains, Siviski overcame a series of life challenges growing up, including her mother’s severe health issues and a fire that decimated the family’s home. As a result,…
This month the Alumni Association staff took part in two charitable activities to spread holiday cheer throughout the community. Staff and friends donated nonperishable food items and gently used clothing for the Black Bear Exchange, UMaine’s on-campus food pantry and clothing exchange. The mission of the Black Bear Exchange is to provide equitable resources to…
Thinking of doing some exploration and travel during 2019? Consider joining Black Bear alumni and friends for an excursion to Italy. The Alumni Association’s travel program will journey to Italy November 11-23. The trip, titled “Italian Vistas,” will explore Florence, Pisa, Siena, and more. Special activities will include wine tours, cooking classes, historic excursions, and…
Former UMaine women’s basketball coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie returned to Maine for a November game, where her nationally ranked Duke Blue Devils took on the Black Bears, coached by her former star guard Amy Vachon ‘00. Maine came within three four points of pulling off an upset, falling to Duke 66-63. The occasion brought together dozens…
Research assistant professor Kimberley Miner ’18 Ph.D. recently discovered pesticide pollutants, including the insecticide DDT, in an unlikely place: a remote Alaskan glacier and its meltwater. The pesticides, Miner states, were deposited and stored near the surface of the Jarvis Glacier in Alaska and are more than likely transported from Asia where they are used…
Senior Emma Brickman ’19 sat down to talk to the Alumni Association about her choices for returning to Maine, changing career paths, and how to prioritize getting involved. What town or city do you live in when the university is not in session? I am from Fort Kent, and in the past have gone…
As art professor and curator of Lord Hall Gallery, Laurie Hicks teaches both in and beyond the classroom, through exhibitions and research. Her background in art and anthropology inform her study of cultural artifacts and art education. Hicks is a native of Oregon who joined the UMaine faculty in 1987. In layperson’s terms, what are…
Former U.S. Senator George Mitchell presented the annual Mitchell Lecture on Sustainability on Oct. 4 on campus. “Healing Our Democracy” addressed some of the economic, social, and political factors that contribute to the polarization in the U.S. today. Besides discussing the challenges that polarization presents, Senator Mitchell also addressed some of the ways that communities…
UMaine and the other institutions of the University of Maine System will be receiving $49 million to upgrade campus learning facilities, thanks to voter approval of Question 4 on November 6. With nearly all ballots counted, Question 4 received more than 54 percent of the statewide vote. “Passage of this bond is a critical investment…
UMaine’s Winter Session, an opportunity for learners of all ages to take university courses to earn college credit online, will run Dec. 27, 2018 through Jan. 16, 2019. Registration is open and a list of courses is available here. Third-year student Lydia Elwell, history and education major, has many positive things to say about the program.…
A ten-day trip to Ireland in October launched the resumption of the Alumni Association’s annual alumni travel program. Partnering with Collette Travel, a national leader in alumni travel programming, 13 Black Bear alumni and friends visited many of Ireland’s most historic and stunning locales, including the breathtaking Cliffs of Moher, Ring of Kerry National Park,…