News and Events - Bion '68 MBA'70 and Dorain '68H Foster Donate
$1.5 Million to Name Student Innovation Center
|
Bion '68, MBA'70 and
Dorain '68H Foster |
Bion Foster ’68, MBA‘70
is an ardent supporter of the University of Maine where his
generosity, dedication and enthusiasm are well known. Serving on
a host of boards and committees, he enjoys helping guide the
University toward a bright future and embraces the opportunity
to tell people about the first-class education he received.
But it was long after he graduated that the
successful real estate developer, business development
consultant and entrepreneur became actively involved with his
alma mater. Ten years ago, after agreeing to join the University
of Maine Alumni Association’s board of directors, he arrived on
campus where a flood of happy memories promptly engulfed him.
“It was
just like flicking on a light switch. It brought back all the
wonderful times I had and it resurrected an appreciation for my
UMaine education,” says the Hampden native who earned a BS in
marketing and an MBA in finance.
Bion and
his wife, Dorain, H’68, special projects coordinator at the
UMaine Office of Development, have given $1.5 million to name UMaine’s Student Innovation Center where students gain the
knowledge, tools and inspiration to turn their great ideas into
thriving businesses and become successful entrepreneurs.
The
couple made the gift to honor their four daughters and their
families: Andrea Foster; Pamela Foster Albert, husband Keith and
sons Caleb and Breccan; Joan Hopkins, husband Brian and son Drew
and daughter Kate; and Holly Kopp and husband Ian and son Blair
and daughter Emma.
“It is
fitting that this facility will bear the name of Bion and Dorain
Foster,” UMaine President Robert Kennedy said. “They are true
innovators and entrepreneurs who have succeeded in business and
become community leaders because they exemplify the skill,
intelligence, work ethic and creativity that we strive to
develop in our students.”
The gift
was announced early in January at the Bion and Dorain Foster
Student Innovation Center where more than 100 students, faculty,
staff members, friends and family members gathered to thank the
couple for their ongoing support of UMaine.
“I can’t
think of a building that means more for the future of Maine than
what can go on right here," Campaign Maine co-chair Allen
Fernald said at the event.
Some of
the money donated by the Fosters will be used to support the
Student Recreation and Fitness Center, where the second-floor
multipurpose room is named in their honor, and for scholarship
funds through an endowment at the University of Maine
Foundation.
“Bion and Dorain are truly
exemplary community leaders, and their long-term devotion to the
University of Maine will have a positive impact for many years
to come,” said Barbara Beers, UMaine’s vice president for
development. “Campaign Maine is a success because people like
the Fosters see UMaine as an invaluable, unique resource that is
worthy of their philanthropy. We are deeply appreciative of this
gift, and of the Fosters’ decades of meaningful support.”
Naming
the Bion and Dorain Foster Student Innovation Center is a way to
say thanks to the University, says Bion, who put himself through
school flipping hamburgers at a fast-food restaurant in Bangor
that he leased and operated, and working as an operations
analyst for Dead River Company in Bangor.
Applying
the theories he was learning in the classroom to the practical
experience he was getting through his part-time jobs helped hone
his entrepreneurial talent and paved the way for a successful
professional life.
“Over the
course of my business career I became more and more appreciative
of my UMaine education,” he says. “Especially after earning my
MBA I felt very confident that I could be successful.”
Today,
Bion is serving his alma mater in a variety of roles. He is a
member of the University of Maine Board of Visitors and the
President’s Development Council, and he has chaired the
University of Maine Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Volunteering for the University Bion says he has met more
alumni and more people from his graduating class than he ever
knew as a student. “I love to hear their stories. The
camaraderie I’ve gained in the past 10 years reinforced what I
already knew – that no college in the country could have
provided me with a better education, and that UMaine people are
a wonderful group.”
It’s
never too late to establish ties with alumni, he says.
“If we
can find an opportunity to reconnect with fellow alumni no
matter what their stage of life it will be a win-win for both
them and the University.”
Says
Dorain, “Bion’s passion and enthusiasm made it hard for me not
to get excited about UMaine myself. The University is fortunate
to have alumni like him.”
Named
“Entrepreneur of the Year” in 2001 by the Finance Authority of
Maine and “Business Person of the Year” in 2003 by the Hampden
Business Association, Bion has been helping to improve the
economic well-being of central and eastern Maine for 35 years.
He has been active in entrepreneurial activities, including the
start-up, acquisition or ownership of more than 40 companies in
Maine and South Carolina. Former owner of the historic Lucerne
Inn in Dedham, he is economic development director for the town
of Hampden where, among other things, he built a shopping
center, rehabilitated numerous properties, and helped create the
Hampden Business and Commerce Park. He is co-owner of one of the
premier residential developments in the town, Oldfield Estates.
Bion
likes the idea that the Student Innovation Center enables young
people to hone their entrepreneurial spirit while they’re still
in school. As a budding businessman when he was a student, he
says he could have benefited greatly from such a place.
Meanwhile, he looks forward to lending his expertise.
“I love
sitting down with students and passing along any ideas and
thoughts as well as pitfalls to avoid,” he says. “So many people
have technical minds and great ideas, but aren’t sure how to
take their creative ideas to the marketplace.”
Back to News
and Events
