December 2005
Dear
Colleagues:
I hope that this holiday season finds you in good spirits and preparing
to enjoy some time with your family and friends. Time has passed quickly
since that beautiful late-summer Friday when so many of us began Fall
Welcome Weekend by helping our new first-year students move into
residence halls. As we approach the end of the fall semester, it is
appropriate to once again reflect on some of the exciting things that
are happening at UMaine.
When I wrote at the beginning of November, we were just days away from
what turned out to be an intriguing election day. While voters rejected
Question 6, which would have funded repairs and upgrades at the other
University of Maine System universities and the community colleges, Nov.
8 turned out to be a great day for UMaine. By decisive margins, voters
approved referendum questions 3 and 4, both of which included funding
for important UMaine projects. The Laboratory for Surface Science and
Technology, the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and the J.F.
Witter Teaching and Research Center will receive a total of $3.85
million from the approved bonds. To me, this is a clear signal that the
people of Maine understand and appreciate the many good reasons to
support UMaine. Investments in UMaine pay significant dividends, and
these will be no exception.
This coming weekend, we will take our proposed comprehensive fundraising
campaign before the University of Maine System Board of Trustees,
seeking formal approval for this effort. During the summer and fall, we
have worked hard to establish the foundation for this campaign, which we
expect to take six years and have a minimum private support goal of $150
million. As we envision it, the campaign will focus mostly on raising
funds for endowments to support scholarships, faculty positions (chairs
and professorships) and other program excellence initiatives. We will
also look to raise money for the renovation of existing buildings, such
as Fogler Library, the Maine Center for the Arts and other buildings on
campus.. If the board approves, the campaign will launch in its quiet
phase on Jan. 1, 2006.
November did start exceptionally well, with the William S. Cohen
Lecture, delivered by CBS News' Dan Rather. We had a near-capacity
crowd, and Mr. Rather's lecture was interesting and insightful. I also
particularly enjoyed, as I always do at these lectures, Secretary
Cohen's introductory remarks. We are very fortunate at UMaine that such
a distinguished person is so enthusiastic about maintaining his
relationship with this university. Our students certainly benefit, as do
our faculty members, staff members and the citizens of Maine who gain
access to activities such as Cohen Lectures because of Secretary Cohen's
generosity. Congratulations to Dean Dan Innis, Cohen Center Director Jan
Staples and others involved in a very well-executed event.
Just a few weeks ago, I noticed a news story about a small
food-production business in Millinocket that has become quite
successful, thanks in large part to the technical assistance provided by
Prof. Al Bushway from the UMaine Dept. of Food Science and Human
Nutrition. Al is a great example of a UMaine faculty member who extends
his expertise and practical knowledge to benefit Maine businesses. We
talk a lot about economic development and UMaine's role in it. That role
takes various forms, and it's important to recognize examples like this
one, because it means real jobs for Maine people. Al, along with his
brother and fellow UMaine professor Rod Bushway, are Maine natives who
graduated from UMaine and really understand how to help Maine people
succeed.
UMaine's International Weeks were once again an outstanding success this
year. Organizers coordinate an enormous number of related events, all of
which serve to showcase the diversity in our community. A real highlight
is Culturefest, which fills the Field House with the sounds, sights and
smells of various cultures associated with many of the 76 countries
represented in our student population. While the international food
court is a real highlight for most visitors, Culturefest also provides
the opportunity for people from UMaine and the surrounding area to learn
about various aspects of other cultures, including clothing, art, games
and music. Culturefest always draws a great crowd and I think it is one
of the most important events that UMaine provides for the greater
community each year.
If you have not yet had the opportunity, I encourage you to visit the
Spirit Room, as I did recently, on the second floor of Memorial Union.
It currently features a Phi Kappa Phi exhibit, which was installed in
early November. This historical exhibit recognizes the international,
interdisciplinary honor society that was founded at the University of
Maine in 1897. A UMaine student named Marcus Urann started Phi Kappa
Phi, which recognizes scholars from all disciplines and has accepted
over a million members during its history.
Jennifer Moxley of the UMaine English faculty has recently been selected
to receive the Lynda Hull Poetry Award from the Denver Quarterly. The
award is given for the best poem (or poems) published in a volume year
by that magazine. Five of Jennifer's poems from her manuscript "The
Line" appeared in a recent edition. She also delivered a keynote reading
at the National Arts Club in Manhattan on Nov. 5, and her work was
featured on the Web site "Poetry Daily" on Nov. 18. Jennifer is one of
many talented poets we have on the UMaine faculty and among our
students. This is an area of real and traditional strength for UMaine,
and it is a great source of pride.
A group of 23 Honors College students represented UMaine very well
during the recent National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference,
held in St. Louis. They accepted a second place national award for
Minerva, the annual UMaine Honors College Magazine. Several of the
students, along with UMaine faculty members and Honors College staff
members, also made well-received presentations at the conference. UMaine
has one of the oldest honors programs in the U.S., and our students
regularly represent UMaine very well at these national meetings.
It is also impressive to see our students involved in activities that
show their commitment to various causes. UMaine junior Drew Borkovitz
did a great job in organizing a group of his fellow students to collect
returnables outside Alfond Arena before a recent hockey game, and to
continue the effort in the residence halls, to raise money for YouthAIDS,
an agency that receives a good deal of support from various UMaine
student groups. Other students have been hard at work generating
interest in UMaine Cares wristbands, which are on sale at the bookstore
and other campus locations to benefit ongoing relief efforts related to
the devastating hurricanes of earlier this year. And it is always
impressive to see the commitment of UMaine's ROTC cadets on Veterans
Day, when they stage their annual vigil on the Fogler Library steps, in
honor of those men and women who have given their lives in service to
their country.
UMaine was fortunate to be visited during November by computer science
pioneer Seymour Papert, who discussed the idea of making relatively
inexpensive laptop computers available to children throughout the world.
Papert, who maintains a close connection to many in UMaine's computer
science projects, is a real innovator who advocates the use of computers
in learning. He was, in fact, one of the primary proponents of Maine's
school laptop initiative, something that I believe will have lasting,
positive implications for this state. We are fortunate that Seymour
Papert, like William Cohen and so many others, thinks highly enough of
UMaine to give a good deal of his time and energy to benefit our
community.
Along similar lines, the fourth year of UMaine's Faculty Laptop
Incentive Program is underway. Through the good work of John Gregory and
others in UMaine's IT program, new faculty members are offered a special
package to equip them with laptop technology. At the same time, an
aggressive effort continues to provide wireless networking and video
projection in more classrooms so those faculty members can use the
laptops in a classroom setting. Over four years, 350 laptops have been
provided to faculty members, with 75 more being added this year.
Congratulations also go this month to those associated with UMaine's
very important Research Collaborative on Violence Against Women. That
group hosted a Nov. 18 seminar, "Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence in
Maine: Strengthening Relationships Between Research, Policy and
Practice," which featured Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe and experts
from as far away as California. This is an important subject, which
deserves extensive and informed discussion. I am pleased that UMaine has
the facilities and the expertise to host an event of this nature.
I would like to take a moment to acknowledge an outstanding UMaine
employee who has recently decided to leave our community. Terry Kix, our
athletic department's senior women's administrator and the Black Bear
field hockey coach for the past 15 years, has been an invaluable member
of our athletics program and our campus community. Terry is an
outstanding coach; in fact, she was the America East Coach of the Year
this fall. Beyond that, she has been a capable and committed contributor
to all of the activities and efforts that go along with fielding an
athletics program. Countless students have benefited from her coaching
and her friendship. We wish Terry nothing but the best in her future
endeavors.
Despite the unseasonably warm temperatures of recent days, I'm certain
that winter weather is on the way. I would like to encourage each of you
to review UMaine's inclement weather policy, which is online at
http://www.umaine.edu/insideumaine/InclWeather.htm. As in
past years, we will only change class or work schedules under the most
extreme circumstances, but it never hurts to be prepared. When changes
are made, they will be announced on a recorded phone message at 581-SNOW
(1-800-581-SNOW outside the Orono/Bangor area). 581-SNOW information is
considerably more timely and reliable than updates that are broadcast on
television and radio stations. Current information will also be posted
on storm days in the following First Class folders: Student Forum,
Provost/Academic Affairs, University Forum and Parking/Traffic Issues.
Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to speak at the annual meeting
of the Action Committee of 50, a Bangor-area group of business and
community leaders. I talked about the good things that are happening at
UMaine, including our planned fundraising campaign. I also outlined
detailed the many ways in which investments in UMaine pay enormous
dividends to the entire state, and help create a brighter economic and
cultural future for our state. This is an important message, which we
must all work to communicate to those around us, including those who are
involved making decisions about the allocation of resources. As we saw
with voter approval of Question 3 and Question 4, and with other
indicators like this year's outstanding enrollment news, there is ample
evidence that the people of Maine beyond appreciate the quality and
value represented by UMaine.
This month's Fast Facts relate to that return on investment. The Maine
Economic Improvement Fund (MEIF) brings a $10 million annual investment
for university research, most of which comes to UMaine. The results
associated with MEIF and related research activities are impressive.
Go Blue Fast Facts
• In 2004, UMaine leveraged $57 million in external grants and contracts
as a result of MEIF funding (a return of better than 5:1)
• There are currently 739 jobs at UMaine supported by external grants
and contracts
• Through formal arrangements, UMaine supported 160 companies In 2004,
providing expertise, assistance and business development services.
UMaine faculty members and others also provided less formal assistance
to countless other businesses during the same time frame.
• The University of Maine has more patents and patents pending than all
of the other Maine research institutions combined.
Sincerely,
Bob Kennedy
President
