November 2005
Dear
Colleagues:
This is an exciting day at UMaine as we prepare to host, later this
morning, CBS News correspondent Dan Rather for UMaine's fifth William S.
Cohen Lecture. The lecture series is organized by UMaine's William S.
Cohen Center for International Policy and Commerce, part of the College
of Business, Public Policy and Health. We are grateful for Secretary
Cohen's strong affiliation with UMaine, which is also home to the papers
from his years in Congress and as U.S. Secretary of Defense. Dan Rather
joins an impressive list of Cohen lecturers who have visited UMaine:
Madeleine Albright, John Glenn and Brian Mulroney. Cohen himself
delivered the first lecture in the series, in 1998.
I'm pleased to write once again with an update on some of the good
things happening this semester at UMaine. Before that, I would like to
mention next week's election, which I think is critically important to
UMaine's future and the state's future. No matter what your position on
the issues before us next week, I sincerely hope that you will vote. Our
system of government affords such a remarkable privilege to each of us,
and the opportunity to cast a vote is something that we all hold dear. I
was very proud last year when we had such strong turnout at the
on-campus polling places, and I hope we have a similar result this year.
Question 1 has received most of the statewide attention as election day
approaches. I was particularly pleased that UMaine Student Government
hosted the very first public debate on issues related to the
anti-discrimination law that is challenged through the "people's veto"
process by Question 1. It is important to point out that the University
of Maine System has a strong anti-discrimination law, which I support
wholeheartedly. No matter how the vote turns out, UMaine will continue
to be a place were discrimination of any kind is not tolerated, and I am
proud to be in a community built upon those standards.
Two of the referendum questions ask the voters to approve funding for
important UMaine projects and facilities. Question 3 includes $850,000
for facilities upgrades at UMaine's J. Franklin Witter Research Center,
an important facility in the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment
Station. A facility where more than 300 UMaine students study and are
directly involved in research, the Witter Center is an excellent example
of a facility that does outstanding work in all three areas of UMaine's
mission: teaching, research and public outreach.
Question 4 requests $1 million to renovate 18,000 square feet in Camden
Hall on the University College of Bangor campus, to become the
administrative home of UMaine's new Graduate School of Biomedical
Sciences (GSBS). The school will provide the organizational framework
for the ongoing development of interdisciplinary research and graduate
education in biomedical sciences. It will improve opportunities for
researchers at Maine's statewide research institutions, which are
partners in GSBS, to compete for biomedically-related research funds and
,most importantly, to do the associated work, which will improve human
health.
UMaine's Laboratory for Surface Science and Technology (LASST) stands to
receive $2 million if voters approve Question 4. LASST, which just
celebrated its 25th anniversary, is involved in state-of-the-art
nanotechnology and microfabrication work. An important and emerging
frontier in science, this work is a critical component of activities in
innumerable research disciplines, and it has significant R&D
implications for Maine. Over the past five years, LASST research has
"spun out" six start-up companies. The bond money would be used to
purchase equipment that will help leverage grants, train students and
provide more R&D opportunities.
Please remember to vote on Nov. 8.
R&D-related bonds have made possible many of the great advances in
UMaine research over the past decade. But the foundation of those
advances can be traced to 1995, when five UMaine professors -- George
Jacobson, Steve Norton, Mac Hunter, George Markowsky and David Smith --
launched, on their own initiative, a grassroots campaign aimed at
spreading the word about the value of university research. The "Faculty
Five" accomplished extraordinary things, and their message resonates
today. That is why they were the perfect choice for the University of
Maine Foundation's first President Abram W. Harris Award, presented in
early October. This award, which is named for the UMaine president who
bridged the 19th and 20th centuries, will be given each year to people
who have had a transformational impact on UMaine.
UMaine's Combined Charitable Appeal is underway, and I'm sure its
results will once again reflect the extraordinary generosity of UMaine's
staff and faculty members. As we have seen with hurricane relief
efforts, and with the traditionally strong response to the combined
charitable appeal, UMaine's people are always eager to give, in a big
way. Under the leadership of Sharon Buchanan and Mary Skaggs, I'm
confident that this year's $100,000 goal will be reached.
By the way, hurricane relief efforts continue on campus. UMaine Cares
blue wristbands are available in the bookstore and in the Student
Volunteer office on the third floor of Memorial Union, for a minimum $3
donation. I have one, which I wear proudly because UMaine does care, and
we see examples every day.
As you have heard by now, UMaine's enrollment is up in every category
this fall. That is good news for all of us in the UMaine community, as
our new students join our "veterans" to make up an outstanding student
population. Work is also well underway toward enrolling the Class of
2010. UMaine hosted approximately 200 new students and their guests at
an open house on Oct. 17, and a similar event is scheduled for later
this month. Prospective students get a glimpse of the totality of UMaine
student life during these events, which are exceptionally well-run and
effective.
Speaking of our students, they continue to achieve at a very high level.
Graduate student Peter Leach, a 2002 UMaine graduate recently won first
prize for a student presentation at a New Brunswick conference on
geoarchaeology. I also recently learned about Wade Pinkham, a 2004
graduate who is a grad student in LASST. Wade's research paper, poster
and presentation was named best in the student division at a scientific
conference in the Netherlands. Peter's and Wade's stories are impressive
and they show the quality of the UMaine educational experience, from
first-year enrollment through grad school.
I hear great things about the current UMaine School of Performing Arts
performance, "Blithe Spirit," the first performance in the new-look
Hauck Auditorium. Noel Coward's wit, combined with Prof. Marcia Joy
Douglas' direction and UMaine student performances, is certainly a
recipe for success.
I was pleased to note the recent jazz event in Memorial Union, which
celebrated the many years of live jazz performances in that venue, along
with a plaque remembering former English professor and jazz musician
Welch Everman, who died last year. Welch contributed significantly to
our campus culture, and he was a great inspiration to countless
students. It is appropriate that his contributions to UMaine will be
remembered in this way.
Two of UMaine's esteemed faculty members have recently published books
on interesting subjects. Howard Segal of the UMaine history faculty
authored "Recasting the Machine Age: Henry Ford's Village Industries,"
his second book based on Ford's life. Kyriacos Markides of the UMaine
sociology faculty published "Gifts of the Desert: The Forgotten Path of
Christian Spirituality," the third book in his trilogy on the mystical
side of Christianity. We should all be proud of the scholarly
contributions that our faculty members make.
One personal October highlight came ten days ago, when we hosted a
friend of mine, former NASA official Aaron Cohen. A professor emeritus
from Texas A&M, where we first met, Aaron is known as the "father" of
the space shuttle program. During a full day of activities on campus, he
met with graduate and undergraduate students, toured our engineering
facilities, and gave a public talk about the current state of the space
program. As one who was in mission control for the Apollo flights, Aaron
certainly has credibility and he's a great teacher. Our students and
those who attended his public talk really seemed to enjoy hearing what
he had to say.
Ten Maine middle schools are piloting a new research-based curriculum
aimed at dealing with issues related to the ways in which adolescent
girls interact and express themselves. "From Adversaries to Allies: A
Curriculum for Change," was designed by Mary Madden from the UMaine
College of Education and Human Development, along with Lyn Mikel Brown,
a Colby professor who has worked with many UMaine colleagues over the
past several years. UMaine's Women in the Curriculum Program and Women's
Resource Center have been at the forefront of studying and discussing
these important issues, and their work will have a positive effect on
Maine's young people.
Congratulations to Dean Bob Cobb and others in the UMaine College of
Education and Human Development on their announcement that UMaine's
Athletic Training Education program has earned national accreditation.
As we know, it is significant for any health-related program to receive
accreditation, and many people have worked hard to bring UMaine's
curriculum-based program to this stage.
I was pleased to see the positive attention that recently came to
UMaine's College of Engineering for its creative new undergraduate
course in integrated circuit design, developed in cooperation with
National Semiconductor Corporation. The course gives electrical and
computer engineering students experiences that are usually reserved for
graduate students. The course gives the UMaine students a leg up if they
are interested in careers in this field, which has a significant need
for trained personnel.
I would also like to share an interesting story that comes from Kennebec
County, where UMaine's Cooperative Extension Office is located across
the street from the county jail. Extension has provided Master Gardener
training to members of the county sheriff's staff. That, in turn, has
led to improvements in an inmate work gardening program that saves the
county about $8,000 in annual food bills while growing enough potatoes
to donate to local soup kitchens. Inmates also work in the Extension
display gardens.
Congratulations to students and staff in UMaine's Honors College, on the
recent news that "Minerva," the college's excellent annual publication,
earned second place from the National Collegiate Honors Council in this
year's faculty/student publication division. The publication highlights
events and growth in the Honors College each year, and it profiles every
Honors graduate.
The Honors College is the subject of this month's Fast Facts. As you can
see, the college is growing dramatically under Dean Charlie Slavin's
leadership, and it is a real shining light in UMaine's academic
universe.
Fast Facts
- The Honors College has approximately 700 students representing all
five degree-granting colleges and Explorations
- This year, the Honors College has more than 250 entering students
- Over 100 faculty members are involved as preceptors, tutors and
advisers
- 120 students live in high-demand residences, Colvin and Balentine
Halls
- The Honors Program started at UMaine in 1936; it became a college in
2002
Sincerely,
Bob Kennedy
President
