October 2005
Dear
Colleagues:
I would like to begin this month's message by thanking all of you who
participated in any of the activities related to the recent installation
event. It was, as I indicated several times during the installation and
associated activities, a humbling and inspiring experience. I was
gratified to hear from so many of you, who told me that you share my
dreams and expectations for a very bright future for UMaine. There were
many highlights from the installation celebration events, including the
great performance by the Maine Steiners, the wonderful Maine Center for
the Arts gala featuring Bill Cosby, the Old Town Riverfest parade and
the ice cream social on the Mall. Perhaps the most meaningful for all of
us, though, was the tremendous installation talk by Bob Edwards,
president emeritus from Bowdoin College and a member of UMaine's Board
of Visitors. President Edwards is highly accomplished and respected,
having also served as president of Minnesota's Carleton College, an
institution very similar to Bowdoin. He laid out, in a compelling way, a
great explanation of the vital role public universities like UMaine play
in our society. President Edwards' talk was inspirational, and I believe
that all of us who work at UMaine and heard his comments came away
feeling re-energized and recommitted to the important work we do here.
If you'd like to read his remarks, they are online at
http://www.umaine.edu/installation/EdwardsRemarks.htm.
Much more information about the installation is available on the Web at
http://www.umaine.edu/installation.
In my September message, I described some of the characteristics of
UMaine's incoming first-year class. This group represents the largest
number of Maine high school graduates to enroll at UMaine in a single
class, and the most out-of-state students since 1991. As a group, they
are impressive. As individuals, they represent great stories. I would
like to share two:
Rob England started his UMaine studies a month ago. Rob is from Dover-Foxcroft,
where he was home-schooled. He is a computer engineering major, and he
is in the Honors College. Rob also looked at MIT and Worcester Polytech,
among other fine institutions. But he chose UMaine, and we couldn’t be
more pleased. And talk about a motivated, and accomplished student!
Through AP courses and CLEP tests, along with a composition course he
took at a community college before enrolling at UMaine, Rob is well on
his way toward his degree already. And he plans, through the Honors
College and other activities, to take full advantage of everything we
have to offer at UMaine, a place he says already feels like home.
Aruna Sigdel is another first-year student, who just arrived in the U.S.
for the first time to begin UMaine classes in September. A native of
Nepal, one of the poorest nations in the world, she traveled 35 hours to
get here. Needless to say, Aruna is excited to begin her academic
pursuits. Aruna hopes to earn a biology degree and perhaps enter a
graduate program. Eventually she would like to return to Nepal to do
research on diseases, looking for cures and effective medications. While
she says she is a little nervous about snow, which she has never seen in
person, Aruna has overcome many obstacles to get this far, and she won’t
let something like winter weather deter her one bit.
Students like Aruna and Rob could have gone most anywhere to college,
but they looked at UMaine and saw that it could provide the experience
they seek, that it can be a place where they can continue toward their
goals. As I’ve said many times, it is a great compliment to all of us
when a student chooses UMaine, and we should always keep that in mind.
Through much of September, much of our focus was on the devastation
wrought by Hurricane Katrina and, later, Hurricane Rita. I am proud of
the ways in which members of the UMaine community stepped up to make
meaningful contributions to the relief efforts. We don't have a total
yet, but I do know that on-campus collections have totaled several
thousand dollars. Collection canisters at Auxiliary Services checkpoints
like the Maine Marketplace, the bookstore and the dining commons brought
in substantial donations on a daily basis. Student-athletes, especially
those from our men's basketball team, put in a great effort at the first
home football game, when they went through the audience and collected
donations. Additionally, the University of Maine System's payroll
deduction plan has been a success. We also know that many in our
community made substantial donations through other avenues, like direct
donations to relief agencies. As usual, UMaine's people have come
through in a big way.
Along similar lines, UMaine's annual Combined Charitable Appeal for
University Employees (CCAUE) is about to get underway. The kick-off
breakfast is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 a.m. in the North
Pod of Memorial Union. Team leaders and volunteers will be invited to
the breakfast, which I look forward to attending. Sharon Buchanan and
Mary Skaggs are this year's co-chairs, and I know they will do a great
job.
I was proud to note that UMaine students are taking the lead in speaking
out against hazing. Last week, which was UMaine's Greek Week, coincided
with National Hazing Prevention Week. Representatives of several UMaine
student organizations (including Greek organizations and sports teams)
turned out to sign an agreement to support UMaine's anti-hazing policy.
Hazing is a significant problem that plagues many colleges and
universities, but it will not be tolerated at UMaine. We are fortunate
to have a faculty member, Prof. Elizabeth Allan, who is a national
expert on this issue. Prof. Allan spoke at the signing event, adding
relevant information and perspectives about national trends in this
area.
Family and Friends Weekend, which features fall reunion activities, is
always a September highlight and this year's weekend was no exception.
While the football game did not go our way, everything else was a
resounding success. I had the opportunity to renew many acquaintances
and meet a number of new people who are great friends and proud
graduates of UMaine. It is always gratifying to meet people who care so
deeply about their alma mater and have great expectations for the
university's future success.
The beginning of the fall semester also brought the first classes in
UMaine's new IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research
Traineeship) program, this one in Sensor Science, Engineering and
Informatics. Under the direction of Prof. Kate Beard, this program
provides interdisciplinary graduate education to train Ph. D.
scientists. UMaine's other IGERT program is in functional genomics. A
single IGERT grant, which comes from the National Science Foundation
through an exceptionally competitive process, is truly a feather in an
institution's cap. The fact that UMaine has two is a real indicator of
our research strength.
The UMaine IGERT programs both feature collaboration with other
institutions. As I stressed during my installation address, these
collaborative arrangements are a hallmark of what UMaine is, and what it
will become. This is the type of new model for a land-grant university
that I believe will continue to be very effective for UMaine, and will
help us better fulfill our mission to serve the state by helping solve
some of its most pressing concerns.
UMaine and the University of New England signed a memorandum of
understanding two weeks ago, establishing the parameters for a joint
Ph.D./ Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. The agreement relates to
cooperative arrangements with faculty members from each institution
working side-by-side in teaching, research, and graduate student
mentoring activities related to the program. UMaine will provide the
research component; UNE will provide the medical training. Students who
take advantage of this opportunity will be well-positioned to work on
important medical research, and they will have received their training
right here in Maine. Like the IGERT programs and many other UMaine
activities, this is a collaborative effort that combines UMaine's
capacities and strengths with those from another Maine institution, for
the benefit of both.
The arts scene at UMaine is really alive with activity at the beginning
of this semester. The UMaine Dept. of Art opened a new show by
Brooksville artist Robert Shetterly in mid-September. The exhibit, "Truthtellers:
Americans Who Tell the Truth: Portraits by Robert Shetterly," continues
through Oct. 28. The well-received Ansel Adams exhibit continues at the
UMaine Museum of Art through this week, and both the Hudson Museum of
Page Farm and Home Museum have been very active with programs that draw
visitors to campus to experience what UMaine has to offer. The UMaine
School of Performing Arts has already had three faculty recitals, and
its October schedule is full of exciting and interesting performances.
We are truly fortunate to be in a place populated by so many talented
people and with so many cultural resources.
We have some special guests in our community this week, and I am sure
they are enjoying the typical UMaine hospitality. Four students and an
adviser from La Universidad de las AmÈricas - Puebla (UDLA), a prominent
Mexican university, are at UMaine through Oct. 6. This is the third time
that UMaine hast hosted a group from that university, as part of an
ongoing cultural exchange program. As a result of these visits, one
student from UDLA is currently enrolled at UMaine. Gerardo Blanco,
resident director of York Hall, is pursuing a master's degree in Higher
Education Leadership. Under the direction of Associate Dean of Students
Angel Loredo, this has been a very successful exchange program, to the
benefit of students from both universities.
This month's Go Blue Fast Facts relate to international studies at
UMaine this fall. Karen Boucias, our director of international programs,
and her staff do an outstanding job in administering these programs
which have a real and positive impact on our institution's diversity.
Go Blue Fast Facts
• UMaine has students from 76 countries in its student population
• UMaine has 115 new international students this year, 53 of whom are
graduate students; that total represents a 30 percent increase over last
year
• The top five home countries for new students this year are Canada
(18), China (16), India (9), Bulgaria (6) and Russia (5)
• New countries this year include Sudan, El Salvador, Armenia, Belize
and Mongolia
Sincerely,
Bob Kennedy
President
