Dear Colleagues,

Summer has turned to autumn and we are now four weeks into a very busy, productive fall semester at UMaine. The campus is alive with all the activity associated with the academic and student life programs that make UMaine such a vital community. I wish to extend my thanks to the 750 UMaine faculty members, staff members and students who participated in the "Maine Hello" program at the beginning of September. The hospitality demonstrated by this program immediately tells the newest members of our community what UMaine is all about, and it helps our first-year students get off on the right foot. I would like to share an excerpt from an email message I received from the father of two UMaine students, including one who is in the first year class:

"From a parent's perspective," he wrote, "UMaine is a wonderful place made up of wonderful people. It's great knowing that your kids are happy and having a great college experience."

That message really says it all. I truly believe that UMaine's people are what makes it special, and I am grateful to each of you for the role you play in making this community what it is.

Dean of Students Robert Dana and the entire student affairs staff all work very hard to make the student experience positive and fulfilling, and they do a wonderful job. We have recently added two new experienced, dedicated professionals in student affairs leadership roles. I hope you will join me in welcoming Tara Loomis, UMaine's new residence life director and Brian Lewis, the new campus recreation director. In just a few weeks on the job, Tara and Brian are already making their mark on UMaine, in a most positive way. All of us, especially our students, are fortunate to have them with us.

The new semester also brings an outstanding group of new faculty members to UMaine. This is a group of fine scholars who add a great deal to the UMaine intellectual community. I am always impressed with the qualifications and experiences of the people who join our faculty. I often talk about our new students and how they compliment each of us when they choose UMaine. The same is true of faculty members. They come from some of the top institutions in the world, and many had several professional options before selecting UMaine. Taking a faculty position is a critical choice in one's life, and these professors affirm the quality of UMaine's academic enterprise when they join our faculty.

We are very pleased to have in place a new director of the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Environmental and Watershed Research. David Hart is an environmental scientist with a long and distinguished record and a great deal of expertise in environmental policy. The Mitchell Center is a key place where UMaine connects with community stakeholders around Maine who share in important concerns about the environment. I am already hearing a lot about the many collaborative projects and new initiatives that David is helping to lead. We are excited to have David with us, and we look forward to his leadership of that important research center.

We marked another important milestone at the beginning of this semester, with a reception welcoming the first class of 12 Ph.D. students in UMaine's Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS). Gov. Baldacci joined us for the reception, at which we learned more about the exciting biomedical research projects in which these students are involved, working with researchers at UMaine and our six statewide partners. The students are very impressive, and I look forward to following their progress. It is interesting to note than nine of the 12 students have Maine roots, and several of them have returned to Maine because of the opportunity presented by the GSBS.

Maine's attorney general, Steven Rowe, also visited campus in September to give the keynote talk at an event announcing UMaine's new Relationship Abuse and the Workplace Policy. The result of an initiative spearheaded by Renate Klein and Carey Nason at UMaine's Safe Campus Project, the new policy is innovative and I believe that it will be very effective in helping members of our community deal with relationship abuse issues. A key component is a network of peer responders, UMaine volunteer employees who will be available to provide support and informed advice.

Senate President Beth Edmonds recently spent a day at UMaine as part of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center's Distinguished Policy Fellows Program, which brings Maine leaders to campus to learn more about the university and to interact with students. State Sen. Kevin Raye will participate in the program by visiting UMaine on Oct. 12, and we look forward to his visit.

An outstanding group of leaders from Maine's business, government and education communities, along with high-level representatives of federal government agencies, visited UMaine just last week for the 2006 Maine EPSCoR State Conference. An acronym for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, EPSCoR has funded more than $25 million in UMaine research since 1990. It has quite literally transformed research in Maine, helping to accomplish in this state the goals defined when EPSCoR was developed by the federal government.

Congratulations to Sharon Barker, director of UMaine's Women's Resource Center, for some outstanding and well-deserved recognition that came her way recently. Sharon is one of 100 women featured in "Pressing Onward: The Women's Historical Biography of the National Education Association." The book is published every five years to create a meaningful record of women's contributions to the NEA's history at the national level.

The Maine Folklife Center at UMaine has recently received word of a History Channel award of a $10,000 Save Our History grant to study how the loss of the Eastern Fine Paper Company paper mill has affected workers and the city of Brewer. Folklife Center staff members are working with students at Brewer Middle School to engage in a project that will preserve the local history related to the mill, and to develop ways to save that history for communication to future generations. This is a wonderful project, because it will yield meaningful results for the community and because of the connection to the middle school. Those students will learn a great deal from their participation, and they will contribute something important for the future.

Psychology and art professor Alan Stubbs has also received some recent recognition, as his artwork was selected as one of the ten best illusions in the international Best Visual Illusion of the Year Contest. Alan uses digital art as part of the process of teaching psychology students about the principles of perception. His work represents a great example of the creative approaches to teaching and other activities that characterize the UMaine faculty.

Two other related September events brought a great many friends to UMaine, to celebrate two Black Bear legends -- the late athletic trainer Wes Jordan and baseball star Mike Bordick. The Sept. 15 dedication of the West Jordan Athletic Training Education Complex in Lengyel Gym was a nice event, attended my many of those Wes mentored and influenced during his long UMaine career. The next day, a beautiful September Saturday, featured the retirement of Mike Bordick's uniform number as part of a series of activities involving current Black Bears and baseball alumni. The spirit was high for both those events, and they represented a great opportunity for many wonderful people to visit UMaine.

Congratulations to Coach Scott Athlerley and the UMaine women's soccer team, which is off to a great start this season. Last week, the Black Bears were ranked 24th in the nation, the first appearance in the top 25 in the program's history. I would also like to acknowledge UMaine track coach Jim Ballinger, who has moved from the full-time head coach's job to a part-time role coaching sprinters. A great UMaine student-athlete himself, Jim has been a track coach since 1968. He has handed the reins to assistant track coach and head cross-country coach Mark Lech, who will do a wonderful job in his new role.

Faculty recitals, regular jazz performances by the Lidral Duo at Memorial Union, Maine Center for the Arts performances and art exhibits are all part of UMaine's very active cultural life. I encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities before us on campus (and at the UMaine Art Museum in Bangor) to enjoy the many forms of artistic expression. One interesting example is the current exhibit by artists with disabilities, on display in the Hauck Auditorium lobby through Nov. 16. The UMaine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies is once again this year the UMaine host for this traveling exhibition.

We enjoyed another well-received Maine Center for the Arts gala in September, this year featuring Liza Minnelli. It was a lot of fun, and many of those in attendance approached me to say it was one of the best ever. We also announced at that event that the MCA will temporarily close after this academic year, so that construction may commence on the first stage of the MCA renovation project. For about 18 months, MCA programming and Hudson Museum exhibits will be held in other locations around the state while the exciting upgrades are made. The MCA is a unique, invaluable UMaine resource, and we all look forward to the results of the renovations.

Numerous September lectures and presentations provided a great deal of interesting, stimulating dialogue for members of our community to enjoy. Examples include the discussion, "Legends and Literature: Rediscovering Penobscot Stories," a panel discussion co-sponsored by several UMaine units, and a talk by international journalist Dahr Jamail. Activities like these are important to a university community, and I commend all those who work so hard to make such programs available to our community.

UMaine played host to the University of Maine System Board of Trustees in September. The campus looked wonderful, and many members of the board and the system staff went out of their way to compliment us on the condition of the buildings and the grounds. I know that many people work very hard to maintain the physical plant at UMaine, and it is nice when others recognize those efforts. The meeting went extremely well, as Chancellor MacTaggart continues to demonstrate outstanding leadership of the System. I believe that UMaine's unique role within UMS is understood and appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to work with the board, the chancellor and others to make the case for greater public and private support for this university.

It was nice to see so many of you at the annual employee breakfast on Sept. 15. I really enjoy those events, where we get a chance to meet new people and re-connect with others. Thanks to all of you who attended, and continued best wishes to all as we move into October.

Sincerely,

Bob Kennedy
President