July 2006
Dear
Colleagues:
June was another very eventful month for all of
us associated with UMaine. There is much good news to share, as our
students and other members of the UMaine community continue to achieve
at a remarkably high level. Even though the traditional academic year
ended in mid-May, our campus and other facilities continue to be very
lively places, with a great deal of ongoing activity. An annual June
highlight is reunion weekend, and this year was no exception. Despite
steady rain for the entire weekend, spirits were high and approximately
450 alums enjoyed a return visit to campus. We were pleased to host
several members from the 70th reunion class of 1936, and even one alum
from the Class of 1929. It is always impressive to note the extent to
which UMaine's alums express their great affection and strong loyalty to
their alma mater.
We were all very pleased last week when Bank of
America announced its generous decision to give the Hutchinson Center in
Belfast to UMaine. As you likely know, MBNA built the 20,000 square foot
facility for UMaine six years ago. As with the other MBNA holdings in
midcoast Maine, the Hutchinson Center became Bank of America's property
earlier this year. This is one of the largest gifts UMaine has ever
received, and we are very grateful. We are delighted that the Hutchinson
Center will continue unabated as a vital part of our university. It has
become a remarkable success story, serving over 16,000 people each year,
including 1,400 degree-seeking students. The Hutchinson Center has
provided great opportunity for midcoast people to access higher
education, and we can all be proud of what has been accomplished there.
The future is extremely bright, and we look forward to the continued
growth of academic programming and other UMaine activities in the
Belfast area.
Much credit for the Hutchinson Center's success
goes to Jim Patterson, the center's founding director. Jim's retirement
became effective last Friday, and I wish to thank him for his tremendous
leadership in establishing the Hutchinson Center as an important part of
UMaine. I hope members of our community will join me in wishing him well
and in welcoming his successor, Meg Malmberg.
Speaking of programs that provide opportunity
and access, I was pleased to note the recent beginning of this summer's
Upward Bound activities at UMaine. This is the 40th year that UMaine has
hosted Upward Bound, a federally funded program that assists high school
students from low-income, first-generation college families in removing
some of the barriers to higher education. Some 175 high school students
are at UMaine this summer to participate in the program. It is estimated
that over 90 percent of those students who complete Upward Bound end up
going to college. Over the course of 40 years, the number of people
positively affected by UMaine's Upward Bound programs is impressive
indeed, and their contributions to society are immeasurable.
We have some exciting news to report about
UMaine's current students, as well. Kelly Dorgan, a doctoral student in
UMaine's School of Marine Sciences, will be featured in Popular Science
Magazine's "PopSci's Brilliant 10" annual feature. Recognizing young
researchers who are noted for the creativity and reach of their
research, those on the list truly represent the best of the best, and we
are honored that Kelly has been chosen from hundreds of nominees. Kelly
works with Prof. Peter Jumars at the Darling Center, looking at the
biomechanics of how marine worms move through mud. This research was
featured in the February 2005 issue of Nature, an exceptionally
prestigious scholarly journal.
Hearty congratulations also go out this month to
five UMaine students -- Jennifer Jordan, Jason Bolton, Shari Baxter,
Kristi Crowe and James Perry. Working with faculty adviser Denise
Skonberg from the UMaine Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, this
group developed a food treat called YoBon Berry Bites, dark
chocolate-covered, frozen blueberry yogurt-filled concoctions that taste
just as good as they sound. Word came late in June that the product was
selected as the winner in the national Institute of Food Technologists (IFT)
Student Association's 2006 Product Development Competition. This is a
major contest, featuring entries from some of the largest university
food science programs in the U.S. Winning is a very significant
accomplishment, and I am delighted for all those involved, including
Amos Orcutt and others at the University of Maine Foundation, who helped
make this achievement possible.
Another UMaine food scientist, Mary Ellen Camire,
received the 2006 Babcock-Hart Award from the IFT on June 24. The IFT,
by the way, is a nonprofit scientific society with 22,000 members
working in food science, food technology, and related professions in
industry, academic institutions and government. Mary Ellen, a real
leader in her field who has been on the Maine faculty for 16 years, was
nominated for the award for her contributions to food technology
science. Mary Ellen is a gifted communicator who is at the forefront of
efforts to keep the public informed about advances in food science and
their significance for human health.
Kudos also go to Ann Schonberger, director of
UMaine's Women's Studies and Women in the Curriculum programs. Ann
received the Maine Centers for Women, Work and Community's annual Merle
Nelson Making a Difference Award. She was recognized in particular for
her community work with Spruce Run, which provides support for domestic
violence victims, along with her successful efforts aimed at creating
educational opportunities for women and girls. Ann is one of those
highly effective campus citizens who is very active in causes that make
our communities stronger and better.
Roz Kreilkamp, who earned a master's in social
work degree from UMaine earlier this year, was recognized by the
American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work with an award for a
20-page paper she wrote about her clinical work. Roz wrote about doing
therapy with clients on Maine's offshore islands using telemedicine.
Hers was one of just five winning entries of 85 papers submitted.
Another great example of the ways in which
UMaine serves people in various ways occurred last week, when we hosted
the four-day National Conference and Summer Academy, sponsored by
UMaine's Center for Science and Mathematics Education Research. More
than 175 people, including many middle school and high school math and
science teachers, spent time examining ways to improve teaching skills
in those vital areas, and to discuss ways to attract more young people
to academic fields related to science and math. This is just one example
of many professional development opportunities for teachers that UMaine
offers during the summer months.
A related activity that also deserves notice is
the summer literacy program sponsored by the UMaine College of Education
and Human Development. Through this program, children work on reading
and writing skills with help from experienced teachers who are involved
in UMaine graduate studies in literacy. The program runs for five weeks,
and makes a real difference in the literacy skills of those children,
while providing valuable opportunities for the graduate student
teachers.
Hosting conferences and other activities can be
very good for institutions like UMaine. We regularly receive favorable
comments and other positive notices from people who are part of UMaine-based
activities of this nature. I was pleased to note recently that UMaine
has been nominated for a prestigious "Friend of the IEEE Award" by the
regional activities board of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers for its efforts in hosting a student conference and
competition earlier this year. Congratulations to all those in UMaine's
electrical engineering department, College of Engineering and other
UMaine units that participated in making this a highly successful and
well-received event.
The summer months also find many UMaine
professors and students working off campus, often on projects that
require access to Maine's wonderful natural resources. Recently, Michael
Kinnison from the UMaine biological sciences faculty and Gayle Zydlewski
from the School of Marine Sciences faculty, working with a group of
graduate students, discovered nearly a dozen shortnose sturgeon in the
Penobscot River near Winterport. This species has been listed as
endangered since 1967 and had been absent from the Penobscot since 1978.
The researchers believe that this discovery suggests that the Penobscot
River habitat is improving, which is good news for certain marine
species, and for all of us who care about the natural environment in our
part of Maine.
At UMaine, we are fortunate to have in our
community a hard-working, dedicated police department. Chief Noel March
and the officers and staff members do a wonderful job in many ways, and
they deserve our thanks. A remarkable event that occurred recently
underscores the valuable role they play at UMaine. Sgt. Deb Mitchell and
Officer George Ash, assisted by dispatcher Andy Brown, saved the life of
a contractor employee who was working at a campus job site in early
June. They responded to an emergency call and used the police
department's defibrilator, which was provided by Cutler Health Center,
to restore the man's pulse. Chief March presented Deb, George and Andy
with special and well-deserved recognition for this heroic act.
Their police department colleague, Chris
Gardner, also deserves notice for receiving the New England Narcotic
Enforcement Officers' Association's 2006 Special Achievement Award at a
conference in Massachusetts. Chris was noted for working to provide the
appropriate campus environment for students and other community members
to be safe and successful by working in various ways to limit
drug-related activity on campus. Chris is a real credit to the UMaine
community.
If you have not done so already, I hope you will
sign up to join us on the Friday before Labor Day for UMaine's wonderful
Maine Hello program. Spearheaded by the Dean of Students' office, Maine
Hello involves greeting new first-year students and their families as
they move into our residence halls for the first time, and lending a
hand in moving students' belongings. Participation in Maine Hello is a
lot of fun, and it is very gratifying to see how much the newest members
of our community (including the parents) enjoy and appreciate that
initial contact.
You can register to volunteer for
part of the day by visiting this site.
I hope you enjoyed a pleasant Independence Day,
and my best wishes for all the good things that are part of summer in
Maine.
Sincerely,
Bob Kennedy
President
