Dear Colleagues,

As we begin the final month of the fall semester, with the holiday season in full swing, I am pleased to write with my monthly message summarizing some of the highlights from November at the University of Maine.

Although the margin was closer than we would have liked, Maine’s voters have once again affirmed their faith in UMaine as the institution that can lead the way to a brighter future.  The money that will come to UMaine as the result of Question 2 and Question 3, both of which passed on Nov. 6, will greatly enhance UMaine’s teaching and research activities, to the benefit of our students and our state.  I appreciate the great work of so many in our community who helped gain voter approval of these critical initiatives.

A new report by School of Economics Prof. Todd Gabe provides updated information about UMaine’s annual impact on our state’s economy.  The numbers are impressive, and they help justify the faith shown in UMaine by the state’s voters.  Todd’s report indicates that UMaine’s total annual economic impact, defined as expenditures associated with operations combined with student and visitor spending, is $698 million.  He also calculates that UMaine generates $7.65 in economic activity for every dollar of state involvement.  One of the most impressive indicators of UMaine's economic impact relates to our graduates.  Todd estimates the total increased lifetime earnings of a single graduating UMaine class --the result of each graduate having a college degree -- at $516 million.  To arrive at that figure, Todd used current and historical data to estimate the number of graduates who would spend their careers working in Maine. That half-billion dollar impact has a tremendous “ripple effect” throughout our economy.

I was pleased to note two weeks ago that Gov. Baldacci has asked UMaine’s Climate Change Institute to produce a “Maine Climate Change Assessment” over the next year.  This report, which will tap unique, world-class expertise here at UMaine, will provide valuable information for the governor and other state leaders to use in making policy decisions related to climate change.  Professors George Jacobson and Ivan Fernandez will lead this effort,  which will provide information specific to our state, identifying potential critical impacts, adaptations and even opportunities that might be part of potential climate scenarios that might develop through the rest of this century.  I am certain that the outcome of this effort will be an exceptionally useful report that will have a long-term positive impact on Maine.

Congratulations are in order for Prof. Bob Strong from UMaine’s College of Business, Public Policy and Health.  Bob, who was named UMaine’s Distinguished Maine Professor just two years ago, received another well-deserved honor this month when the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named him Maine Professor of the Year.  Bob is a great choice for this award, as his students and colleagues can attest.

Several other UMaine faculty members and others have been involved in notable activities over the past few weeks.  I would like to point out just a few.

History professor Liam Riordan has given some public talks, including one at the Bangor Public Library, based on his new book about the American Revolution, “Many Identities, One Nation: The Revolution and Its Legacy in the Mid-Atlantic.”  Liam’s well-received new book describes the significance of diversity in early America.

Elizabeth Allan, a professor in UMaine’s College of Education and Human Development, recently participated in a national-level roundtable discussion, “Hazing: New Implications from Research.” With her colleague, Mary Madden, Elizabeth is well-established as a leading authority on issues related to hazing, especially as it relates to colleges and universities.

Bob Milardo, a professor of Family Relations at UMaine, has been named the editor of a new journal, “The Journal of Family Theory and Review.”  It will be published by the National Council on Family Relations.

Ann Acheson and others at UMaine’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center deserve accolades for their contributions to the recent statewide conference on poverty.  A report, “Poverty in Maine: 2006,” which Ann wrote, provided invaluable background and context for that important conference.

The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center also hosted Maine Sen. Peter Mills, a Republican from Skowhegan, for a full day of programs and activities in mid-month.  Sen. Mills’ visit, part of the Distinguished Maine Policy Fellows Program, featured visits with UMaine students, faculty members and staff members.  The program began in the spring of 2006, and it regularly brings Maine elected officials and senior policymakers to UMaine.

Prof. Paul Mayewski, director of UMaine’s Climate Change Institute, was interviewed last month by Ann Curry for a segment on the NBC News Today Show.  Paul, who has been interviewed for 60 Minutes twice in the past two years, is widely recognized as a leading international authority on global climate change.

UMaine theatre professor Sandra Hardy directed a well-received UMaine School of Performing Arts production of Henrik Ibsen’s “Heda Gabler.”  Particularly interesting is the fact that Sandra, who speaks Norwegian, translated Ibsen’s original version for this production.  Congratulations also go to the students and others whose hard work made this series of performances so successful. 

Denise Skonberg, a faculty member in UMaine’s Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, chaired an early-November Portland conference, “Enhancing Seafood Choices: Quality, Technology and Products.”  Hosted by the UMaine department, it was the 52nd annual Atlantic Fisheries Technology Conference, bringing participants from around the U.S., as well as Canada and Europe.  This subject has important implications for Maine, and Denise’s leadership was instrumental in making it a success.

At almost the same time, the University of Maine System Center for Tourism and Outreach (CenTRO), with UMaine professor Harold Daniel as its director, held its annual fall conference to assess the Maine tourism outlook for 2008.  We are proud that UMaine is the home of CenTRO’s administrative office, and of Harold’s leadership of that important center.

UMaine anthropologist Dan Sandweiss, the university’s dean and associate provost for graduate studies, gave a Nov. 19 Bangor Foreign Policy Forum series presentation, “Archaeological Past/Cultural Continuity: The Case of Peru.”  The forum, which is organized by UMaine’s School of Policy and International Affairs, brings important speakers with international affairs expertise to Bangor on a regular basis, for presentations to a group of area leaders with strong interest in those issues.

One of the forum’s most distinguished speakers was Judith Yaphe, a senior fellow in the National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies.  Through the organizational efforts of SPIA, we were able to host Dr. Yaphe on campus in early November, when she gave a public talk, “The Impact of Violence and War: Long-Term Consequences on Iraqi Society.”  That presentation created a wonderful opportunity for a good number of UMaine students to hear from one of the world’s leading experts on those issues.

I was pleased to learn recently that the UMaine Women’s Resource Center is establishing a formal network of state organizations that will work together to encourage more girls to study math and science, and to explore careers in those fields.  Using a National Science Foundation grant, the Women’s Resource Center will work to coordinate the activities of several statewide organizations, while also becoming part of a national database that will help improve these services.

Staff at UMaine’s Student Innovation Center, working in partnership with the National Collegiate Innovators and Inventors Alliance, brought the “Invention 2 Venture” conference to UMaine on Nov. 9.  The workshop focused on the foundational elements of technology entrepreneurship, with college students as the primary audience.  The Student Innovation Center has quickly become an important part of UMaine, and I am pleased that it is hosting outreach and educational programs like this one.

I offer my congratulations to those Maine women honored in November by the UMaine Women in the Curriculum and Women's Studies programs with Maryann Hartman Awards.  This marked the 22nd year of this awards program.  Those honored were journalist Alicia Anstead, conservationist Sally Jacobs, social justice activist and author Harriet Price and Young Women's Social Justice Award winner Hannah Hudson.

UMaine continues to lead the way in transforming Maine’s youth sports programs through its Sports Done Right program.  That program’s board of directors has granted full accreditation to MSAD 71 (Kennebunk and Kennebunkport), Five Town CSD (Appleton, Camden, Hope, Lincolnville and Rockport) and MSAD 28 (Camden, Rockport).  The board also approved preliminary accreditation to the Augusta Public Schools.  We are delighted to have these fine Maine communities associated with the Sports Done Right initiative.

A wonderful UMaine tradition continues this year with the College of Education and Human Development’s 30th annual children’s book drive.  The college and the Old Town-Orono Kiwanis join forces to collect books for area children during the holiday season.  Over three decades, this program has brought the gift that is the joy of reading to countless young people in our local communities.

Other examples of holiday spirit abound around UMaine.  In many cases, our students are taking leadership roles in community service activities. 

Black Bear student-athletes collected more than 1,000 perishable food items on Halloween night, going door-to-door in area neighborhoods to gather donations for Old Town’s Crossroads Resource Center in Old Town.  Officials there say it was one of the largest donations they have ever received.

UMaine’s Dressage Club is selling holiday wreaths to support that fine organization’s activities.  To order or find out more, email Elizabeth Lewis (elizabeth_lewis@umit.maine.edu) or Melody Laplante (melody_laplante@umit.maine.edu). Incidentally, both the Dressage Club and the Equestrian Club are very popular with UMaine students and they are having great success.  The 11-member Equestrian team recently won 12 awards at a regional show in New Hampshire, and they have done well in other regional competitions.  They are preparing with enthusiasm for the spring season.

The annual Garden Calendar, beautifully produced by UMaine Cooperative Extension (in conjunction with the University of Vermont’s Cooperative Extension), is now available for 2008.  UMaine’s Lois Berg Stack is one of the primary developers of the calendar, which features photos of favorite plants. Calendars can be purchased for $7.50 by calling 800-870-7270 or visiting www.extension.umaine.edu.

UMaine’s Intrafraternity Council is also in the holiday spirit.  A large group of Greek organization students spent the weekend before Thanksgiving at Shaw’s in Bangor, collecting food for a very successful charity food drive.  We believe that this is the first time all UMaine Greek organizations have worked together on a project of this scale, and they did a wonderful job.

Members of UMaine’s American Society of Civil Engineers and Associated General Contractors student chapter have recently completed a new wheelchair ramp for the Old Town Museum.  The old ramp was in disrepair, and our students stepped up to donate their time and considerable abilities to this important cause.

We have other good news related to our students and student-related programs, as well.

Our Division of Student Affairs’ Campus Activities and Events operation and its Campus Activities Board have received an impressive regional honor.  The National Association for Campus Activities Northeast has recognized UMaine for programming excellence.  I know that our students appreciate the great number of activities that are available to them on campus, virtually on a daily basis.

In late October, the UMaine Speech and Debate Team, which is still relatively new and has enjoyed great success, took first place in the Suffolk Fall Classic competition.  Other schools involved included Suffolk University, St. Anselm's College, Arizona State University, University of Pennsylvania, Binghamton College, Howard, Ursinus, Emerson College and Ithaca.  That is impressive competition, and I am pleased with the UMaine success.

Clearly, November was quite a month at UMaine.  I appreciate the role each of you plays in creating the kind of environment where these successes can occur.

My best wishes for the rest of this semester, and for an enjoyable holiday season.

Sincerely,
 

Bob Kennedy

President