Dear Colleagues,

As is the case every year, May was an eventful month at UMaine. Traditional summer activities, such as the just-completed Reunion Weekend, are in full swing. Reunion was wonderful, and it was great to see so many alumni and friends return to the university for an enjoyable series of activities.

Commencement was certainly a May highlight, as just about 2,000 people received UMaine degrees at the two ceremonies, attended by some 11,000 family members and friends. We enjoyed terrific commencement addresses by former Bowdoin and Carleton president Bob Edwards and by best-selling author Tess Gerritsen. It was also a pleasure to award honorary doctorates to President Edwards, Native American Studies scholar Nicholas Smith and humanitarians Richard and Middie Giesberg.

As always, though, the highlight for me was shaking the hands of the new graduates, each one representing significant accomplishment and great potential for future success. Our faculty and staff can – and should – take pride in these graduates, because all of us play a role in their success.

Photos and other materials from that day, including text of the Commencement addresses, are online here.

Speaking of graduates, Phil Pratt from our Office of Institutional Studies has generated some new data that provide more good news about UMaine’s impact on our state. For several years, we have pointed out that about 70 percent of UMaine graduates stay in Maine for their first job. The new information tells us that about 40 percent of those who leave Maine after graduation are back in the state within five years.

Imagine the impact, with three consecutive classes of 2,000 graduates and information suggesting that almost all of them will be part of our statewide communities within a short period of time. Educated and prepared UMaine graduates are accomplishing great things in professional settings and they are taking leadership roles in communities. This is very exciting, and it really shows one of the most important ways in which UMaine has a broad impact on our state.

The current news about fall enrollment is also positive, as the incoming class is approximately six percent larger than last year at this time. I wish to point out the tremendous efforts of Associate Provost Sue Hunter, Admissions Director Sharon Oliver and dozens of our staff members in making this happen. The new systems that were in place for this year created monumental challenges for those involved in reviewing and acting on student applications. UMaine’s people, as always, came through in a big way, working nights and weekends to get the job done and to assure continued strong enrollment at UMaine.

With the new Student Recreation Center, a renovated Hilltop Commons and the First-Year Residence Experience program underway, along with a series of other initiatives fostered by Provost Edna Mora Szymanski and Dean of Students Robert Dana, it will be a great time to be a UMaine first-year student this fall and we look forward to welcoming the Class of (are you ready for this?) 2011.

Commencement season is also the time when we honor those faculty and staff members singled out for individual achievement and awards. I hope all will join me in congratulating this year’s honorees:

Prof. Ivan Fernandez Distinguished Maine Professor

Prof. Irv Kornfield Presidential Teaching Award

Prof. Liz DePoy Pres. Research and Creative Achievement Award

Prof. Herb Crosby Presidential Public Service Award

Dolores Stone Classified Employee Achievement Award

Robert Boyington Classified Employee Achievement Award

Mike Hermann Professional Employee Achievement Award

Linda Schick Classified Employee Achievement Award

Prof. Scott Johnson also received the Steve Gould Award, given to a person who has "demonstrated superior qualities of unselfishness and compassion in the course of service to (UMaine) and its ideals."

I really enjoy the events at which we honor UMaine’s 25-year and 35-year (and 45-year, when we have them) employees, and a separate event for those who are retiring from UMaine. These long-term employees have made tremendous contributions to our university community, and we cherish our connections with each and every one of them.

As you may have seen in the news during the past few days, the Maine Legislature’s Appropriations Committee has voted to increase funding for higher education in Maine. This is most welcome news, and it will mean a great deal to our students and to our university. I am personally appreciative for the efforts of so many UMaine advocates, including faculty and staff members, who took the time to communicate with decision-makers to let them know that UMaine is the best investment our state can make. UMaine has a number of strong supporters in the Legislature and the executive branch, and their hard work made all the difference. Sen. Elizabeth Schneider and Rep. Emily Cain, whose districts include UMaine, are doing a wonderful job representing our interests in Augusta, and we all owe them and others our thanks.

I was pleased to travel to Augusta two weeks ago, to join Gov. Baldacci and Bowdoin President Barry Mills to announce a new 3+2 program involving our institutions. Under this arrangement, interested and qualified students will study at Bowdoin for three years, and then come to UMaine for two years of engineering education. Students who complete the program will end up with a Bowdoin degree and a UMaine degree, and they will be prepared to work in engineering or pursue further education.

As is the case every month, we have a number of faculty members, staff members and students who have earned kudos for their achievements. Allow me to mention just a few:

- The American Association has selected UMaine chemical and biological engineering professor Darrell Donahue for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) prestigious Science & Technology Policy Fellowship. During this yearlong appointment, Darrell will provide technical and engineering expertise for policy development and implementation to officials in the Dept. of Homeland Security’s Animal Health Agrodefense Program in the Weapons of Mass Destruction Division.

- Ben Wasserman, a UMaine student from Wantagh, N.Y. who will be a junior in the fall, has been named a recipient of a prestigious Udall Scholarship recognizing his commitment to environmental studies. Ben, who is an Honors College student and a wildlife ecology and math major, is one of only 80 students nationwide to receive a Udall Scholarship.

- The UMaine Concrete Canoe team recently won its second consecutive American Society of Civil Engineers New England Regional Concrete Canoe Contest, besting 12 teams from colleges and universities around New England.

- The UMaine New Media Department’s Still Water research and development arm, co-founded by professors Jon Ippolito and Joline Blais, received a $300,000 research grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to study ways to preserve digital art. This is the largest NEH grant UMaine has ever received.

- David Dvorak, director of UMaine’s School of Engineering Technology, has received a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture and research at Iceland’s University of Akureyri during the next academic year. David will share his expertise in alternative energy, particularly fuel cell technology, and he will assist in the development of a new graduate program at Iceland’s School of Renewable Energy Resources.

- Congratulations to the staff in UMaine Campus Recreation, for being selected for special recognition by the Maine Governor’s Council on Physical Activity. The UMaine unit won the 2007 Contest for Communities Award, for long-standing work and commitment to UMaine’s ski trails.

- Psychology professor Alan Cobo-Lewis will continue to apply his expertise to assisting state policy-makers. Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap recently appointed Alan to Maine's Special Task force on Improving Public Understanding and Participation in Rulemaking.

- The Northeastern Loggers’ Association recently recognized UMaine’s Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center with its 2007 Outstanding Use of Wood Award, at a ceremony attended by over 300 people in Bangor. Association leaders called the AEWC Center a “globally recognized leader in composites research and development.”

Congratulations to Karen Brown, director of the Maine Center for Sport and Coaching at UMaine, and others involved in the Sports Done Right program on the news that two more Maine school districts have received full Sports Done Right accreditation. Schools in MSAD 51 (Cumberland and North Yarmouth) and Winthrop have done a wonderful job implementing sports programs as recommended by Sports Done Right, the UMaine College of Education and Human Development initiative that is changing the way youth sports are delivered in Maine and beyond.

That same college is a partner in the Penobscot River Educational Partnership (PREP), which has received a $100,000 state grant to develop ways for area school districts to collaborate and find ways to become more efficient. The UMaine people involved are extending their expertise in important ways, to help local schools achieve their goals related to gaining greater efficiencies.

I was delighted to hear that UMaine Property Management and the Bodwell Volunteer Center have joined forces once again for the “Clean Sweep” yard sale, continuing through Monday at Knox Hall. Our students in residence halls leave behind a good deal of property, and this innovative activity accomplishes important goals: it keeps this property out of landfills, and the proceeds support student volunteer activities. This is a great example of UMaine’s people, including Lyn Dexter and Gordon Nelson, using their creativity to reduce our impact on the environment and to support important student work.

We often point to undergraduate research opportunities as one of the reasons UMaine is a great place to study. A great example of a student taking advantage of such an opportunity is sophomore Morgan Brunbauer, who is with UMaine Prof. Mark Wells and nearly two dozen other scientists conducting research in the central North Pacific on board a University of Washington research vessel. Morgan, who’s a marine science major with chemistry minor, has been providing online updates describing his experiences working side-by-side with Mark Wells and other top marine scientists. Ron Lisnet, a multimedia producer in UMaine’s Dept. of University Relations, was along for part of the expedition, taking photos and recording some of the activities on videotape for educational and promotional purposes.

The University of Maine Foundation is looking for nominations for the third President Abram W. Harris Award, established in memory of the man who was UMaine’s president from 1893-1901. The award, which comes with a $5,000 prize, is given to an individual or team “whose impact on (UMaine) reflects the level of advancements made by (President Harris).” More information about how to nominate somebody for this prestigious award is online here.

Let me conclude this month’s message by saying how excited I am about UMaine’s new women’s basketball coach Cindy Blodgett. While her on-court achievements during her playing days are legendary, I was most impressed to learn of her terrific community contributions, and her great work in the classroom. I think that Cindy will be an outstanding coach and, most importantly, an ideal role model for all of our student-athletes, and I once again welcome her back to our community.

I hope that the coming summer months bring opportunities for each of you to enjoy our beautiful state, and spend enjoyable time with your families and friends.

Sincerely,


Bob Kennedy
President