Dear Colleagues,

Even though two weeks have passed, the Virginia Tech tragedy and its aftermath continue in my thoughts, and I suspect many of you feel the same way. This terrible incident really challenges our perceptions of what colleges and universities are all about. Institutions like UMaine represent hope for the future, embodied particularly by our students. It is important that all of us involved in university life continue to focus on the true nature of our academic community and what it means to the future of our students and our society.

I have been most pleased with our community's reaction to the events of April 16. The touching candlelight vigil, with 1,000 UMaine students and others gathering to share their feelings and show their support, was really quite remarkable. As usual, many in our community stepped up to organize the appropriate and necessary activities to help UMaine's students and others deal with the personal impact of this shocking event.

At the same time, we are seriously addressing our own policies and procedures related to campus emergency situations. UMaine has made significant progress in recent years, developing a detailed emergency response plan for use in all manner of situations. I have participated in emergency drills, as have many others in our community, and I am comfortable with UMaine's general preparedness level. Recent events have shown that even the most up-to-date procedures have fundamental weaknesses, and ours is no exception. We have a group working diligently on creating an effective, multi-layered communication system that will give us more and better options for quick notification in the event of a campus emergency. We are also reviewing other associated processes, and we are talking with colleagues at other colleges and universities to share our ideas and to learn from theirs. Safety is our primary concern, and we will continue to work hard to constantly improve in our ability to assure

It is rather difficult to believe that the last week of spring semester classes is underway, with Commencement coming up in just a few days. Commencement will be UMaine's 205th and, for the second consecutive year, we are operating under the format that calls for two indoor ceremonies at Alfond Arena. We expect to award nearly 1,950 degrees on May 12, and I look forward to the day with great anticipation. Our commencement speakers -- Bowdoin College President Emeritus Robert Edwards (morning ceremony) and best-selling author Tess Gerritsen (afternoon) will bring interesting insights and perspectives. President Edwards will receive an honorary doctorate, as will Native American Studies scholar Nicholas Smith of Brunswick, and Richard and Mildred Giesberg of Los Angeles, Calif., UMaine alums recognized for their international humanitarian efforts.

Like every month at UMaine, April was filled with highlights. I would like to draw attention to just a few.

I was most pleased to participate in the April 17 unveiling of Peter Hoff's presidential portrait in Fogler Library. Peter was UMaine's 17th president, and he is an active member of our community, teaching several courses and working on some interesting writing projects. We had a great turnout for the unveiling, which was very appropriate given Peter's contributions during his seven years as president. We all enjoyed sharing that event with Peter and Dianne, along with their great many friends.

Prominent visitors during April included Maine education commissioner Susan Gendron, who spent a day at UMaine as part of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center Distinguished Maine Policy Fellows Program.
Commissioner Gendron spent time with Margaret Chase Smith Center staff members, UMaine students, faculty members and others, learning more about the university and its programs. This distinguished policy fellows program is terrific, bringing several state political and policy leaders to campus each year. Commissioner Gendron's visit happened to coincide with that of a group of young Native Americans from the Houlton area who were on campus as part of a concerted effort to encourage more Maine Native Americans to consider applying to UMaine. Commissioner Gendron had a chance to interact with those prospective students and she was pleased to hear of this worthy effort.

Bhikhu Parekh, a professor of political philosophy and the University of Maine 2007 Philosophy Distinguished Visiting Scholar, presented a well-received evening talk on "Gandhi’s Legacy: Is Mahatma Gandhi’s Philosophy Still Relevant?" along with a lunchtime lecture on "Mahatma Gandhi and Karl Marx."
Congratulations to Prof. Doug Allen and the other organizers who were able to bring such a renowned scholar to UMaine for these presentations.

UMaine's College of Engineering hosted two dedication events for renovated facilities made possible by generous engineering alums. The Thomas P. Hosmer '58 Design Engineering Center and the Gorrill-Palmer Consulting Engineer Soil Mechanics Laboratory will further enhance the educational experience of UMaine engineering students, helping those students on the road to successful careers like those enjoyed by these generous benefactors. UMaine engineering alums have a tremendous history of continued loyal support, and it is sincerely appreciated.

The UMaine Sustainability Alliance did a wonderful job of organizing a series of Earth Day activities on April 18. Under Vice President Janet Waldron's leadership, UMaine has taken a great many steps to reduce its negative impact on our environment, and we can all be proud to be part of a community that takes sustainability seriously.

I enjoyed an early-April trip to St. Louis, where I watched the Black Bear hockey team compete in the Frozen Four national semifinals. We lost to an outstanding Michigan State team, but the Black Bears played hard and competed well. It was a great achievement for the team to once again advance so far in the national tournament, and all of their fans and followers in St. Louis were proud of Coach Tim Whitehead, the rest of the coaching staff and all of the players.

Congratulations also go this month to director Paul Anderson and everybody at the Maine Sea Grant College Program at UMaine. Maine Sea Grant has been rated in the top tier of Sea Grant programs around the country, by a national assessment team. The review included specific kudos for "contributions to science, technology and society." This represents UMaine outreach at its best, and this recognition is well-deserved.

Next month's Go Blue message will include a complete rundown of the annual faculty awards, which will be presented over the next several days. This month, we are pleased to note just a few of the great many faculty achievements that we see every day at UMaine.

We recently announced promotion and tenure for 33 of UMaine's faculty members, each of whom plays a vital role in our community of scholars. Promotion and tenure are important milestones, and they signal institutional recognition of accomplishment in every aspect of a professor's challenging and important work. A list of those 33 faculty members is in an online news release here.

Congratulations to Prof. Hemant Pendse and all the other researchers involved in UMaine's exciting Forest Bioproducts Research Initiative (FBRI), The Dept. of Energy recently awarded a $1.5 million grant for this important research, to be added to the $6.9 million grant from last year. Hemant and his colleagues are looking at some truly exciting and revolutionary uses for Maine's most abundant natural resource, and their work will have long-lasting implications on a broad scale.

Prof. Clarissa Henry from UMaine's Dept. of Biological Sciences recently received $1.28 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health National Institute for Child Health and Human Development. She will use this funding to look at the development of tendons in zebrafish embryos, perhaps leading to better treatment methods for various conditions, including muscular dystrophy and tendonitis. Clarissa does important, ground-breaking research in areas related to human health, and this new funding will allow her to continue to advance knowledge in these areas of science.

Prof. Tod Shockey from the UMaine math faculty has been invited to a National Science Foundation "think tank" on "Effective Educational Practices in Mathematics for Native American Learners." Tod and other experts from around the U.S. will go to South Dakota to discuss current research aimed at finding better ways to address "educational needs and issues" related to Native American students.

Kathleen March, UMaine professor of Spanish, has recently been awarded a Translation Grant by the Ireland Literary Exchange. This grant is for the translation and publication of the book of poetry The Rose-Geranium, by Irish poet Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin. The poems will be translated into Galician and published by Laiovento Press (Santiago de Compostela) by the end of this year.

Congratulations to Nancy Fishwick of the UMaine nursing faculty for a recent honor. Nancy won the outstanding electronic poster award at the 33rd Annual Conference of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. Her poster, initiated by a 2004 UMaine Instructional Technology Award, was on "Gaining Family Assessment Skill Through the Use of Popular Films."

Elizabeth DePoy and Stephen Gilson, professors in UMaine's Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, are the authors of a new textbook, "The Human Experience: Description, Explanation, and Judgment."

Congratulations to Tod, Kathleen, Nancy, Liz and Stephen for these various forms of recognition for their outstanding work and expertise in their fields of study.

We were also pleased to recently announce the appointment, pending Board of Trustees approval later this month, of John Mahon to serve as dean of the UMaine College of Business, Public Policy and Health for a two-year term, beginning July 1. John is an outstanding faculty member who also serves as director of UMaine's School of Policy and International Affairs. He also served UMaine very well as interim provost from 2004-2006, and I am certain that he will be a very strong leader for our College of Business, Public Policy and Health.

UMaine's students also continue to excel in the classroom and laboratory and, in many cases, their efforts are gaining recognition from beyond UMaine. I am pleased to share a couple of examples:

- Jessica Muhlin, a marine biology Ph.D. candidate working with Prof. Susan Brawley, recently won the Robert Wilce Award for the best oral presentation by a graduate student at the annual meeting of the Northeast Algal Society. This regional society draws presentations (and members) from eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S.

- Brooke Dupuy, a UMaine graduate student in French, recently attended the linguistic conference Les Journées de Linguistique at Université Laval in Québec, where she presented a paper titled "La diphtongaison dans le français de Waterville, ME: une étude sociolinguistique", for which she won the jury prize. Brooke’s paper examines the variety of Franco-American French spoken in Waterville, focusing specifically on diphthongs, a feature typical of Quebec French pronunciation. Her paper is based on her research under the direction of Prof. Jane Smith, who is collaborating on a related National Science Foundation-supported project with a colleague at the University of Albany.

UMaine's Phi Beta Kappa chapter recently inducted its newest members at a ceremony that featured a talk by Boston University professor and poet Rosanna Warren. Phi Beta Kappa, which recognizes academic achievement in the arts and sciences, is the oldest and best-known academic honor society in the U.S., having been founded in 1776. UMaine's is one of only four chapters in Maine, with the others being at Bates, Bowdoin and Colby.

Congratulations to the two dozen students recognized recently for exceptional performance as a UMaine student employee. UMaine has more than 2,000 student employees on campus, and I daresay that most of us come into contact with one or more of these students almost every day. They do a wonderful job, and it is nice to see them get recognition. Best of luck to UMaine senior Gabriel Belanger, who has been nominated for an award given by the National Student Employee Association's Northeast Region.

Student artistic talent is on display for just a few more days at the Lord Hall Galleries. The UMaine Student Art Exhibition opened on April 6 and will conclude on Friday May 4. If you get the opportunity, I encourage you to visit the beautiful gallery and have a look at some great examples of student creativity fueled by faculty inspiration.

I was very pleased to recently learn of some great initiative shown by seven of UMaine's Somali students: Safia Nur, Nasro Mohamed, Ismail Warsame, Hibat Sharif, Khalid Mohamed, Abdirahman Osman, and Fatuma Shinio. This group, which has been involved with UMaine's Somali Narrative Project, spent much of their spring break meeting with students at Lewiston High School and Portland High school, talking about UMaine and answering various questions from prospective students. The UMaine group spent a great deal of time planning these activities, and created an associated Power Point presentation to help them describe the details of the UMaine experience. It says great things about the UMaine student experience that this group would work so hard to reach out to this important immigrant community and spread the word about UMaine. We should all be proud of these students and those faculty and staff members who work closely with them.

Speaking of new students, a great many people are working very hard to recruit and enroll the class that will begin studies next fall. As you know, this has been a complicated year for admissions staff members at the universities all around Maine, and our staff bears a disproportionate load because of UMaine's size. Those students who do arrive here in the fall will be joining us at a wonderful time, as they will have access to exciting new facilities and programs. These are described on a new Web site, intended for that student group, but which might be of interest to you.

I hope that you enjoy the final few days of the spring semester, and that you gain satisfaction from involvement in the many activities in that busy period leading up to Commencement. We have had a great academic year, and I appreciate the contributions of every member of our community.


Sincerely,


Bob Kennedy
President