Contact: Betsy Arntzen, (207) 581-4225

ORONO — The Canadian-American Center at UMaine has published a new book chronicling the history of Canadian studies at the University of Maine.

“A History of Canadian Studies at the University of Maine” was written by UMaine history professor emeritus Robert Babcock. In it, Babcock chronicles the historical and programmatic development of the Canadian Studies Program at the UMaine from its origins in the early 20th century to its position today as a designated National Resource Center on Canada.

“Readers will learn how Maine’s close proximity to Canada has spawned an ever-widening range of cross-border academic contacts rooted in mutual interests that are reinforced by collaborative academic study, which is benefiting residents on both sides of the international boundary,” Babcock says in his cover notes.

Babcock has been emeritus professor of history at UMaine since 1996. He has taught courses in Canadian-American history at the high school, college or university levels for more than 40 years. His book, “Gompers in Canada: A Study in American Continentalism Before the First World War” (1974), received the Albert B. Corey Prize, awarded jointly by the American and the Canadian historical associations in 1976. Babcock has authored many articles and reviews, served on the editorial boards of two journals, and edited the University of Maine Canadian-American Center’s journal “Canadian-American Public Policy” from 1991 to 2004.

“This book is at once a fascinating insight into the institutional founding and growth of a university program and an intellectual history of Canadian Studies,” says Canadian-American Center Director Stephen Hornsby in the forward of the 177-page paper-bound book.

“A History of Canadian Studies at the University of Maine” is available through the Canadian-American Center.

Contact: Donna Coffin, Extension educator, 207-564-3301, dcoffin@extension.umaine.edu

DOVER-FOXCROFT — The holiday season is here and many homeowners and renters celebrate the spirit of the season with indoor and outdoor holiday lights. Elaborate lighting displays, however, can result in elevated electric bills.

Donna Coffin, UMaine Cooperative Extension educator in the Piscataquis County office, advises that holiday celebrants now have an opportunity to reduce their electric bills and still show their holiday spirit — with the new light-emitting diode (LED) lights.

LED holiday lights are very energy-efficient and will save money during the holiday season, making them ideal decorations, Coffin says. LED lights are virtually indestructible, last longer than standard holiday lights, reduce the risk of fire and stay lit if a single light goes out. With no filament or glass bulb in LED lights, they convert electricity directly to light without the heat.

The average cost of using a 500-foot string of the old C7 type holiday lights for six hours a day for 40 days (240 hours) is $134, according to Coffin. C7 lights are the old large light strings that get hot. Many people already have switched to mini-lights or twinkle lights, which cost about $35 a season to use. New LED holiday lights cost even less to run: less than $3 for the whole season, or 2 percent of the cost of the old C7 lights. Many families may find they can pay back the cost of new LED lights in one season, says Coffin.

LED flickering lights, which imitate flickering candles without the fire hazard, smoke or dripping wax, also are available, she adds.

Other cost-saving options for holiday lighting include fiber optic lighting that allows the illumination of multiple light points from one light source. Also, candelabra compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are great for candlesticks, use about 80 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs and last 10 times longer. “Rope lights” also are suitable for indoor or outdoor use, and are ideal for decorating trees or for outlining doors and windows, Coffin says.

For more ideas on home energy conservation, visit the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Energy Web site at http://www.umext.maine.edu/energy/default.htm.

Contacts: John Mahon, (207) 581-1968; George Manlove, (207) 581-3756

ORONO – The Paris-based international educational consulting organization Eduniversal has included for a second consecutive year the Maine Business School at the University of Maine among its selection of 1,000 of the world’s best business schools for 2009.

The organization, a subsidiary of the international training and career guidance company SMBG in France, analyzed 22,000 Web sites, institutional publications and other criteria to arrive at a list of best business schools in each of nine regions comprising 153 countries.

Eduniversal has established a premier global database of higher economic and business education institutions to help students choose among the best business schools in any country, region or continent in the world. It also offers consultation to human resources departments at companies and institutions in the field of business.

The results of the Eduniversal ratings testify to the recognition by international experts of the Maine Business School’s influence and recognition internationally, says John Mahon, dean of the College of Business, Public Policy and Health at UMaine and director of the university’s Maine Business School.

The Eduniversal rating system, in fact, ranked UMaine among the top 700 business schools, which places UMaine in the top 3.2 percentile of the 22,000 business schools considered.

In selecting the world’s top 1,000 business schools, the Eduniversal International Scientific Committee also considered nations’ investments in education, population, number of students in higher education, in addition to recommendations from business school deans around the world, published research, rankings in international and national publications, affiliations with international associations and “the ability of the business school to make its students shine on an international level,” the organization says.

Mahon credits the integrity of the Maine Business School faculty, staff and students for the high quality and depth of a business school education for the good rating.

“I am certain that what helped elevate us to these ranks of the best schools on the planet had a lot to do with the international and experiential components of the business school, from our faculty to the extraordinarily high quality of our students at all levels – and the curriculum, which requires at least one international experience for our MBAs before they are awarded degrees,” Mahon says.

Contact: Richard Young (207) 581-4184

ORONO — Every year, the University Bookstore—the University of Maine’s official bookstore—commissions the design of a UMaine ornament. Each edition is carefully crafted of the finest materials and depicts a university landmark or symbol.

However, the real beauty of the ornament is how it benefits others.  Through its annual commemorative ornament program, the bookstore provides the proceeds from ornament sales to a UMaine student organization that works to help others.  This year’s selected beneficiary is the UMaine Engineers Without Borders student group.

While the organization is based on campus, its impact is far-reaching.

“Over two thousand miles southwest of us lies Dulce Vivir, a remote village established only four years ago on the outskirts of Dulce Nombre, Honduras,” explains Sean Higgins, a civil engineering major who’s the organization’s co-president. “Though residents’ homes were built strong, high ground water causes their latrines to overflow and, as a result, many of the residents get sick every year. We have designed a solution to their problem, and thanks to the contributions by the University Bookstore, we are one step closer to implementing this solution and improving the quality of life for the people o fthis well-deserving community.”

Richard Young, UMaine’s director of Auxiliary Services, noted that stories like these that get to the heart of the ornament program, which began in 2003.

“The students in these organizations dedicate their energy and talent to making a difference,” Young said. “We at the University Bookstore are honored to recognize their important work through the ornament program. We area student-focused organization, and this initiative is a special way that we can give back.”

The 2009 ornament, as well as the complete collection, is available at the University Bookstore, located on the lower level of Memorial Union on the University of Maine campus. Ornaments are also available through the University Bookstore website at www.bookstore.umaine.edu.

Previous beneficiary organizations have included Alternative Spring Break, Gamma Sigma Sigma and Alpha Phi Omega, Rotaract, Colleges Against Cancer and the Central American Service Association.

High-resolution images are available upon request. Please contact Tom Diaz, Auxiliary Services marketing coordinator, at (207) 581-4350.

Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571

ORONO — Alston D. “Pete” Correll and Ada Lee Correll of Atlanta, Georgia, have provided a $2 million gift to the University of Maine. The gift will be directed to four key areas at UMaine, where Pete Correll received two master’s degrees in engineering, one in 1966 and one in 1967.

The Corrells are highly respected community leaders and philanthropists in their home state of Georgia, where they were recognized last week as “Philanthropists of the Year” by the Atlanta chapter of the Association for Fundraising Professionals.  That award recognized their work to enhance Atlanta’s healthcare, cultural and educational resources.

The Correll gift will support four priority areas at the University of Maine:

• a new Presidential Chair in Energy which will enable UMaine to recruit a leading national expert in offshore wind and tidal energy development.  Together with the university’s recent $8 million federal grant supporting the development of this new technology, this gift will fortify UMaine’s position as an international leader in the field;

• new graduate fellowships (scholarships) for each of UMaine’s five colleges and scholarship funds in the Dept. of Ecology and Environmental Science;

• a new Professorship in Early Childhood Literacy in UMaine’s College of Education and Human Development;

• an unrestricted “excellence” fund allowing UMaine President Robert Kennedy to address immediate priorities and enhance programs not covered by state funding, tuition or endowments.

“It’s so much more fun to give money away than it is to earn it,” Pete Correll says. “It makes us feel really good if we can have an impact on a certain number of people and give them a chance they wouldn’t have had otherwise.  That’s as good a feeling as you can have in life.”

“This extraordinary gift will have a significant positive impact on the University of Maine, and we are most thankful to Pete and Ada Lee for their generosity,” Kennedy says.  “It will help us to enhance our teaching and research activities in areas of critical importance to our state and its future.  This gift represents a landmark moment for UMaine and we look forward to using it to reinforce the institution’s unique and vital role as the state’s research and graduate education university.”

Pete Correll, chair of Atlanta Equities, a new company he founded, retired recently from a 40-year-career as a highly respected and visionary international leader in the forest products industry. During his tenure at Georgia-Pacific, he transformed that company into a global consumer product powerhouse. Under his leadership, G-P garnered the best safety records in its industry sector, became a better environmental steward, and greatly expanded opportunities for women and minorities.

Ada Lee Correll began her career as a school teacher in Old Town, where she started a lifelong commitment to children and young people.  In addition to raising the Corrells’ two children, she has devoted her life as an effective community leader, working to enhance the quality of life for all Georgians.  She currently chairs the Emory University School of Medicine’s $500 million fundraising campaign.

“We are passionate about education and children.  That’s why the educational component was included in the gift,” says Ada Lee Correll, who also noted that their time living in Maine had a transformative impact on their lives.

“We left Maine a whole lot more prepared to deal with the world than when we moved there, and we remember our time at the university and in the community fondly,” she says.

Several UMaine officials also applauded the gift and praised the Corrells’ generosity and foresight in helping to advance the university as the state’s premier research and teaching institution.

“Hiring a Correll Presidential Chair in Energy is critical to the University of Maine’s research efforts and the future economy of Maine,” says College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey. “It will help us move forward in the effort to develop offshore wind and tidal energy and develop a cost effective source of power to further the state’s economy,” he says.

The gift will go a long way in attracting more high quality graduate students, says Daniel Sandweiss, dean of the Graduate School.  Because the graduate fellowships are funded for five years rather than the typical three and because they come with a higher than average stipend, “we will be able to recruit really excellent students – most of whom will be doctoral students – who will contribute to the research and education mission of UMaine,” he says.

The Correll Professorship in Early Literacy will be the first named professorship in the College of Education and Human Development.

“This is a significant development, which will enhance UMaine’s leadership role in research and scholarship in this important field of study,” says College of Education and Human Development Dean Anne Pooler.  “We have faculty members with international stature in literacy studies, the Correll Professorship will provide important new opportunities.”

The University of Maine System Board of Trustees formally accepted this gift at its meeting today in Bangor.

Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571

ORONO — Recognizing the University of Maine Climate Change Institute’s international prominence in climate science, the prestigious University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) has selected UMaine for membership.  The organization’s member institutions unanimously approved UMaine’s application at its recent annual meeting.

UCAR and its associated National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) work to foster greater understanding of the Earth’s atmosphere and the systems that affect it.  UCAR is a nonprofit association of research universities.

“UCAR’s invitation provides yet another example of the widespread appreciation for the work and impact of the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute,” says President Robert Kennedy.  “The Climate Change Institute exemplifies UMaine’s excellence in research on an international scale and the collaborations that will evolve from UCAR membership will enhance our opportunities to contribute in important ways to these critical fields of study.”

UCAR’s members include many of the nation’s leading research universities, including MIT, Columbia University and Georgia Tech.  A full listing of affiliated institutions is online here.

Contact: Abtin Mehdizadegan

ORONO — Comedian Bob Saget will perform at the University of Maine’s Collins Center for the Arts on Tuesday Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. The former star of the ABC Televsion program “Full House,” Saget also hosted “America’s Funniest Home Videos” on ABC and “1 vs. 100″ on NBC.  He is also known for his work on Broadway and in movies, as well as stand-up comedy.

Saget’s UMaine performance is intended for mature audiences.

Tickets are available at the Collins Center for the Arts box office, by calling (207) 581-1755 or online at http://www.collinscenterforthearts.com.  The cost is $18 for UMaine students and $25 for the public.

Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571

ORONO — Professor Emeritus David C. Smith, a Maine native and University of Maine graduate who served on the UMaine history faculty for nearly 25 years before his 1994 retirement, has died at the age of 80.  Smith, who was born in Lewiston to a mother whose Maine roots dated to 1628 and a father who migrated from maritime Canada to the U.S. as a child, was also active in the community and in politics, serving as a delegate to the 1974 and 1976 Democratic National Conventions.  By his own account, Smith focused his scholarly activities in four “distinct areas of historical thought,” including the history of agriculture and forestry; historical climatology; the history of women; and the life and times of H.G. Wells.  He also wrote “The First Century: A History of the University of Maine, 1865-1965″ and “A History of the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station 1885-1978.”

“David Smith was among the University of Maine’s most distinguished and influential faculty members,” says UMaine President Robert Kennedy.  “His prolific scholarship matched his wide range of interests, including agricultural history, the life and influence of H.G. Wells, and even the history of UMaine itself.  David exemplified the land-grant university philosophy in many ways, by applying his life’s work to studying and teaching in areas critical to understanding our state in historical context.  From his days as a UMaine graduate student through decades on our faculty, David Smith was truly a UMaine institution and he will be missed.”

There will be a private family gathering in the spring.  A Tuesday Bangor Daily News obituary is online here.

Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571

ORONO — Speaker of the House Hannah Pingree will visit the University of Maine on Tuesday Nov. 10,  as part of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center Distinguished Maine Policy Fellow Program.

Pingree, the 99th Speaker of the Maine House, has served in the Maine Legislature since 2002.  She represents 11 coastal communities, including her hometown of North Haven.  She will be at UMaine from 9:15 a.m. Friday until 5:30 p.m., visiting with students, faculty members and staff members.

A legislator with particular interest in healthcare issues, Pingree will spend time in the afternoon visiting UMaine research labs where faculty members and students are working on projects related to human health.  Those tours begin at 2 p.m. and continue through 3:45.  She will visit an American government class and a public finance class in the morning.  A full schedule is available upon request.

The Distinguished Maine Policy Fellows Program, which began in the spring of 2006, brings Maine elected officials and senior policymakers to UMaine for intensive one-day programs through which they can learn more about UMaine, the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, and the work of the university’s faculty members and students. It is also intended to provide opportunities for UMaine students to have access to high-level public officials, through whom they can learn more about government and the development of public policy.

Contact: Aimee Dolloff, (207) 581-3777 or Jesse Moriarity, Innovation Center coordinator, (207)581-1427.

Who: Gary Clegg, University of Maine alumni and inventor of the Slanket – the original blanket with sleeves.

What: He’s coming to UMaine for an Innovation Center Snack & Yack.  Clegg invented the Slanket while a student at UMaine living in Kennebec Hall. Since then, he’s turned his invention into a million dollar business that’s available in more than 30 countries, including stores, catalogues and online stores. In the United States, it can be found on home shopping network QVC, 15 catalogs, numerous stores and at www.theslanket.com.

The event is open tostudents, faculty staff and community members. There is no charge for the sesessions, although pre-registration is encouraged, but not required. To pre-register call (207) 581-1454 or e-mail student.innovation.center@umit.maine.edu.

They’ll also have Slankets to give away.

When: Tuesday, Nov. 10 from 4-6 p.m.

Where: University of Maine’s Bion & Dorain Foster Student Innovation Center.