A Message from the Vice
President for Development
Barbara M. Beers '74
I
was walking back from a meeting at the President's Office several
months ago and passed Penobscot Hall, my "home away from home"
some 32 years ago when I was a student at the University of Maine.
Tucked between Carnegie Hall and College Avenue, my old dorm
stands largely unchanged today and is the site of many memories
from my college years. Like many of you, I "grew up" at UMaine,
and learned some of life's most important lessons. I met my
husband here and many of my life-long friends.
It was the seventies, and although my
generation's college experience was quite different from those
that preceded us, it was equally transforming. So now, after three
decades away from "dear old Maine," I am home again. It only seems
fitting that at a time when boot-cut jeans are back in style, I am
back on College Avenue. I only wish I still had my '67 Mustang
with me!
Much about the campus is familiar... and
welcoming, as always. But UMaine is a decidedly different place
than I left all those years ago. The University has evolved into
one of rather stunning proportions. Its vibrancy, sophistication
and reach impact Maine, our country and, increasingly, the world.
A quick look at the University's award-winning magazine,
UMaine Today, offers a glimpse of what's happening
here. It is inspiring and humbling at the same time. And I am
deeply grateful to be part of it again.
The vast majority of changes that have
occurred on campus over the past 30 years have been made possible
by the University's alumni and friends... caring individuals whose
investments in UMaine have helped make the institution what it is
today. From the Alfond Arena and the Buchanan Alumni House, to the
Class of 1944 Hall and the Minsky Recital Hall, to all the "quiet"
gifts that have been so instrumental to our research, teaching and
public service, private giving has accomplished what state funding
cannot: it has made the difference between an ordinary institution
and an exceptional one.
My goal as Vice President for Development is
to ensure that the University becomes even more vital through the
growth and careful stewardship of its philanthropic resources. I
am grateful to be working with our president, Dr. Robert A.
Kennedy, whose vision for UMaine is so compelling. And I am
delighted to have as my advancement partners the University of
Maine Foundation, the University of Maine Alumni Association, the
University of Maine Pulp & Paper Foundation, and the 4-H
Foundation.
I hope you find our Development Office website
interesting and useful. If you are an alumnus/a of the University,
or one of our many friends, you can be proud of Maine's preeminent
public university. I am honored to be back on campus as part of
the "team" and thank you in advance for your interest and support.
