Photo Thalassa Raasch/Maine Community Foundation IN THE HALF CENTURY since George Smith ’70 graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in business administration, his life and career have experienced more surprise turns than any of the state’s rivers and streams that have come to frame his legacy. Seemingly destined for a career at…
Washington Monthly magazine has placed the University of Maine on its “honor roll” of colleges and universities that do the most to encourage students to exercise their right to vote. The magazine selected UMaine and 138 other schools from among more than 5,300 public and private U.S institutions. The selection was based on uniform metrics…
RICHARD J. POWELL, a member of the University of Maine’s political science faculty for nearly two decades, has been selected as the 2020 Distinguished Maine Professor, the university’s most prestigious faculty award. Powell was chosen from among six finalists by a review panel representing alumni, current and retired faculty, and the UMaine student body. He…
WHEN HE FIRST ARRIVED in Orono in 2000 to start his college career, Matt Rodrigue ’04 understandably had no idea that in less than 15 years he would become a leading figure in resolving one of the United States’ biggest public financial crises. But that’s exactly what happened, as the Farmington native became a prominent…
On Friday, January 24th, Black Bear alumni will receive an email with the subject line “UM Alumni Impact Survey” inviting them to participate in an online survey. Please participate! The survey is a key part of a study commissioned by the Alumni Association to document the educational, economic, cultural, civic, and community roles and influences of its 109,000 members.…
Shanna Cox ’15 is working to grow the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Hired as the organization’s CEO last fall, she is building a model that encourages more businesses to join, participate, and benefit from chamber membership. Read more about her efforts here.
Retired Army Col. William “Bill” Smullen ’62 has a new position as CEO of advancement and strategy at Clear Path for Veterans, a nonprofit organization near Syracuse, NY, that serves veterans and their families. Clear Path for Veterans addresses the occupational, emotional, physical, and intellectual needs of area veterans through a variety of programs and…
UMaine alumnus Thröstur Eysteinsson ’90G, ’92 Ph.D. grew up exploring Iceland’s scenic landscape. As he learned about the history of forestry in Iceland he decided to quit his job as a teacher and come to the University of Maine to study forestry. In an interview with the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture Eysteinsson…
This month UMaine alumni throughout the U.S. will be asked to participate in an in-depth study designed to examine their economic and societal impact on their communities, state, and nation. Commissioned by the UMaine Alumni Association, the study will document the educational, economic, cultural, civic, and community roles and influences of its 109,000 members. The…
A $20 million grant from the National Science Foundation will fund a five-year initiative that aims to revolutionize environmental monitoring, ecological understanding, and sustainability of coastal ecosystems. The University of Maine is partnering with Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and other collaborators in education, government agencies, citizens’ groups and local industry statewide. “The Maine Environmental…
As the State of Maine’s commissioner of economic and community development, Heather Finnemore Johnson ’92 coordinates the efforts of more than two dozen experts across several government bureaus. Their mission: to help communities and businesses plan and prosper through a variety of programs that provide everything from targeted tax relief to community block grants to…
ONE DAY as then-Attorney General Janet T. Mills was struggling to take care of her family, household, and official duties during her late husband’s illness, she received an unannounced visitor: Secretary of State Matt Dunlap ’87, ’94G, who was in Farmington to give a speech. “He came in, changed into some work clothes, and went…