Social Impact

March 13, 2020

Three Alumnae Honored with 2020 Maryann Hartman Awards

Three UMaine alumnae have been selected as recipients of the 2020 Maryann Hartman Awards. Left to right: Sharon Barker ’71, ‘87G, retired director of UMaine’s Women’s Resource Center; Maulian Dana ’06, Penobscot Nation Ambassador; and Kandyce Powell ’69, executive director of Maine Hospice Council are recipients of the awards, which recognize Maine women whose achievements in…

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March 13, 2020

Here’s How UMaine is Responding to COVID-19

This creative diagram is circulating widely on social media. It offers Black Bears and friends a well-intentioned “how-to” for washing hands thoroughly and long enough to reduce the possibility of contracting COVID-19, a newly identified type of coronavirus.  COVID-19 has had a greatly disruptive impact on campus life in Orono and throughout the U.S. Most…

March 13, 2020

COVID-19 Precautions Force Cancellation of Awards Event

Given the uncertainty about the impact and length of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Alumni Association has reluctantly canceled its 2020 Alumni Achievement Awards Dinner and Recognition Ceremony, which was scheduled for April 24th. Instead, a video tribute to our honorees is being produced and will be shared with alumni and friends through digital media in…

January 29, 2020

The Negotiator

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…

January 23, 2020

An Enduring Fight

  PENOBSCOT AMBASSADOR Maulian Dana ’06 learned early on to speak her truth. Dana feels the voices of her ancestors running through her blood and bones. Appointed in 2017 as ambassador to the Penobscot Nation, she endeavors to honor the past and address present-day tribal issues — all while keeping her eyes focused on the…

October 10, 2019

Maine Professors Develop Walker for those with Mobility Impairments

UMaine professors Elizabeth DePoy, Stephen Gilson, and Vince Caccese are part of the team that developed Afari, a specially designed wheeled walker that assists people with their mobility. The Afari enables people with mobility impairments, who otherwise would be limited by standard walkers, to move in a variety of outdoor terrain. A recent Bangor Daily…

July 17, 2019

From Activist to Authority

ASK ANY COLLEGE or university administrator to list priorities, and you’ll likely hear some combination of these answers: Academic excellence. Access. Innovation. Ask Shontay Delalue ’00, ’03G? She has something important to add. “You can’t do any of that without equity and diversity,” says Delalue, who has served as Brown University’s vice president for institutional…

July 11, 2019

A Life-Saving Path

    ON A BRIGHT FEBRUARY MORNING, under a blue sky that seemed to hold the promise of spring, Aislinn Sarnacki ’10 strode through a white pine forest at the Stover Preserve in Belfast and down to the snowy banks of the Passagassawakeag River. Sarnacki, a Bangor Daily News re­port­er, is familiar to many outdoor…

June 17, 2019

Penobscot Language Signs Installed on Campus

New signs with place names in Penobscot language were recently installed on campus as part of a collaboration between the university and the Penobscot Nation. This collaboration follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding which focuses on creating positive, mutually beneficial relationships between the campus community and Native community members. “At its core [the…

May 17, 2019

Di Giovanni ’83 Receives Guggenheim Fellowship

Award-winning journalist and author Janine di Giovanni ’83, Jackson Senior Fellow and Professor of Practice at Yale, was recently named a 2019 Guggenheim Fellow. She is one of 168 scholars, artists, and writers selected this year. The award will allow Di Giovanni the opportunity to pursue research on minorities in the Middle East for a…