President Joan Ferrini-Mundy delivered the annual State of the University address on March 8 in Minsky Recital Hall. The address was also live streamed and is available to watch here.
Short videos were part of the event, and focused on a number of topics and initiatives. Below are some highlights.
Achieving R1
UMaine earned the highest possible designation a doctoral research university can achieve from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education: R1. To learn more about what this accomplishment means for the university, read the story and watch the video about it.
Aiding those in crisis
Valeria Roach, a sophomore in NROTC and native of Ukraine, urged fellow members of the UMaine community to support those affected by the war in her home country to the best of their abilities. Watch her remarks here. Her family created a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help her friend Sasha who lives in Odessa, Ukraine. In response to the crisis in Ukraine, the University of Maine Foundation established the Higher Education Relief Fund to provide financial support for students and faculty who may be impacted by various environmental, political or global crises as they are pursuing or hope to pursue scholarship at UMaine. Visit the UMaine Foundation website to learn more and support the fund.
Black Bears Care
The president and Zachary Wyles, president of University of Maine Student Government Inc., discussed how students, faculty and staff worked together to maintain safe, in-person learning and other experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch this video to learn more.
Excellence in Machias
During the address, audience members learned about the excellent work and initiatives from students, faculty and staff at UMaine Machias, as well as ongoing efforts to fully integrate the institution as UMaine’s regional campus. Yani Nganzobo, the 2022 UMaine Machias valedictorian, received special mention for her success and contributions to the campus community. Watch this video to learn more about Yani.
Increasing diversity in nursing
The School of Nursing at UMaine has partnered with Northern Light Health and Morgan State University for a new initiative to diversify Maine’s nursing workforce. Read the story about it to learn more.
Starting college with research experiences
In Fall 2021, UMaine and UMaine Machias launched Research Learning Experiences (RLEs), courses that allow students across academic disciplines to engage in open-ended research and scholarship at the start of their college careers. Learn more about these courses, a crucial component of the UMS TRANSFORMS initiative funded by the Harold Alfond Foundation’s historic $240 million grant, from this story and video about them.