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We welcome submissions and feedback. Contact rstein@maine.edu.

Register Now for Summer and Fall

Want to pick up an extra course this summer? Registration is still open for UMA’s Summer Sessions which begin on May 19th and July 7th. Classes can be taken in Augusta, Bangor, at center and site locations across the state, or right at your home with more online courses offered than ever before. For information on our summer sessions, go to: http://www.uma.edu/assets/docs/ summer08courses.pdf.

Registration is also open for UMA’s fall semester which begins on September 2nd. For information on our fall semester, go to: http://www.uma.edu/fall08registration.html.

Commencement Takes Place May 10th

On Saturday, May 10th from 10:00 AM to noon at the Augusta Civic Center, UMA will hold its 40th Commencement Exercises. Over 600 students are expected to graduate.

At this year’s exercises, Senator Libby Mitchell will deliver the Commencement Address, Scott Bullock, President and CEO of MaineGeneral Health, will be awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters, and Gary Crocker will be receiving a Distinguished Achievement Award. Two graduates will also be receiving Distinguished Student Awards, UMA’s top student honor.

For the first time, we will be streaming Commencement on our web site. Go to: http://www.uma.edu/ commencementvideo.html to watch the exercises live or any time afterwards.

Awards Assemblies Scheduled for Early May

In the days leading up to Commencement the Augusta and Bangor campuses will hold their annual Awards and Recognition events. At these events, students will be awarded for achievements in academic scholarship, service, leadership and athletics.

• Augusta’s Service and Academic Awards Ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, May 4th, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM in Jewett Hall Auditorium. A reception will follow in the Student Center.
• Bangor’s Senior Banquet and Awards Dinner will be held four days later on Thursday, May 8, from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Jeff's Catering in Brewer.

New President Settles In, Reaches Out

It’s hard to believe Dr. Allyson Hughes Handley has only been on the job since March 1st. In her first sixty days she has been a visible presence on and off campus, meeting with students, faculty, staff, and community and statewide leaders. She’s shown here meeting with Senate Majority Leader Libby Mitchell and Speaker of the House Glenn Cummings at a Legislators’ Welcome Breakfast held at the State House two weeks into her tenure.

UMA Students Take First and Second Prizes in Plunkett Festival Poetry Contest

Congratulations to Amanda Dickey, a 24-year-old junior at UMA who won first prize in the 2008 statewide Terry Plunkett Festival Student Poetry contest. Fellow UMA student Emily Johnson took second place honors in the contest which was announced on April 11th, the first night of this year’s Plunkett Festival.

The Plunkett Poetry Festival itself, a two day extravaganza taking place on April 11th and 12th, was once again another great success. Held in memory of Terry Plunkett, a long-time UMA professor, the Festival featured several Maine poets from across the state, including Henry Braun, Christian Barter, Elizabeth Garber, Barbara Maria, Karin Spitfire, Nancy Henry, David Moreau, Alice Persons, and Betsy Sholl, Maine’s Poet Laureate.

The Festival opened Friday evening with a special commemoration of The Kennebec, a portfolio of Maine writing that was widely read by Maine’s literary community from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s. During the Commemoration, Carol Kontos (shown in photo), an Associate Professor of English and a former co-editor of The Kennebec, provided a retrospective on how each issue was put together. Dean Tom Abbott then announced the digital launch of The Kennebec, and Bill Carpenter, Kathleen Ellis and Lee Sharkey all read poems that had been published in the journal.

Also on Friday evening, two of Terry Plunkett’s children, Brian and Duff Plunkett, and a grandchild, Jessica Plunkett, read their own poetry as well as poetry written by Terry. The evening capped off with performances by the a cappella ensemble Impro Vox, and music by Chuck Winfield and the UMA Tour Band.

Saturday’s events included readings by the featured poets, an Open Mic for any audience member to share poetry, and musical performances by Marcia Gallagher and Friends, and the High Ball Jazz Trio with Port Veritas.

On Saturday, there was also a special panel discussion on Health, Social Justice and Poetry. Health and Social Justice is UMA’s academic theme this year, and poets Nancy Henry, Elizabeth Garber, David Moreau and Betsy Sholl all participated in the panel discussion.

In conjunction with the Health and Social Justice theme, later in the day there were readings from Poems from Guantanamo Bay, all written by prisoners held there.

UMA Hosts Maine Policy Scholars’ Presentations

In the spring of 2007, UMA student Ann Marie Murphy applied and was selected as our school’s Maine Policy Scholar for the 2007-08 academic year. As UMA’s Maine Policy Scholar, Ann Marie would spend the year researching a specific public policy issue of interest to her and then present her findings to a prestigious panel of Maine leaders.

On April 18th at the Maine Policy Scholars’ Presentations, Ann Marie and four more Maine Policy scholars from other University of Maine System schools presented their findings in the Michael Klahr Center to a panel that included former Governor Angus King, Department of Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman, and Theodora Kalikow, President of the University of Maine at Farmington.

Ann Marie’s study was on the efficacy of separating math and science classes in public schools by gender. She spent the year looking at what other states are doing in this area as well as in examining Lyseth School in Portland which is the only public school in Maine that separates boys and girls in reading and math.

The Maine Policy Scholars program is managed by the Maine Community Foundation with input from an advisory committee comprised of scholars, policymakers, and friends of the late Peter Cox whose endowment founded the program.

Juried Student Art Exhibition Runs Until April 30; Student Award Winners Announced at Opening Reception

More than 80 works created by UMA art students are on display until April 30th in the Jewett Hall Danforth Gallery. The works, which are part of a Juried Exhibition, were selected by central Maine artists Tony Holmquist and Allan McGillivray. Choosing from over 150 submissions, the two jurors selected works that vary widely in medium, and include drawings sculpture, ceramics and new media video.

“The Juried Student Exhibition is presented to offer our students the opportunity and encouragement to exhibit their work in a professional setting,” says Peter Precourt, a UMA Assistant Professor of Art. “It highlights the UMA Art Program to the university community, to the Central Maine community, and to the family and friends of our students.”

On April 6th, there was an Opening Reception for the exhibit, where the student works were celebrated and top awards were announced. Award winners were: Art Department Purchase award: Kari Leighton; Dean’s Purchase Award: Diane Chicoine; Presidential Purchase: Oliver Solmitz.

Next up at the Gallery is the Senior Art Exhibit, which runs from May 10th until June 6th.

Gallery hours are 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Thursdays, and 8:30 to 5:00 PM on Fridays. The Gallery is open to the public and admission is free.

“Superbugs” Was Topic of UMA’s Annual Bio Lecture

On April 10th, students and faculty packed Room 138 of the Student Center to hear an engaging presentation by Dr. Stephen Sears on Superbugs: The Problem of Drug Resistant Bacteria.

An infectious-disease specialist with a strong background in public health, Dr. Sears spent much of his presentation reviewing the dynamic struggle between bacteria and antibiotics that began when penicillin was first discovered in 1929.

Dr. Sears pointed out that each time researchers come up with a new antibiotic to address a recent strain of mutating bacteria, bacteria only mutate again, creating a never-ending battle where we are always playing catch-up. “Bacteria mutate well,” said Dr. Sears. “They’ve been doing it for 3.8 billion years.”

Indeed, Dr. Sears raised the question that perhaps we need a new paradigm, shifting the focus away from antibiotics and more towards better hygiene and vaccines.

UCB Vet Tech Students to Hold Animal Wellness Expo on
May 3rd

On Saturday, May 3rd from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, students in the University College of Bangor’s Veterinary Tech program will be holding an Animal Wellness Expo outside and inside of Camden Hall on the UCB campus.

During the Expo, students will be offering a wide range of free services for people’s pets, including bathings, ear cleanings, and nail trimmings. There will also be educational activities, a training demonstration provided by Green Acres Kennel, an Adoption Fair hosted by the rescue groups Save Our Strays and the Animal Orphanage, and a rabies clinic, with rabies vaccinations costing only $5.00.

All That Jazz

Jazz Legend Sheila Jordan Wows UMA Crowd at April 10th Performance

Students and Faculty Show Their Stuff during April 21st to 26th Jazz Week

On April 10th in UMA’s Jewett Auditorium, internationally famous jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan performed a rousing concert with UMA music faculty members Don Stratton on trumpet, Richard Nelson on guitar, Greg Loughman on bass, and Steve Grover on drums.

Less than two weeks later, UMA put on its own Jazz Week from April 21st through 26th. Jazz Week concerts provide a forum for public performances each semester by student ensembles and faculty performer/directors. This semester's series included performances by twelve UMA ensembles, including the UMA Jazz-On-Tour Ensemble, Fusion Ensemble, Progressive Rock Ensemble, and Vocal Jazz Ensembles.

Russ Lombardi’s Celestial Frost to be Released Digitally by MMC Recordings

Celestial Frost, a 20th-century electronic music composition by UMA Professor of Music Russ Lombardi, is being released on May 6th as part of Musicscapes Volume One, a digital album produced and distributed by MMC Recordings.

Celestial Frost, says Professor Lombardi, “was inspired from viewing a time-lapse documentary film of microscopic ice crystals forming into infinite patterns. This, combined with observations of ice patterns in the Maine woods and ponds, forms the mesmerizing composition imagining the sounds produced by these crystalline structures.”

Professor Lombardi has taught at UMA for the past eleven years in the school’s renowned Jazz and Contemporary Music Program. He currently plays piano with students in the UMA Café Jazz Ensemble for community events. He also plays with his own professional group, the Prism Jazz Ensemble.

This past fall, another of Lombardi’s compositions, a string quartet titled Glissening, was released by MMC Recordings on its Perspectives album. MMC also plans to distribute two of Professor Lombardi’s six-flute compositions which were recorded in Boston last November, and an orchestral piece Lombardi composed, Tonisadie, which will be performed and recorded this summer in the Czech Republic by the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra. The recording of the orchestral piece is funded by Professor Lombardi’s recent UMA Trustee Professorship Award.

The album, Musicscapes Volume One, on which Celestial Frost appears, is being released exclusively in a digital format. “Digital-only releases are the wave of the future,” says Lombardi. “In five years,” he predicts “they will be the predominant format for the distribution of music.”

Digital as well as CD releases by MMC Recordings are distributed extensively and worldwide. MMC partners with IODA (Independent Online Distribution Alliance) to distribute its digital releases to the most popular musical download sites on the internet, including iTunes, Rhapsody, Live365.com, MP3.com, amazon.com, Napster, Classical.com, MusicMatch, MSN Music and more than 250 others.

Professor Lombardi is currently on sabbatical completing his jazz harmony textbook.

Women, Work, and Community Head to be Honored on May 16th as an SBA “Women in Business Champion”

Gilda Nardone, Executive Director of Women, Work, and Community, has been named the U.S. Small Business Administration's 2008 Women in Business Champion for Maine and New England. The Women in Business Champion is presented annually to an individual or individuals who have fulfilled a commitment to the advancement of women's business ownership.

Gilda, who will be honored by the SBA on May 16th at an awards luncheon in Lewiston, has been the Executive Director of Maine Centers for Women, Work, and Community (WWC) at the University of Maine at Augusta from the time service delivery began in 1978.

Students Help Out Far and Near

From March 24th through March 30th, eleven UMA students and staff spent their spring break helping to build a Habitat for Humanity home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This was the fourth consecutive year a UMA contingent has traveled down to Harrisburg to help construct a home for a family in need. Shown here from left to right are: Warren Newton, Derek Bragdon, Jonathan Wood, Melissa Cormier, Catherine Wolfe. On the bottom: Andrea Emch, Anne Lambert, April Jipson, Leslie Newton, Melissa Dudley.

Closer to home, on April 11th, several UMA students also volunteered for community service – but with a twist. They did not know in advance what they were volunteering for.

It was all part of Random Acts of Kindness, a novel community service program developed by Andrea Emch, who runs UMA’s Office of Civic Engagement.

On the morning of the 11th, the students (and the UMA Moose) showed up at the Student Center and were transported by van on a six hour, multi-stop “Random Acts of Kindness” tour. At every location, the students did something to help an agency, organization or school, or to simply say thanks for a job well done.

The locations, which were a secret then, can now be shared. Stops included the Gilbert School, the Water Street Fire Station, the Augusta Police Department, the State Trooper Office, the Armory, and the Boys and Girls Club.

Shown in the photo are, from left to right: Julie Harrington, Candy Wells, Anne Lambert, Jasmine Dupont, Ann Marie Murphy, Stacey Jacobson, Melissa Dudley, and sitting, Tammy Trask as Monty the moose.

A Fitting Choice: Bangor Campus Awards First Recipient of a Special Scholarship

When Blanche Garrity interviewed seven years ago for the Cornerstone Program’s Administrative Assistant position on UMA’s University College of Bangor (UCB) campus, the Program’s Assistant Director Betty McCue- Herlihy wasn’t sure Blanche would be a good fit.

The Cornerstone Program, after all, is designed to provide extra support for students who have had to overcome often incredible hurdles and hardships to get to college, and “here was this 63-year old white-haired woman applying for the job,” says McCue-Herlihy. “But we were having a hard time finding the right person for the position, so I hired her. I figured it would just be temporary.”

Seven years temporary, it turned out. “Little did I know back then,” says McCue-Herlihy, “what a huge impact this extraordinary woman would have on our students and on me.”

It’s fitting that Betty McCue-Herlihy did not rule Blanche out due to the way she looked or based on first impressions, because in all the time Blanche worked at Cornerstone, Blanche never judged anyone based on appearance or first impressions.

Without exception, Blanche accepted every student for who they were, and saw the promise in every person who walked through Cornerstone’s doors. And when a student walked through those doors, they were fortunate that Blanche Garrity would be the first person they would see.

To some students, Blanche became a friend or confidante; to others a mother or grandmother figure; and to everyone a caring presence who offered a sympathetic ear, a reassuring smile, and words of support and encouragement to a population of students who sorely needed it. Like Naomi Crooker, for instance.

In 2005 Naomi Crooker enrolled at UCB as a single teenage mom. “When I began at UCB, I was completely on my own and needed a lot of support,” says Naomi. “Where others might have condemned me for my background, Blanche never judged me. She was a wonderful woman who gave me strength and confidence.”

“The most important thing I learned from Blanche,” adds Naomi, “is unconditional acceptance.” That’s a concept Naomi now embraces as she mentors other Cornerstone students. Preparing to graduate with a Bachelor's in Mental Health and Human Services sometime next year, Naomi has no doubt she will continue helping others just as Blanche helped her.

While Naomi Crooker gets ready to graduate from UCB, Wally Fraser already has. That might not seem so impressive, except many thought Wally should not even bother graduating from high school.

Although Wally managed to defy those low expectations others thrust upon him, he did find himself struggling in the classroom after he enrolled at UCB in 2003.

“I got referred to the Cornerstone Program, and they helped me develop time management and study skills that transformed me into a successful student,” says Wally.

“And every day when I walked into Cornerstone,” he adds, “there was Blanche with a smile on her face, a joke ready if I needed one, and words of encouragement always. On days when I was especially down, she would insist I persevere. She would say, ‘Wally, look at what you’ve already overcome. You can do this.”

That Wally did, graduating from UCB last May and currently pursuing a Masters in the Counseling Education program at the University of Maine. He is also now working at UCB’s Cornerstone Program as a lead mentor.

When Wally’s mother passed away in January of 2007 with a brain tumor due to lung cancer, Blanche was there to support Wally during the three month illness and then afterwards. In retrospect, that was especially poignant, because less than six months later, Blanche would be diagnosed with brain cancer.

The brain cancer was the last of several serious health issues Blanche faced while working at UCB. Indeed, in her seven years at UCB, she struggled with a brain aneurism requiring two surgeries, thyroid cancer, a stroke and all sorts of related ailments.

She never let her deteriorating health get in the way. The same courage, determination and perseverance she brought out in Cornerstone’s students, she exhibited herself.

That courage, determination and perseverance lasted right up until March 29th when Blanche Garrity passed away.

Still her legacy will live on in the hundreds of students who today are succeeding in life in part because this wonderful gray haired woman was there for them.

Her legacy will live on, too, through The Blanche Garrity Perseverance Scholarship that Wally Fraser, Betty McCue-Herlihy, and others have established in her honor.

The scholarship is to be awarded each semester to a UCB Cornerstone student who exhibits the same strength, determination, and character that Blanche Garrity showed in overcoming her own life challenges as well as in helping so many others to overcome theirs.

The first Blanche Garrity Perseverance Scholarship recipient was just announced this week. Naomi Crooker was a fitting choice.

Donations to the Blanche Garrity Perseverence Scholarship
can be sent to: