A donation for innovation Couple’s gift aids UM students in turning ideas into products

ORONO – The University of Maine has announced a $1.5 million gift from Bion and Dorain Foster of Hampden.

The donation will provide support for programs at UM’s Student Innovation Center and Student Recreation and Fitness Center, along with scholarship funds through an endowment at the University of Maine Foundation. The Fosters made the gift in honor of their four daughters and their families.

The Student Innovation Center, to be known as the Bion and Dorain Foster Student Innovation Center, opened in 2006. UM faculty and innovation center staff members work with students to develop the knowledge and skills to transform their ideas into real products and services.

It is the home of UM’s innovation engineering curriculum, an academic minor that provides education, support and inspiration to student innovators and entrepreneurs.

“It is fitting that this facility will bear the name of Bion and Dorain Foster,” said UM President Robert Kennedy, noting that Bion Foster was named Maine’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001. “They are true innovators and entrepreneurs who have succeeded in business and become community leaders because they exemplify the skill, intelligence, work ethic and creativity that we strive to develop in our students.”

Friends, faculty members, students and UM officials attended a recent event to announce the gift and to thank the Fosters for their ongoing support of the University of Maine.

In recent years, the Fosters have provided financial support for UM through contributions to the athletics department, the Page Farm and Home Museum, the department of food science and human nutrition, the University of Maine Alumni Association and the campaign to build Buchanan Alumni House, where a board room is named in their honor.

The second-floor multipurpose room in the Student Recreation and Fitness Center also is named for the Fosters. They are among UM’s most generous benefactors and are members of its two most prestigious organizations recognizing long-term philanthropy: the Stillwater Society and the Charles F. Allen Society. “There is a common thread in Bion and Dorain’s philanthropy,” Kennedy said. “They always focus on what is important for our current students, and they have an eye on the future, helping UMaine develop in ways that will help us serve our students and our state in meaningful ways. They take great pride in mentoring young people, including their daughters – who are carrying on the family tradition of hard work, professional success and community service. Their legacy will continue both through their generosity to UMaine and their impact on others.”

Bion Foster, who graduated from UM in 1968 and earned a master’s degree in business in 1970, has served his alma mater on the board of visitors and the President’s Development Council, and was chairman of the University of Maine Alumni Association board of directors. Dorain Foster is on the UM development staff, where she is special projects manager.

Bion Foster’s community service resume includes leadership roles in the Bangor Regional Development Association, Affiliated Healthcare Services, the John Bapst Memorial High School Foundation, the Action Committee of 50 and the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce.

He has assisted numerous local businesses. His professional affiliations include business development consulting, real estate development and nonprofit fundraising consulting in Maine and in South Carolina. He also has served as Hampden’s economic development director since 1999.

“Bion and Dorain are truly exemplary community leaders, and their long-term devotion to the University of Maine will have a positive impact for many years go come,” said Barbara Beers, UM’s vice president for development. “Campaign Maine is a success because people like the Fosters see UMaine as an invaluable, unique resource that is worthy of their philanthropy. We are deeply appreciative of this gift, and of the Fosters’ decades of meaningful support.”