ORONO – A $6 million gift – one of the largest in the University of Maine’s history – was presented to the school Thursday by two alumni intent on boosting the arts and athletics on campus.

UM President Robert Kennedy was so pleased at the announcement, he greeted some of the approximately 175 guests invited to the presentation ceremony at his home by singing “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.”

“Today really is a new era in the life of this institution,” Kennedy said.

During the ceremony, which highlighted the gift from alumni Richard “Dick” Collins and his wife, Anne Collins, Kennedy announced that most of the money will go toward renovations at the Maine Center for the Arts. The center will be renamed the Richard R. and Anne A. Collins Center for the Arts.

“It has a nice ring to it,” Kennedy said.

The Collinses, who reside in Key Largo, Fla., both are UM graduates and have pledged $5 million to the MCA with the remaining $1 million dedicated to renovations at UM’s Memorial Gym.

Dick Collins grew up on a potato farm in St. Agatha in Aroostook County. He graduated from UM in 1959 and made his fortune in the insurance industry.

His wife, the former Anne Barclay, is a 1961 UM graduate who was born in Belfast and raised in Farmington. They met nearly 50 years ago while studying at UM and the rest is history.

“The best thing that’s ever happened to me is Anne,” an emotional Dick Collins said, followed by one of many standing ovations that occurred during the evening at the president’s house on campus.

Dick Collins retired in 1992 after a successful career, serving from 1980 to 1992 as President and Chief Executive Officer of American Life Insurance Co., a subsidiary of American International Group. Under his leadership, the company prospered and increased its annual revenue from $200 million to $2.4 billion.

“The arts have always provided the foundation for young people to nurture their creativity, cultural understanding and self-expression,” Dick Collins said. “The opportunity for us to help expose young minds to the works of Shakespeare, the music of Mozart and the art of Picasso was just too compelling to pass up.”

Built in 1986, the MCA hosts more than 150 events a year, including touring performances of theater, dance, music and pop culture, Bangor Symphony Orchestra concerts, conferences, lectures and academic ceremonies. The museum portion is home to a collection of pre-Columbian artifacts.

Construction is under way on the $11 million arts center renovation, which will feature a new glass entrance, a renovated lobby, a new Hudson Museum on the second floor, an expanded Bodwell Lounge and a significant facelift in the Hutchins Concert Hall.

During the renovation, the center will be closed for performances and museum visits, but both institutions will take their shows on the road, traveling throughout the state proliferating art and, they hope, gathering new patrons.

The Collins’ donation to the center brings the total amount of contributions for the project to $10 million. In addition, Anne Collins will spearhead the effort to raise the remaining $1 million balance necessary to complete the project, which is slated to be finished in January 2009.

The effort is part of Campaign Maine, the university’s current $150 million, six-year comprehensive campaign that’s currently in its second year.

The Collins’ donation comes at a time when the campaign is supposed to be in its silent fundraising stage, campaign co-chair Allen Fernald said.

“It’s anything but silent,” he added.

Currently, $70 million has been raised and UM officials said they are hoping to surpass the previously stated goal.

“The university is enjoying a major renaissance,” Fernald said. “This is a campaign not just for the University of Maine, but for the state of Maine.”