George Kinghorn, who has spent the last nine years at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville, Fla., has been named the new director of the University of Maine Museum of Art in Bangor, according to a source at the university. Kinghorn was the deputy… Read More
ORONO – A program geared toward building a sense of community among first-year students at the University of Maine appears to have worked, and staff members say they intend to continue the effort next year. The First Year Residence Experience clustered freshman students together to… Read More
BANGOR – The University of Maine System’s impact on the state’s economy – estimated at more than $1.5 billion in 2007 – is the focus of the system’s annual report released today in newspapers across the state. For every $1 of state appropriated money that’s… Read More
ORONO – Construction costs to renovate and upgrade the former Maine Center for the Arts at the University of Maine have exceeded the original $10 million estimate from 2004, and an additional $6 million is needed to complete phase two of the project, according to the center’s advisory… Read More
ORONO – The University of Maine announced on Tuesday the largest donation in the institution’s history. The $12 million endowment was left to the UM School of Forest Resources by alumni George Houston. Houston died March 9 at age 91 at his home at Sunbury… Read More
FORT KENT – The University of Maine System is doing good things for Maine’s economy, according to a report presented Monday at the UMS board of trustees meeting in Fort Kent. For every dollar of state funds it receives, the system generates more than $8… Read More
ORONO – The University of Maine Campus was bustling Friday with students, parents, relatives, and UM staff and volunteers helping to move the largest first-year class in the history of the Orono campus into the dorms they will now call home. In a new trend… Read More
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… Read More
ORONO – Dick “Rooster” Collins recalls fondly the excitement of playing basketball for the University of Maine in Memorial Gymnasium, which was and still is affectionately known as “The Pit.” Now, nearly 50 years after the proud son of a St. Agatha potato farmer graduated… Read More
ORONO – Politics, women and the price of gas. Those were the topics Abdullah Alqahntani’s fellow students at the University of Maine most often asked the 23-year-old Saudi about during his four years in the chemical engineering department. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var… Read More
ORONO – He told the impatient graduates to be wary of careless talk. She told them to think like patient gardeners. Two commencement ceremonies and two speakers were the order of the day Saturday as the University of Maine awarded 1,950 degrees in Alfond Arena. Read More
University of Maine President Robert Kennedy acknowledged Thursday that the university owes Bangor authors and UMaine benefactors Stephen and Tabitha King an apology. For the first time, Kennedy publicly addressed the situation involving its athletic media rights agent, Black Bear Sports Properties, which March 15… Read More
Not only were radio station owners Stephen and Tabitha King disappointed with the University of Maine’s decision to move its sports programming away from their airwaves to Clear Channel stations, but station manager Dale Duff said the decision was unfair. “We’re not going to get… Read More
BANGOR – Those who know the new leader of Maine’s public university system said Tuesday he has skill at defusing a crisis and is comfortable reaching beyond the boundaries of the academic world. Richard Pattenaude, 60, is also the first Franco-American chancellor of the University… Read More
BANGOR – Three finalists for the University of Maine System chancellor’s position who were named Tuesday are expected to make their way to the area later this month for a round of interviews and visits with students, faculty, employees and others. The three top candidates… Read More
UMS chancellor to review system MacTaggart to board: Examination will be ‘tough-minded’ and thorough
BANGOR – University of Maine System Chancellor Terrence MacTaggart, aiming to be accountable to taxpayers and students alike, will begin his one-year appointment by conducting a “tough-minded” review of the system office to ensure that it is functioning efficiently and appropriately. “We’ll leave no stone… Read More
ORONO – The University of Maine has a new provost. President Robert Kennedy announced Friday he has selected Edna Mora Szymanski, dean of the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park, to be the new senior vice president for academic affairs and… Read More
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PRESQUE ISLE – The University of Maine System officially has dropped its plan to merge the University of Maine at Augusta and the University of Southern Maine. Based on a recommendation by a UMS board of trustees’ subcommittee, the full board on Monday voted unanimously… Read More
PORTLAND – University of Maine System Chancellor Joseph Westphal visited Portland’s campus to talk about the system’s strategic plan, but he got an earful from campus employees who are unhappy with the way contract talks are going. More than 100 employees representing clerical workers, professional… Read More
ORONO – According to a recent national economic study, Maine ranks second in the nation for the number of businesses that grow out of university spending on research and development, indicating a vibrant economic potential within the state’s R&D sector. Yet, according to Robert Kennedy,… Read More
BANGOR – The University of Maine System wants to make life easier for both current and prospective students. So it has begun working on a new initiative that would enable students to apply for admission, pay tuition, register for classes, arrange for financial aid and… Read More
ORONO – University of Maine System Chancellor Joseph Westphal plans to ask the Legislature for a significant investment in the state’s public universities over the next several years. Aiming to make the University of Maine System “the investment priority for the state,” Westphal said that… Read More
Proclaiming that the “glory days” of the old W. T. Grant building are back, former Bangor City Council chairman George D. Carlisle helped welcome the University of Maine System into its new downtown headquarters Wednesday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Gov. John Baldacci and other dignitaries. Read More
ORONO – Hailing the University of Maine as “one of the country’s greatest academic treasures,” Robert A. Kennedy formally took his place as the 18th president of the flagship campus during a tradition-steeped installation ceremony on Friday. “I am humbled to be this university’s president,”… Read More
ORONO – Best-selling author Stephen King counseled University of Maine graduates on Saturday to be voracious readers, donate a tenth of their earnings to worthy causes and carve out their careers in the Pine Tree State. A member of the Class of 1970, King wound… Read More
ORONO – Adam William Turner is taking Stephen King’s advice. He’s staying in Maine, at least for the immediate future. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
BANGOR – Gov. John Baldacci on Thursday submitted the names of four nominees for the University of Maine System board of trustees. Three are from northern and eastern Maine. Recommended for a first five-year term are Charles O’Leary of Orono, former president of the Maine… Read More
AUGUSTA – The University of Maine System’s controversial strategic plan took center stage Tuesday during lengthy public hearings on two bills calling for more public and legislative participation in major policy and restructuring decisions affecting UMS. Speaking before the Legislature’s Education Committee, faculty, students and… Read More
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga chancellor search panel recommended four finalists Wednesday, including former University of Maine President Peter Hoff. The other finalists were Roger D. Brown, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of North Carolina at… Read More
BANGOR – University of Maine interim President Robert Kennedy is among four finalists picked by a search committee looking for the next president of the flagship campus. Also named as finalists Tuesday were P. Geoffrey Feiss, provost of the College of William and Mary in… Read More
When Rajiv Shah, production manager for the opera “Porgy and Bess,” arrived this fall at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono, he had to leave part of the touring company’s set in a van in the parking lot. “Because this is an opera,” said Shah, “it’s… Read More
ORONO – Peter Hoff, in his final speech as president of the University of Maine, said Monday that he “felt blessed” to have had the opportunity to lead the flagship campus. “Being president was far and away the most wonderful experience that could possibly have… Read More
Throughout higher education, academic leaders are assessing the condition of their institutions. Public policies, student demands, new technologies, rising costs, political pressures, and economic fluctuations are causing – if not forcing – boards of trustees, administrators, and faculty to assess whether they are prepared adequately to provide and… Read More
ORANGE, Calif. – Former University of Maine President Paul H. Silverman, 79, died Thursday night at the University of California-Irvine Medical Center from complications of a bone marrow transplant. A native of Minneapolis, Minn., Silverman served as UMaine’s 13th president, from Aug. 1980 to March… Read More
BANGOR – University of Maine President Peter Hoff said Monday that his recent resignation was prompted by a desire to “take on new challenges,” and not by perceived discontent with a controversial restructuring plan. While some people have speculated that he was asked to resign… Read More
ORONO – Less than a week after being asked to step down, University of Maine President Peter Hoff resigned Friday. Hoff’s resignation takes effect Aug. 15. Nonetheless, the UM official isn’t gone for good, but will assume a professorship at the university. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
ORONO – University of Maine President Peter Hoff, challenging “negative and critical” comments made last week by the head of the University of Maine System, said Wednesday the flagship campus is a vital, exciting place with a “culture and direction” that has been responsible for numerous achievements during… Read More
The University of Maine System, proposing its most dramatic reforms ever, released on Thursday a draft strategic plan that calls for, among other things, reorganizing the seven universities into four, phasing out all two-year programs, and enhancing the prominence of the flagship campus in Orono. How many jobs… Read More
The ambitious proposal to restructure the University of Maine System drew varying reactions from across the state Thursday. While grappling to understand the ramifications of the plan they had not had time to fully digest, some reacted with praise, others with disdain. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
BANGOR – Men in hard hats, some on stilts, were spreading spackle and hanging drywall Thursday on the bottom floor of Norumbega Hall, transforming the formerly open room into a series of galleries and offices. Construction is only a day or two behind schedule, and… Read More