387 bachelor’s and master’s degree recipients, faculty, administrators and dignitaries marched to the music of a local bagpipe group in University of Maine at Farmington’s 2012 Commencement ceremony. A milestone in the academic careers of UMF’s graduating class, this year’s graduation was also the final commencement ceremony for soon-to-retire UMF President Theodora J. Kalikow. Wesley McNair, Maine Poet Laureate, gave the commencement address and graduating senior Merissa Beaulieu gave the student address. Honorary degrees were awarded to McNair and Seth Wescott, American snowboarder and Olympic gold medalist.

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Photo Credit: Greg Kwasnik

Climate change due to the world’s rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels was the subject of several 350.org events that took place on the UMF campus on Saturday 5, Worldwide Climate Impact Day. As reported in the Sun Journal, campus and community members planned and participated in the events including a flash mob, a group representing the increasing level of carbon dioxide over time, and a presentation on the science of climate change. While normal glacial cycles control the temperature of the earth, the invention of chlorofluorocarbons in 1930 have played a role in the thinning of the stratospheric ozone layer, according to Drew Barton, UMF professor of biology. “There is still lots of uncertainty, but we still have choices to make.”

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University of Maine at Farmington departments of Student Life and Public Safety collaborated with NorthStar EMS—the regional ambulance service for greater Franklin County—to bring a mock OUI accident scene to the UMF campus on Thursday, April 26. A multitude of public safety and emergency responders also participated in the demonstration. A large crowd of students, university staff and community members were on hand to view the consequences of drunk and distracted driving as student volunteers portrayed the intoxicated driver and injured or deceased passengers. According to a report in the Morning Sentinel, Kendra Smith, a mother from Hollis who lost her son to reckless driving, appealed to the spectators to take the critical message home with them. “Staged accidents like this are valuable because they raise awareness of the consequences of drunk and distracted driving and hopefully save lives,” said Ted Blais, UMF director of Public Safety.

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Dr. Kathryn Foster, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C., will become the next president of the University Maine at Farmington, according to a recent story in the Washington Post. Foster is replacing Theodora J. Kalikow, the longest-serving UMF president since the school became a four-year college in 1945. University of Maine System trustees recently approved the appointments of new presidents at the University of Maine at Farmington and the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Foster will start at UMF on July 1.

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UMF faculty members, staff, students and community members filled the University’s Lincoln Auditorium to hear UMF President Theodora J. Kalikow’s reflections on her time at UMF and the possibilities for education in the future.  According to the Morning Sentinel, the audience  gave Kalikow a standing ovation as she shared her thoughts on UMF’s humble beginnings and the importance of public access to higher education. Soon to retire as the longest-serving UMF president since the school became a four-year college in 1945; Kalikow was inspired to give her talk by “The Last Lecture,” a book written by Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University professor who was diagnosed with cancer.  Her lecture served as a prelude to this year’s UMF Symposium Day to be held on April 25, a daylong celebration of student achievement originally initiated by Kalikow in 1999.

Text for “Theo’s Last Lecture”

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Bryce Cundick, a library information services manager at University of Maine at Farmington, is seeing what it’s like to be on the author’s side of the publishing world. His recently published fantasy adventure, “Vodnik,” was released earlier this month to keen interest and good reviews. According to a recent article in the Sun Journal, the young adult novel is based in Slovakia and puts a new spin on a young boy’s transition to a new home while interacting with mythical creatures from Slovakian folklore. The author will kick off the book’s release with a reading at the Farmington Public Library at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 3.

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Tim Clorius

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The energizing images of Portland graffiti artists Tim Clorius and Matt W. Moore are on display through April 5 in the UMF Art Gallery. Entitled “Free Form Flow: A Celebration of Collaboration,” the exhibit features a puzzle of panels covered with an abstract flow of images based on the artists’ love of graffiti and aerosol art. Colleagues since their years at the Maine College of Art in Portland, Clorius and Moore want to break down barriers attached to the term graffiti, according to an article in the Morning Sentinel. A blend of the classic and the contemporary, the show is open from noon to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, and is free and open to the public.

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Three finalists have been named in the search for a new president for the University of Maine at Farmington, according to the Boston Globe. A single finalist will be selected to take the place of current UMF President Theodora J. Kalikow, the longest-serving president since the school became a four-year college in 1945. Marjorie Medd, UMS trustee and chair of the search committee, announced the finalists for the presidency and the dates they will be visiting the campus. The finalists include: Christopher Ames, assistant to the president at Washington College in Chestertown, Md.; Charlotte Borst, vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty at Whittier College in California; and Kathrin Foster, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Complete information about the candidates, including itineraries for their campus visits, may be found at http://www.farmington.edu/president-search/finalists.php.

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University of Maine at Farmington has recently announced the creation of a new merit scholarship exclusively for transfer students. The competitive UMF Transfer Academic Scholarship is slated to be awarded to select individuals who are admitted to UMF as full-time, matriculated transfer students, beginning in fall 2012. As reported in the Morning Sentinel, the new UMF scholarship is valued at $1,000 per year, $500 per semester, and is renewable up to four years or until the completion of graduation requirements, whichever comes first. Applicants are expected to achieve a college grade point average of at least 3.50 in all college work before enrollment in a UMF degree program. For more information visit the UMF website at: http://www.farmington.edu/admissions/finaid-merit.php.

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University of Maine at Farmington senior Katie Keough defended her women’s snowboarding giant slalom title at the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association National Championships held recently at Sunday River Ski Resort. According to the Kennebec Journal, this is her third All-American recognition in the women’s snowboarding giant slalom. Keough, from Cumberland, is a senior majoring in Community Health Education at UMF.

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Watch video of Katie’s big win on UMF’s Media Relations Facebook page!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Maine-at-Farmington-Media-Relations/133922243361768