On Wednesday, September 18, President Joan Ferrini-Mundy held a welcome reception for President Margee Ensign from the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) to the University of Maine campus.

In 1991, UMaine served as the academic partner to the US and Bulgarian governments to establish the first American-style undergraduate liberal arts institution in Eastern Europe. In 2024, AUBG is a thriving institution. The UMaine-AUBG partnership has continued over the years with a vibrant student exchange program.

Distinguished attendees at the reception included Dr. Julia Watkins, former AUBG President (1993–2003), Dr. Marisue Pickering, former Associate VP of Academic Affairs at UMaine, Karen Boucias, former UMaine Director of International Programs and AUBG Board member and current University Council member, and Dr. Ivan Manev, UMaine professor of management and former AUBG trustee since 2012 and chair of the AUBG Board of Trustees 2014-2019.

More than 60 UMaine students have studied at AUBG during this period and about the same number of AUBG students have studied for a semester or two at UMaine. Send us your story or highlight of your experience as a participant in the UMaine-AUBG exchange program. We’d love to feature them in the next newsletter and add them to the library archives at both institutions.