Robert Edwards, Tess Gerritsen UMaine Commencement Speakers
Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
ORONO — The University of Maine will awardapproximately 1,950 degrees at its 205th Commencement, scheduled forSaturday, May 12 at Alfond Arena.
UMaine is inthe second year of a new graduation format that calls for two separateindoor ceremonies. During the 10:00 a.m. ceremony, degrees will beawarded to graduates from the College of Business, Public Policy andHealth; the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and the Division ofLifelong Learning. An afternoon ceremony, to begin at 2:30, will be forgraduates from the College of Education and Human Development; theCollege of Engineering (including the School of EngineeringTechnology); and the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry andAgriculture.
Robert Edwards, president emeritusof Bowdoin College, will address graduates at the morning ceremony. Theafternoon speaker will be best-selling author Tess Gerritsen.
UMainePresident Robert Kennedy will preside over the ceremony. WilliamJohnson will represent the University of Maine System Board of Trusteesat the ceremony, and he will assist UMaine senior vice president foracademic affairs and provost Edna Mora Szymanski in awarding honorarydoctorates to Edwards, Native American Studies scholar Nicholas Smithof Brunswick, and Richard and Mildred Giesberg of Los Angeles, Calif.,noted for their international humanitarian efforts.
AsCommencement generates a good deal of traffic, UMaine will operate acontinuous shuttle bus service from the Steam Plant Parking Lot,Belgrade Lot, Maine Center for the Arts Lot and Hilltop Lot to AlfondArena, both before and after the ceremonies. Those traveling to UMaineare encouraged to allow plenty of time, and to expect traffic delays ofup to 60 minutes. Those accessing UMaine via Interstate 95 shouldconsider using Exit 197 and traveling through Old Town to theuniversity’s Park St. entrance, if traffic is significantly backed upat the exits closer to Bangor.