Nearly 2,000 to Receive University of Maine Degrees on Saturday
Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
ORONO — The University of Maine will award degrees to its Class of 2009 at the university’s 207th commencement ceremonies, scheduled for Saturday May 9 at Harold Alfond Arena in Orono. A 10 a.m. ceremony is for graduates in the College of Business, Public Policy and Health; the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and the Division of Lifelong Learning. Graduates in the College of Education and Human Development; the College of Engineering; and the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture will receive their degrees at a 2:30 p.m. ceremony.
UMaine’s commencement is the state’s largest graduation. With an expected total of more than 12,000 people in attendance, it is one of the state’s largest annual single-day events.
An estimated 1,871 people will receive a UMaine degree on Saturday, including 40 at the doctoral level, 15 certificates of advanced study and 327 master’s degrees. The balance, 1,489, will receive bachelor’s degrees.
Karen Gordon Mills, the new head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, will deliver the commencement address at both ceremonies. A Brunswick resident, Mills is in charge of a federal agency with more than 2,000 full-time employees and a critical role in the nation’s economic recovery. She has had a 25-year career as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Mills has also taken a leadership role in statewide economic development initiatives, including work as chair of the state’s Council on Competitiveness and the Economy.
Retired U.S. Navy admiral Gregory Johnson of Harpswell, a 1968 UMaine graduate, will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree at the morning ceremony, in recognition of his exemplary career in military and public service. David Francis of Pleasant Point will also receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree, at the afternoon ceremony. Francis, a Passamaquoddy elder, is being recognized for his work in preserving the Passamaquoddy language and culture.
Adrienne Sturgeon, an elementary education major from Bangor with concentrations in history and social studies, along with a minor in sociology, is the Class of 2009 valedictorian. The salutatorian is Alexandra Albert of Eagle Lake. Albert majored in biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology with a minor in microbiology.
William Johnson of the University of Maine System Board of Trustees will bring greetings from the board at the morning ceremony and assist in the conferral of degrees, while trustee Wayne Newell will fill that same role in the afternoon. Suzanne Hart, chair of the University of Maine Alumni Association board of directors, will welcome the new graduates to the ranks of the more than 95,000 UMaine alumni.