UMaine Representatives Part of Chechen Delegation’s Visit to State

Contact: William Murphy, (207) 581-4124

ORONO — William Murphy, director of the UMaine Bureau of Labor Education, and Charles Scontras, historian and research associate with the bureau, along with Maine’s Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman, will participate Dec. 17 in a 10-day visit to Maine by a parliamentary delegation from the Chechen Republic to provide members with a profile of Maine’s labor institutions.

The visit is sponsored by the Open World Leadership Program and hosted by the American- Caucasus Work Group with the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College and the UMS Muskie School of Public Service. Coordinator of the event is Barry H. Rodrigue of Lewiston-Auburn College.

During its visit, the delegation will meet with several of Maine’s Congressional representatives, Gov. John Baldacci and representatives from Maine’s business, educational, Native American, religious and coastal communities, in addition to other highlights that characterize the state of Maine, according to Scontras.

The Open World Leadership Program defines its goals and objectives as working to “enhance understanding and capabilities for cooperation between the United States and the countries of Eurasia by developing a network of leaders in the region who have gained significant, firsthand exposure to America’s democratic, accountable government and its free-market system.”