UMaine student receives regional continuing education award

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

December 30, 2019 News

Natascia La Verde of Belfast, Maine has received a 2020 University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) New England Region Outstanding Student Award. The award honors an undergraduate enrolled in a program offered through a division of professional, continuing or online education who has demonstrated outstanding achievement and an unusual will to learn — not only to enhance their own career, but also to add to the quality of life of their family and community.

La Verde was nominated for the UPCEA award by Barbara Howard, director of the Bachelor of University Studies, the University of Maine’s interdisciplinary adult completion degree.

“Brilliant and resilient are words that describe Natascia La Verde,” Howard says. An immigrant from Italy, dedicated to advancing her education in order to provide a better life for her and her children, La Verde enrolled in courses part-time at the Hutchinson Center, UMaine’s outreach center in Belfast. Working with Howard, she developed a curriculum that incorporated her interests and concentrated on her passion for history. Her research focused on the experiences and journey of individuals who historically created social, political and civil resistance.

While maintaining full-time employment, caring for her family as a single mother, and volunteering in her community, La Verde graduated in December 2018. She was elected to the Alpha Sigma Lambda Honor Society and recognized as the 2019 Division of Lifelong Learning’s Outstanding Graduating Student.

Maine’s public universities are attracting more students outside the traditional 18 to 24 age range, according to the University of Maine System’s spring 2019 enrollment report. With dedicated student support, scholarships and flexible online learning options,

UMaine’s Bachelor of University Studies offers adult learners like La Verde the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree that will be valued by employers.

La Verde is now a staff member at the Hutchinson Center with plans to pursue a graduate degree. She not only followed her dreams, but conquered them in the face of adversity throughout her life.

La Verde is now eligible for the national UPCEA Association Award.

More information about the Bachelor of University Studies is online at umaine.edu/universitystudies.