I want to begin by thanking all the University of Maine graduating students and their parents who have contacted me and members of the Commencement Committee in recent weeks to share suggestions and comments about an in-person event with spectators. That feedback ranged from frustration that a fully in-person event would not be possible to […]

Again this week we open our news feeds to unconscionable reports of racism. In Maine, an Asian mother and her children were harassed on the street, an incident that is being investigated as a hate crime. In the Atlanta area, six of the eight victims in a shooting rampage were women of Asian descent. These […]

Dear members of the University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias communities, I hope this note finds you healthy and ready for some favorite March activities, including tapping maple trees, prepping gardens, hiking, or maybe spring cleaning. One reason I appreciate March is that it’s Women’s History Month. This time to celebrate women’s […]

Today is one year from the day that the University of Maine System announced a dramatic change to transition all classes to online instruction and to vacate campus residence halls, marking the beginning of an unprecedented transformation in higher education in our state, consistent with transformations around the world because of a global pandemic. And […]

Dear UMaine undergraduate and graduate students: Following my Feb. 10 memo about spring 2021 Commencement to the UMaine and UMM communities, we received many recommendations and ideas for alternative recognition events from students, parents and community members. We are aware of the petition to have some form of a 2021 in-person event, and the Commencement […]

Dear University of Maine community — the home turf of Black Bear Nation. At 9 a.m., we are unveiling the $110 million athletic facilities master plan for Maine’s Division I program here at UMaine. To see it, go to goblackbears.com. Over the next several years, we will build top-flight facilities, venues, and stadiums to benefit […]

Dear University of Maine community members, I hope you are enjoying your weekend and the temperatures yesterday that had us thinking of spring. Today I write with a special reminder that we cannot relent in our Black Bears Care campaign: Use a face covering | Get tested | Wash your hands | Practice social distancing […]

Dear University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias 2020 graduates and upcoming spring 2021 graduates-to-be — both undergraduates and graduate students. I hope that all of you are doing well. As we have all witnessed, these past 11 months of the pandemic have taken a toll worldwide. And for each of you, there […]

Welcome back! I hope that everyone’s first week of semester 2021 is going well. There is much that is notable and new about this semester. It is our third semester living with COVID-19 and its new routines and daunting challenges. It is the first with a new, historic administration in Washington. And already this semester […]