2024 Homecoming
Friday, June 14, 2024
9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Wells Conference Center
131 Munson Road
Orono, ME 04469
Please join us Friday, June 14 for the annual Retiree Homecoming!
Highlights
- Welcome by President Ferrini-Mundy.
- Keynote by Dr. Jacquelyn Gill, Associate Professor of Paleoecology and Plant Ecology, on aspects of climate change. More information below.
- Four optional after-lunch tour: Littlefield Garden (maximum 60 retirees), Versant Power Astronomy Center (including a show in the planetarium, maximum 50), Rogers Farm Masters Gardeners Demonstration Garden (maximum 30), and the new on-campus Hotel Ursa (including historic campus buildings Coburn and Holmes Halls, maximum 20). Note the tour size limitations. It will be first-come first-served.
- There will be very limited shuttle service for those with walking limitations. We encourage you to provide your own transportation if desired. Hotel Ursa is not far down Munson Road from Wells Conference Center. There is ample parking near the Versant Power Astronomy Center and Littlefield Garden. You must transport yourself to Rogers Farm, which is 3.2 miles away (about 8 minutes by car) from Wells.
- Check-in begins at 9 AM. The tours end about 3 PM.
- Introduction of the 2024 Hikel Awardee. Announcement of the Brown Scholarship awardee.
- Free lunch and door prizes.
- Hotel Ursa has set aside a block of rooms for the Retiree Homecoming for June 13, 14, and/or 15. For the special group rate book at HotelUrsa.com by May 16 using special group code PCRE. The rooms set aside for this event are first-come, first-served.
- 9 AM and on: Over 20 organizations available to meet you, including:
- Aetna Alight (formerly AON)
- Collins Center Eastern
- Area Agency on Aging
- Fogler Library
- Franco-American Centre
- Hudson Museum
- Literacy Volunteers of Bangor
- Senior College
- TIAA
- UM Alumni Association
- UM Extension
- UM Foundation
- UMS Benefits
- Versant Power Astronomy Center
- Zillman Art Museum
More information is available in the 2024 spring edition of Silver Tracks.
Registration
Register by June 3, 2024.
Click on the “Register Now” button to register online. You may also register by Phone: 207.581.5100
Be prepared to provide your name and address, name of guest (if attending), and choice of tour.
If you need special accommodations, including dietary restrictions, please let us know when registering.
Featured Speaker
Our 2024 Retiree Homecoming speaker will be Dr. Jacquelyn Gill, Associate Professor of Paleoecology and Plant Ecology with an appointment in the Climate Change Institute! She will cover “Aspects of Climate Change.” For more information about Jacqueline, check out her podcast series about climate change at Warm Regards or her website at Beast Lab.
Program
9:00 AM: Check-in and UMaine Activity Information Tables (23± Organizations). Pick up meeting materials at check-in, including parking passes, name tags, tour tickets, and swag!
10:00 AM: Welcome by UMaine President Ferrini-Mundy
- Introduction of 2024 Hikel awardee and Harold Brown Scholarship awardee
- Introduction of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences College (LHE) and Speaker Dr. Jacquelyn Gill by Dr. Diane Rowland, Dean of LHE
11:00 AM: Featured Speaker Dr. Jacquelyn Gill on Aspects of Climate Change
11:45 AM: Lunch followed by Door Prizes led by Jeff Mills
1:10 PM: Gather in Wells for Four Tours (choose one when registering)
- Tour of Littlefield Garden (max 60)
- Tour of Rogers Farm Demonstration Garden (max 30)
- Tour of Versant Astronomy Center (max 50)
- Tour of Ursa Hotels (Coburn & Holmes Halls refit) (max 20)
3:00 PM: End