UMaine Alums Honored with the President Abram W. Harris Award

From left to right: Dr. Alice Reynolds Briones ’94, Gustavo F. Burkett ’02, ’05G, Prashanth Chandrasekar ’02, Charles A. “Chuck” Loring, Jr. ’12, Dr. Paula Quatromoni ’85, ’86G, and Lindsay Lawrence Videnieks ’99.

ORONO, MAINE: The University of Maine Foundation honored one alum from each of the six colleges with the President Abram W. Harris Award at their 90th Annual Luncheon on Friday, October 18. Awarded every five years, the Harris Award honors alumni who demonstrate exemplary leadership and contribute to their community and/or service to UMaine – traits synonymous with the former President’s efforts to build a stronger institution during his tenure from 1893-1901. Awardees for 2024 included Dr. Alice Reynolds Briones, ’94, Gustavo F. Burkett, ’02, ’05G, Prashanth Chandrasekar, ’02, Charles A. “Chuck” Loring, Jr, ’12, Dr. Paula Quatromoni, ’85, ’86G, and Lindsay Lawrence Videnieks, ’99.

The presentation of the Harris awards concluded with University of Maine Foundation President/CEO, Jeffery Mills, announcing that each of the six awardees would be further honored with $1,000 scholarship awarded in their name. The luncheon was attended by over 200 guests, who heard Mills conclude by thanking awardees for “upholding the excellence of President Harris”  in their “exceptional service to UMaine and their community” in their admirable careers. Other highlights of the Foundation luncheon included the announcement of a $16 million gift from the estates of Pierre ’62 and Catherine Labat in support of Black Bear athletics, and recognition of the Foundation’s record-breaking fundraising year of $95 million.

Dr. Alice Reynolds Briones ’94 – College of Liberal Arts and Sciences 

Retired U.S Air Force Colonel Dr. Alice Briones, a Hampden, Maine native, earned a degree in clinical laboratory medicine and certification as a medical technologist from the University of Maine in 1994. She has just returned to Maine from Magnolia, Delaware after her appointment by Governor Janet Mills to the State’s Chief Medical Examiner.  

Dr. Briones has had an exceptional career of service within the military and medical fields. First enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1990 as a Combat Medic, after graduating from UMaine she was commissioned in the U.S. Air Force as a biomedical sciences corps laboratory officer operating in Luke Air Force base in Arizona and Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts. She would later earn a Doctorate of osteopathic medicine from Lake Erie College Of Osteopathic Medicine in Erie, Pennsylvania in 2005, completed a residency in clinical and anatomic pathology at the University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York in 2009 and a forensic pathology fellowship with the New Mexico Office of the Medical Examiner in 2010. 

Joining the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System in 2010 as a junior Deputy Medical Examiner, Dr. Briones moved on to Director of the Department of Defense Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory in 2014. It was in this position that she was part of a team working to identify the remains of 388 personnel on the USS Oklahoma who perished when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. She was promoted in 2017 within the AFMES to Deputy Chief Armed Forces Medical Examiner and again to Director in 2020, becoming the first woman to hold the position. 

Now in her critical role as Chief Medical Examiner for the State, she is looking forward to bringing her family, husband Jesus and daughter Jade, back to Maine and continuing the office’s forensic practices and investigations. An already distinguished career under her belt, she will continue further in serving those of her home state.

Gustavo F. Burkett ’02, ’05G – Maine Business School

Gustavo F. Burkett, originally from Argentina, holds a B.S. in business administration (2002) and an M.Ed. in higher education (2005) from the University of Maine. He first came to the state as a high school exchange student at John Bapst Memorial High School, and would return to attend UMaine and begin a career in higher education leadership. 

After graduating, Burkett would get his start in leadership at his alma mater as Assistant Director of Campus Activities for Student Organizations and Greek Life and later Director of Campus Activities and Student Engagement before serving as Associate Director of Student Activities and Programming at UNC Charlotte. 

In 2012, Burkett would move to Massachusetts to serve as Director of Student Involvement at Boston College, strengthening student organizations and creating strategic plans for student programming and experiential leadership. In 2017, he began an over six year-long tenure as the Senior Associate Dean of Diversity and Community Involvement at MIT. Burkett oversaw more than 500 student organizations, including administrative responsibility for SPXCE Intercultural Center, LBGTQ+ Women and Gender Services, the Campus Activities Complex and more. Advancing community involvement, he also aimed to strengthen cultural awareness and promote social justice, equity and inclusion at the Institute.

Last summer, Burkett returned to Maine after being appointed Dean of the College at Colby. He and his husband, Kyle, now reside in Waterville and Northport. In his role at Colby, he continues to advance his long-standing commitment to student life by fostering inclusive and dynamic learning environments both on campus and globally. Burkett will complete his Ph.D. in higher education and higher education administration from the University of Massachusetts-Boston this fall.

Prashanth Chandrasekar ’02 – College of Engineering and Computing

Prashanth Chandrasekar graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in computer engineering in 2002. He is a proven technology executive with a background in leading and scaling high-growth global organizations in senior leadership roles. An international alum, Chandrasekar held student leadership positions at the Association for Computing Machinery, the International Students Association, and was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) during his time at UMaine. 

Chandrasekar continued his education, earning a M.Eng in engineering management from Cornell University and later an MBA from Harvard Business School. He started out at companies such as Broadcom Inc, Texas Instruments and Capgemini Consulting before joining Barclays Investment Bank in New York City in 2008. First Assistant Vice President/Associate, he was promoted to Vice President and worked to provide strategic and mergers and acquisitions advice for clients in the technology, media and telecom industries.

Moving to Rackspace Technology in Texas in 2012, Chandrasekar would go on to hold numerous senior leadership positions and lead some of the fastest growing businesses in Rackspace history. Chandrasekar was Senior Vice President of the Cloud & Infrastructure business and also led the Managed Public Clouds business, which focused on the management of the world’s leading public clouds such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform.

In 2019, Chandrasekar was appointed CEO of Stack Overflow, the world’s largest and most trusted community and platform for developers and technologists. He aims to empower the world to develop technology through collective knowledge, serving over 100 million global monthly visitors and Stack Overflow’s market-leading Enterprise knowledge sharing SaaS and GenAI products. Chandrasekar successfully led the exit of the business for $1.8 billion in 2021.

Chandrasekar serves on the Board of Visitors at the University of Maine and has also served on the Harvard Business School Alumni Board and on the Cornell Engineering Advisory Board. He currently resides in San Antonio, Texas with his wife and their two children.

Charles A. “Chuck” Loring, Jr. ’12 – College of Earth, Life and Health Sciences

Lifelong member of the Penobscot Indian Nation, Charles A. “Chuck” Loring, Jr earned a degree in forest operations science from the University of Maine in 2012. Upon graduation, Loring continued a long family history of service to the Penobscot Indian Nation’s (PIN) Department of Natural Resources, responsible for monitoring and maintaining the PIN’s fisheries, wildlife, and forests. 

Promoted to Director of the Department of Natural Resources in 2021, he administers and oversees nine conservation programs ranging from agriculture to game wardens. Managing over 128,000 acres and supervising more than 20 people within the department, sustainability is at the forefront of his mission. 

In addition to his day-to-day responsibilities as Director, Loring is leading the Penobscot Nation through the return of tribal lands with The Trust for Public Land in a $32 Million-dollar fundraising project.  TPL purchased over 30,000 acres back from The Conservation Fund in 2022 and came to the Penobscots to offer a partnership. Known as the Wahsehtek project, this land includes traditional Penobscot territory around the East branch of the Penobscot river and will provide connectivity of conservation minded ownership and easements from the East Branch all the way to Jackman and Moosehead lake. This will aid in returning sovereignty over an area PIN ancestors lived and cared for for generations. The project would mark the single largest land return in history to a tribal nation from a US-based nonprofit. 

Upon the hopeful completion of transfer, Loring’s duties would expand to incorporate the reclaimed Wahsehtek land. The Department hopes to restore the area as a source of sustainable timber and a place to fish and hunt. Plans include erosion control of the river habitat with careful forestry practices and auctioning off moose hunts, led by tribal guides, to non-tribal hunters. Loring will continue to foster healthy and climate-change-preventing stewardship in this new role. Loring currently resides in Corinth, Maine with his wife, Danica and daughter, River, where they spend much of their time on their new farm.

Paula Quatromoni ’85, ’86G – College of Education and Human Development

Nutrition researcher, public health advocate and Boston University Professor Dr. Paula Quatromoni earned a B.S. in food and nutrition (1985) and an M.S. in human development (1986) from UMaine. A registered dietitian and educator, she has deep clinical roots and research expertise in diet and chronic disease prevention, childhood and adult obesity, school-based health promotion, sports nutrition, and the prevention and treatment of eating disorders.

After completing her degrees at UMaine, Dr. Quatromoni went on to obtain a Doctorate of Science in epidemiology from the Boston University School of Public Health in 2001. She began her academic career at BU when she was hired as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Sciences at BU’s Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in 2002. She was tenured and promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 2009. Dr. Quatromoni holds secondary appointments in the Department of Epidemiology at the BU School of Public Health, the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences at the BU School of Medicine, and the Graduate School in BU’s College of Arts and Sciences. An award-winning educator, Dr. Quatromoni has been awarded for teaching excellence by several schools at Boston University and nationally, from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Dr. Quatromoni is an Investigator on the world-renowned Framingham Heart Study with collaborations spanning more than 25 years. This line of research informs not only U.S. Dietary Guidelines policy, but also dietary interventions for the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic disease, obesity, and a variety of other health outcomes. Her funded research includes several projects in schools and communities to improve diet and physical activity behaviors of school-age children.  Dr. Quatromoni is considered one of the nation’s top minds in the field of treatment and prevention of eating disorders in athletes. She is one of the most prominent authors in the peer-reviewed literature to include the voice of the registered dietitian in the eating disorders field. Dr. Quatromoni disseminates her research widely; she’s published more than 70 peer-reviewed papers and her Framingham Study work on dietary patterns significantly contributed to the advancement of research methods used in nutritional epidemiology today. Bringing research into the classroom, she developed and teaches an annual global study abroad course in Padova, Italy on the food, cultural, environmental, and health impacts of the Mediterranean dietary pattern and lifestyle.

Dr. Quatromoni recently completed nine years of service as Department Chair of Health Sciences for Boston University, and now is serving as Director of the Programs in Nutrition. She is the recent past-Chair of the Sports and Human Performance Nutrition dietetic practice group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She serves as an Advisory Board Member for two non-profit organizations: the Running in Silence Foundation and CYCLE Kids, and she served the American Heart Association for years as a public health advocate. A Senior Consultant for Monte Nido Walden, she is a co-creator of the GOALS program, an intensive outpatient specialty program treating athletes with eating disorders. Dr. Quatromoni is a mother of three and is excitedly awaiting the imminent birth of her first two grandchildren. She currently resides on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Lindsay Lawrence Videnieks ’99 – Honors College

A first-generation college graduate, Lindsay Lawrence Videnieks earned a B.A. from the University of Maine in 1999, double-majoring in english and political science. Growing up below the poverty line in rural Maine as the daughter of a single mother and working her way through college and law school, Videnieks, in her over 20-year career in public policy, pulls from these early challenges to drive her work ethic and interest in giving back to causes that help uplift others. 

While at UMaine, Videnieks took part in the Peter Madigan Congressional Internship Program, interning in the Office of John E. Baldacci (ME-2). This would provide a background for her work post-graduation at the government relations firm Cassidy & Associates. Later, she worked with Los Angeles-based government affairs agency Cerrell Associates before becoming a Managing Director of the DCI Group, a public relations, lobbying and business consulting firm.

In 2010, Videnieks graduated with a J.D. from Catholic University and joined the Washington D.C. public affairs firm Woodberry Associates. At Woodberry, Videnieks brings her public policy background to guide and support companies, non-profits, and allied stakeholders by using a campaign approach to solving complex policy issues. Her projects have included funding for transportation initiatives, moving patient centered legislation, lead service line replacement, federal courthouse construction and economic development initiatives. She is now a Partner and Senior Vice President of Strategic Alliances at Woodberry where she also manages the intern program, providing a foundation for young professionals to grow and find mentorship opportunities.

In her advocacy work and from her own upbringing, Videnieks understands the importance of everyone getting a fair chance at higher education and wants to make a difference for those facing similar challenges. An Honors College alumna, she established the UMaine First Gen Honors Opportunity Fund in 2022 to lower barriers and ease access for future students who share her roots. Videnieks continues to uplift others through her work in voter protection, providing support and counsel to voter protection programs nationwide. She currently resides in Rockville, Maryland with her husband Markus and their three children.

About the University of Maine Foundation: The University of Maine Foundation is dedicated to supporting the University of Maine by securing and managing private gifts to enhance the University’s mission of teaching, research, and public service. Through the generosity of alumni and friends, the Foundation strives to ensure the continued growth and success of the university.

About the University of Maine: As Maine’s only public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution, the University of Maine advances learning and discovery through excellence and innovation. Founded in 1865 in Orono, UMaine is the state’s land, sea and space grant university with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. Our students come from all over the world and work with faculty conducting fieldwork around the globe — from the North Atlantic to the Antarctic. Located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation with UMaine Machias located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation, UMaine’s statewide mission is to foster an environment that creates tomorrow’s leaders. As the state’s flagship institution, UMaine offers nearly 200 degree programs through which students can earn bachelor’s, master’s, professional master’s and doctoral degrees as well as graduate certificates. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu/about/quick-facts and machias.edu/about-umm/umm-facts.









Donors Honored at Stillwater Society Dinner atop Record-Breaking Fundraising Year.

From left to right: University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy, George L. Jacobson, Ph.D., Karen R. Boucias ’71, Denham S. Ward, M.D., Ph.D. ’69, Tania Jo Sturtevant, Beth Sturtevant ’82, and University of Maine Foundation President Jeffery N. Mills, Ph.D. ’82.

ORONO, MAINE: The University of Maine celebrated its most distinguished philanthropists and honored top advocates at the biannual Stillwater Society Dinner on June 15 at Wells Conference Center on the Orono campus. UMaine Foundation President/CEO Jeff Mills shared that the Stillwater Society had welcomed 261 new members along with 119 members who had advanced in membership level since the last dinner in 2022. 

Joan Ferrini-Mundy, UMaine President, offered her “sincere congratulations” to the Stillwater Society and its members who “demonstrate extraordinary generosity to the University of Maine.” She also expressed her gratitude towards the dinner’s awardees, who “give in many, many ways” not only financially, but also in an “abundance” of “time, treasure and talent.”

With over 180 guests in attendance, Mills presided over the ceremony and presented awards to honored members Karen R. Boucias ’71 and George L. Jacobson, Ph.D., Beth Sturtevant ’82 and Tania Jo Sturtevant, and Denham S. Ward, M.D., Ph.D. ’69.

Karen Boucias earned a B.A. degree in English from UMaine in 1971. After completing a M.S. in Library science, Boucias began her career at the University as a department head at Fogler Library in 1981. Later appointed Director of Admissions for the Office of International Programs in 1985, she also served as the University of Maine’s designated member on the Board of Trustees for the American University in Bulgaria. Since her retirement, she has continued to serve on the UMaine Board of Visitors and the Collins Center for the Arts Advisory Board.

Professor Emeritus George L. Jacobson earned a B.A. degree from Carleton College and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. A former staff scientist for the United States Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works, he joined the faculty of what is now known as UMaine’s School of Biology and Ecology in 1979. Jacobson and the “faculty five” of partners worked with policymakers to garner bipartisan support for the University, resulting in over twenty-five years of substantial public investment in research. He would go on to serve as the Director of the Climate Change Institute until his retirement in 2008.

Born and raised on a family farm in Milo, ME, Beth Sturtevant earned an Associate of Science degree in Civil Engineering Technology in 1981. A long career at CCB Construction Services followed, with her eventually becoming the President after the purchase of a majority share in 2004. A member of the College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council, she successfully lobbied state legislators for approval of $50 million in debt service toward the construction of the planned Engineering Education and Design Center. After selling CCB in 2019, she has continued to serve as an incorporator of the UMaine Foundation and finished a six-year term on the UMaine Board of Visitors in 2023. Tania Sturtevant, raised in the mountains of western Maine, attended the University of Southern Maine and the Boston School of Social Work. Enjoying a twenty-year career in social research and social work, Tania became a stay-at-home parent to raise their daughter, Sophia. It was then she discovered her love of art and is a full-time contemporary abstract painter today.

Clinton, Maine native Denham Ward earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from UMaine in 1969 and, later, a Ph.D. in Systems Science from the University of California, Los Angeles and an M.D. from the University of Miami. He went on to a career in academic medicine at UCLA, serving as Residency Program Director and Chair of Anesthesiology. As President of the Association of Anesthesiology Program Directors at the University of Rochester, Ward’s passion for improving medical education led him to being instrumental in the development of an M.S. in Health Professions Education. After moving back to Maine, he served as President and CEO of the Foundation for Anesthesiology Education and Research, helped start the Academy at the Maine Health Institute for Teaching Excellence and mentored UMaine pre-med and biomedical engineering students. Ward and his late wife Debbie Lipscomb personally contributed to engineering and honors scholarships, along with co-founding the Abbagadassett Foundation which contributed to the Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center. Ward continues to serve on the Honors College Board of Advocates and as a UMaine Foundation Incorporator.

In his remarks that evening, Mills recognized the “difference” that the Stillwater Society and its “most generous donors” have made as the Foundation welcomes in another record-breaking year in fundraising. In closing, guests were entertained with a show by the Stillwater Players, a group of UMaine faculty and students, who composed three parody songs, tailored to the awardees’ accomplishments and careers.

The Stillwater Society was created in 2000 to recognize people who have consistently demonstrated philanthropic leadership, loyalty and dedicated service on the University’s behalf. The awards are presented biannually at the Stillwater Society Dinner. 





Highlighting Three Scholarship Recipients from the Class of 2024

Michael Delorge of Biddeford, Maine, is a 2024 valedictorian. Pursuing dual degrees in political science and biology, Delorge crafted coursework focused on public health policy with the goal of generating skills to improve medical care. Originally a pre-med student, he altered his studies to meet his interests and spent class time integrating topics such as plant biology with substance use policy. 

Michael received the John M. Nickerson Scholarship.

 

Read Michael's Full Story
Tobey Crawford Connor

Tobey Crawford Connor of Sullivan, Maine, is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the Division of Lifelong Learning. She is a university studies major in the Maine studies track. Connor completed an internship in 2022 with the Sullivan-Sorrento Historical Society, which led to her part-time job as communications coordinator for the organization. Her academic research focuses on Downeast Acadia prior to New England settlement in 1760, including facets of Passamaquoddy life and culture through both occupations. She is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Sigma Lambda honor societies. Connor plans to continue her University of Maine education as a graduate student in the history department. She will continue her research on Downeast Maine and the Borderlands, which will complement her work at the historical society and within her community. 

Tobey received the Kenneth W. Allen Scholarship

Read Tobey's Full Story
Chappy Hall Photo

Chappy Hall of Brunswick, Maine, is the Outstanding Graduating Student in the Honors College. Hall is a history major who pursued his passion for music by playing the trombone in several campus musical groups. In addition to participating in the University of Maine Jazz Ensemble, Symphonic Band and Concert Band, he joined several campus clubs, was inducted into three honors societies and presented at academic conferences on topics including Protestant Christianity’s role in Afro-British advancement. His research and studies while a student expanded his perspective and understanding of social issues, unconscious biases and the importance of diversity. In fall 2023, Hall was named one of four McGillicuddy Humanities Center undergraduate research fellows and completed a project for his honors thesis titled “Playing History: How Video Games Can Change The Way We Understand the Past.” Hall plans to pursue a graduate degree in French or European history after spending time working and making music.  

Chappy received McGillicuddy Humanities Fellow support, the Comstock-Weston Scholarship and the Roger Hill Humanities Scholarship

Read Chappy's Full Story

Vaun Dole Born ’47 Memorial Scholarship Created Through the Foundation’s 90th Match Program

Vaun Dole Born ’47 Memorial Scholarship Created Through the Foundation’s 90th Match Program

The Vaun Dole Born’47 Memorial Scholarship fund was established at the University of Maine Foundation in 2023 for the benefit of the University of Maine, Orono, Maine with a gift from Vaun’s husband, James O. Born, son Douglas J. Born, and daughter Christine Born Johnson ’82. Vaun was born at home in Portland, Maine, in 1923. She was a 1941 graduate of Deering High School. She attended Westbrook Junior College in Portland for three years before serving in the Navy W.A.V.E.S. during WWII. After the war, her father encouraged her to continue her education at the University of Maine. She graduated in 1947 with a BS in Commercial Education. Vaun worked for several years in banking and at Maine Central Railroad, where she met her husband, James Born (Jim). Together, they raised two children in Westbrook, Maine, where she was an active community volunteer for many years. She took a special interest in working with children, serving as a leader in the Blue Birds, Camp Fire Girls, and Cub Scouts, teaching Sunday school, and volunteering with the local PTA and band boosters. She was also extremely interested in local history and family genealogy. She and Jim were charter members of the Westbrook Historical Society for which she researched and wrote a book about the mayors of Westbrook. After a lengthy retirement that included extensive world travel, she passed away in 2019 at the age of 96. The signing occurred on September 8, which would have been Vaun’s 100th birthday. Pictured are her husband, James, and her daughter Christine.

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UMaine Foundation 90th Anniversary Match

UMaine Foundation 90th Anniversary Match

 University of Maine Foundation President Jeffery N. Mills has announced a matching gift program in honor of the Foundation’s upcoming 90th anniversary on June 9, 2024. The 25% match will encourage the establishment of new scholarship endowments and gifts to existing scholarship endowment funds for the benefit of the University of Maine.

This match is made possible by a generous gift to support scholarships from the Judith and Robert Blake Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry. Robert E. Blake was a member of the Class of 1962.

Donors Peter ’61 and Gail Berry ’61 were the first to respond to the matching challenge. They initiated a scholarship to support the education of new teachers from Washington County. Gail is one of three sisters, all UMaine graduates and teachers. “We are delighted to initiate a scholarship for Washington County students who want to pursue a teaching career,” stated Gail McLain Berry and Maj. Gen. Peter T. Berry (Ret.). “Teaching is a noble profession, critical to our country and democracy. We want to thank the Blake family and the UMaine Foundation for their support in this endeavor.”

Minimum gifts of $8,000 ($2,000 match) and maximum gifts of $80,000 ($20,000 match) will be matched per donor. Commitments may be paid over five years 2023-2028. New and existing endowed scholarship funds will be matched on the same basis. 

The entry-level to establish a named scholarship fund is $10,000. With this matching program, donors can create a fund with only $8,000. The matching gift offer will be in effect until June 9, 2024; however, there are limited funds available for the match. The Foundation reserves the right to discontinue the program at any time. Matching funds will be applied annually on December 31 of the year that the total gift is fulfilled. All gift installments must be received by December 31, 2028 to qualify for the match.

The last matching gift program created by the Foundation was completed in 2020 as part of UMaine’s Vision for Tomorrow comprehensive campaign, led by the University of Maine Foundation. That program raised over $3.8 million in new scholarship support in addition to the $1 million donation by an anonymous donor which provided the matching funds.

“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate 90 years of successful fundraising and transformational giving,” says Mills. “Robert’s generous gift will be amplified by this program and ultimately, UMaine students will benefit from this collaborative effort for generations to come.”

The University of Maine Foundation was officially incorporated on June 9, 1934, but much preliminary activity dating back to July 1930, preceded the organization. The Class of 1909 has the distinction of making the first gift to the Foundation. They presented University of Maine President Dr. Harold S. Boardman a check for $1,000 that night, June 9, 1934, at the Annual Alumni Banquet, designating it as the first gift to the Foundation. The Foundation will celebrate its 90th anniversary on June 9, 2024.

More information about the 90th Anniversary Match is online at umaine.edu/90th.
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$2 million planned gifts from UMaine alumnus will enhance Fogler Library digital resources and Maine Business School scholarships.

$2 million planned gifts from UMaine alumnus will enhance Fogler Library digital resources and Maine Business School scholarships.

Two planned gifts from a University of Maine alumnus totaling $2 million will greatly enhance the digital resources of Raymond H. Fogler Library and provide additional scholarship assistance to University of Maine business majors.

The University of Maine Foundation received the bequests from John Marshall Webber, a 1970 graduate who passed away on Oct. 24, 2022 at the age of 78. A Bangor native and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Webber enrolled at UMaine following his military service and earned a bachelor’s degree in art.

Webber was an accomplished artist, investor, and lifelong learner who studied philosophy and enjoyed collecting Asian works of art. In 2007 Webber, a longtime member of the Friends of Fogler Library Advisory Board, worked with the University of Maine Foundation to establish the John M. Webber Digital Library Fund. He created the endowed fund to help Fogler Library enhance its ability to acquire and access to digital resources worldwide. He also committed an additional $1 million gift to the fund, to be paid by his estate upon his passing.

“Countless learners at the University of Maine and in the state of Maine will benefit from Mr. Webber’s vision, including interest in the arts and humanities, and in the value of accessing digital informational resources,” said University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. “We deeply appreciate our alumni giving back to their alma mater and, in this case, to one of the pillars of our R1 university — the state’s research library.”

“We are very grateful for Mr. Webber’s tremendous and forward-thinking gift, which will support Fogler Library’s digitization efforts,” said Daisy D. Singh, UMaine’s dean of libraries. “We are Maine’s largest academic library and we are also open to the public. His generous support will allow us to reenvision that traditional divide by making academic collections and projects more accessible to all.”

Also in 2007, Webber worked with the University of Maine Foundation to establish another endowed fund, the John M. Webber School of Business Scholarship. It provides financial assistance to students enrolled in one of UMaine’s graduate-level business programs. Per Webber’s wishes, preference is given to students who are studying international business or finance, and who demonstrate their potential for career success following graduation.

“The generous bequest by John Webber to the John M. Webber School of Business Scholarship will enable many students to access world-class business programs at the University of Maine,” said Jason Harkins, interim executive dean of the Maine Business School. “This support will impact Maine for generations as it enhances the ability of individuals from a variety of backgrounds to use education to enhance their career success.”

“On behalf of our MBA students and alumni, it is with deep gratitude that I acknowledge the $1 million bequest from Mr. Webber to support our graduate students,” added Norman O’Reilly, dean of the university’s Graduate School of Business. “Thanks to his generosity, we will be able to further support students in our globally ranked MaineMBA program and attract and retain top talent in our great state.”

“The University of Maine campus was a special place to John,” explained Jeffery N. Mills, University of Maine Foundation president and CEO. “He was a frequent visitor to Fogler Library until late in life, when health issues made trips to campus difficult. His generous bequests reflect his deep appreciation for the transformative nature of higher education and the role that Fogler, as a research library, plays in student and scholarly success.”

Mills noted that Webber’s gifts continued the extensive philanthropic support for the university and community provided by his late parents, G. Peirce Webber and Florence (Pitts) Webber. A prominent businessman and civic leader, Peirce Webber led Webber Timberlands, which, under his leadership, became one of Maine’s largest private landowners. Peirce Webber, who died in 2001, had been a member of the University of Maine Foundation Board of Directors and served a term as its board chair.

The University of Maine Foundation was established in 1934 to encourage gifts and bequests to promote academic achievement, research and intellectual pursuit at the University of Maine.

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