UMaine Foundation Hosts Scholarship Reception in Southern Maine

Dr. Jeffery Mills/Dr. Susan J. Hunter photographUniversity of Maine President Susan J. Hunter and UMaine Foundation President Jeffery N. Mills hosted the University of Maine Foundation Scholarship Recognition Reception on August 20, 2014 at the Portland Country Club in Falmouth. The reception was held to thank scholarship donors and honor recipients from Southern Maine.

Kimberly Dao, who graduated from UMaine in May 2014 was the guest speaker. Dao spoke about her personal experiences with scholarship support and her transition to medical school at Tufts University.

Gorham Savings Bank President Chris Emmons represented the SMECUM (Southern Maine Executives Club of the University of Maine) in welcoming everyone.

A similar event is planned on the University of Maine campus in Orono on October 17 during Homecoming weekend.

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Excellence in Civil Engineering

Landis Lab PhotoThis past summer, funding from the Frank M. Taylor Distinguished Professorship in Civil Engineering provided students with extra financial support and educational opportunities.

Eric Landis, Ph.D. is the Frank M. Taylor Distinguished Professor in Civil Engineering. With support from the professorship he was able to employ several students to assist in his lab over the summer.

Under the direction of Landis, data are being collected in tracking the effects of fracture in concrete-based composites.  Cecelia McEachern, a sophomore Civil and Environmental Engineering major from Ellsworth, is one of a group of students who worked with Landis this summer.  “I have done a lot of crack tracings of our specimens after they were tested,” McEachern said of her lab experience, “This is so we can find surface area of the fracture and know how our reinforced concrete will react in certain conditions.”

Using a small concrete sample, students perform stress tests to see how deep a crack or fracture will go.  The students then trace the fractures and use 3D imaging to map how the concrete was affected by the stress.

“There is no question that what I have done in the lab this summer has contributed to my education at the University of Maine,” said McEachern.  Using programs such as MatLab and MeVisLab, the students can track data, develop algorithms and create models and applications as needed from their test data. Using 3D renderings from these programs, the students are able to visualize and track what happens after stress has been put on the concrete sample.

“When I first started working in the lab I hadn’t done anything with 3D imaging . . . Dr. Landis took the time to present some of the seminars he has given in the past about 3D imaging,” McEachern said.

“I have to admit,” said McEachern, “Earlier in the year I had questioned if I was cut out for engineering and Dr.Landis said the only way I could know for sure is to have experience.  I was very lucky to be able to have this experience so early in my college career.  Now I can go into my sophomore, junior and senior years knowing this is what I want to be doing.  I’m so grateful that I had this opportunity.”

The Frank M. Taylor Distinguished Professorship was established at the University of Maine in 2000 with a bequest from Frank M. Taylor, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering.

The intention of the fund is to improve excellence in civil engineering education at the University of Maine by appointing a professor every five years who exhibits an outstanding teaching record in the department.

Landis has been at the University of Maine since 1994, and is currently serving as Interim Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.  Landis has published numerous scientific papers and is a registered professional engineer in Maine.

 

80th Anniversary Matching Gift Program

UPDATE: July 1, 2014
Due to a great response to this program, matching funds are almost completely allocated. Please contact us very soon if you would like to participate.80thLogo-WEB

In celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the University of Maine Foundation, the Board of Directors announced a 25% matching gift program to encourage gifts to existing Foundation endowment funds and the creation of new endowments.

The Foundation will match a minimum gift of $8,000 with $2,000 for an endowed fund.  The program extends to a maximum match of $20,000 for an $80,000 gift.  Commitments may be pledged over four years (2014-2017) and all gifts must be received by December 31, 2017 to qualify for the match.

The matching gift offer will be in effect until December 31, 2014, but matching funds are limited, so the program may end earlier if all match funding has been allocated.  The 80th Anniversary Endowment Matching Gift form is available on our website.  Please consider taking advantage of this offer by contacting the Foundation today.

Dr. Dennis K. Cox University Singers Fund

Dennis Cox WebThe Dr. Dennis K. Cox University Singers Fund was established in the University of Maine Foundation for the benefit of the University Singers. With a $500,000 endowment goal, the annual challenge of fundraising for tours will be greatly diminished and the group will be able to focus on its primary mission of making music. 

As a member of UMaine’s faculty and Director of Choral Activities since 1978, Cox developed and inspired a generation of choral musicians and teachers throughout Maine and the nation.  Cox almost single-handedly turned the choral program at UMaine into one that garners national recognition and respect.  The loyalty of the members of his famous University Singers is legendary – it is truly one of the strongest alumni families at the University of Maine.  Cox remains a friend and mentor to hundreds of former students who often join him on stage to sing the group’s signature finale, “Jabberwocky” and the “Maine Stein Song”.

Cox and the Singers tour the Northeastern United States for one week each spring and tour abroad once every four years. Special performances have also included appearances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City. Additionally, they perform regularly with the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and for special events and activities both on and off campus. Their performances combined with their widespread exposure make Cox and the Singers effective ambassadors for the University, showcasing UMaine’s quality and excellence.

If you are interested in making a gift in honor of Dr. Cox for the Dr. Dennis K. Cox University Singers Fund, please visit the Foundation’s Online Giving page.

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Former Students Initiate Scholarship to Honor Retiring Professor Sandra Hardy

Sandra Hardy ScholarshipThe Sandra E. Hardy Theatre Scholarship Fund was established at the University of Maine Foundation in 2014 with gifts from former students of Associate Professor of Theatre Sandra E. Hardy upon her retirement from the University of Maine.

Dr. Hardy served as an Associate Professor at The University of Maine from 1987 – 2014 and is beloved by generations of University students from across all disciplines who came to her theatre classes because of her candor, her discipline, her artistic eye, and most of all, her great care for all who sought it. She was their teacher, mentor and friend.

Dr. Hardy directed more than eighteen main stage productions at UMaine. She took three shows to the regional finals of the American College Theatre Festival, and many of her students have gone on to work in professional theatre, television, and film. Some of her most notable productions include: “Pump Boys and Dinettes”, “Kiss Me Kate”, “The Crackwalker”, “Cabaret”, “Noises Off”, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, “Bent”, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Hedda Gabler”, and “Grease”.

Dr. Hardy conducted workshops in acting and the teaching of acting throughout Maine. She directed children’s dramas, puppet shows, and outreach projects; – as an education specialist, she loved touring the public schools of Maine, doing so with “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and “Broadway Nights”.

Dr. Hardy obtained her Ph.D. from New York University and taught thousands of students in courses on acting, directing, and literature of the theatre as well as Drama in Education. She is a published scholar of Henrik Ibsen, the great Norwegian playwright who reminds her of her own heritage.

If you are interested in making a gift in honor of Dr. Hardy for the Sandra E. Hardy Theatre Scholarship, please visit the Foundation’s Online Giving page.

University of Maine Foundation Scholarship Support at Record High of Over $4.1Million

University of Maine Foundation Scholarship Support at Record High of Over $4.1MillionOn May 7, 2014 University of Maine Foundation President Jeffery Mills presented University of Maine Director of Student Financial Aid Gianna Marrs and several UMaine students with a symbolic check for $4,101,185. The check represents the largest single-year contribution to UMaine scholarships and aid in Foundation history.

“I cannot begin to describe the importance of these scholarship dollars to our students,” says Marrs, “without the generosity of these donors, many of our students would not get past the financial hurdles of attaining a college degree.

Scholarships are awarded through Marrs’ office based on financial need, scholastic merit, leadership skills, academic discipline, and a variety of other criteria as established by individual scholarship fund descriptions for funds held at the Foundation.

“The Foundation is proud to partner with very generous donors in an ongoing effort to provide UMaine students with the financial support they need to realize their goals. We have learned that the scholarship dollars provided by Foundation funds make a significant impact in the recruitment and retention of good students at UMaine.” says Mills.

The University of Maine Foundation offers three pathways to scholarship support; the Today and Tomorrow Annual Scholarship, Endowed Scholarships and Distinguished Endowed Scholarships. Donors often choose to celebrate a significant milestone or memorialize a loved one with a named scholarship. Scholarships can be funded with gifts of cash, stock, land, personal property, or through a charitable trust, gift annuity, pooled life income fund or bequest.