2015 Ferland Engineering Excellence Scholarship recipient Eben Lenfest (Above).

Orono, Maine – With a gift of $1 million, E. James “Jim” Ferland ’64 and Eileen P. Ferland have boosted the scholarship support available to Skowhegan Area High School (SAHS) students who plan to study engineering at the University of Maine. The E. James & Eileen Ferland Engineering Excellence Scholarship Fund at the University of Maine Foundation now totals $2.2 million.

In 2009, the Ferlands created this fund with the hope that students will apply their talent to solving society’s challenging problems, as Jim Ferland did throughout his career.

The Ferlands are both graduates of Skowhegan Area High School. Jim Ferland recieved a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at UMaine in 1964 and began his career as an engineer with the Hartford Electric Light Company, a subsidiary of Northeast Utilities in Connecticut. In 1967 he joined the initial operating staff of the Millstone Nuclear Power Station and in 1976 become a station superintendent, the same year he achieved an M.B.A. from the University of New Haven. He completed the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration’s Program for Management Development in 1977 and shortly thereafter was named executive vice president and chief financial officer of Northeast Utilities (NU). He became NU’s president in 1983. In 1986, he was recruited by Public Service Enterprise Group as chairman, president and CEO, positions he held through retirement in 2007, making him the longest-serving CEO in the industry.

“Jim and Eileen’s support is life-changing for Skowhegan area students who wish to pursue a degree in engineering at UMaine,” said Maine College of Engineering and Computing Dean Giovanna Guidoboni. “This scholarship provides access and opportunity to students who might otherwise see the cost of education as a barrier to achieving their dreams.”

Distributions from the fund will support 16 annual awards of $3,500 each. Four awards will be given per class year to support students through their degree completion, as long as they remain academically qualified. Since the Ferlands established their scholarship fund in 2009 at the Foundation, 125 awards to 64 recipients have been made to SAHS graduates, 29 have successfully graduated and 18 are current engineering students.

To be considered for the scholarship, students must have strong academic potential, be enrolled as undergraduate students at UMaine with a major in engineering and graduate from Skowhegan Area High School. More information can be found through the guidance counselor’s office at the high school or by searching Scholarship Universe, UMaine’s online scholarship portal for accepted students.

Scholarship recipient Eben Lenfest (pictured above) graduated from Skowhegan in 2015 and earned two mechanical engineering degrees from UMaine: a bachelor’s degree in 2019 and a master’s degree in 2021. He works as a numerical modeling engineer at the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at UMaine.

“Being a recipient of the Ferland Engineering Excellence Scholarship helped reduce the financial burden of attending college, allowing me to focus on succeeding in my classes. It also made the decision to attend UMaine that much easier, a choice that has set me up well for a career path I’m excited about in off-shore wind energy,” said Lenfest.

The Ferlands are also major benefactors of the E. James and Eileen P. Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center, which opened in 2022 at UMaine. 

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. Though the generosity of alumni and friends, the Foundation strives to ensure the continued growth and success of the university. 

Orono, ME – The University of Maine Foundation recently received a $1 million gift from the Agnes Ann Walsh estate to establish a new named chair in the University’s Department of Modern Languages and Classics. In addition, Agnes Ann funded the Agnes Ann Walsh ’41 Scholarship to benefit students majoring in romance languages. These contributions are legacy gifts of the class of 1941 alumna who sadly passed away in 2021 at the age of 100.

“Agnes Ann Walsh’s bright spirit and passion for the University of Maine during her lifetime will now live on through her generous gift and the many students who will benefit from her generosity,” said University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy.

Born and raised in South Portland, Maine, Walsh headed north to begin her education at the University of Maine in 1937. Her heavy involvement in UMaine culture and the academic community included the Delta Delta Delta sorority, debate team, language club, student publications, sports and campus leadership group the Sophomore Eagles. Graduating in 1941 with a degree in romance classics, Walsh enjoyed a long career as a Latin teacher. She taught at Washington Academy in East Machias, Maine, Thorton Academy in Saco, Maine, and finally Winchester High School in Winchester, Massachusetts, where she taught for over 25 years.

Agnes Ann was incredibly dedicated to the University of Maine through her financial contributions, her involvement in the Alumni Ambassador program and her extensive work as a the correspondent for the Class of 1941. Walsh was awarded the 2015 Hilda A. Sterling ’55 Class Correspondent Award, was the 1990 recipient of the Black Bear Award, and was elected an honorary member of the University of Maine Foundation in 2007. In 2019, she was honored with a Stillwater Award at the biannual Stillwater Society dinner. “In 2019, at the Stillwater Society dinner, at nearly 100 years old, Agnes Ann gave one of the most heart-warming acceptance speeches I have ever encountered at UMaine,” said President/CEO of the Foundation Jeffery Mills. “Her contributions have benefitted numerous areas across campus, beyond this new fund, including the Buchanan Alumni House and the John Randall & Agnes Annie Walsh Scholarship. She was a loyal alumna who will be remembered fondly.”

“I share Agnes Ann Walsh’s confidence in the value of learning languages and am deeply grateful that she chose to leave her extraordinary legacy to support this purpose.” said Emily Haddad, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “The Walsh Chair and scholarship will create transformative opportunities for students of French and Spanish at UMaine. I look forward to working with the inaugural Walsh Chair, Professor Frédéric Rondeau, to realize the remarkable potential of Ms. Walsh’s gift.”

Prof. Rondeau joined the University of Maine faculty in 2013 and has served as director of the Canadian American Center on campus since 2021. He holds a Ph.D. in French language and literature from McGill University. He is the author or co-author of four books on topics in Québécois literature and culture as well as 25 articles and chapters. He also edited or co-edited three other volumes. His book Le Manque en partage recieved the 2017 Jean-Éthier Blais prize for the best book of literary criticism in Quebec. He teaches courses on Francophone literature and regularly offers a May term travel course in Quebec. His plans as Walsh Chair focus on international and experiential learning opportunities for students.

The Agnes Ann Walsh ’41 Chair and the Agnes Ann ’41 Scholarship funds were established at the University of Maine Foundation for the benefit of the University of Maine, Orono, Maine, through planned gifts from Agnes Ann Walsh, a member of the class of 1941, in loving memory of her parents, John Randall Walsh and Agnes Annie Gough.