UMaine receives $1 million pledge from Pratt & Whitney for engineering center

UMaine receives $1 million pledge from Pratt & Whitney for engineering center

A $1 million pledge from Pratt & Whitney for the E. James and Eileen P. Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center (Ferland EEDC) was announced on Friday, Oct. 25, as part of University of Maine Homecoming Weekend by College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey and University of Maine Foundation President Jeff Mills.

Pratt & Whitney will name the center’s Machine Tool Suite, featuring more functional, updated space for mechanical engineering technology students to develop production and manufacturing skills. It will feature open workspace, computer-controlled milling machines and lathes, tool crib, applied research lab, and a computer-aided drafting/computer-aided manufacturing classroom.

“This gift will allow our mechanical engineering technology students to gain the hands-on experience that they need to be effective from day one in their careers. It is so appropriate that Pratt & Whitney named this space since they hire so many of our engineering graduates. I am deeply grateful for the strong and long-standing relationship between UMaine engineering and Pratt & Whitney,” says Dana Humphrey, dean of the College of Engineering. 

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Donors celebrating 55th UMaine Class Reunion to name engineering building

Donors celebrating 55th UMaine Class Reunion to name engineering building

Skowhegan natives E. James “Jim” Ferland and Eileen P. Ferland are the anonymous donors whose $10 million investment will help construct the Engineering Education and Design Center at the University of Maine.

The new facility will be named in honor of the couple.

The announcement was made by University of Maine Foundation president and CEO Jeffery Mills at the UMaine Alumni Association 2019 Reunion dinner Sept. 12 on campus, where Jim Ferland was celebrating his 55th class reunion.

The E. James and Eileen P. Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center (EEDC) will house the Biomedical Engineering Program and Department of Mechanical Engineering, as well as teaching laboratories for mechanical engineering technology, and provide space for all UMaine engineering majors to complete their senior capstone projects.

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Longtime UMaine Employee Gives Back

Longtime UMaine employee gives back

 L-R: Tony and Sue Randall receive their Stillwater Society giving society recognition from UMaine Director of Athletics Ken Ralph.

Long-time friends of UMaine athletics, Susan G. Randall ’89 and Tony Randall, have established the first-ever endowment for UMaine’s field hockey team, benefitting one of the University’s most successful athletic programs for years to come.
 
After working in UMaine’s central administration for 25 years, Sue Randall made the jump to work in the athletic department as an athletic business manager in 1995. Despite thinking she would only be working in athletics for a couple of years, she grew to love working in finance for the department.
 
“When I came down to athletics, I didn’t think I would be staying,” said Sue Randall. “I thought maybe a couple of years. I really loved what I was I doing. I wanted to get more involved with the sports programs. That was an important piece for me.”
 
Sue would be promoted to the role of Assistant Athletic Director for Business, serving in that position until her retirement in 2015. When field hockey head coach Josette Babineau was hired in 2007, Randall was an athletic administrator for field hockey. Working in finance for the athletic department for 20 years, while having a strong relationship with the field hockey program, showed Sue and Tony the need to create an endowment.
 
“We are grateful to Sue and Tony for their generous support of our field hockey program,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development Seth Woodcock. “It is especially humbling to see a gift come from a long-time athletic department employee, who has a firm understanding of the importance of endowment building for our programs.
 
“The Randall’s are true and loyal fans,” Woodcock continued. “It is common to see them at games cheering on our Black Bears. The creation of their endowed fund in support of field hockey is forward thinking, as it is a meaningful gift that will impact one of our most successful programs immediately and well into the future.”
 
The endowment will help the program with operations costs, and donations to the fund will benefit the program for the long-term. Babineau and her lone assistant, associate head coach Michelle Simpson often have to hold clinics and camps on nights and weekends to help offset program costs.

“Our program is so fortunate to have great friends like Sue and Tony,” said Babineau. “They have formed great relationships with our players and their families. Sue and Tony understand the work that goes into creating a great team culture and a competitive program. Their friendship and support enhance our players’ experience in our program. This incredibly generous gift will continue to benefit our program for years to come. Thank you very much to Sue and Tony for their commitment to field hockey and women’s athletics.”
 
The endowed fund will grow with the help of donations. The field hockey team had a very successful season in 2018, finishing with a 16-5 overall record, advancing to the America East Championship game for the second time in the last four seasons. The high-octane Maine offense ranked fifth in the nation in goals per game (3.57 goals per game) and 13th in the country in goals allowed per game (1.38 GAA). Maine was nationally ranked the entire campaign, finishing at No. 19 in the final Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll of the season. 2018 marked the fifth time in the last eight seasons that the Black Bears ended the season nationally ranked.
 
“This is a way to really invest in the future success of field hockey,” continued Randall. “Working with the foundation, the endowment will go a long way with the help of the operations cost with the program. Every little bit counts and will add up.”
 

 

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Record fundraising and $1 million pledge announced by University of Maine Foundation at annual luncheon

Record fundraising $1 million pledge announced by University of Maine Foundation at annual luncheon


The Wards stand with Dana Humphrey and Foundation President Jeff Mills for a photo

On hand for the announcement of the $1 million pledge for the University of Maine Engineering Education and Design Center are, left to right, College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey; donors Debbie Lipscomb and Dr. Denham Ward of Bowdoinham; and University of Maine Foundation President Jeff Mills.

Orono, Maine — Over 230 University of Maine benefactors gathered to celebrate a record-breaking year of fundraising at the annual University of Maine Foundation luncheon on campus Oct. 26 during Homecoming weekend.

Foundation President Jeff Mills announced gifts and pledges totalling $36.9 million for fiscal year 2018. That total is up 115 percent over the previous year and brings the total collected during the current Vision for Tomorrow comprehensive campaign to over $160 million — 80 percent of the campaign goal.

“2017–18 was a tremendous year for fundraising at the University of Maine,” says Mills. “As a result, UMaine’s endowments are now at an all-time high of over $327 million. Private support is providing UMaine students, faculty and staff with crucial resources that enhance their UMaine experience.”

To kick off 2018–19 fundraising, College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey announced a $1 million pledge from the Abbagadassett Foundation to support the Engineering Education and Design Center, UMaine’s top capital priority for the Vision for Tomorrow comprehensive campaign.

“We are pleased to invest in this attractive new engineering center which includes significant space for biomedical engineering,” said Debbie Lipscomb, who co-directs the Abbagadassett Foundation in Bowdoinham, Maine with her husband, Dr. Denham Ward ’69. “That program is close to our hearts and we’re excited to be able to support it.”

Ward and Lipscomb have a long affiliation with the University of Maine. Denham, a native of Clinton, Maine, was an Honors College student who graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. He earned a Ph.D. in 1975 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an M.D. from the University of Miami in 1977. Ward is an emeritus professor and chair of anesthesiology at the University of Rochester where they were active members of the UMaine Alumni Rochester Chapter.

Lipscomb is a graduate of Occidental College. The couple also supports scholarships for engineering majors in the Honors College.

For more information about giving to the University of Maine, contact the University of Maine Foundation, 207.581.5100.

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UMaine Alumnus Creates Fund for Maine 4-H Poultry Projects

Poultry fund story photoL to r: Professor Emeritus of Animal, Veterinary and Aquatic Sciences Robert O. Hawes, Frankie Bozzino from Winterport, holding a Cochin Bantam that Bob had given him as a chick and Alice McKinstry Hawes

Dr. Robert O. Hawes and his wife, Alice, recently created an endowed fund at the University of Maine Foundation to support poultry projects in Maine 4-H clubs with a preference for projects involving heritage breeds. Dr. Hawes and Alice Hawes have been longtime supporters of poultry projects, Cooperative Extension, the Page Farm and Home Museum and 4-H Clubs in Maine. The Hawes’ poultry fund will support projects that provide learning experiences in areas such as business, entrepreneurship, record keeping, documentation, problem-solving, food safety, and animal husbandry for Maine youth. With Carolyn Christman of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, Dr. Hawes co-authored “Birds of a Feather: Saving Rare Turkeys from Extinction.” As a result of his commitment to turkey conservation, he received, in 2003, the Bixby-Sponenburg Breed Conservation Award from the ALBC. In 2014, he was recognized by the American Poultry Association for his long-term commitment to the breeding and exhibiting of pure-bred poultry. Dr. Hawes has degrees from the University of Maine, the University of Massachusetts, and the Pennsylvania State University and is now Professor Emeritus of Animal, Veterinary and Aquatic Sciences at the University of Maine.

Over forty years of support for the University of Maine

 Dan Willett ’69, ’70G in the Foster Board Room, Buchanan Alumni House

As Associate Director of Planned Giving, Dan Willett has helped hundreds of UMaine alumni and friends set up planned gifts through the University of Maine Foundation. He is highly visible as a leader in the southern Maine business community as a result of his service on the board of Gorham Savings Bank, attendance at Eggs and Issues breakfasts, and other forms of community involvement. A UMaine alumnus, Dan is often seen cheering on the Black Bears and attending Reunion, Homecoming and Southern Maine Executive Club (SMECUM) events. He has also been an active volunteer for his class and on the University of Maine Alumni Association’s board and the Alumni Board of
Southern Maine.

While many donors turn to Dan for help with their giving, they may not be aware that he has distinguished himself as a generous philanthropist. Dan has made gifts to UMaine for more than 40 consecutive years. His most recent gift to the University of Maine Foundation was a charitable gift annuity to increase the scholarship support for undergraduates through the Willett Family Fund. Dan is not the only one in his family working on behalf of his alma mater; other relatives including both parents, have
also worked for the university. Together, Dan’s relatives represent 125 years of service
to UMaine.

Dan is one of 221 donors who have earned the “Triple Crown” of support through their significant annual, major and planned gifts. Holders of the Triple Crown are members of the President’s Club, Stillwater Society, and Charles F. Allen Legacy Society.

“The university has been good to me and my family,” Dan says. “I grew up in Orono and started working on campus as a kid. I also had a great experience here as a student. Deans (Stan) Devino, (Joseph) Murray and (John) Stewart had a big influence on me.”

Dan is committed to ensuring that UMaine students have the financial support that they need for an optimal experience.

“I think it’s really important that our students have an opportunity to live on campus and connect with their classmates. I missed out because I couldn’t afford it.”

“Dan has been instrumental to our office in Falmouth and the university’s overall presence in southern Maine,” says Jeffery N. Mills, president and CEO of the University of Maine Foundation. “He is also among our most loyal and sophisticated donors. Dan understands that the charitable gift annuity will benefit his alma mater, while providing him with a tax advantage and lifetime income. It’s a win/win situation and we are most grateful for
his thoughtfulness.”