Press Releases

Three hundred and nine students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle have been named to the Dean’s List for the spring semester, according to Dr. Michael Sonntag, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Just over three years ago, the University of Maine at Presque Isle held a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for its brand new Prometric Testing Center. In the years since, the center – located on the ground floor of South Hall – has provided a convenient and close-to-home option for the people of Aroostook County to complete their computer-based licensure exams and certifications.

“People don’t have to drive to Portland or Bangor anymore to take these tests,” John Harrington, Prometric Test Center Administrator, said, citing a major reason why the testing center has proved so popular since its opening in 2009. “I also have people coming in to test from all of the Maritime Provinces, and people from central Maine who couldn’t get a seat for a specialty test exam close to home.”

University of Maine at Presque Isle Criminal Justice Club members recently traveled to Sacramento and San Francisco, California, in conjunction with a course designed to increase student awareness of historical perspectives of policing and corrections. The trip included student ride-alongs with members of the Sacramento Police Department, visits to Folsom Prison, Alcatraz Prison, Berkeley Police Department, the California Highway Patrol academy, and various tourist attractions in the greater San Francisco area.

The students who participated in the trip included: Christina Hall, Hanad Ashkir, Mark Bartlett, Tom Dionne, Josh Esty, Josh Conroy, Sierra Turmenne, Richard Landry, and Ben Lulofs.

University of Maine at Presque Isle Writing Center tutors recently were in Queens, New York, to present at the annual Northeast Writing Centers Association [NEWCA] Conference at St. John’s University.

UMPI tutors Martha Franklin-Wight and Taylor Ussery attended the April conference with Writing Center Director Dr. Deborah Hodgkins. The UMPI group’s session, titled The Whole Writer, the Whole Tutor: What We Talk about When We Reflect on Practice, was an interactive one that first provided context and then engaged the audience in activities.

University of Maine at Presque Isle Professor of Biology Dr. Bonnie Wood was in Indianapolis this spring to present a full-day Professional Development Institute on lecture-free teaching ahead of the National Conference on Science Education.

Professional Development Institutes – defined as events that focus on “Research-Based Strategies for Student-Centered Learning” – are pre-conference events that occur the day before the national conference, organized by the National Science Teachers Association [NSTA].