Educational partners at the Houlton Higher Education Center are joining together on Tuesday, March 2 to present a “Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!” event for area preschoolers, elementary-age students and community members.
This year’s event – a collaboration between UMPI, the Houlton/Hodgdon SAD 29/70 Adult Education program, and NMCC – is being held throughout the day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The event is part of the National Education Association’s Read Across America Day, which calls for every child in every community to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of Theodore Geisel, the beloved children’s author also known as Dr. Seuss.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle is pleased to present Judy Wicks – the founder of the White Dog Café in Philadelphia, the co-founder of the nationwide Business Alliance for Local Living Economies and the founder of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia – as its next Distinguished Lecturer.
Wicks will deliver her talk Local Living Economies: Green, Fair and Fun on Wednesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. in the UMPI Campus Center. Responding to the challenges of climate change, resource depletion, and the global financial crisis, Wicks will discuss the growing localization movement that is transitioning from an economy dominated by multinationals and long distance shipping to local living economies that produce basic needs at home while working in harmony with nature.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle will be offering two courses this spring starting on Wednesday, March 24 as part of its American Management Association’s certificate programs. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, March 17.
These spring courses, part of a multi-course curriculum leading to Certificates in Management and Human Resources Management, are specifically created to meet the unique needs of working professionals who want to be more effective in their current positions and better prepared for future advancement, according to Keith Madore, campus AMA coordinator.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Fine Art Gallery will present the exhibition The Art of Tim Finnemore from March 7 through April 9, providing an up-close look at the paintings and drawings of the northern Maine-based artist.
Tim Finnemore (1951-2001) was born and raised in Aroostook County, growing up on a potato farm in Limestone, Maine. His love of art came early – he drew since childhood – and stayed with him throughout his life. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Art from the University of Maine at Presque Isle in 1973.
Momentum Aroostook, MMG Insurance and the University of Maine at Presque Isle are teaming up for the third year in a row to provide the area’s young professionals with a one-of-a-kind leadership development opportunity.
The three entities will host the Young Professionals Institute, a professional development short course designed specifically for emerging leaders looking to hone their professional skills. The program will be offered at the University during eight afternoon sessions between March and April. The Wednesday sessions will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. on March 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 and April 7, 14 and 21 in the Alumni Room, located on the second floor of the Campus Center.
Three hundred and forty-six students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle have been named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester, according to Dr. Michael Sonntag, Vice President for Academic Affairs.
The Northern Maine Museum of Science and Aroostook C.A.N.C.E.R. will be taking a stand against some of the worst things that fate hands out – bitter, cold weather; loss of hair; and Cancer – when it hosts the Fourth Annual Planet Head Day on Saturday, Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Gentile Hall, and everyone is invited to attend.
Since 2007, Planet Head Day has been held to increase awareness of NASA’s mission to Pluto and to serve as a fundraiser for the local organization C.A.N.C.E.R [Caring Area Neighbors for Cancer Education and Recovery]. Each year, participants from Maine and Canada have donned theatrical bald caps or had their hair shaved off, and then had their heads painted to look like planets, moons, asteroids and comets.
Area volunteers with the AARP Tax-Aide Program will be on hand at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Saturdays for the next two months to help members of the community prepare their tax returns.
Volunteers will be providing this free service from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday from Feb. 6 to April 10 in Room 118 of UMPI’s Campus Center. The work these volunteers are doing is connected to the VITA [Volunteer Income Tax Assistance] and TCE [Tax Counseling for the Elderly] programs.
Criminal Justice students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle will take on members of the area’s police departments during the 5th Annual CJ Students vs. Law Enforcement Basketball Game.
The competition begins on Friday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. in Wieden Gymnasium.
University of Maine at Presque Isle Nordic Ski Coach Alexei Sotskov is heading out on the trip of a lifetime this month when he travels to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics to serve as the Head Coach of the New Zealand Cross Country Ski Team.
Coach Sotskov will depart for Vancouver on Feb. 10 to attend his very first Olympic Games. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics begin with the Opening Ceremony on Feb. 12 and end on Feb. 28. The last race for Sotskov’s team will be on Feb. 28.
As Head Coach for the small New Zealand team, he’ll be overseeing everything from travel logistics and race entries to ski waxing and his athletes’ physical and mental preparation. The members of the New Zealand Cross Country Ski Team are 23-year-old Ben Koons of Dunedin, New Zealand, who has been living in Maine for the past 7 years, is training with the Maine Winter Sports Center and has been on the New Zealand national team for two years, and Katie Calder, 29, of Tauranga, New Zealand, who has been on the New Zealand national team for four years.
“I’m very excited about this. Like any athlete or coach, it’s the pinnacle of your career to go to the Olympics,” Coach Sotskov said. “I’m hoping to gain some of the latest knowledge on what other coaches and teams are doing, how they ski, and how they prepare for races of this caliber. I’d also like to take part in the cultural experiences and just enjoy how a huge event like this gets organized. I’m thrilled to see how it all works.”
