For Shyquinn Dix, going to college isn’t just about getting an education, it’s about having a life-changing experience. The University of Maine at Presque Isle sophomore, Social Work major, and point guard for the Owls basketball team was featured on 60 Minutes in late March because of his unusual journey from success to second chance.
In Their Shoes is the theme of the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s 18th annual University Day, taking place on Wednesday, April 10, and students will be showcasing that theme in presentations on everything from student work with the Hope and Justice Project to the Underground Railroad in Maine to using floor worker feedback for changing recordkeeping procedures.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Art Gallery will present Painted Landscapes of Aroostook County by Michelle Mishaan from April 1 through May 10, 2019. The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and attend the Gallery Reception on Friday, April 5, from 5-7 p.m. with an artist talk at 5:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host a book reading by Maine writers Dr. Jenny Radsma, a faculty member at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, and Cheryl Grant Gillespie, a long-time public school educator, on Wednesday, April 3, at 7 p.m. in Campus Center. The two are among five women who authored the anthology Compassionate Journey: Honoring Our Mothers’ Stories. The book reading is free and open to the public.
Tampa, Florida-based musician Taylor Reed will travel to the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center for a rhythm and soul-filled performance that swerves from pop to R&B to jazz music. This event, sponsored by UMPI’s Student Activities Office, is free and open to the public and donations will be accepted at the door.
Simultaneous Planet Head Day celebrations will happen in Maine and Poland for the second time as the unique cancer fundraiser—where people get their heads shaved and painted to look like planets—goes international again. The event takes place in Presque Isle on Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Wieden Hall Gymnasium, with a simultaneous event happening in Szczecin, Poland. This is the 13th annual event being held in Presque Isle, and the third time the event is happening in Sczcecin.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present its next Salmagundi Film Series screening on Tuesday, March 12, at 6 p.m. in the Campus Center Multi-Purpose Room. In honor of Women’s History Month, the series will feature Hidden Figures, the 2016 film based on a true story about the black female mathematicians at NASA who helped launch an astronaut into orbit.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present Brittany Ray, the Director of TREE: Transforming Rural Experience in Education and the 2007 Maine Teacher of the Year, as the next speaker in its 2018-2019 Distinguished Lecturer Series. Ray will speak on Thursday, March 7, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. During her talk, titled “Creating Trauma-Informed Schools and Communities by Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences,” Ray will discuss how people can work together to create environments that foster healing and help students to grow.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present a night of comedy plus a whole lot of talent when it hosts UMPI’s First Annual Variety Show on Thursday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Auditorium in Wieden Hall. This family-friendly Variety Show will feature acts by students, faculty, and staff, and will be hosted by Los Angeles-based stand-up comedian, actor, and voice actor Justin Rupple. This event is free and open to the public.
he University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Art Gallery will present works from the New Brunswick Art Bank collection from Feb. 1 through March 15, 2019. The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and attend the Gallery Reception on Friday, March 1, from 5-7 p.m.; light refreshments will be served.