Classical pianist Duncan J. Cumming returns home for a concert at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. This event is free and open to the public; donations will be accepted at the door for future cultural events.
For the second year in a row, the University of Maine at Presque Isle has seen the largest percentage increase in enrollment within the University of Maine System, up 10.4% in enrollment by headcount from Fall 2017 to Fall 2018. Officials attribute this increase to the initiatives underway at UMPI focused on student affordability, early college opportunities, and access for adult learners.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle and the Presque Isle Rotary Club will host their Seventh Annual Purple Pinkie Project on Friday, Nov. 9 and, with the help of the Rotary Clubs in Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Limestone, Mars Hill, and Washburn, the celebration spreads throughout central Aroostook County and, for the second time, into Canada. All activities raise awareness of Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio worldwide and raise money $1 at a time to go toward that global effort.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present the next screening in its Salmagundi Film Series, the independent film Neither Wolf Nor Dog, on Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. in the Auditorium in Wieden Hall. This 2016 film is directed by Steven Lewis Simpson and is based on the award-winning novel by author Kent Nerburn.
With the stroke of a pen, officials with the University of Maine at Presque Isle received a gift of $1 million from benefactor Mary Barton Akeley Smith to establish the first-ever endowed chair in the institution’s history. The permanent faculty position was formally named the Dr. Robert Vinton Akeley Chair of Agricultural Science and Agribusiness during an official announcement and naming ceremony on Oct. 23.
For the fifth consecutive year, the University of Maine at Presque Isle will host a Take Back the Night event for campus and community members. Organized by a new student organization on campus, the Black Student Union, the event will take place on Thursday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. Take Back the Night will include a candlelight vigil for all sexual assault victims, starting at Gentile Hall and heading to South Hall, and end with a gathering and survivor stories in the South Hall Faculty Lounge. All are encouraged to come to this free event, which will occur rain or shine.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Art Gallery will present Folk Mined: Musical Installations by Caroly Ayoob, from Oct. 29, 2018 through Jan. 18, 2019. The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and attend the Gallery Reception on Friday, Nov. 2, from 5-7 p.m., which includes a talk with the artist at 5:30 p.m.; light refreshments will be served.
Three academic programs at the University of Maine at Presque Isle are joining forces this fall to provide the campus and community with an innovative way to explore the world of science. The Environmental Science and Sustainability, Biology, and Agricultural Science programs are hosting a lunchtime seminar series that provides a forum to present scientific research conducted by UMPI students and faculty, and local and regional scientists, as well as topics in management, medicine and applied science.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Employer U program, which focuses on providing workforce development opportunities, will offer two 20-hour courses this fall beginning Monday, Oct. 15, as part of the American Management Association’s University certificate program. The sessions will be held at the MMG Center for Professional Development, located on the first floor of Kelley Commons, adjacent to the Campus Center.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present Mark Shepard—the CEO of Forest Agriculture Enterprises, award-winning author of Restoration Agriculture: Real-World Permaculture for Farmers, and proponent of sustainable agriculture—as the next speaker in its 2018-2019 Distinguished Lecturer Series. Shepard will deliver his talk on Restoration Agriculture on Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center.