FROM: Interim President Joseph S. Wood
Newsletter #18:  An End of the Academic Year Perspective

May 7 , 2008

Dear Colleagues:

While we all know this has not been a great year in many respects – for many it’s been traumatic, for others, at least stressful – we
need to remember that we are bringing about a remarkable turnaround in the fiscal stability of USM. We’ve addressed longstanding
budgetary problems head on, and we’ve done that with relative calm and without undermining the essential character of USM. We have
ensured that USM will remain a critical contributor to meeting the higher education needs of Maine and the nation. In fact, a recently commissioned study of traditional college-age students indicated, in the words of a market researcher, that our institutional reputation is positive, and we have a strong reputation in terms of our academic quality.

Over the year, hundreds of faculty members have devoted countless hours to engaging thousands of students in transformational learning. Last Thursday, I was pleased to speak at the Student Involvement Recognition Ceremonies where I met many of the students who have been transformed by their experiences at USM. At the event, the Office of Community Service reported that 1,073 students contributed more than 18,000 hours of community service this academic year. What a tremendous impact our students have on the communities USM serves!

USM’s 128th Commencement takes place this Saturday, May 10. Historian, commentator, and Pulitzer-prize winner Roger Wilkins will
receive a doctor of humane letters and offer the commencement address. USM LAC student Mark Coursey will be the student
commencement speaker. Mark came back to USM after a 16-year hiatus on an Osher Reentry Scholarship, and he will attend the School of Law in the fall. USM alumnus Ray Stevens (‘86), who himself was transformed by a USM education and has now established a fellowship
to help other USM science students have similar experiences, will receive an honorary doctorate. Poet Gary Lawless also will receive an honorary doctorate, and long-time USM supporters Kenneth and Mary Nelson will receive a Distinguished Achievement Award. (Ushers and other volunteers are still needed for commencement. Please contact Andrea Thompson McCall at 228-8284 if you’d like to help out.)

At commencement, we celebrate faculty, students and staff who received awards for excellence during the past year. A.J. Chalifour, Jr., USM’s 07-08 student body president, was named Student Leader of the Year. We recognize Administrative Assistant Carol Taylor for being named winner of the Distinguished Classified Staff Award, and the winner of the Distinguished Professional Staff Award will be announced.

The following retirees will be honored as emeriti faculty: Professor Emerita of Teacher Education Nancy Austin; Professor Emeritus of
Education Richard Barnes; Professor Emerita of Business Jean Gutmann; Professor Emerita of Nursing Anne Keith; Associate Professor Emeritus of Technology Albert Kirk; Professor Emerita of History Diana Long; Professor Emeritus of Technology Education Robert Nannay; Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Thomas Newton; Professor Emeritus of Chemistry W. Gale Rhodes; and Professor Emerita of Nursing Marianne Rodgers. We recognize and thank all of them for their many years of engaging our students in transformative learning.

What you have accomplished this year is great, whether it was a small personal triumph for one of your students, having a recently
published book added to the Author’s Wall, or finding a creative way to reduce expenses, or supporting a student who presented research at “Thinking Matters.”

We need to reflect upon our triumphs at this time, and the single most tangible symbol of USM’s accomplishments takes place at 9 a.m., this Saturday, May 10, in the Cumberland County Civic Center. Hope to see you there.

Sincerely,

Joe           

For more information, please click on http://www.usm.maine.edu/mcr/update This site includes the breakfast speech; the latest digest of ideas e-mailed to movingforward@usm.maine.edu; our work plan; and notes from the recent series of town meetings.