UPDATE From: President Richard L. Pattenaude
Number 8, May2005
> USM's 125th Commencement
> Mitchell Center Earns LEED Certification
> Conference on Transforming General Education
> Heart Walk and USM
> USM Wellness Fair
> Department of IT Launches
IT-Digest
> In Recognition
> In Memoriam
On Saturday, May 14, the Cumberland County Civic Center will
host hundreds of graduates and their families and friends
at USM's 125th Commencement ceremony. U.S. Senator Olympia
J. Snowe will address the graduates. Honorary degrees will
be conferred to three community members in recognition of
their distinguished careers and contributions to the community.
This year's recipients are: Kirk Pond, chairman of the Board
of Directors of Fairchild Semiconductor International; Bernard
Osher, a Maine native, philanthropist and founder of the Bernard
Osher Foundation; and Barbro Osher, president of the Bernard
Osher Foundation. Distinguished Achievement Awards will be
presented to David B. Hawkes '66, '69, of Falmouth; Theresa
Secord '81, of Waterville; and to Senator Snowe. Graduates
of the School of Law will be recognized at a separate ceremony,
scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 28, at Merrill Auditorium
in Portland. Read more:
www.usm.maine.edu/mcr/news/releases_04-05/commencement05.htm
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II am pleased to announce that our recently expanded John
Mitchell Center on the Gorham campus has become the first
University-owned building in Maine to earn LEED (Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification by the U.S.
Green Building Council for its environmentally responsible
design. Congratulations to Dana Gray, USM manager of engineer
and architectural services, and the entire Facilities Management
team who, with the help of USM faculty and staff, worked closely
with Harriman Associates and Wright-Ryan Construction and
their subcontractors to oversee the "green" design and development
of the project. Achieving LEED Certification not only symbolizes
USM's commitment to environmental stewardship, but also our
commitment to sharing leadership practices with our students
and the community that they can utilize for a successful tomorrow.
Read more: www.usm.maine.edu/mcr/news/releases_04-05/leedsMitchell.htm
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Provost Joe Wood and the General Education Council invite
you attend the "Transforming General Education at USM" conference
from 2 to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18, in the Woodbury Campus
Center Dining Center in Portland. A reception immediately
will follow the conference from 5 to 6:30 p.m. As stated in
the Faculty Senate-approved "Visions, Goals and Outcomes for
General Education at USM," general education at USM is "a
coherent, integrative, and rigorous liberal education that
will enable our graduates to be world-minded, intentional
life-long learners." This conference is designed help participants
learn more about general education reform at USM and to help
transform this vision into reality. While the event is free,
space is limited. Faculty and staff wishing to participate
in the conference should RSVP no later than May 11 by contacting
Diane Brackett at 780-4586 or dianesb@usm.maine.edu.
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USM is proud to support the American Heart Association (AHA)
Heart Walk on Sunday, May 15, which begins and ends at USM's
Sullivan Gym on the Portland campus. The event starts at 8
a.m. with a pre-walk celebration in Sullivan Gym, followed
by a walk around Back Cove, and a post-walk luncheon in Sullivan
Gym. Prizes, children's activities and inspirational speakers
also are included in the day's activities. This year, over
1,500 participants are expected to help raise $220,000 for
the AHA's fight against heart disease and stroke. Part of
our commitment to the Heart Walk includes organizing a USM
employee walk team. I encourage you to form your own department
walk team. Learn more at http://usm.maine.edu/~rmondor/Heartwalk/
or contact Rodney Mondor at 780-4555, rmondor@usm.maine.edu.
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Keeping in the theme of employee health and wellness, the
third-annual all-employee Wellness Fair is scheduled from
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, in the Hill Gym of
the Costello Sports Complex, Gorham. This event has been heralded
each year as an opportunity for USM employees to enjoy a free
lunch (courtesy of TIAA-CREF) and to browse the 35-plus vendors
who offer a variety of ways to support the mental, physical,
financial and social well being of USM employees. I encourage
you to take a moment from your busy day to attend this important
and informative event. Employees planning to enjoy lunch at
the Fair should reserve their lunch no later than Wednesday,
May 18, by calling 780-4007. For more information, call 228-8432
or visit www.usm.maine.edu/wellness/Fair/Wellness_Fair.html.
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USM's Division of Information & Technology (DOIT) is introducing
IT-Digest, an electronic newsletter designed to keep the USM
community informed about technology related issues, events,
updates and news. Each issue will include useful information
and links to more information about the Division's activities.
The five departments of DOIT include IT User Services, Network
Services, Database Programming and Application Development,
Information Reporting and Telecom.
To receive IT-Digest, you must subscribe. To subscribe, please
visit http://mailman.usm.maine.edu
and follow the subscription instructions. You will need to
type in your name, e-mail address and the exact name of the
list, "IT-Digest". List members may also unsubscribe at any
time. If you have any questions regarding this list or other
technology issues, please contact the Help Desk at 780-4029
or by e-mail at helpdesk@usm.maine.edu.
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Congratulations are in order to several USM faculty and students
for their contributions to the Independent film "Sundowning,"
which recently earned the Special Jury Prize at the 2005 Independent
Film Festival of Boston. The film was written and directed
by Jim Cole Ō02, with Minor Rootes, USM professor of theatre,
Aaron Duffey, and USM Arts Events Director Emmanuelle Chaulet.
Additionally, many USM students, faculty, and staff of USMÕs
School of Music and our Theatre and Art departments were involved
in the production. Congratulations to all. Read more at www.gumspirits.com/sundowning.html.
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It is with sadness that I share the news that George F. Hackett,
Jr., passed away on April 13. In addition to a successful
career as teacher, principal and superintendent of schools
in Michigan and West Virginia, George served USM in a variety
of positions from 1968 to 1995, including serving as a faculty
member, acting dean of education, labor relations coordinator,
assistant dean, assistant to the president as head of the
personnel office, and assistant to the provost. On behalf
of USM, I wish to extend our deepest sympathies to GeorgeÕs
wife Kathleen, and the entire Hackett family.
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