In young forests, the widespread consensus is that this process rapidly pulls, or sequesters, carbon from the atmosphere. As forests mature, more trees start to die, releasing the carbon they captured in their wake. Carbon sequestration, the thinking goes, slowly stalls and old forests eventually release roughly as much carbon into the air as they capture.

Thirty years of measurements taken by 91±¬ĮĻ scientists at a remote 550-acre forest challenge this idea.

At Howland Research Forest, located about 30 miles north of Orono, Maine, in the towns of Edinburg and Howland, 98-foot towers rise above the spruce and hemlock canopy. They are topped by instruments that measure carbon dioxide flux ā€” the exchange of the gas between the forest canopy and the atmosphere. The measurements are so precise that they can detect the breath of a technician working nearby.

What they have recorded is a carbon record of exceptional length drawn from a mature, undisturbed forest. The data generated here is reshaping how the world understands forests and their influence on climate. The towers on Howland have been collecting data since 1996, making them among the longest-running records of their kind in the United States, second only to Harvard Forest. 

These findings are used by scientists, educators and land managers worldwide, informing forest management, timber production, carbon budgets, conservation and policy. But the future of this research is uncertain. For decades, the Howland towers were supported through the federally funded AmeriFlux network. As research priorities shifted, that support was interrupted, putting the long-running record at risk. 

A recent $175,000 private gift to the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation ā€” equal to the siteā€™s annual operating costā€” has temporarily filled that gap, keeping the research running through next year. Without it, the towers would have gone offline this August, bringing 30 years of continuous monitoring to a standstill. 

While the gift provides a one-year lifeline, it does not solve the underlying challenge. Sustaining this irreplaceable observatory and training ground for 91±¬ĮĻ students aspiring to become foresters, conservationists and researchers requires .

A living benchmark

Mature, unmanaged forests are exceptionally rare in New England. Centuries of timber harvest have reset the ecological clock across nearly every landscape. 

At Howland, the forest canopy is dominated by trees between 100 and 200 years old. Some are even older. They had already stood for centuries when Henry David Thoreau passed through central Maine on his way to Mount Katahdin in the 1840s.

A yellow birch documented in the forest’s permanent research plots dates to the mid-1600s ā€” at least 367 years, the oldest of its species on record in Maine. Cedar and hemlock that sprouted in the 1700s stand alongside fallen logs in every stage of decay. Their slow decomposition is a critical part of the carbon cycle that researchers here are still working to fully understand.

Coarse woody debris ā€” the fallen logs and standing dead trees so characteristic of old forests ā€” are largely absent from managed landscapes. At Howland, it is everywhere. 

The forest is surrounded by active timber operations, which makes it something else: a control site. Without Howland as a baseline for what an unmanaged forest looks like, the comparisons that inform forest management across the Northeast would be far less meaningful.

The Northeast Wilderness Trust recognized that value in 2007, when it purchased the 550-acre site and permanently protected it as forever-wild. The protection came at a critical moment: the previous owner had considered resuming active management, which would have disrupted decades of research.

“We permanently protected Howland because ancient forests are rare and have so much to teach us,” said Shelby Perry, the Northeast Wilderness Trustā€™s wildlands ecology director. “Howland shows us the unique value of wild places amid managed landscapes. What researchers learn here informs forest policy at a global scale. Keeping this land wild and keeping the research going are inseparable.” 

For these findings, time is priceless

When a carbon flux tower was installed at Howland in 1996, it became a founding site of the AmeriFlux network, which has spread to more than 500 monitoring stations across the Americas. 

ā€œWe measure temperature, wind speed and direction, and the airā€™s carbon dioxide, water and methane concentration every tenth of a  second. Thatā€™s over 315 million data series a year,ā€ says Roel Ruzol, 91±¬ĮĻ research associate and Howland Forestā€™s site manager. 

Ruzol keeps the towers running, coordinates access for researchers and works with Fraver to eliminate what he calls ā€œnoise,ā€ or anomalies in the data created by rain, snow, power fluctuations or a bird perching near the equipment. They then convert these measurements into precise half-hour flux rates, that is, how much carbon the forest absorbs and releases. The findings are online for anyone to access.

The Howland record is now 30 years old. The forest has stored, on average, nearly 3.5 tons of carbon dioxide per acre per year. That was not unexpected, but the long-term trend was surprising, even to the researchers who built the flux network. The rate of carbon uptake is increasing over time. This old forest has not plateaued; itā€™s accelerating sequestration.

“If you considered just the first 10 years, you would see a slight decrease and might conclude the forest was declining as a carbon sink,” said Shawn Fraver, associate professor of forest ecology at the 91±¬ĮĻ, who has conducted research at Howland since 2015. “However, when viewed over 30 years, we actually see an increase. That long-term view completely changes the story.”

The trend held through climate extremes. The 30-year record spans the warmest, wettest and driest years in the past 125 for Maine. Scientists do not yet know why, but the findings, which were in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, provide the basis for experimental research that can provide actionable insights.Ā 

Another study co-led by Fraver, whose research program is partially supported by the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station and the National Science Foundation, aims to identify the mechanisms by which forests switch from methane sources to sinks and back. Previous research showed that forest soils emit methane in wet conditions. Waterlogged soils favor the microbes that generate it. But those studies largely focused on landscapes that are known methane sources, ignoring sites like Howland that, depending on soil moisture, alternate between being a source and a sink. 

The documented source-sink switch at Howland has led to a National Science Foundation-funded project, now entering its final year, which attracted researchers from institutions across the country ā€” San Diego State University, North Carolina State University, Arizona State University, and the Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts, as well as the 91±¬ĮĻ. The findings are expected to meaningfully revise how methane is accounted for in forest carbon budgets.

The data from Howland have been downloaded more than 16,000 times since being made publicly available in 2007. Researchers around the world have used Howland and the data gathered there to build climate models, calibrate satellite data, advise policymakers and teach the next generation of forest scientists.

A living lab for forest management

Howland’s scientific value extends beyond the conservation land itself. Three flux towers now operate across the area: two on Northeast Wilderness Trust land and a third on property managed by American Forest Management (AFM), a forestry consulting company that has been managing harvest activity nearby in recent years. ā€œNot every forest company would be willing to cooperate with us on this. Itā€™s a huge benefit to us as researchers,ā€ Fraver said. 

The AFM tower, established in 2012, has been tracking carbon dioxide fluxes continuously through a period of active shelterwood harvest. With the Howland towers providing an unmanaged comparison site, researchers have a rare before-and-after opportunity that almost never presents itself in landscape-scale ecology.

A newly funded $243,000 study from the will extract maximum value from that natural experiment. Combining forest inventories, LiDAR-derived biomass estimates, ground and tower-level flux measurements and carbon modeling will give managers the most comprehensive picture ever assembled of how partial harvests affect the forest carbon budget.

“American Forest Management has always believed that good forestry and good science go hand-in-hand. Hosting the tower on our clientā€™s land is one of the most tangible ways we can contribute to that.” said Jeremy Miller, Region Technical Manager at AFM and alum of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s School of Forest Resources. ā€œThe NSRC study will give us an idea of how partial harvesting affects carbon dynamics in the short and long term.ā€

The results will give forest managers who want to incorporate carbon objectives into their planning, alongside timber production, a quantitative foundation to build on.

A proving ground for people and technology

Howland also serves as a key research site for 91±¬ĮĻ graduate students, along with undergraduate field technicians who spend summers gaining hands-on experience with advanced instrumentation and long-term ecological research methods. 

Chris Hettwer, who earned his masterā€™s degree from the School of Forest Resources in 2025, said the opportunity to work at Howland helped draw him to Fraverā€™s lab. 

ā€œWorking at Howland was an instrumental experience that fundamentally shaped me as a scientist,ā€ says Hettwer, who is now pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. ā€œIn addition to learning the technical field skills for researching ecosystem processes, I gained a deeper understanding of how scientific research is conducted, communicated, and built cumulatively over time. Much of what I do now is grounded in what I learned at Howland.ā€

A network of approximately 150 permanent research plots distributed around the flux towers provides a training ground unlike any classroom. 

So does a 7.4-acre research plot, established by NASA in 1989 to ground-truth satellite instruments. This project led the site to be photographed from space more than anywhere else on the planet at the time. Every tree above 10 centimeters in diameter was mapped and measured. In 2015 and 2025, Fraver and his research team repeated the inventory and took core samples from 10% of the trees to track growth trends. 

That plot revealed the 367-year-old yellow birch. It also told the story of a forest shaped by centuries of disturbance: spruce budworm outbreaks, wind storms, selective harvests in the 1800s and the slow return of a mature forest carpeted with deadwood and moss. 

Howland is where emerging scientists and technology learn to read the forest.

One more year

Maintaining Howland’s flux towers, sensors and core infrastructure costs approximately $175,000 per year. That annual cost was historically covered through the federally-funded AmeriFlux network, but shifting research priorities have left the site without consistent support.

“Without this gift, the AmeriFlux tower would have shut down this August,” Fraver said. “We have funds to continue another year. But our latest research, the student experience, the experimental work on managed versus unmanaged forests ā€” all of it depends on the towers being operational. If the tower goes offline, we lose the context this monitoring data provides, and everything that has been built on it.”

The recent private gift ensures operations through next year, but it does not establish a long-term solution. Keeping one of the longest carbon dioxide flux records in the Americas running, and preserving decades of continuous data, requires sustained annual investment.

ā€œScience is a continual and ever-building process. The continuity of monitoring at Howland is a big part of what makes this data so powerful,ā€ Hettwer said.  

The science at Howland is answering questions that matter in Maine and globally ā€” how much carbon do mature forests sequester, how harvest practices affect forest-atmosphere interactions, and whether forest soils remove methane. These are not strictly academic questions. The findings help forest managers and policymakers make data-driven decisions in a changing world.

“The questions we are asking now about carbon, methane and how managed and unmanaged forests compare will offer critical insights for forest management in the coming decades,” Fraver said. “This forest is capable of providing those answers. It just needs the towers to keep running.”

Those interested in supporting monitoring at the Howland Research Forest may donate or contact Elizabeth Erickson,Ā  senior director of philanthropy at the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation, at elizabeth.erickson@maine.edu or 207.581.1145.Ā 

Contact: Erin Miller, erin.miller@maine.edu

The exhibition will display a wide variety of artwork made by 91±¬ĮĻ students including paintings, sculptures, ceramics, printmaking, digital art, photography, graphic design and more. 

Students who were enrolled in an art class in the fall 2025 semester or spring 2026 semester had the opportunity to submit up to six pieces for consideration in this juried exhibition. This yearā€™s juror is artist Rochelle Lawrence, who also serves as the assistant curator and museum educator at 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Zillman Art Museum.

Lord Hall is free, accessible and open to the public Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Please direct all questions to Diana Baumbach, director of galleries, at

diana.baumbach@maine.edu. 

Linda and her late husband, Donald Zillman, shared a decades-long relationship with 91±¬ĮĻ shaped by leadership and sustained philanthropy. Donald Zillman, who died in July 2023, served in leadership roles across the 91±¬ĮĻ System for more than three decades, while Linda Zillman, who died in September 2025, was an art historian and a longtime advocate for the visual arts.

The gift includes more than $2.1 million for the Honors College, the largest one-time donation in its history, and more than $1.4 million for the Linda G. and Donald N. Zillman Art Museum ā€“ 91±¬ĮĻ, which was named in the coupleā€™s honor in 2020 following their $1.3 million naming gift.

ā€œThis extraordinary gift from Linda Zillman reflects a lifelong commitment to excellence in both the arts and education,ā€ President Ferrini-Mundy said. ā€œHer generosity to our flagship university will expand opportunities for 91±¬ĮĻ honors students while strengthening the Zillman Art Museum as a valuable cultural and educational resource for the entire state.ā€

For the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation, the gift represents the culmination of a long relationship built on trust, shared purpose and transformative generosity.

ā€œOur staff worked with Linda and Don for many years. They had been very generous donors for a long time,ā€ Mills said. ā€œTheir gift to the university in their estate plan exemplified their desire to make a significant impact on both the museum and the 91±¬ĮĻ Honors College as their legacy.ā€

The gift to the Honors College will advance its role as a hub of transformative student learning at 91±¬ĮĻ, according to Dean Ellen Weinauer.

ā€œAs we celebrate 90 years of Honors at 91±¬ĮĻ, the Zillmansā€™ generous investment both recognizes our legacy on campus and paves the way for an even more vibrant future,ā€ Weinauer said.

Linda Zillman played a key role in relocating the 91±¬ĮĻ Museum of Art to downtown Bangor and served for more than a decade on the museumā€™s support board. The Zillmansā€™ legacy ā€” from expanded gallery space to sustained exhibition funding ā€” continues to shape the museum, said Executive Director and Curator George Kinghorn.

ā€œThroughout the years, Don and Linda Zillman were actively involved in advancing the museumā€™s mission and expanding its capacity to deliver top-tier contemporary art exhibitions and programs for the 91±¬ĮĻ community and visitors,ā€ Kinghorn said. ā€œFrom the addition of five galleries to ensuring sustained exhibition funding, they were extraordinary champions for the visual arts. Through this transformative bequest, Linda Zillman ensures the museum ā€” their shared legacy ā€” will continue to provide the life-enriching experience of viewing original art.ā€

In addition to 91±¬ĮĻ, the 91±¬ĮĻ at Presque Isle is also receiving a significant estate gift from Linda Zillman.

ā€œLinda and Don Zillman believed deeply in the power of Maineā€™s public universities to expand opportunity and enrich communities across the state,ā€ said Chancellor Dannel Malloy. ā€œConsistent with that, this extraordinary gift will strengthen our flagship universityā€™s ability to serve students and the public good for generations to come. Even after their passing, the Zillmans continue to positively impact the 91±¬ĮĻ System and inspire us all to honor their incredible legacy by elevating excellence in academics and the arts.ā€  

Contact: David Nordman, david.nordman@maine.edu

ā€œThis transformational gift will establish the Pierre D. Labat and Catherine C. Labat Athletic Leadership Fund, which will provide critical support for Black Bear student-athletes and athletic facilities,ā€ said Foundation President/CEO Jeff Mills. ā€œThe Labatsā€™ generosity reflects their love for 91±¬ĮĻ and their belief in the role athletics can play in helping young people develop and practice self-discipline in the personal, academic and career aspects of their lives.

According to the terms of their gift, the funds will be specifically and solely used for the benefit of the 91±¬ĮĻ Athletics. Purposes include enhancing student support and success, coach and staff recruitment and retention, capital expenditures and departmental support. This will include the new facilities mostly funded by the Harold Alfond Foundation. The universityā€™s athletics director will determine the specific allocation of funds.Ā 

“We are deeply honored by the Labatsā€™ extraordinary generosity,ā€ said 91±¬ĮĻ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. ā€œHis gift represents a remarkable commitment to our university’s mission and the holistic development of our student-athletes. His legacy will enhance our athletic programs and inspire future generations to give back and support their communities.”

In recognition of the substantial gift, Ferrini-Mundy has approved naming the universityā€™s softball complex after the Labats. The complex is the home to 91±¬ĮĻā€™s softball program. In addition, the complex is used by area youth and high school teams and allows the university to host state, conference and regional championship events. The complex is part of the Harold Alfond Foundationā€™s $320 million grant to the 91±¬ĮĻ System for UMS TRANSFORMS, which includes $170 million to support athletic facilities at 91±¬ĮĻ. The $9.5 million, 90,000 square-foot complex was opened in 2022. A formal dedication will be held at the first home softball game in 2025.

“We are immensely grateful for Lt. Col. Labat and Cathyā€™s incredible generosity and their enduring support for our athletic programs,ā€ 91±¬ĮĻ Athletic Director Jude Killy said. ā€œThe Labatā€™s legacy will inspire our student-athletes to continue to strive for excellence and will help enhance our ability to develop champions with integrity. As a former football student-athlete at 91±¬ĮĻ, and a successful professional following his Black Bear playing career, it is only fitting that this selfless generosity will contribute to the success of future student-athletes in perpetuity.”

Read the full story on the . 

Contact: Tyson McHatten, tyson.mchatten@maine.edu

By taking classes through her employee tuition waiver, Hamilton is on the precipice of completing her undergraduate degree in business management. She will walk for graduation in spring 2025 ā€” at the same time as her daughter will walk for high school graduation.

To 91±¬ĮĻ and back again

Hamilton grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and moved to Bangor as a teenager. Coming out of high school, she wasnā€™t sure what she wanted to study, she only knew that she wanted to help people. She took classes at the 91±¬ĮĻ in child and abnormal psychology, but felt she was learning more while working as a psychiatric technician at Acadia Hospital in Bangor. 

She said she also had her daughter in 2007, and prioritized making sure she had ā€œeverything she needed.ā€

After working at Acadia Hospital, Hamilton moved on to the former Plymouth Group Home in Dixmont. She then worked at Winterberry Heights Senior Living, during which she took classes at Eastern Maine Community College and eventually earned a degree in business management in 2013. She then landed at Community Care in Bangor, where she worked in the office coordinating appointments for the outpatient therapy, assisted with data entry and worked with the Maine Department of Health and Human Services for the treatment foster care program.

During that time, she realized she wanted to make a change in her career. Her husband was in the Air Force, and she made a friend through the ā€œwivesā€™ chatā€ who worked at the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation and told her about a job opening. 

ā€œI thought, why not try? It sounds like a great place to work for,ā€ Hamilton said.

Hamilton started working at the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation in 2018 as an administrative specialist. She loved job because ā€œevery day can look a little different,ā€ from data entry to mailing thank yous for donor gifts, to special projects like sending old 91±¬ĮĻ hockey photos from a donor to the former student athletes. 

ā€œEverybody has a role,ā€ Hamilton said. ā€œI think thatā€™s great. We work together as a team to make these things happen. Not every job that I’ve been at has had that feeling. Everyoneā€™s jobs are important every step of the way, from the person asking for the gift, processing the gift and everything in between.ā€

Deciding to go for the degree

Hamilton loved her job at the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation so much that she wanted to advance. She saw the undergraduate degree in business management as a great way to do that. The degree would not only provide her an additional credential, but also equip her with the skills to perform even better in her position and move up to a more managerial role. There was something else motivating her to get that degree too.

ā€œThe other piece was just to prove to myself that I could do it, that I could get through it,ā€ Hamilton said. 

Hamilton said that her colleagues and bosses at the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation were very supportive of her.

ā€œIf you decide you want to go back, talk to your employer and explain to them how important it is for you and how much it will benefit your job to have that experience of taking classes,ā€ Hamilton said. ā€œI’d encourage anybody to talk to their bosses just to get their feeling on it. I’ve been very, very supported.ā€

In fact, Hamiltonā€™s colleagues were more than just supportive ā€” they were excited and proud of her.

ā€œTaking courses, working full time and staying on top of her active family life is challenging, though Kristy is determined in her desire to complete her degree and is sustained by the sense of accomplishment she feels with each completed course,ā€ said Elizabeth Erickson, director of philanthropy at the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation and Hamiltonā€™s supervisor. ā€œI applaud Kristy’s commitment.ā€

Hamilton said that she was able to connect with a great adviser, Cynthia Dā€™Angelo, director of the Academic Advising Center at the Maine Business School, who helped make the process of enrolling simple and supported her in signing up for classes and answering all the questions Hamilton said sheā€™s ā€œthrown her way.ā€

ā€œKristy has been a joy to work with,ā€ Dā€™Angelo said. ā€œStudents that are working full-time and trying to complete their program, as Kristy is doing, need to be great at time management and be disciplined in making sure they have time to study and work.ā€

Hamilton said that Dā€™Angelo helped her figure out which credits from her previous schooling could apply to her new degree, which she recommended all nontraditional students explore. 

ā€œI took two and a half years [of college classes] out of high school,ā€ Hamilton said. ā€œSometimes it feels like that was for nothing, but itā€™s really not. You do get benefits from it.ā€

Working toward the degree

Hamilton started her degree program in 2020. , which made it easier for her to squeeze it in her busy schedule as a mom and a full-time employee. She said that this time around at 91±¬ĮĻ was ā€œdefinitely differentā€ from when she took a few psychology classes nearly two decades ago. 

ā€œYou know what youā€™re looking for, and you also have that thought process of ā€˜I need to make the most of this,ā€™ā€ Hamilton said. ā€œIā€™m not just sitting in the class just to get through so I can graduate in four years. You want to make sure that you’re doing everything, youā€™re getting there on time and you’re doing it correctly.ā€

Hamilton said that she genuinely enjoys most of her classes and there have even been some that have surprised her, like her business and technical writing class, human resources class and a database class that taught her how to code in Structured Query Language, or SQL.

ā€œWe have a group at the foundation that does that, and they helped me so much with that class,ā€ Hamilton said. ā€œI had a lot of fun with it.ā€

Of course, not every class has been all fun, but Hamilton isnā€™t one to back down from a challenge. Hamilton said that she failed a math class once, but when she retook it, she worked diligently with the professor and attended in-person class sessions before work so she could hear fellow studentsā€™ questions and solidify her knowledge.

ā€œDoing it completely online wasnā€™t going to work for me,ā€ Hamilton said. ā€œIā€™m very thankful for my professor for working with me. You gotta work with them; you have to show them that youā€™re willing.ā€

Steven Kimball, principal lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics who taught Hamilton, said that she ā€œdisplayed great determination and persistence.ā€

ā€œDespite the added challenges of juggling a full-time job and parenting, she was successful because of her ability to self-diagnose and then confront her weak areas, rather than ignore them,ā€ Kimball said. ā€œShe truly was a pleasure to work with and provided me with the positive reinforcement that keeps us educators going.ā€

Of course, Hamilton said, her academic achievement would not have been possible without her family. Her husband has picked up dinners and the kidsā€™ sports drop offs so she can study at night. Even Hamiltonā€™s eight-year-old son Carter has been helping her with ā€œquiet timeā€ so she can finish schoolwork. 

ā€œ A supportive family and friends all around really makes a difference,ā€ she said.

Getting ready to graduate 

Now, Hamilton is just a few classes away from that coveted undergraduate degree; she will complete her capstone course in fall 2025, but will walk this spring. She is especially excited because when she walks across the stage for graduation, she will be doing so around the same time as her daughter, who is graduating high school.

ā€œShe does not struggle in school at all,ā€ Hamilton said with a laugh. ā€œShe never has. I donā€™t know where she came from.ā€ 

For any other nontraditional students, Hamilton recommended that they ā€œtake it slow.ā€ Start with one class a semester and go from there. Hamilton said she took two classes a semester so she wouldnā€™t get overwhelmed, and even though it took a little longer, it was worth it.

ā€œKeep pushing through. Thatā€™s my biggest thing,ā€ Hamilton said. ā€œYouā€™ll be so proud of yourself at the end when you do that.ā€

Contact: Marcus Wolf, 207.581.3721; marcus.wolf@maine.edu 

The 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation has received a $1 million gift from the estate of Agnes Ann Walsh to establish the Agnes Ann Walsh Chair in the 91±¬ĮĻā€™s Department of Modern Languages and Classics.Ā 

The inaugural Walsh Chair is FrĆ©dĆ©ric Rondeau, joined the 91±¬ĮĻ faculty in 2013 and has served as director of the Canadian American Center on campus since 2021. Also an associate professor of French, he teaches courses on Francophone literature and regularly offers a May term travel course in Quebec. As Walsh Chair, he plans to emphasize creating international and experiential learning opportunities for students.  

Walsh, who graduated from 91±¬ĮĻ in 1941, passed away in 2021 at the age of 100. Born and raised in South Portland, Maine, she was heavily involved in campus life at 91±¬ĮĻ as a member of the universityā€™s debate team, language club, student publications and sports. Walsh was also a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority and Sophomore Owls, a campus leadership group.

With a degree in romance languages, Walsh enjoyed a long career as a high school Latin teacher. She taught at Washington Academy in East Machias, Maine; Thornton Academy in Saco, Maine; and Winchester High School in Winchester, Massachusetts, where she taught for over 25 years. 

ā€œAgnes Ann Walshā€™s bright spirit and passion for the 91±¬ĮĻ during her lifetime will now live on through her generous gift and the many students who will benefit from her generosity,ā€ said 91±¬ĮĻ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy.

As a 91±¬ĮĻ alumna,  Walsh was a passionate volunteer and financial contributor. Her dedication was recognized through the many awards she received, including the 2015 Hilda A. Sterling ā€˜55 Class Correspondent Award, a 1990 Black Bear Award and the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundationā€™s prestigious Stillwater Award. 

Jeffery Mills, the foundationā€™s president/CEO, recalled Walshā€™s acceptance speech when she received her Stillwater Society honor in 2019. 

ā€œAt nearly 100 years old, Agnes Ann gave one of the most heart-warming acceptance speeches I have ever witnessed at 91±¬ĮĻ,ā€ Mills said. ā€œHer contributions have benefitted numerous areas across campus, beyond this new fund, including the Buchanan Alumni House and the John Randall & Agnes Annie Walsh Scholarship to honor her parents. She was a loyal alumna who will be remembered fondly.ā€

ā€œI share Agnes Ann Walshā€™s confidence in the value of learning languages and am deeply grateful that she chose to leave her extraordinary legacy to support this purpose,” said Emily Haddad, dean of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. ā€œThe Walsh Chair and scholarship will create transformative opportunities for students of French and Spanish at 91±¬ĮĻ. I look forward to working with the inaugural Walsh Chair, professor FrĆ©dĆ©ric Rondeau, to realize the remarkable potential of Ms. Walshā€™s gift.ā€

Walsh has also funded the Agnes Ann Walsh ā€™41 Scholarship to benefit students majoring in romance languages.

Contact: Monique Hashey, monique@maine.edu

The 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation is currently to support the teamā€™s upcoming trip to Louisiana for the championships. In addition to travel expenses, funds can help buy new team equipment for the next season. 

Day one of the championships starts at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 14 at Brookshire Arena in Bossier City, Louisiana. In total, the championships last three days and end on Saturday, March 16. Seventeen from 91±¬ĮĻ are listed on the roster for the championships and range from freshman to seniors and weight classes from 141-235 lbs.

“With the support of the Harold Alfond Foundation, 91±¬ĮĻ will continue to build on and expand our athletic facilities and the growing success of our hockey programs,” said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of the 91±¬ĮĻ and the 91±¬ĮĻ at Machias. “We are grateful for the exciting opportunities these renovations will bring to not only our student-athletes but our university, local communities and state.”

 The men’s and women’s ice hockey teams will receive new locker rooms equipped with modern lighting and the latest technology to create one of the premier home locker room spaces in Hockey East. The programs will also benefit from a new film room equipped with seating for 42 individuals. Upgrades also will include improved branding and structure of the tunnel leading to the arena. 

 “Thanks in large part to the Harold Alfond Foundation, we are thrilled to showcase the details of the Alfond Arena and Shawn Walsh Hockey Center renovations,” said Jude Killy, director of athletics. “These enhancements to an already iconic venue will provide our student-athletes with a first-class, modern experience. The updated facilities will provide championship-caliber resources for our men’s and women’s ice hockey programs as they prepare to compete in front of the best fans in Hockey East. These improvements will continue our efforts towards being the premier destination for college hockey.”

 Connecting the two hockey facilities will be a new concourse entrance, featuring a modern origami building design to compliment the highly recognizable Alfond Arena profile. The spacious concourse will include renovated points of sale for tickets and concessions, as well as a new area for the Bear Necessities team store. A new Hockey Hall of Fame will celebrate and preserve the history of Maine Hockey. 

 “This renovation ensures our student-athletes will have the best game day experience in college hockey and a world-class training facility in line with the best facilities in the nation,” said Ben Barr, head men’s ice hockey coach. “The best fans in college hockey will have an enhanced experience before and during the game, which will only add to the electric atmosphere inside the Alfond.”

 Upon entering the facility, individuals will be welcomed to an area celebrating Maine’s only Division I program, with displays of athletics history and accomplishments. New and renovated offices for the men’s and women’s head coaches, assistant coaches and support staff will help create a new home for the hockey programs equipped with modern technology to train and care for student-athletes. 

 The Shawn Walsh Hockey Center will be upgraded with state-of-the-art sports medicine and strength and conditioning spaces. New hydrotherapy cold and hot tubs as well as larger and more efficient areas for treatment and injury prevention will improve these areas. A newly designed space with upgraded training equipment and new nutrition areas will also be included in the renovations.

 “The renovations to the arena are going to continue to draw great hockey players to Maine,” said Molly Engstrom, head women’s ice hockey coach. “This project will undoubtedly elevate the daily experience for our student-athletes and will elevate the game day experience for fans as we work to make Maine Hockey one of the best programs in the nation.”

 The Dexter Lounge will be revamped as one of the signature components of the building. Upgrades to the lounge will allow student-athletes, staff, donors and fans to enjoy events, meetings and gatherings to celebrate Maine Athletics. The renovated area also will feature improved branding to celebrate the history of Maine Hockey as well as recognition opportunities for donors and an improved entrance for premium seat holders.

 The upgrades to Alfond Arena and the Shawn Walsh Hockey Center will further 91±¬ĮĻ’s commitment to excellence in the state’s only Division I athletics program, strengthen gender equity and provide a preferred destination for high school sports championships, competitions and community events.

 “We are very grateful for the decades of support provided by the Harold Alfond Foundation,” said Jeffery Mills, 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation president. “Their very generous philanthropic efforts have made a significant impact on the 91±¬ĮĻ.”

 WBRC Inc. (Bangor, Maine), and Crawford Architects (Kansas City, Missouri) will serve as the architects for the project. Construction management will be executed by PC Construction (Portland, Maine), with work beginning in the spring of 2024. Forty Nine Degrees (Coldwater, Ohio) will lead the internal branding efforts. 

Contact: Tyson McHatten, tyson.mchatten@maine.edu

This endowed lecture series facilitates campus visits and presentations by prominent speakers with expertise at the interface of science and history. In the past, the series has hosted a broad range of speakers from varied academic disciplines.

To nominate a speaker to address the 91±¬ĮĻ community in fall 2024, submit a one-page letter of nomination and the curriculum vita of the nominee to sydne.record@maine.edu no later than Friday, March 8.

Simpson was a distinguished faculty member who began his 55-year career at 91±¬ĮĻ with the College of Life Sciences and the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station in 1931. His research program, which focused on aphids in potato plants, was renowned. 

Simpson served as the chair of the Entomology Department from 1954 until his retirement in 1974. He was the first recipient of the 91±¬ĮĻ Presidential Research Achievement Award. 

Awarded emeritus status upon retirement, he continued to work part-time as an editor with the Agricultural Experiment Station. 91±¬ĮĻ Professor emeritus David C. Smith dedicated his history of the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station to Simpson, noting that Simpson was ā€œone of three men whose work I admire.ā€

The estate gift from this donor, who chose to remain anonymous, is the largest single gift from an individual the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation has ever received. With it, 91±¬ĮĻ will recruit two new faculty chairs: one within the Maine College of Engineering and Computing and the other in mathematics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

  ā€œThis amount of support, invested in the two chair positions, will have a tremendous ripple effect through the faculty, department, college, and students as a permanent legacy,ā€ says 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation President/CEO Jeffery Mills. ā€œThis person cared deeply about the 91±¬ĮĻ, and we respect their desire to remain unnamed. We now must ensure that the donorā€™s wishes are carried out.ā€

Under the foundationā€™s current spending policy, this gift is estimated to provide about $500,000 annually to support both positions, or about $250,000 for each. Faculty with outstanding teaching and scholarly records will be selected. External searches will be conducted for both positions over the next couple of years.

ā€œRecruiting world-class talent who can produce impactful research and prepare students for todayā€™s and tomorrowā€™s workforce is essential to our mission. With these new positions and this historic funding to support them, the 91±¬ĮĻ is well-equipped to continue as a national leader in engineering, computing and mathematics research and education,ā€ says 91±¬ĮĻ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. ā€œWe are grateful to this generous alum for their gift, and to Jeff Mills and his team at the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation for their hard work in facilitating the donation.ā€ 

The Spofford Harris Kimball Chair in Mathematics is designed to improve excellence in educational opportunities and research contributions at 91±¬ĮĻ in any advanced topic or area of mathematics. This chair is named for professor Kimball, who led the department for many years, including the time in which the donor was studying here. Kimball was an active teacher-scholar and an important contributor to the university community.

ā€œThe anonymous donor has created a remarkable opportunity for the Department of Mathematics and Statistics to attract an exceptional researcher and teacher to the 91±¬ĮĻ. The Kimball Chair in Mathematics will be a point of pride for our college for generations to come,ā€ says Emily Haddad, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The Pioneering Innovation Chair in Engineering is designed to improve excellence in educational opportunities and research contributions at the university in any advanced topic or area selected by the Maine College of Engineering and Computing. They will provide instruction in either traditional or contemporary state-of-the-art engineering or technological subjects. 

ā€œā€˜Pioneering Innovationā€™ means to have the knowledge and the courage to take on big societal challenges and be willing to pioneer new ways for solving problems that matter to us all,ā€ says Giovanna Guidoboni, dean of the Maine College of Engineering and Computing. ā€œThanks to the trust that the donor has put in our college and our institution, the Maine College of Engineering and Computing has the privilege to champion this bold vision and to be the home of the ā€˜Pioneering Innovation Chair.ā€™ā€  

Donors often choose estate giving as a vehicle to establish their legacy. The 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation staff works diligently over periods of years with alumni and friends, along with their professional financial advisors and attorneys, to help them develop plans that meet their philanthropic goals. Many of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s largest gifts have been estate gifts ā€” funding projects such as scholarships, campus maintenance and beautification, revolving loans for students pursuing advanced medical degrees and the Darling Marine Center in Walpole. 

The 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation was established in 1934 to encourage gifts and bequests to promote academic achievement, research and intellectual pursuit at 91±¬ĮĻ.

Contact: Monique Hashey, 207.581.5100; monique@maine.edu

The gift increases the Alfond Foundationā€™s total commitment to 91±¬ĮĻ Athletics to $170 million, representing one of the largest single contributions to a Division I athletics program. Itā€™s part of the organizationā€™s broader commitment to the 91±¬ĮĻ Systems as part of UMS TRANSFORMS, a multi-pronged initiative that has also involved boosting student retention and success and building both a Maine Graduate and Professional Center and Maine College of Engineering and Computing.

The $80 million and additional funds raised through gifts and pledges will provide the support needed for various upcoming projects, including a 13,000 square-foot addition to the Shawn Walsh Center that will feature renovated strength and conditioning facilities, new film room, recovery rooms, team offices, expanded locker rooms, team lounges and a 4,900-square-foot expansion to Alfond Arena.

The funding will also assist in the construction of the Morse Arena, the future home of Maine men’s and women’s basketball, along with improvements to Mahaney Diamond and Mahaney clubhouse; the repositioning of, and installment, of new visiting sideline bleachers at Alfond Stadium, along with upgraded football operations areas; and the replacement of the Mahaney Dome with a connector to Memorial Gymnasium. 

 ā€œThe Harold Alfond Foundationā€™s continued support of the 91±¬ĮĻ and 91±¬ĮĻ athletics is unparalleled,ā€  says 91±¬ĮĻ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. ā€œThis support will have a long-lasting impact on current and future student-athletes, and the entire 91±¬ĮĻ community that will engage with these facilities. These beautiful new venues will provide opportunities for Maine people to gather and build community through athletics and more.ā€ 

Read the full story about the gift and its benefits . 

Contact: Tyson McHatten, tyson.mchatten@maine.edu

Gov. Janet Mills, Chancellor Dannel Malloy and the Board of Trustees announced today a new Lewiston Strong Tuition Waiver for eligible victims who choose to pursue a bachelorā€™s degree through any of Maineā€™s public universities. 

To make the transformational power of a four-year postsecondary degree even more accessible, UMS has also established a Lewiston Strong Scholarship Fund through which the public is invited to invest in the future of those impacted by the Lewiston shooting. The fund, which will be managed by the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation, will help defray other costs of college attendance including room, board and books, with preference given to those eligible for the waiver. 

ā€œI thank the 91±¬ĮĻ System for establishing the Lewiston Strong Tuition Waiver and Scholarship Fund, which will ensure that the cost of higher education will never be a barrier for those directly impacted by the tragedy in Lewiston,ā€ said Gov. Janet Mills. ā€œThrough their boundless generosity, Maine people are demonstrating that our state will stand by those who were injured and the families of those who were killed in the months, years and decades to come.ā€

Read the full story about the tuition waiver and scholarship fund . 

The 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation and the University of Southern Maine Foundation will both accept donations toward the scholarship fund. To donate through the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation, visit or mail checks to Lewiston Strong Scholarship Fund c/o 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation, Two Alumni Place, Orono, ME 04469-5792. 

To donate through the USM Foundation, visit or mail checks to Lewiston Strong Scholarship Fund c/o USM Foundation P.O. Box 9300, Portland, ME 04104-9300.

Contact: Samantha Warren, 207.632.0389; samantha.warren@maine.edu

Established in 1951, the Helene Fuld Health Trust aims to support and promote the health, welfare and education of student nurses, primarily through financial aid to nursing students in the MSN program. In the first year, $50,000 will be immediately available for scholarship support and $200,000 will establish the endowment. In the second and third years, $30,000 will be awarded to students and another $120,000 each year will be added to the endowment. 

ā€œThis award from the Helene Fuld Health Trust is vitally important to the future of the 91±¬ĮĻ School of Nursing because the Trust is providing both short-term and long-term support for nursing students,ā€ says Jeff Mills, 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation President and CEO. ā€œImmediate scholarships over the next three academic years will be available for masterā€™s students who will, upon graduation, be qualified to teach future nursing students. Because more than $400,000 of the award will be endowed at the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation, distributions from that endowment will provide scholarships in perpetuity for future students in the Master of Science in Nursing program.ā€

The 91±¬ĮĻ School of Nursing offers one of the universityā€™s most sought-after degree programs, receiving upward of 1,400 applications for approximately 80 seats available in the fall semesters of the past five years. Meanwhile, Maine faces a severe shortfall of registered nurses, aggravated by the fact that only 8.7% of Registered Nurses in the state have earned a Master of Science in Nursing at a time when advanced practice nurses are in high demand. 

All 15 of Maineā€™s Schools of Nursing need masterā€™s-prepared nurses to provide didactic, clinical, and laboratory instruction to nursing students. The critical shortage of qualified faculty further limits their ability to produce nurses for Maineā€™s workforce. 

ā€œThe need for nurses is increasing at an alarming rate, and this funding will enable our School of Nursing to accelerate the number of masterā€™s-prepared nurses. This will help address the critical nursing faculty shortage Maine is experiencing,ā€ says Kathryn Robinson, associate director and assistant professor of the 91±¬ĮĻ School of Nursing. 

Contact: Sam Schipani, samantha.schipani@maine.edu

This endowed lecture series facilitates campus visits and presentations by prominent speakers with expertise at the interface of science and history. The series has hosted a broad range of speakers from varied academic disciplines. Last yearā€™s speaker was Stephen Bocking, professor emeritus from the Trent School of Environment at Trent University, whose research encompassed the historical and contemporary roles of knowledge in environmental affairs.

To nominate a speaker to address the 91±¬ĮĻ community in fall 2023, submit a one-page letter of nomination and the curriculum vita of the nominee to sydne.record@maine.edu no later than Friday, April 28.

Simpson was a distinguished faculty member who began his 55-year career at 91±¬ĮĻ with the College of Life Sciences and the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station in 1931. His research program, which focused on aphids in potato plants, was renowned.Ā 

Simpson served as the chair of the Entomology Department from 1954 until his retirement in 1974. He was the first recipient of the 91±¬ĮĻ Presidential Research Achievement Award.Ā 

Awarded emeritus status upon retirement, he continued to work part-time as an editor with the Agricultural Experiment Station. 91±¬ĮĻ Professor emeritus David C. Smith dedicated his history of the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station to Simpson, noting that Simpson was ā€œone of three men whose work I admire.ā€

The 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation received the bequests from John Marshall Webber, a 1970 graduate who passed away on Oct. 24, 2022 at the age of 78. A Bangor native and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Webber enrolled at 91±¬ĮĻ following his military service and earned a bachelorā€™s degree in art.

Webber was an accomplished artist, investor, and lifelong learner who studied philosophy and enjoyed collecting Asian works of art. In 2007 Webber, a longtime member of the Friends of Fogler Library Advisory Board, worked with the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation to establish the John M. Webber Digital Library Fund. He created the endowed fund to help Fogler Library enhance its ability to acquire and access to digital resources worldwide. He also committed an additional $1 million gift to the fund, to be paid by his estate upon his passing.

ā€œCountless learners at the 91±¬ĮĻ and in the state of Maine will benefit from Mr. Webberā€™s vision, including interest in the arts and humanities, and in the value of accessing digital informational resources,ā€ said 91±¬ĮĻ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. ā€œWe deeply appreciate our alumni giving back to their alma mater and, in this case, to one of the pillars of our R1 university ā€” the stateā€™s research library.ā€

ā€œWe are very grateful for Mr. Webberā€™s tremendous and forward-thinking gift, which will support Fogler Libraryā€™s digitization efforts,ā€ said Daisy D. Singh, 91±¬ĮĻā€™s dean of libraries. ā€œWe are Maineā€™s largest academic library and we are also open to the public. His generous support will allow us to reenvision that traditional divide by making academic collections and projects more accessible to all.ā€

Also in 2007, Webber worked with the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation to establish another endowed fund, the John M. Webber School of Business Scholarship. It provides financial assistance to students enrolled in one of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s graduate-level business programs. Per Webberā€™s wishes, preference is given to students who are studying international business or finance, and who demonstrate their potential for career success following graduation.

ā€œThe generous bequest by John Webber to the John M. Webber School of Business Scholarship will enable many students to access world-class business programs at the 91±¬ĮĻ,ā€ said Jason Harkins, interim executive dean of the Maine Business School. ā€œThis support will impact Maine for generations as it enhances the ability of individuals from a variety of backgrounds to use education to enhance their career success.ā€

ā€œOn behalf of our MBA students and alumni, it is with deep gratitude that I acknowledge the $1 million bequest from Mr. Webber to support our graduate students,ā€ added Norman Oā€™Reilly, dean of the universityā€™s Graduate School of Business. ā€œThanks to his generosity, we will be able to further support students in our globally ranked MaineMBA program and attract and retain top talent in our great state.ā€

ā€œThe 91±¬ĮĻ campus was a special place to John,ā€ explained Jeffery N. Mills, 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation president and CEO. ā€œHe was a frequent visitor to Fogler Library until late in life, when health issues made trips to campus difficult. His generous bequests reflect his deep appreciation for the transformative nature of higher education and the role that Fogler, as a research library, plays in student and scholarly success.ā€

Mills noted that Webberā€™s gifts continued the extensive philanthropic support for the university and community provided by his late parents, G. Peirce Webber and Florence (Pitts) Webber. A prominent businessman and civic leader, Peirce Webber led Webber Timberlands, which, under his leadership, became one of Maineā€™s largest private landowners. Peirce Webber, who died in 2001, had been a member of the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation Board of Directors and served a term as its board chair.

The 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation was established in 1934 to encourage gifts and bequests to promote academic achievement, research and intellectual pursuit at the 91±¬ĮĻ.

Contact: Margaret Nagle, nagle@maine.edu

Thanks to a generous donation from Sam and Sarah Goos, whose daughter Ariel studied studio art at 91±¬ĮĻ and graduated in 2019, 91±¬ĮĻ was able to open the Goos Family Studio. The new studio is allowing the ceramics program at 91±¬ĮĻ to grow and giving plenty of space for students to be creative. Now that the programā€™s new class, Ceramics II, is wrapping up its first semester in the studio, students in the Department of Art and beyond are already seeing the impact of the gift and what it was able to achieve.

Sam and Sarah Goos live in Alton, New Hampshire, where Sam works as a dermatologist and Sarah is a retired attorney. Sam hails from the Augusta, Maine, area, and his parents, Julius and Charlotte, attended 91±¬ĮĻ. Ariel Goos followed in her grandparentsā€™ footsteps, graduating in 2019 with a degree in studio art. As Ariel was preparing for the end of her 91±¬ĮĻ college career, the Gooses decided that they wanted to honor their daughterā€™s graduation ā€” and their familyā€™s multi-generational connection to 91±¬ĮĻ ā€” through a gift to the department that made Arielā€™s time at 91±¬ĮĻ special.

Matt Mullen, 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation philanthropy officer for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said that Sam and Sarah Goos were exceptional donors in many ways. For one, it is rare that parents with no alumni affiliation give a gift of the size that the Gooses wanted to give. The Gooses were also open to whatever the Department of Art needed, and landed on the ceramics studio, despite the fact that Ariel is more of a painter. As the logistical challenges of creating a ceramics studio ā€” during the pandemic, no less ā€” led to additional costs, the Gooses contributed further. 

ā€œWeā€™re delighted to be able to support the Art Department at 91±¬ĮĻ with this gift. The Goos Family Studio will serve as a lasting reminder of the opportunities it provided for our family and for future art students for years to come,ā€ Sam and Sarah Goos wrote in a statement.

The gift also includes an endowment that will continue to financially support the maintenance and upkeep of the studio. Some of the funds were provided by Julius Goosā€™ estate when he passed away in 2020 ā€” and recently from Ariel Goos as she started her life after 91±¬ĮĻ.

ā€œIt was really a vote of confidence in the department,ā€ Mullen says. ā€œIt says a lot about the family that they were giving something that would come to fruition after their daughter graduated. Itā€™s really three generations of giving back to making this happen. Itā€™s pretty remarkable.ā€

The studio is located in a renovated York Complex building. This semester was the first where students were finally able to take the newly launched upper-level ceramics class in the updated space.

John Eden and Constant Albertson, both long-time ceramics instructors at 91±¬ĮĻ, say that the new studio is an incredible asset for the program. Previously, 91±¬ĮĻā€™s only ceramics class, Ceramics I, was held in the Sculpture Studio abutting the parking lot for the Collins Center for the Arts. The space was not large enough to accommodate the needs of the ceramics class, much less expand the offerings.

ā€œIt’s infinitely better,ā€ Eden says. ā€œBefore, tables were so close together that it was difficult to get close enough to help individual students. The new studio makes a fantastic difference.ā€

Eden and Albertson can already see the benefits to their students because of the expanded space and expanded offerings. Albertson says that Ceramics II allows students to expand the basic techniques they learned in Ceramics I to be ā€œmore sophisticated, more themed based, more conceptually,ā€ as well as learning about techniques like firing and developing glazes. 

ā€œIt puts students a step beyond,ā€ Albertson says. ā€œItā€™s a very old and ancient way that human beings have explored ideas and we do ultimately have the same brain that we had thousands of years ago. We learn with our hands as much as anything. In a world where people spend more time at computers than making objects with their hands, ceramics offers a relief. It’s a way to learn, explore, communicate, and express oneself in a way that human beings have always done.ā€

The students can see the benefits, too, as the higher-level ceramics class has allowed them to express their creativity at a different level. Each month, Albertson gives the students a prompt to interpret with their work.

Chanthu Millay, an art education major, took the prompt of ā€œsolaceā€ to reflect on her experience as a survivor of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. She has sculpted one of the ā€œkilling treesā€ where the regime killed children that now has bracelets hanging from it to represent the lives lost, to which she will add her own bracelet. Below are three faces symbolizing the stages of grief, sadness and eventual peace she has experienced in processing the event.

Millay says that after virtual learning, having a physical space to do art has been a game changer for her as an artist.

ā€œIā€™m not big into messes and so when I had to do it at home it was torture,ā€ Millay says. ā€œHaving ceramics is essential as an artist. I think I’ve become a better artist by being able to look at materials and space differently, giving me the ability to tackle new situations.ā€

Kal Bailey, a third-year student studying studio art, says that they were ā€œimmediately on boardā€ when they saw Ceramics II was available.

ā€œIn other studio art classes, the students tend to already know the material whereas, in ceramics, students often havenā€™t worked with clay before,ā€ Bailey says. ā€œIt creates a different challenge for them to work through.ā€

The studio even benefits students who arenā€™t art majors. Desiree Tanner is a senior studying microbiology and chemistry. She says that she likes to make planters for her houseplants in ceramics class while also getting a creative outlet from her STEM major.

ā€œI have done almost every type of art and I can say this one is definitely my favorite,ā€ Tanner says. 

One of the things all the students said that they love the most about the new studio is that it is open 24/7.

ā€œCreativity comes at all hours of the day and the night. Being restricted to a couple of hours is really, really hard. I need to be able to come in when I’m feeling that creative moment. Having the studio open like that is really essential,ā€ Millay says.

Justin Wolff, professor of art history and chair of the Department of Art, said the new studio is helping 91±¬ĮĻā€™s art curriculum become even more well-rounded by providing its students with more skills in three-dimensional art.

ā€œGrowing the ceramics program allows us to increase their strength in this area,ā€ Wolff says. ā€œIt gives students much broader training and exposure to different types of making, and not just the conceptual design work of 2D, but the hands-on building and assembling required in three-dimensional art. It gives our students better preparation and greater breadth. The space allows us to grow that curriculum. You canā€™t really ask for more than a gift like that.ā€

Plus, ceramics as a discipline is hot right now. Ceramics I counts toward 91±¬ĮĻā€™s art general education requirement, so there is plenty of demand from outside of the department. Wolff says he often fields calls from community members looking to use the studio, and he has to kindly turn them away ā€” right now, the space is only for 91±¬ĮĻ classes.

ā€œItā€™s a popular course and students really enjoy being in a space that is clean and safe and modern and up-to-date where they can get their hands into the clay and make things that theyā€™re proud of,ā€ Wolff says.

Contact: Sam Schipani, samantha.schipani@maine.edu

The contribution is part of the private fundraising campaign underway to meet the as part of UMS TRANSFORMS, funded by the Harold Alfond Foundation.

With the Morse donation, $13.2 million of the $20 million goal has been raised by the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation.

ā€œWe are pleased to support 91±¬ĮĻ athletics through The Alfond Fund and this landmark UMS TRANSFORMS project made possible by the Alfond Foundation,ā€ says Phillip Morse. ā€œHarold Alfond was an inspiration to me, and itā€™s an honor to contribute to initiatives that advance his vision for advancing Maine and the stateā€™s Division I athletics program. He is an example of how one good, generous person can make a big difference for generations.ā€

The 91±¬ĮĻ System Board of Trustees authorized the naming of , one of the new signature projects of the master facilities plan. The 3,000-seat facility will be the home court of menā€™s and womenā€™s basketball, and provide a venue for large-scale campus and community events. The arena will include a significant interior space that will be named for the Morsesā€™ longtime friend Thomas ā€œSkipā€ Chappelle, 91±¬ĮĻ menā€™s basketball student-athlete and coach from 1959ā€“62 and 1971ā€“88, respectively. 

This is the second major naming gift by the Morses, members of the 91±¬ĮĻ Class of 1964, to the 91±¬ĮĻ athletics portion of the $240 million UMS TRANSFORMS initiative, and the familyā€™s fourth major gift to support athletics in the past 25 years.

ā€œThe generous support of Phillip and Susan Morse has made a lasting difference on the 91±¬ĮĻ student experience and what Maineā€™s only Division I athletics program offers communities and fans,ā€ says 91±¬ĮĻ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. ā€œWe appreciate their leadership and vision that will impact generations at their alma mater.ā€

Last December, Phillip and Susan Morse provided a . The gift also is part of the private fundraising for the Alfond challenge grant match.

Morse Field at Alfond Sports Stadium, a facility made possible by the generous donation of Harold Alfond and the Morses, opened in 1998. The Morse family pledged $1 million in 2007 to provide a significant upgrade to 91±¬ĮĻ’s Morse Field playing surface at Harold Alfond Sports Stadium. In 2013, the Morse family presented 91±¬ĮĻ Athletics with an $800,000 gift to be used to install the high-definition video scoreboard on Morse Field.

ā€œPhil and Sue have been loyal supporters of the 91±¬ĮĻ for a long time and their gifts have had a lasting impact,ā€ says Jeffery Mills, president and CEO of the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation. ā€œDonors at this level are making a significant investment in 91±¬ĮĻ’s future and their leading commitment will inspire others. We are grateful for their vision and desire to make a difference.ā€

Phillip, vice chairman of the Boston Red Sox since 2004 and a partner since 2002, and Susan met at 91±¬ĮĻ. They live in Lake George, New York and Jupiter, Florida.

At 91±¬ĮĻ, Susan majored in education and Philip majored in sociology. Phillip also lettered in baseball and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. 

Upon her graduation from 91±¬ĮĻ, Susan taught school in Darien, Connecticut and in Sudbury, Massachusetts. After she and Phillip married in 1966, they settled in Glens Falls, New York. She put aside teaching to raise their three daughters, Katherine (91±¬ĮĻ ā€™92), Shelley (Middlebury ’95) and Lindsey (UVM ’98). She served on the Glens Falls School Districtā€™s Board of Education for several years, and has long been passionate about education.

Phillipā€™s career achievements include founding North American Instrument Corporation in 1969, a company focused on the development, manufacturing and sales of the first transparent fluid delivery system for coronary angiography, the Morse Manifold. By 1994, the firm had grown into NAMIC U.S.A. Corporation, an 800-employee designer and manufacturer of a wide array of medical devices for interventional cardiology and radiology. Morse served as NAMICā€™s chairman until its sale to Pfizer, Inc. in 1995. After more than 40 years, the Morse Manifold continues to be used in more than half of all cardiac catheterization procedures.

Contact: Margaret Nagle, nagle@maine.edu

The elm, which was over 150 years old and sited next to Hitchner Hall on campus, was named after internationally recognized plant pathologist Richard Campana who saved the tree with pioneering Dutch Elm disease research. The treeā€™s significance also inspired the establishment of a in the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation. The Campana elm was taken down earlier this month after arborists determined the main trunk of the tree was nearly fully rotted and it would not survive a major wind storm. 

Bailey and Libby have been working throughout summer to collect and root cuttings from the elm that will hopefully bring back the legacy of a tree that is said to have predated the establishment of the university. 

Libby met Bailey in fall 2021 when she was a student in his Woody Landscaping Plants class. 

ā€œMakaila was an outstanding student in class, not only was she smart but she was involved and engaged, and I had been thinking to myself how great it would be to have her work for me,ā€ says Libby. So when Bailey approached Libby at the end of the semester and asked what he thought she should do for her required field experience, Libbyā€™s response was ā€œyou could work for me.ā€

When Bailey started, she says she had no idea she was going to be involved with saving a 91±¬ĮĻ historical landmark. But when Libby happened to mention to her that he had been collecting cuttings from the Campana elm, Baileyā€™s interest peaked and she offered to help.

ā€œThere were other students involved early on, but as time went on it became Makailaā€™s project, frankly because she was familiar with it, sheā€™s a very good anticipator and can see the big picture. It was really easy for me to just collect the cuttings and Makaila knew what to do with them,ā€ says Libby.

Bailey and Libby had been collecting around 30 cuttings about every two weeks from May to when the elm was cut down in August. They had originally hoped to gather seeds as well, but there were no viable options, which made the cutting propagation even more important. As the cuttings root, Makaila has begun to pot them. 

ā€œThis is really exciting because itā€™s not a guarantee just because you go through the procedure that you will see the roots grow. But this is just the first step, now we have to keep the deer off them and get them through the winter,ā€ says Libby.

The goal for Bailey and Libby is to have the cuttings eventually ready to be replanted on campus, as other elm cuttings have been through the decades at 91±¬ĮĻ. Libby says locations have not yet been determined, but it will need to be areas with good soil and somewhere people can enjoy them. 

In order for a tree to be replanted it needs to be the ideal size. The campus is a high-traffic area and they will need to wait to replant when the trunks are at least 2 inches in diameter to ensure the safety of the trees.

ā€œAs a student, itā€™s really cool to be involved in something that was so important to the campus. I didnā€™t know anything about sticking cuttings or propagating trees before working for Brad so this whole process has been a learning experience for me and itā€™s really been a lot of fun,ā€ says Bailey.

Before coming to 91±¬ĮĻ, Bailey visited the Surry Gardens in Surry, Maine and from this trip realized that was what she wanted to do in her future.

ā€œI Googled what I could do with greenhouses and business; and horticulture came up. From there, I looked up schools that offer horticulture programs and 91±¬ĮĻ was the best option for me. There are so many opportunities here and itā€™s been amazing to connect with the people in my major and the professors have helped me a lot,ā€ she says. 

Bailey plans to continue working with Libby throughout her upcoming senior year at 91±¬ĮĻ. They hope that everything will go smoothly as they transition to keep the cuttings alive when it gets colder. In the winter, Libby says there are many options they will have to explore in order to ensure the survival of the elm.

Contact: Margaret Nagle, nagle@maine.edu

Upward of 500 people from throughout the state attended the grand opening ceremony for Ferland EEDC on Aug. 24. The late-morning program was followed by a ribbon-cutting and an open house with students and faculty greeting guests on the three floors of the $78 million facility ā€” the largest project of its kind in 91±¬ĮĻ history, made possible with the support from more than 500 donors and a $50 million investment from the state of Maine.

A recording of the event livestream is .

Ferland EEDC is home to the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Biomedical Engineering Program, and includes teaching laboratories for the Mechanical Engineering Technology Program. 

The Student Project Design Suite is the best of its kind in the Northeast, with 44 workbenches that will be assigned to students; and shops for biomedical engineering, electronics, 3D printing, vehicles, metals, wood and composites. The building also houses the Campus Welcome and STEM Outreach Center, which will be the starting point for campus tours and five collaborative classrooms that will serve the entire campus.

The facility will have the capacity to increase engineering enrollment by a third ā€” 600 additional students a year ā€” to meet the demand of students and employers in the state.

Approval of $50 million in public investment over 10 years by the Maine Legislature and then-Gov. Paul LePage in 2017 helped to catalyze the campaign. Since then, a record $25 million in private support was raised from more than 500 alumni, friends, foundations and corporate donors for this capital priority of 91±¬ĮĻā€™s $200 million Vision for Tomorrow comprehensive campaign, led by the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation. 

In the years since, subsequent state Legislatures and Gov. Janet Mills have sustained this support and in May, appropriated additional debt service that will help modernize other engineering and related facilities at 91±¬ĮĻ and across the 91±¬ĮĻ System to advance a goal to double the output of engineers and computing and information science professionals to meet the demands of Maine employers for world-class talent and innovation.

Construction of the 115,000-square-foot facility began in May 2020. A virtual groundbreaking was held in April 2020; a virtual topping off ceremony was held in February 2021.

WBRC Architects Engineers, based in Bangor, and Ellenzweig of Boston designed Ferland EEDC; Consigli Construction of Milford, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine led its construction. 

Over the two years of the design and two years of the construction of Ferland EEDC, more than 70 91±¬ĮĻ alumni are estimated to have worked on the project.

ā€œThis state-of-the-art center at our R1 university will allow us to produce more engineering and computing and information science professionals that Maine needs to grow its economy and be competitive in the world,ā€ said 91±¬ĮĻ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. ā€œThis facility is a tribute to the forward thinking and leadership of three Legislatures and two Governors on behalf of the people of Maine and stakeholders who know the value of a 91±¬ĮĻ education and hands-on research learning and the difference it makes in the success of its students, alumni and the state.ā€

This is an exciting, pivotal time for engineering education in ā€” and for ā€” Maine, said 91±¬ĮĻ College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey. ā€œThe Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center is a capital investment in the future of engineering education that will impact Maine and beyond, made possible by the vision and leadership of hundreds of donors and corporate partners who know the difference that this facility will make in workforce and economic development. Coupled with the transformational investment in the Maine College of Engineering, Computing and Information Science by the Harold Alfond Foundation, we are positioned to provide the critical industries, communities, and employers with the skilled workers and innovation needed to meet demand and move Maine forward.ā€

The buildingā€™s $10 million naming gift, the largest capital gift in 91±¬ĮĻ history, came from Skowhegan natives E. James ā€œJimā€ Ferland ā€™64 and Eileen P. Ferland.

Five additional major naming gifts to the project came from the Abbagadassett Foundation; Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation; Harold Alfond Foundation; Packaging Corporation of America; and Pratt & Whitney. 

ā€œWeā€™d like to acknowledge Dean Dana Humphrey’s leadership, as well as the dedicated design and construction team,ā€ said the Ferlands. ā€œItā€™s an honor to have the Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center bear our family name. It’s what we expected ā€” a place that will inspire and prepare the next generation of 91±¬ĮĻ engineers.ā€

The Ferlandā€™s gift in 2018 was an important catalyst for the center funding, said 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation President Jeff Mills.

“Their generosity and vision inspired others which led us to the finish line for completing this state-of-the-art center,” Jeff Mills said.

Contact: Margaret Nagle, nagle@maine.edu

A more than 150-year-old American elm tree at the 91±¬ĮĻ that was saved by pioneering research on Dutch elm disease and that inspired the establishment of a campus natural heritage fund has succumbed to rot in its trunk and will be removed from the Hitchner Hall landscape in early August.

Seeds and cuttings from the tree, known as the Campana elm, have been collected, ensuring the tree lives on, and wood that can be salvaged from the tree will be saved for possible use on campus and potential fundraising efforts for the through the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation.

Arborists have closely monitored the tree in recent years to ensure its health and the safety of the campus community. For decades, its massive limbs have been cabled together overhead to ensure stability. Through the years, historians have noted that the elm may have predated the establishment of the 91±¬ĮĻ in 1865.

This spring, arborists determined that the main trunk of the tree was nearly fully rotted ā€” degradation that created compromised structural conditions and safety concerns. The assessment concluded that the tree would not survive a major wind storm and that there were no other options to sustain it. 

The 91±¬ĮĻ campus has several elms remaining, but the Campana elm is the most prominent and oldest.

ā€œThe natural beauty of our campus landscape is one of the universityā€™s many distinctive features,ā€ says 91±¬ĮĻ President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. ā€œIt is a community loss when one of our stately heritage trees is lost to natural causes, but the legacy of the Campana elm ā€” both its scientific and historic significance ā€” will live on and our commitment to a sustainable natural campus landscape remains steadfast.ā€

Native American elms once dominated the landscape and were a popular shade tree lining city and town streets. A 1922 tree survey at 91±¬ĮĻ noted that most of the campus streets were predominantly lined with elms and maples. The Mall was originally planted with two rows of American elms, according to the . 

In 1987, the last nine elms on the Mall, 60-year-old trees that had been transplanted as seedlings and grown on campus, died from Dutch elm disease and were removed to make way for young ash trees planted a decade earlier.

Dutch elm disease, a non-native, invasive fungal pathogen, was introduced in Ohio in the 1930s and spread nationwide, killing millions of trees in communities and in forests. 

Internationally recognized plant pathologist Richard Campana began his pioneering work on Dutch elm disease in the Midwest in the 1950s. He joined the 91±¬ĮĻ community in 1958 as head of the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. 

For more than four decades, Campana conducted research and was a sought-after expert on the disease that was decimating the iconic shade trees across the American landscape. At 91±¬ĮĻ, he trialed different fungus-killing compounds to inject into the elm trees on campus and at different locations in Maine in an attempt to curb the rate of disease infection. In the 1970s, he and his students were attempting to save the remaining elms on campus. In 1977, an estimated 60% of them were infected with Dutch elm disease, but Campanaā€™s team was able to keep some of them alive with the chemical injections. 

One of the successful treatments was against an early infection of Dutch elm disease in the oldest stately elm near Hitchner Hall in 1978, which was injected again in 2004. 91±¬ĮĻ continued the elmā€™s treatments every three years.

The elm was named in honor of Campana in 2000, a year after initial building plans for the Hitchner Hall addition were revised to accommodate the tree following community concern that it not be lost to construction.

Campana passed away in 2005. In his obituary, his family noted that ā€œDick was a strong supporter of the health of the trees on the 91±¬ĮĻ campus,ā€ and support of the cause in his memory could be made to the Campus Natural Heritage Endowment Fund.

The fund was established in 1999 with a $10,300 donation by 91±¬ĮĻ professor Susan Brawley to help support the long-term care and beautification on campus, and related planning, educational and outreach programs. The Campus Beautification and Arboretum Committee administers the funds from the endowment, which now totals $53,000 with the contributions of 77 donors.

The spirit of the fund is to help support the care and enhancement of the natural environment on campus, says Brawley, a 91±¬ĮĻ professor of plant biology in the School of Marine Sciences and cooperating professor of biological sciences in the School of Biology and Ecology. Goals include preservation of the campus landscape as a sustainable natural heritage while providing a setting for teaching and research ā€” a living classroom and reflection of Maine.

91±¬ĮĻā€™s campus was designated as an arboretum in 2002 with the help of then 91±¬ĮĻ Provost Robert Kennedy, who went on to serve as university president.

The loss of the Campana elm is a springboard for renewing interest in the Campus Natural Heritage Endowment Fund and the importance of the natural landscape at 91±¬ĮĻ. 

91±¬ĮĻā€™s natural landscape has been a focus since the inception of the stateā€™s land grant university. Indeed, famous landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park in New York City, was hired to design the campus of the then Maine State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts in 1866. 

This year is the . 

Olmsted walked over the designated land adjacent to the Stillwater River, and even in his first report to the Maine State College trustees, he reflected his appreciation of the varied natural landscape and how it should affect building placement.

The college trustees did not fully accept his campus plan, but Olmstedā€™s vision for landscape design carried forward in the way the campus developed, particularly in the early years. 

ā€œThe love and fame of this tree in Maine and elsewhere provide a pivotal opportunity to convert sadness into securing care of our campus for the ages,ā€ says Brawley.

To donate to the Campus Natural Heritage Endowment Fund, or contact the 91±¬ĮĻ Foundation, umainefoundation@maine.edu.

Contact: Margaret Nagle, nagle@maine.edu