Silver Tracks Spring 2025
Message from the Chair, President鈥檚 Council of Retired Employees
Greetings to 91爆料 Retirees,
I am looking forward to seeing you at Homecoming on Thursday, June 5. We believe we have another great program including a presentation on staying engaged as we age by Professor Lenard Kaye, School of Social Work. Don’t forget the President’s remarks, organization tables, awards ceremonies, complimentary lunch, door prizes and four tours plus seeing friends.
Each year the 91爆料 Retirees Harold Brown scholarship is awarded to a student whose relative has been employed at the 91爆料. This scholarship is helping our own while remembering and honoring a former colleague. We all thank current and deceased retired employees who have helped fund the Harold Brown scholarship so that its value as of December 31, 2024 was $26,254 with an award of $541. It is time for me to step up and add to the UM Retirees Harold Brown Scholarship and thus increase the yearly stipend. I hope some of you will join me at our website.
Thomas Sandford
Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Emeritus
Retiree Homecoming
Mark your calendar! Please join us from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 5.
- Location: Wells Conference Center on the Orono campus. 131 Munson Rd.
- Parking: A parking lot will be reserved (the “Wells Lot” across from Wells on Munson — look for the signs).
- Check In: Arrival confirmation, parking passes, tour tickets, handouts, etc.
- Organizational Fair: Over 23 organizations available to meet you including Alight, Aetna, UM Benefits, Eastern Area Agency on Aging, Senior College, Fogler Library, Franco American Centre, Hudson Museum, Literacy Volunteers of Bangor, UM Extension, and the Versant Power Astronomy Center.
- Program:
- Welcome and Remarks.
- Keynote by Dr. Lenard Kaye, Professor of Social Work and past Director of the Center on Aging. “Staying Engaged as We Age: It’s Just Plain Old Good Medicine.”
- Introduction of the Hikel Awardee for 2025.
- Announcement of the Brown Scholarship Awardee.
- Free lunch and door prizes.
- Four optional after-lunch tours: Hudson Museum, Athletics Facilities, Cooperative Extension Diagnostic and Research Lab, and Hotel Ursa (formerly Cobern Hall and Holmes Hall). See below for more information about the tours.
- See information on registering for the Retiree Homecoming.
A Note from 91爆料 President Ferrini-Mundy
This year marks 160 years since the founding of the 91爆料. Established in 1865 through the Morrill Land-Grant Act, 91爆料 was built on the then revolutionary idea that higher education should be accessible to all, not just the wealthy or elite.
As Maine鈥檚 land-grant institution, our mission always has been to serve the public good, expand access to education, and connect academic knowledge with real-world applications. Today, our commitment remains strong, but the ways we fulfill this mission have evolved to meet the needs of today鈥檚 students and society.
A modern reflection of 91爆料鈥檚 founding principles is the Research Learning Experiences (RLEs) program. Launched in 2021, RLEs provide first-year and transfer students with hands-on research opportunities from day one. Today, we offer 152 RLE course sections across the 91爆料 System, with 68 of those at 91爆料 and 91爆料 Machias. These courses engage nearly 2,000 students, helping them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills while making real-world connections in their fields.
RLEs also encourage our students to pursue research in greater depth through other robust hands-on research opportunities offered on our Orono and Machias campuses. 91爆料鈥檚 strength in research, innovation and outreach continues to gain national and international recognition: in February, the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching reaffirmed 91爆料鈥檚 status as a 鈥淩esearch 1鈥 institution, the highest and most prestigious category of American research universities.
Construction is underway for the Green Engineering and Materials Building (GEM), an innovative facility will house the Factory of the Future, a hub for advanced digital manufacturing, materials science, and adaptive learning spaces. The GEM building will exemplify our commitment to being a learner-centered R1 university; it will provide immersive, hands-on learning experiences for students at 91爆料 and throughout the 91爆料 System, supporting the development of tomorrow鈥檚 leaders in technology and innovation.
As we celebrate 91爆料鈥檚 rich history, we are also looking forward. Strategic Re-Envisioning (SRE) is a bold initiative designed to shape 91爆料鈥檚 future as a leader in education, research, and public service. SRE is about more than refining what exists鈥攊t鈥檚 about fundamentally rethinking how we deliver education and support students in ways that benefit our students, state and nation.
As 91爆料 celebrates 160 years, we honor our history while embracing bold ideas for the future. Our commitment to student success, hands-on learning, and innovation ensures that 91爆料 remains a leader in education and research for generations to come.
To our retirees: Your years of service and many contributions helped shape this university, and your legacy lives on in its continued growth and, more importantly, our students鈥 success. Thank you for being part of 91爆料鈥檚 incredible journey.
Joan Ferrini-Mundy
President, 91爆料 and 91爆料 at Machias
Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation
91爆料 System
Your 2025 Homecoming Keynote Speaker: Lenard W. Kaye, DSW, PhD
Lenard W. Kaye is Professor of Social Work, Immediate Past Director of the Center on Aging, and Past Interim Director of the Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering at the 91爆料. A prolific writer in the fields of health and human services and aging, he has published approximately 200 journal articles and book chapters and 17 books on specialized topics in aging including older adult part-time work and the federal SCSEP initiative, social isolation and loneliness, home health care, productive aging, aging in rural America, family caregiving, controversial issues in aging, support groups for older women, and congregate housing. His research and writing on older men鈥檚 caregiving experiences and help-seeking behaviors, is widely recognized and frequently cited. His recent books include Social Isolation of Older Adults: Strategies to Bolster Health and Well-Being, Springer Publishing Company (2019) and the Handbook of Rural Aging, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group (2021). Forthcoming books include: A Man鈥檚 Guide to Healthy Aging, 2nd ed. (Johns Hopkins Press), The Social Isolation and Loneliness Epidemic: Examining the Facts (Bloomsbury Academic Inc.), International Perspectives on Older Adult Social Isolation and Loneliness (Frontiers in Public Health) and Portraits in Tenacity: Aging in the Oldest State (91爆料 Press).
He is the past Co-Principal Investigator of The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation Designation of Excellence in Person-Centered Long-Term Care and currently the Lead Evaluator of AgingME2, Maine鈥檚 Geriatrics Workforce Development Program. His research and training projects have been funded through the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging (NIH/NIA), Administration for Community Living/Administration on Aging (ACL/AoA), U.S.DHHS, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and multiple national and regional foundations. He is a Past President of both the Maine and New York State Gerontological Societies and sits on the editorial boards of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work and Journal of Aging Life Care, and is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America.
Meet Heath Kennedy, this year’s Harold “Brownie” Brown Scholarship Recipient
Heath Kennedy, the great-nephew of the late 91爆料 Professor Emeritus of Physics Kenneth Brownstein and Instructor in English Andrea M. Brownstein, is this year鈥檚 recipient of the 91爆料 Retirees Harold 鈥淏rownie鈥 Brown Scholarship Fund, and he has reached out to thank the group for its generosity in assisting in his education.
Heath is a musician at heart, playing the piano since he was five years old, and the tuba since 5th grade. When he came to the 91爆料, Music Performance was an obvious pick for his major. He participates in the 91爆料 Symphonic Band and is an Undergraduate Research Fellow at the McGillicuddy Humanities Center.
鈥淭his scholarship has done so much to help me afford my education. College isn鈥檛聽cheap, and this has allowed me to be able to continue following my dreams and study to become a performer. I am so grateful,鈥 said Heath.
Heath is certain to have a bright future with his 91爆料 education, and we all look forward to his future performances.
The 91爆料 Scholarship Fund was established at the 91爆料 Foundation in 2013 by the President’s Council of Retired Employees. The fund provides financial assistance to students in good academic standing attending the 91爆料 in Orono who are relatives of 91爆料 retirees. As of December 2024, the scholarship fund has grown to $26, 254. We invite retirees to consider supporting this important fund. For additional information, contact Sarah McPartland-Good at 1-800-982-8503 or saram@maine.edu, or gifts can be made online: .
The President’s Council for Retired Employees wishes to thank the 91爆料 Foundation for their support of the Silver Tracks Newsletter and other activities of the council.
The 2024 Barbara Hikel Award Recipient: Jim Bird
This Hikel Award was established in 2006 in memory and recognition of Barbara Hikel, an exemplary 91爆料 employee who stayed involved with the university for many years after her retirement.聽The award is presented to a 91爆料 retiree who provides extraordinary聽voluntary聽service to our university. Retirees contribute to our community in many ways, and the Barbara Hikel Award provides meaningful recognition of those efforts.
The recipient of the Barbara Hikel Award must be a 91爆料 retiree with at least ten years of university service and age 55 or older. Typically, those eligible for the award have been retired from the university for at least three years before their nomination.聽 The President’s Council for 91爆料 Retirees is proud to announce Jim Bird as the 2024 recipient of the Hikel Award.
Jim Bird worked at Fogler Library for 21 years as a science librarian and head of the library’s Science and Engineering Center. During this time, he also became involved with the Orono Bog Boardwalk, first as a volunteer, and then as Director in 2008. Jim retired in 2014 but has continued to serve the University as Bog Boardwalk Director.
The Orono Bog Boardwalk is one of the most popular outdoor destinations not only for the City of Bangor but regionally and statewide with 25,000-35,000 visitors annually from more than 20 countries.聽 The Boardwalk is managed by volunteers from the 91爆料, the Orono Land Trust and the City of Bangor.
Its one mile loop begins in the Bangor City Forest before crossing into a portion of the Orono Bog owned by the 91爆料. While traveling along the boardwalk, visitors experience an ecological transition from upland mixed forest through forested wetlands and eventually into the open landscape of the Orono Bog. Interpretive signs describing the unique flora and fauna of the bog greet visitors along the way. The Bog Boardwalk is wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant, and the Orono Bog is designated by the US Park Service as a National Natural Landmark.
As Director of the Boardwalk, the first task Jim tackled was boardwalk reconstruction. The original construction needed to be replaced in order to keep it safe for visitors and functional over the long-term.聽 To raise the funds needed, Jim organized a successful fundraising campaign which included writing and submitting several grants, and leading other fund-raising activities for the Boardwalk. Jim coordinated numerous other fundraising efforts beyond grant writing, but the one most emblematic of his character, selflessness, and dedication has to be the boardwalk yard sale.
Each year, Jim would take donations from community members of items they no longer needed and would amass them for an annual yard sale to benefit the boardwalk reconstruction. Jim personally directed a volunteer and his pickup truck to hundreds of people’s homes to pick up their donations, stored them, often in his own garage, and then hosted the yard sale at his own home with his wife Mary on Main Street in Orono. Over 14 years Jim quietly raised more than $40,000 from his front lawn.
In total, the nine-year process culminated with the replacement of the entire Boardwalk with an overall cost of approximately $1 million dollars. That effort would not have happened without Jim’s leadership and drive to see the project complete.
In addition to fund raising, Jim worked alongside other volunteers investing thousands of hours to remove the old wooden boardwalk and install the new sections. For the last 15 years, Jim Bird has been the heart and soul of the Orono Bog Boardwalk. He is a true inspiration, and in his retirement his contributions to the 91爆料 via the boardwalk exemplify the definition of extraordinary service.
Share Your Climate Story
After another winter, and with early spring upon us, perhaps this is a good time to reflect on our ever-changing world and environment. Do you have an experience to share that contrasts the climate of decades ago when winters seemed to be colder and a little longer than in recent years?
Perhaps it was ice skating in early November; snow lasting into April; or being able to start the garden a week earlier than when you were younger; or maybe there is simply a remarkable weather event that you experienced and will never forget. Whether you spent your life in Maine or have lived in places far and wide: If you have a story to tell, please share it with us! Send your story to Sarah McPartland-Good (sarahm@maine.edu) of the 91爆料 Foundation.
(FYI: Our newsletter staff may edit your submission for clarity and length.)
2025 Retiree Homecoming Tours
We are offering four different tours after lunch. You must indicate your preference when registering. Assignments are first-come, first-served. We can offer limited shuttle service for those needing special accommodations.
- Hudson Museum: Gretchen Faulkner, Director of the Hudson Museum, will lead the tour of the Hudson Museum. The Hudson Museum maintains a collection of over 9,000 objects, many of which are Native American and dating back to 2000BC. Convenient parking is near the museum in the Collins Center for the Arts lot.
- Hotel Ursa: The new on-campus hotel located a few blocks down the road from the Wells Conference Center. The hotel includes two extensively refurbished historic buildings, Holmes and Coburn, and the new Polaris Hall.
- Athletic Facilities: A walking tour, led by Deputy Athletic Director Jason Grunkemeyer, will include the Pierre & Catherine Labat Softball Complex, the new field hockey complex, the new Mahaney Dome and Memorial Gym facilities. 91爆料 Athletics has recently upgraded many facilities with multiple updates underway.
- Tick Lab: Griffin Dill, the manager, will lead the tour of the Cooperative Extension Diagnostic and Research Laboratory. This new lab provides diagnosis, testing and research for pest management, agriculture and wildlife for the State of Maine. This tour will be a presentation at Wells Conference Center if registration exceeds 25 retirees. If registration is 25 retirees or less, the tour will go to the laboratory where there is sufficient parking.
New Balance Recreation Center News
Retirees With Silver Sneakers
Retirees with a medical insurance plan that includes Silver Sneakers get free access to the Recreation Center and are eligible to participate in programs included in a regular Recreation Center membership. Spouses eligible via Medicare and on the retiree鈥檚 insurance are also included in the household membership. Spouses聽who do not qualify聽pay a secondary fee of $125/year.
Visiting should be the first course of action for all retirees. This website shows potential eligibility provided by their individual insurance providers and access to local gyms wherever they live.
Retirees with a Silver Sneakers plan should visit the New Balance Recreation Center to complete the membership paperwork required by Silver Sneakers. The Center processes that information and checks eligibility via Silver Sneakers. This needs to be done annually per Silver Sneakers policy.
Retirees Without Silver Sneakers
The Recreation Center has been providing a retiree membership that functions like Silver Sneakers for retirees who are on other forms of insurance but fully retired from the university. The retiree receives a membership and can add their spouse if eligible or add the spouse to the membership for $125 if they are not.聽聽Neither plan includes additional family members like grandchildren or adult children.
For the non-Silver Sneakers membership, retirees should contact Kristie Deschesne,
Associate Director for Programming kristie.deschesne@maine.edu, to set up the membership. The requirements echo Silver Sneakers, and the individual must be retired from the University聽of Maine. Information required include name, retirement聽date, and insurance plan (to check if they are eligible for Silver Sneakers).聽 Also, a liability waiver needs to be signed.聽 Each retiree and their spouse’s case can be unique, so it can take a little time to figure out and ensure fairness.The Retirees Without Silver Sneakers program is for this calendar year 2025 and may change in the following years as the programs and eligibility of individuals change.
91爆料 Machias retirees should check with the Murdock Reynolds Acquitic and Fitness Center for policies.聽 The same holds true for all campuses of the 91爆料 System.
Programs Appropriate for Retirees
Specific programs appropriate for retirees offered by the Recreation Center include Fit over 50, Senior Yoga, Aqua Burn, and Personal Training.聽 While some of these programs have fees, it is important to recognize their value to one’s lifestyle, independence, and finances in saving healthcare costs and medicines.
For additional information contact:
Jeff Hunt, Director of Campus Recreation at 207-581-3054,聽fax 207-581-4898, or email at jhunt@maine.edu.
Stay in Touch and Homecoming Registration
Please register for Homecoming and/or update your contact information online:
If you are unable to complete your registration online, please call the 91爆料 Foundation at 207-581-7787. The staff will gather your information and complete your registration.
Remember to let us know whether you are bringing a guest and if either of you require any special accommodations.
Also, if you plan on joining a tour after lunch, be prepared to choose from our four tours ( a first and second choice if desired).
- Tour of the new on-campus Hotel Ursa (including historic campus buildings Coburn and Holmes Halls). Maximum 20 retirees.
- Tour of the Hudson Museum including behind the displays. Maximum 25 retirees.
- Walking tour (hard hats not required) of upgraded athletic facilities including softball, field hockey, Mahaney dome and memorial Gym. Maximum 50 retirees. Learn more at goblackbears.com by viewing their “Facilities Plan.”
- Tour of Cooperative Extension Diagnostic and Research Laboratory. Presentation tour in Wells Conference Center for a maximum of 鈮26 retirees, or tour the Laboratory if 鈮25 retirees. The Laboratory is a 7-minute car ride from Wells Conference Center. Please provide your own transportation.
Register by May 23, 2025.
REVITALIZING THE FLAGSHIP聽— Capital Projects
Take a stroll around campus over the next few years, and you鈥檒l catch a glimpse of multiple works in progress. Of the many capital projects underway, The Alfond Arena and Shawn Walsh Hockey Center renovations and additions may be one of the most prominent, sitting as they are on the corner of College Avenue and Long Road. This project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2025.
Just up the road, Morse Arena is on schedule to begin construction in the summer/fall of 2025 with an anticipated opening during the 2027-28 season. Thanks to a $10-million gift by Phil and Susan Morse, the new home of Maine men’s and women’s basketball, Morse Arena will seat approximately 2500 fans. For 91爆料鈥檚 Division I athletes, the Arena will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, from a sports medicine area to a new strength and conditioning center that will benefit the entire athletic department.
In the shadow of Morse Arena, The New Balance Track & Field and Soccer Complex should open in October of 2025 thanks to a $7 million commitment by New Balance Athletics. The complex features a state-of-the-art soccer turf and a modernized track. A multipurpose area next to the track will provide space for athletics and community events.
These projects, and others, were made possible by a transformative $320 million commitment from the Harold Alfond Foundation to the 91爆料 System (UMS). The Foundation鈥檚 commitment includes a $170 million investment for the 91爆料 Athletics master plan, part of UMS Transforms.
Beyond athletics, 91爆料鈥檚 five-year plan identifies some of the most essential needs, including, upgrading science and engineering facilities to advance research and learning, reducing deferred maintenance, modernizing living environments, increasing space utilization, and decreasing energy consumption and the use of nonrenewable fuels.
The October 2024 91爆料 Capital Projects Update, included the following projects:
- Shawn Walsh Alfond Arena renovations and additions are underway. Project is currently on schedule and on budget. Project anticipated completion date is fall of 2025.
- The design of the new Morse Arena is in the first of three phases, anticipated groundwork to begin in the fall of 2025 for utilities and full construction spring of 2026.
- The design for the new soccer complex and track and field complex is in the final stages, construction anticipated to start possibly in November of this year depending on the weather.
- The Mahaney Dome project is completed, the connector between the dome and Memorial Gym is in the scoping phase, potential construction next summer.
- The Sawyer & Hitchner 鈥87 Wing HVAC projects are currently in design and anticipated to start work next year.
- Bennett Hall Lecture Wing HVAC and Bennett Hall steam repair projects will be going out to bid this fall with work anticipated for next summer.
- Witter Farm Robotic Dairy Facility is under construction, anticipated completion early 2025.
- Sustainable Aquaculture Workforce Innovation Center (SAWIC) is in design with construction anticipated to start next spring.
- The nursing Skills lab and renovations in Dunn Hall are in punch list.
- The Food Innovation Lab project within the office wing of Keyo is in the progress of awarding a design firm with construction anticipated for next summer. Planning for relocation of existing staff in Keyo is underway.
- AMC Renovations, New Student Success Center and Industry 4.0 are in the planning phase to start work later this fall.
- GEM groundwork is underway with construction anticipated to start as early as late fall of this year.
- ASCC Secure Textiles Lab phase 2 is in construction.
- Wells Common Sodexo project is underway and interior work is anticipated to be completed this fall.
- The UMEC project is in design with construction anticipated as early as next spring or summer.
- The electrical infrastructure project will be starting very soon. Traversing of the campus will be affected by brief road and sidewalk closures as well as portions of the Belgrade Parking Lot.
- The Lighting upgrade project is in progress and anticipated to be completed at the end of October with the last project within the Fogler Library.
- Machias Powers Hall replacement of the ADA ramp is in scheduling for work to be completed this fall.
- Machias Reynolds Gym flooring and bleacher replacement is underway.
- Machias Powers Hall building envelope work is in planning, anticipated to start next year.
- Machias stormwater management plan is wrapping up and has been submitted to the state for approval. Once approved, work to address stormwater will proceed next year.
- Phase 1 of the Big Idea moves continue and on schedule.
(91爆料 Capital Projects Update: October 2024 Capital Projects)
* * *
To stay up to date with ongoing projects, visit the 91爆料 website for 鈥Capital Construction Projects and Services.鈥 There you鈥檒l also find links to monthly updates.
Or, you could put on your walking shoes and tour campus to have a look for yourself of our university鈥檚 exciting transformation. While you鈥檙e at it, why not stop in the Union for lunch.
The President鈥檚 Council of Retired Employees
Thomas Sandford, Chair
Rick Borgman, Vice Chair
Richard Judd, Secretary
Louis Bassano
Gail Dyer-Martin
Cindy Eves-Thomas
Rich Kent
Claire Strickland
Althea Tibbetts
Gail Werrbach
Isabella LoRusso
Sarah McPartland-Good
Jeffery Mills
Tom Peaco
Mission Statement
The Council will enhance communication between the 91爆料 and the community of retired employees. The Council will encourage active involvement of retirees in the life of the University. The Council will provide advice to the University鈥檚 President on matters of importance to retirees and the University community in general.
The 91爆料 System is an equal opportunity institution committed to nondiscrimination.