Augusta campus: Jewett Hall, Room 195
Bangor campus: Belfast Hall, Room 100

We are offering decommissioned computers to Faculty & Staff at no cost.

Items available include:

• Desktop computers
• All-in-one computers
• Monitors, keyboards, and mice
• Other miscellaneous devices

You will need to present your UMA ID and sign your agreement to the terms below to take any equipment.

Devices are provided ā€˜as isā€™ and on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. These computers have no University of Maine System software. The University of Maine System staff will not provide technical support or assume any responsibility for the proper disposal of the equipment.

If there is a verifiable problem with the computer you receive within one week of receiving it, please return the computer. As long as supplies last, we will give you a replacement computer (type & model may vary).

Please send any questions to usit-supportservices-uma-group@maine.edu.

Augusta Campus: Jewett Hall, Room 195
Bangor Campus: Belfast Hall, Room 100

We are offering decommissioned computers to students at no cost to help expand access to essential technology and to support your academic success.

Items available include:

• Desktop computers
• All-in-one computers
• Monitors, keyboards, and mice
• Other miscellaneous devices

You will need to present your UMA Student ID and sign your agreement to the below terms to take equipment.

Devices are provided ā€˜as isā€™ and on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last. These computers have no University of Maine System software. The University of Maine System staff will not provide technical support or assume any responsibility for the proper disposal of the equipment.

If there is a verifiable problem with the computer you receive within one week of receiving it, please return the computer. As long as supplies last, we will give you a replacement computer (type & model may vary).

Please send any questions to usit-supportservices-uma-group@maine.edu

Itā€™s been an exciting year!

Ā鶹APP 60th anniversary brought our community together to celebrate where we started, how far we have come, and what comes after this milestone. Across campuses, centers, programs, events, stories, and the memories gathered along the way, the year carried plenty of celebration, but also a clear sense of direction.

Now, as the year winds down, we are looking back at a few of the moments that helped make it special.

Celebrating Ā鶹APP history and community

• 60th Birthday Party story with pictures
• Convocation story with pictures
• Celebrating 60 years: UMA marks a milestone with growth in nursing, cybersecurity, and residence halls

From birthday cake and campus celebration to Convocation and community gatherings, Ā鶹APP 60th year began with energy, gratitude, and a strong sense of shared purpose.

Sharing stories from across UMA

The year also opened the door for UMA voices from across the state. Their stories showed how Ā鶹APP reach is lived out in real paths, places, and possibilities.

Growth for the future

• Capital Center for Nursing and Cybersecurity Workforce Development

The Capital Center enables us to expand our programs, welcome more students, and strengthen Maineā€™s workforce in healthcare and cybersecurity now and in the future.

Celebrating through arts, music, and culture

Art, music, archives, and creative work gave the anniversary year its color and rhythm. These celebrations honored Ā鶹APP cultural life and the creativity that continues to thrive here.

Gathering for learning and connection

• Temple Grandin at UMA

From public events to campus traditions, the anniversary year created space for conversation, learning, and connection.

Showing Moose pride

• Moose Basketball Home Opener with Special 60th Anniversary Jersey Reveal

UMA pride showed up on the court, in the stands, and across the community. The 60th anniversary year gave Moose fans another reason to cheer.

Commencement

Looking ahead

The close of this milestone year points forward. UMA continues to grow, adapt, and create new pathways for learners across Maine and beyond.

Thank you to everyone who marked the anniversary year in your own way, whether by attending an event, sharing a story, contributing a memory, cheering on the Moose, or helping UMA celebrate 60 years of access and impact.

Hereā€™s to the next 60 years of opening doors for learners across Maine. 

Take a closer look at these fascinating organisms that feed us, heal us, and occasionally outsmart us.

In Mycology: Introduction to Fungi, Ā鶹APP new fully online, 4-credit lecture/lab, you will study fungal diversity, structure, genetics, ecology, and importance to humans, and explore roles in human health, biotech, and the environment. 

With a hands-on lab kit, web-based simulations, and photography, you will grow fungi and investigate fungi through lab work, data analysis, and case study.

Contact marta.frisardi@maine.edu for more information.

Registration is now open for fall 2026.

BIO 235 Mycology: Introduction to Fungi

Instructor: Marta C. Frisardi, PhD
Credits: 4 (Lecture + Lab)

Format: Fully Online | 15 Weeks

Prerequisite: BIO 110

Discover the kingdom youā€™ve been overlooking.

Save the Date! The Admissions team will be hosting Accepted Student Day on June 26th, 2026, from 3 pm to 5 pm.

We would love to have you there to help out or interact with Students!

If you are interested in assisting, please contact Lauren Shapiro at lauren.shapiro@maine.edu.

Chief (ret.) Noel March, Ā鶹APP senior lecturer of Justice Studies and director of the Maine Community Policing Institute, serves as an invited speaker during the 2026 Professionalizing Law Enforcement Community Engagement Training Conference in Dallas, TX on May 28-29th. 

Chief March, a nationally known expert in community policing, spoke on the value of multi-agency partnerships in building community outreach and relationships of trust when developing strategies for reducing crime, fear of crime and social disorder. ā€œEvery person has a rightful expectation to feel respected, protected and safe in their own community,ā€ was the heartfelt core of his presentation.

This yearā€™s PLECET conference also included keynote addresses from  FBI Director Kash Patel, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, DEA Administrator Terry Cole and United States Marshals Service Director Gadyaces Serralta. 

Over the past year, we celebrated UMA through stories, events, videos, spotlights, and shared memories from across our community. From students and alumni to faculty, staff, and friends of the university, this anniversary year highlighted the people, experiences, and connections that have shaped UMA over the past six decades and continue to move us forward.

As we transition out of the anniversary campaign and into our next chapter, we are asking departments and employees to help sunset 60th Anniversary branding materials over the coming weeks.

Please take a moment to:

• Remove or replace 60th Anniversary email signature graphics ()
• Update Zoom backgrounds featuring the anniversary branding
• Retire 60th Anniversary logos from webpages, presentations, and printed materials
• Transition back to standard UMA logos and branded assets where appropriate

Thank you again for helping us celebrate this important milestone and for the many ways you contributed throughout the year.

Dr. Leigh Reagan Alley, coordinator of teacher education and assistant professor of education at the Ā鶹APP, has earned two top honors in the for School Seasons xSELeratED: A Year of Community and Collective Growth for Educators, a book she co-wrote with Heather Lageman and Walter McKenzie. 

The book received Gold in Social Sciences & Education and a Special Honors Gold for Best in Small Press, placing Alleyā€™s work among Nautilus-recognized authors that include the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Eckhart Tolle. ā€œThis recognition is deeply meaningful because the Nautilus Book Awards celebrate books written in service of a better world,ā€ Alley said.

Alley describes the book as an invitation for educators to lead with humanity, moving through the school year with intention, reflection, and collective care. Built around the rhythms of school life, it offers a seasonal framework for strengthening community, supporting professional growth, and teaching social-emotional learning across the year.

At its center are the educators themselves. ā€œOur work is rooted in the belief that educators deserve spaces for reflection, restoration, and collective growth,ā€ Alley said. ā€œSchool transformation begins with the educator and grows through the everyday interactions that shape school culture.ā€

For UMA education students, Alleyā€™s recognition is a reminder that they are learning from faculty whose work is helping shape the field they are entering. It affirms Ā鶹APP role in preparing educators through scholarship that is current, practical, and deeply attentive to the communities they will help build. 

What does it take to lead in todayā€™s classrooms? Explore Ā鶹APP Education programs and learn how UMA prepares future educators with purpose, care, and practical skill. 

School Seasons xSELeratED and its companion, xSELeratED Schools Framework: Social-Emotional Learning at the Speed of Life, are available now from major booksellers.

Each June, communities across the nation observe Pride Month to recognize the history, contributions, and resilience of LGBTQIA+ individuals. At the Ā鶹APP, this month offers a meaningful opportunity to support our diverse student body, faculty, staff, and alumni.

To understand the scope of this celebration, it helps to recognize what the acronym itself represents. LGBTQIA+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual. The plus sign signifies all other sexual orientations and gender identities that form this diverse community.

The Roots of the Movement

The roots of Pride Month reach back to the Stonewall Uprising in New York City in June 1969. During an era when same-sex relationships and diverse gender expressions were criminalized across the country, a police raid on the Stonewall Inn sparked days of spontaneous protests. Led largely by transgender women of color, drag queens, and gay youth (including prominent activists like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera), these protests catalyzed the modern gay liberation movement.

One year later, on June 28, 1970, the first Pride march took place in New York. This event transformed a single act of resistance into a national tradition of visibility, educational events, and community gatherings. Federal recognition followed in 1999 when the month of June was officially designated to honor the community, an acknowledgment that has been expanded by successive administrations over the last 27 years.

Symbols of Visibility

Visual symbols have always played a central role in bringing visibility to the community. The traditional rainbow flag, designed by veteran and artist Gilbert Baker in 1978, originally featured distinct colors to symbolize elements of human experience, including life, healing, sunlight, nature, serenity, and spirit.

In 2018, designer Daniel Quasar introduced the Progress Pride Flag to place a specific emphasis on intersectionality. This newer design adds a five-colored chevron (a triangle) pointing from the left edge toward the center. The light blue, pink, and white stripes represent the transgender community, while the brown and black stripes represent LGBTQIA+ people of color. The black stripe also honors those lost to or living with HIV/AIDS. The arrow shape points forward to signify the ongoing movement toward community inclusion.

Spotlight on Alumni Leadership

The spirit of advocacy and community care is carried forward by dedicated individuals across our state, including members of our own UMA family. One notable example is UMA alumnus Justin Chenette.

A 2021 graduate of UMA’s Post-Baccalaureate Public Administration program, he made history in 2012 at age 21 by becoming the youngest openly gay legislator elected in the United States and the youngest lawmaker in Maine. He went on to serve eight years in the Maine Legislature, including two terms in the State Senate, where he was the only openly LGBTQ+ senator at the time, before being elected the first openly gay York County Commissioner in 2022. UMA awarded Chenette its 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award, recognizing his successful ethics reform legislation, his nonprofit scholarship foundation, his efforts to pass York County’s first-ever Pride Proclamation, and his current role as Chief Communications Officer at Sweetser, one of Maine’s largest mental health organizations. Chenetteā€™s leadership has earned him spots on two 40 Under 40 lists, receiving national recognition from The Advocate and state-level honors from Mainebiz.

Community Care in Maine

Maine has a distinctive history of grassroots advocacy and community connection. Rather than a sudden shift, the stateā€™s path has been shaped by decades of local organizing, legal updates, and cultural growth. Notably, in 2012, Maine became one of the first states to legalize marriage equality through a popular referendum, demonstrating a widespread, neighbor-to-neighbor effort to shift public perception.

Today, that spirit of community care lives on through local organizations and advocates doing vital work across the state. Groups like focus on supporting rural queer youth by building safe spaces, providing school resources, and offering educational opportunities. Meanwhile, historical foundations like the continue to provide essential care, case management, and housing assistance for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. These efforts highlight a steady, quiet commitment to supporting neighbors and fostering connection in every corner of the state.

Opportunities to Connect

This year, UMA welcomed the Seen and ā€œHerdā€ Club (SaH), a student organization that creates a safe, welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ students and allies to connect and support one another. SaH reflects Ā鶹APP commitment to belonging by offering inclusive access, both in-person and via Zoom meetings, for the entire UMA community.

The club will be attending Hallowell Pride on Saturday, June 6 and plan to march in the parade.

The Hallowell Pride Parade and Festival is on Saturday, June 6. This yearā€™s theme is “Freedom.” The full day’s schedule includes a festival from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Granite City Park and McAllister Real Estate. Festivalgoers can support local vendors, community activities, and celebration throughout the afternoon in the heart of Hallowell. 

Additionally, the annual Bangor Pride Festival and Parade will take place on Saturday, June 27. This year, the festival features a new location at the Bangor Waterfront. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore local vendor markets, enjoy live performances, and support the local community right by the river.

Check out local events commemorating Pride Month on Ā鶹APP Heritage Month Calendar as well as learning resources concerning the significance of Pride Month in Maine and beyond. You can keep up with more content like this by and submitting events and resources to help promote inclusion and belonging in our community.

Every year on June 19, the United States observes Juneteenth, marking the day in 1865 when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced that enslaved people in Texas were free. The announcement came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, and was delivered through Major General Gordon Grangerā€™s reading of General Order No. 3.

The History of Juneteenth

For generations, Juneteenth has been commemorated through celebration, remembrance, and learning. Often referred to as America’s second Independence Day, it highlights the uneven and delayed process by which emancipation became known and enforced across the United States. The message brought to Texas in 1865 represented one of the most significant milestones in the long process of emancipation.

Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, when President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. In Maine, Governor Janet Mills signed legislation establishing Juneteenth as a paid state holiday in 2021, with the first official state observance taking place in June 2022. 

The Maine Connection

Maine is not often the first place people associate with slavery, yet its economy was connected to trade networks that depended on enslaved labor. Maineā€‘built ships carried captives and goods produced through the labor of enslaved people across the Atlantic and along the U.S. coast, linking Africa, Cuba, the West Indies, the American South, and New England. Maine salted fish and produce helped feed enslaved people, while Maine lumber was used for Caribbean construction and as fuel in sugar processing.

Maine traders imported slave-grown cotton, helping make the state a northern leader in cotton fabric production in the early 1800s and fueling the growth of mill towns like Lewiston and Biddeford. By 1860, Portland was a major hub for importing sugar, molasses, and rum, processing about one-fifth of all molasses entering the United States and supporting several rum distilleries along its waterfront.

Our Shared History 

This history provides important context for Juneteenth and for a fuller understanding of Maineā€™s place within the broader history of the United States. At UMA, we value the role of education in helping people examine history with accuracy, care, and attention to complexity.

Juneteenth offers an opportunity to learn more about this history, attend local observances, and consider the ways freedom has been understood, pursued, and protected across American history. Through continued learning and shared understanding, UMA affirms the importance of education in strengthening communities and supporting the dignity and rights of all people.

Check out local events commemorating Juneteenth on Ā鶹APP Heritage Month Calendar as well as learning resources concerning the significance of Juneteenth in Maine and beyond. You can keep up with more content like this by and submitting events and resources to help promote inclusion and belonging in our community.