It’s been an exciting year!

Â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 Â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, Â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 Â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 Maine’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 Â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.

Here’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, Â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 you’ve been overlooking.

Chief (ret.) Noel March, Â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. “Every person has a rightful expectation to feel respected, protected and safe in their own community,” was the heartfelt core of his presentation.

This year’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. 

Dr. Leigh Reagan Alley, coordinator of teacher education and assistant professor of education at the Â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 Alley’s work among Nautilus-recognized authors that include the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Eckhart Tolle. “This recognition is deeply meaningful because the Nautilus Book Awards celebrate books written in service of a better world,” 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. “Our work is rooted in the belief that educators deserve spaces for reflection, restoration, and collective growth,” Alley said. “School transformation begins with the educator and grows through the everyday interactions that shape school culture.”

For UMA education students, Alley’s recognition is a reminder that they are learning from faculty whose work is helping shape the field they are entering. It affirms Â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 today’s classrooms? Explore Â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 Â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. Chenette’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 state’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 “Herd” Club (SaH), a student organization that creates a safe, welcoming space for LGBTQIA+ students and allies to connect and support one another. SaH reflects Â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 year’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 Â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.

UMA welcomed 75 high school students to its Bangor campus on May 12 for a Rural Workforce Medical Bootcamp, a day designed to give students a closer look at healthcare and human services careers in Maine.

Students from the Katahdin and Washington County regions spent the day with UMA faculty and staff discovering opportunities in nursing, veterinary technology, dental health, medical laboratory technology, and mental health and human services. They rotated through hands-on activities, asked questions, and learned more about the kinds of careers that support Maine communities every day.

The program gives students an up-close look at different career options, with the hope of one day helping fill workforce needs in some of Maine’s most rural communities.

“If you think about the healthcare team, it’s the whole team. It’s not just about getting a provider to an area. It’s about helping secure professions for students who want to stay in their rural communities but granting them the access to really explore what their options are,” said Shannon Gauvin, director of nursing at the Â鶹APP, in a WABI TV5 story about the event. 

The Bangor event followed a recent Medical Bootcamp in Augusta, where approximately 40 Oxford County high school students explored health care programs through hands-on demonstrations in nursing, medical laboratory technology, mental health and human services, and dental programs. The Augusta event was offered in partnership with through a grant.

Together, the two events show how UMA is working with partners across the state to introduce students to healthcare and human services fields earlier, and in a more hands-on way. For many students, a day like this can make these careers feel more real and more within reach.

UMA is grateful to the students, schools, faculty, staff, and partners who helped make the Bangor event possible, including and Executive Director Korah Soll, whose collaboration helped bring students to campus for the experience.

Explore. Learn. Protect.

Middle and high school students across Maine are invited to attend a two-day Cybersecurity Summer Camp on July 14 and 15 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the Maine Cyber Range, UMA Capital Center in Augusta.

This hands-on camp is open to all skill levels and introduces students to real-world cybersecurity concepts through interactive activities and guided simulations.

What to expect

Enroll now – Limited spots available

Completing the enrollment form is the first step to reserve your place. There is no cost to submit the enrollment form. After you enroll, you will receive a follow-up packet with full registration and payment details.

Questions?

For more information, contact Anja Acharya at umacyber@maine.edu or 207-621-3103.

Since 2011, UMA and the Technical University of Liberec in the Czech Republic have shared a partnership that brings a global perspective right to our Maine classrooms. This long-standing connection allows faculty to share research and ideas that benefit our communities while ensuring our students are ready for a world that is more connected than ever. 

Research with a Local Impact

Sharon McMahon Sawyer, associate professor of Justice Studies at UMA, recently traveled to the Czech Republic to work under the European Union’s Comenius UÄŤiTUL project, an education research collaboration she co-leads with Andrei Strukov. Together, they developed practical strategies to help professors in large lecture settings increase student engagement and retention, focusing on methods that fit seamlessly within existing courses rather than require a full rebuild.

While there, Sharon also co-taught live interdisciplinary classes on conflict resolution and developmental psychology with Dr. Magda Nisponska, and visited courses in American Studies and English language led by Dr. Michaela Markova and Dr. Petra Romportlova as part of the UÄŤiTUL project.

A standout project from this latest visit is the Mentalizing Mediation podcast series. Across eight episodes, Sharon and Magda discuss the theory of mentalization and its relationship to conflict resolution. Sharon and Magda applied research on mentalizing to the practical steps that mediators use to resolve conflicts and support difficult conversations. Developed by psychologist Peter Fonagy, Mentalization describes how humans develop empathy over their lifespan. By understanding the mental states and feelings of others, mediators can better help people resolve deep-seated conflicts.

This research is already making a difference across the country. Last year, Sharon and Magda shared their work with a nationwide audience of agricultural mediators through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, showing how these global ideas provide practical solutions for industries here in Maine and beyond. 

Expanding the Classroom Without Borders

A central part of Â鶹APP mission is making a high-quality education accessible, no matter where a student is starting from. This partnership creates two ways for students to connect with new perspectives:

• International Travel: Through the Erasmus+ program, there is potential for UMA students to study in person at TUL, experiencing the culture and history of the Czech Republic firsthand.
• Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL): For students who can’t travel due to work or family, we are building online courses that bring the world to them. These allow students in Maine and the Czech Republic to collaborate on projects and build international friendships from their own homes.

Opening Doors to Global Learning

Â鶹APP partnership with TUL ensures that a global perspective is within reach for every student, regardless of their circumstances. By offering both in person and digital paths, we have turned this 15 year collaboration into a consistent gateway for our community. Today, this relationship continues to find fresh ways to solve problems, from enhancing mediation practices in Maine to launching new courses in the Czech Republic. It is a practical example of how shared expertise leads to meaningful results for everyone.

Listen to the Series

The eight-part podcast series will be available on the TUL.cz website by the end of this month. Contact Sharon McMahon Sawyer at sharon.mcmahon@maine.edu for more information.

Not every career path begins with a clear plan.

For Amy Marston, the journey started with a setback. After being turned away from her top-choice college, she found herself searching for another way forward. That search led her to the Â鶹APP.

What began as an alternative became the foundation for a two-decade career in Maine’s business sector. That journey of resilience and leadership led UMA to name Amy Marston the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. 

A Different Kind of Classroom

At UMA, Amy found a learning environment that broadened her perspective. Her classmates came from all walks of life, bringing professional and personal experiences that shaped how she understood the world.

She earned her degree in Business Administration in 2004, but the lessons extended beyond the classroom. That experience influenced how she approached leadership, teamwork, and the role organizations play in building strong communities.

Building a Career in Maine

Following graduation, Amy built a long and impactful career at Central Maine Power. Over two decades, she developed a deep understanding of workforce development, leadership, and organizational growth.

Today, she is the founder of Edison Public Relations, where she works with businesses across Maine, including those in the workforce and trade sectors. Her work focuses on helping organizations grow, connect, and build strong teams.

Giving Back to Community and Industry

Amy’s impact extends beyond her professional work. She remains actively involved in efforts that create opportunity for others across the state, including:

• Maine Blue Collar Scholarship Foundation
• Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG)
• Augusta Food Bank

Through this work, she continues to support the next generation of Maine’s workforce while strengthening her local community.

A Full Circle Moment

Now, as a member of Â鶹APP Board of Visitors, Amy has come full circle. She is investing in the institution that helped shape her path and helping ensure others have access to the same opportunity.

Beyond Commencement Day

Amy’s story is a reminder that the impact of a UMA education does not end at graduation.

For many students, UMA is more than a place to earn a degree. It is where a path forward begins.

High school students from Oxford County explored the future of health care through Â鶹APP second annual Medical Bootcamp, an immersive daylong event designed to help students connect their interests with in-demand career pathways across Maine.

Approximately 40 students took part in hands-on activities and program demonstrations led by UMA faculty and staff in nursing, medical laboratory technology, mental health and human services and dental programs. The experience gave students a closer look at the skills, settings and opportunities that shape health care careers, while showing how UMA programs can help them take the next step.

The participating Oxford County high schools are part of a Workforce Opportunities for Rural Communities grant through Community Concepts. Through this partnership, UMA is helping expand access to career exploration for rural students and strengthening pathways into fields that support Maine’s communities.

The momentum continues May 12, when will host a second Medical Bootcamp for about 150 students from 12 schools in the Katahdin Region and Washington County. That event will feature Â鶹APP veterinary technology program along with nursing, , and programs.

UMA is helping students across Maine see what is possible in health care, one hands-on experience at a time.