UMA is proud to celebrate Dr. Anita Jerosch performing with the distinguished Maine Brass Collective, an ensemble of professional brass and percussion musicians from across Maine who serve on the faculty of UMA, USM, UMO, Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin Colleges, and perform with the Portland Symphony, Bangor Symphony, Maine State Ballet Orchestra, Portland Ballet Orchestra, Opera Maine, and more. The concert was sponsored by the Bowdoin College Music Program.

Faculty like Dr. Jerosch help strengthen connections between UMA and Maine’s professional arts community, a meaningful part of our commitment to cultural involvement and excellence.

UMA Justice Studies Lecturer Chris Devlin, Esq., has co-authored the second edition of the Maine Commercial Lending Handbook with fellow attorney Mark Googins, Esq. Published by Tower Publishing, the handbook is a practical guide to documenting and closing commercial loan transactions in Maine and a trusted reference for attorneys, lenders and financial professionals across the state.

At UMA, Devlin teaches Real Estate Transfers as part of the Paralegal Certificate program and Â鶹APP pre-law concentration in Justice Studies. In the classroom, he brings years of experience into conversation with students, helping them see how legal concepts take shape in real-world settings.

He is a member of the Maine Bar and the Bar of the United States District Court for the District of Maine, a Fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and a former shareholder at the Portland law firm Bernstein Shur. Devlin now serves as counsel at the Maine State Housing Authority, where he focuses on loans and low-income housing tax credit transactions.

Through this new edition, Devlin continues to contribute to the field of commercial lending in Maine while enriching the learning experience at UMA. His work reflects the strength of the Justice Studies program and the kind of applied knowledge that supports students as they prepare for what comes next, one lesson at a time.

UMA Senior Lecturer of Justice Studies and Director of the Maine Community Policing Institute Noel March presented “Defining Moments in Policing: Ethical Decision Making during the Holocaust” to attendees of the FBI National Executive Institute in Washington, D.C. This program is a curriculum of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum that was developed in 2023 with the support of the Holocaust & Human Rights Center of Maine and the Maine Community Policing Institute.

Each year the FBI National Executive Institute hosts fifty police leaders from major city, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies from across the United States and abroad.

Chief March is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and serves as a Fellow of the Future Policing Institute.

Allison Simpson, MS, LVT, a long-time staff member of the Â鶹APP Bangor Veterinary Technology Program, was recently awarded the inaugural Maine Veterinary Technician of the Year award. Nominated by peers across the state, the award was voted on by members of the Maine Veterinary Technician Association.

Ally has been part of the UMA Bangor Veterinary Technology Program since ’08 and is also a graduate of the program, earning her AS in veterinary technology degree in ’06. She is incredibly proud of the program’s growth over the past two decades. She remains committed to supporting the next generation of veterinary technicians through education, mentorship, and hands-on clinical training.

Her dedication to veterinary medicine, technician education, and the professional community continues to make a meaningful impact on students, colleagues, and the veterinary field throughout Maine. Congrats Ally!

Â鶹APP faculty member Leigh Reagan Alley has been named a finalist in the 2026 Women Changing the World Awards, recognized in the categories of Education and Rural Impact.

The global awards honor women whose leadership creates lasting positive change in their communities and beyond. Alley’s recognition places her among an international group of educators and advocates working to expand opportunity and strengthen communities through education.

The honor follows two recent recognitions for Alley: being named a 2026 Global Top 50 Trailblazing Educator and receiving the Maine Children’s Alliance Champions for Children Award earlier this year.

Alley serves as coordinator of teacher education at UMA, where she prepares future educators and leads work centered on whole-child education. She created the world’s first Master of Arts in Teaching Whole Child Education, a graduate program designed to help teachers support students’ academic, social and emotional growth.

She is also co-founder of xSELeratED, an initiative promoting social-emotional learning (SEL) practices for students and teachers alike. In addition to her work with educators, Alley is an author and public scholar who writes for outlets including The Educator’s Room and The Worthy Educator, contributing to national conversations about teaching and learning.

Winners of the 2026 Women Changing the World Awards will be announced April 22 at the program’s global summit in Paris.

As the Â鶹APP celebrates 60 years of expanding opportunity across Maine, we continue sharing the stories of the people who bring that mission to life.

Rocko Graziano first connected with the Â鶹APP as a member of the UMA Board of Visitors. When the opportunity arose to help develop the university’s Data Science program, he stepped in and later joined the faculty as a lecturer in Data Science and Computer Information Systems. Today, he works closely with students who are building new futures through technology, helping them discover their enthusiasm for computing and the confidence to pursue new opportunities in the field.

We asked Rocko to share more about his UMA story and the moments that make teaching especially rewarding.

What department are you in and what is your role?

I am a Lecturer in the Data Science and Computer Information Systems programs.

What first drew you to teach at UMA, and why have you chosen to make this your professional home?

I was a member of the UMA Board of Visitors in the late 2010s. Provost Szakas invited me to help create the Data Science degree program, and once it was approved he encouraged me to join the Faculty.

I joined UMA for two reasons. The first was location – I have lived in Central Maine my entire adult life. Equally important was UMAs mission: I find working with non-traditional, back-to-school lifelong learners very rewarding.

What inspires you most in the classroom or in your interactions with students? (Is there a specific “lightbulb moment” you’ve witnessed recently?)

So many UMA students balance school with work and family responsibilities. The commitment to making a better life for themselves and their families is inspirational.

What is the most rewarding part of witnessing a student’s evolution while they are in your program?

In my five years I have had a few students change their majors to CIS as a result of taking one of my classes. Igniting their enthusiasm for computing, showing them that they have the ability to do the work, preparing the next generation of computing professionals for Maine is why I am here.

UMA is known for flexibility. How have you seen our different learning modalities (online, hybrid, in-person) create opportunities for students who might not otherwise be able to pursue a degree?

I have a special appreciation for the students in the Prison Education Program. Each semester a handful of them join one of my classes, and their dedication to obtaining an education despite the tremendous challenges they face is one of the more inspirational parts of working at UMA.

What is one piece of advice you consistently give to students entering your field to help them succeed?

Stay a lifelong learner. There will always be new technology which promises to solve all the problems of the business world. Rely on the critical thinking and problem solving skills you develop at UMA to adapt to whatever the marketplace brings.

As UMA celebrates 60 years of expanding opportunity, stories like Rocko Graziano’s reflect the dedication and determination that continue to shape the university’s future.

In a small room at the Windham Women’s Correctional Center, a group of women gathers each week to sing. For an hour, the noise of daily routines fades, replaced by shared breath, blended voices and a rare chance to be fully present.

This women’s choir offers more than music. It creates space for connection in a setting where isolation can be the norm. Through song, participants are reminded that their voices matter and that they belong to something larger than themselves.

The program was initiated by Dr. Christine Letcher, assistant professor of music at UMA and music director of the Church Organists and Directors Association (CODA) Chorus, and is supported by a growing circle of collaborators. CODA’s board president, Elise Klysa, worked closely with Letcher to develop and secure grant funding, and each week four CODA volunteers, sopranos and altos, join rehearsals at the facility. Their presence reinforces the choir’s sense of shared effort, modeling collaboration while singing alongside participants rather than leading from a distance.

A bridge back to themselves

Many participants describe the choir as a way back to who they are beyond their circumstances, a pattern reflected in studies showing that group singing in prisons helps people rebuild a sense of identity and self‑worth beyond their sentence. Singing together invites listening, trust and vulnerability. Each person shows up not as a number or a label, but as a human being in relationship with others.

That sense of belonging does not happen by accident. Rehearsals are structured to encourage collaboration and mutual support. Over time, the group finds its rhythm together, learning when to lead, when to follow and how to hold space for one another. One participant shared that singing helped her feel human again, a feeling she had not realized she was missing. This response is consistent with research finding that prison choir members report greater happiness, sociability and a renewed sense of being seen as fully human.

Music also becomes a way to process difficult emotions. Joy, grief, hope and uncertainty all have a place in the room. The act of singing gives those feelings somewhere to go, turning them into sound, harmony and shared experience.

“We approach this work as collaborators, not instructors,” said Letcher. “Together, we create a space grounded in dignity and connection. In the choir, women practice listening, leading, and trusting their own voices, and those strengths become part of how they see themselves and what they bring back home.”

Measuring what music makes possible

Alongside these personal moments, the program is intentionally gathering insight about its impact. Participants complete simple pre‑ and post‑tests that explore changes in social connection, mood and outlook, building on a growing body of evidence that music programs in carceral settings can reduce anxiety and depression while increasing resilience and social connection.

Over the next two years, this information will help shape a practical guide for other correctional facilities interested in starting similar programs. What is happening in Windham has the potential to ripple outward, offering a model rooted in dignity, access and care.

Songs that look forward

The choir’s repertoire reflects both comfort and possibility. This winter, participants are rehearsing familiar Disney songs that tap into memory and imagination. Last summer during the warmer months, the music turned toward a theme of sky and stars, songs that look upward and outward.

Rehearsals build toward moments of shared pride. The choir works in two seasonal projects each year, a Winter Choir project and a Summer Choir project, and each culminates in two performances. One performance is shared with fellow residents, and the other welcomes invited community members. Standing together and singing for an audience affirms the work they have done, both individually and collectively, transforming rehearsal into something witnessed and celebrated.

A quiet kind of transformation

While the choir operates independently, it reflects a broader commitment shared across Â鶹APP prison education work: meeting people where they are and creating opportunities for learning, expression and connection in places where access can change the course of a life.

At its heart, this choir is about access. Access to creative expression. Access to community. Access to the simple, powerful experience of being heard.

Through partnerships and grant support, including funding from Choral Arts New England’s Alfred Nash Patterson grant, and the Onion Foundation, the program continues to grow. Its impact is felt not in grand gestures, but in small, steady changes. A deeper breath. A steadier voice. A group of women finding harmony, together.

What does access to education really mean?

At the Â鶹APP, it means expanding opportunity where it matters most.

Local media outlets are shining a light on that work following Commissioner Randall Liberty’s visit to campus for the launch of his new book, “Liberty’s Prison: The Inmate’s Son Who Radically Reformed an American Prison,” and a panel discussion featuring graduates of Â鶹APP Prison Education Partnership.

Coverage from News Center Maine’s 207 and WABI thoughtfully captured the heart of the conversation: education as a pathway to better outcomes for individuals, families and communities. The stories highlight the Maine Model of Corrections, a transformative approach that centers rehabilitation, mutual respect, human dignity and community reintegration, with education as a foundational element.

As commissioner of the Maine Department of Corrections and chair of Â鶹APP Board of Visitors, Liberty has long emphasized the role higher education can play in strengthening public safety and expanding opportunity. During the campus event, formerly incarcerated UMA graduates shared their own experiences earning degrees while incarcerated and building meaningful careers and community leadership roles after release.

Their stories reflect Â鶹APP mission to meet students where they are and remove barriers to learning, whether on campus, online or through the Prison Education Partnership.

Watch the coverage below:

When access expands, outcomes change. At UMA, that belief continues to guide our work across Maine and beyond.

Leigh Alley, assistant professor and coordinator of teacher education, has been named one of The Educator’s Room’s Top 50 Educators, a national recognition honoring educators who are redefining teaching, learning, and leadership. Selected from more than 500 applicants worldwide, the 2026 cohort highlights educators whose work reflects innovation, inclusivity, advocacy, and a deep commitment to student success.

The honor follows Alley’s recent recognition as the 2025 recipient of the Educator Award at the Champions for Children Giraffe Awards, presented by the Maine Children’s Alliance to individuals who make a lasting difference in the lives of Maine children.

At the Â鶹APP, Alley is known for her leadership in whole child education, trauma-sensitive practice, and teacher preparation. She created Â鶹APP Master of Arts in Teaching program focused on whole child education and works closely with schools across Maine to support educators and strengthen communities.

Congratulations Dr. Alley!

Discover more about Â鶹APP teacher preparation programs or the Master of Arts in Teaching.

The Â鶹APP (UMA) and the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) have completed a three-year workforce initiative that strengthens Maine’s behavioral health and recovery workforce by reducing financial barriers for aspiring counselors and employment specialist services.

Funded through a $325,332 award from the Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, the initiative was supported by the University of Maine System’s share of funding designated for workforce development. The Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, proposed by Gov. Janet Mills and approved by the 130th Maine Legislature to invest the state’s share of federal American Rescue Plan relief funds.

Through this investment, UMA and UMF supported career development support and job training assistance for 400 people statewide. The project also provided direct financial support to 105 Â鶹APP and University of Maine at Farmington students pursuing credentials in substance use disorder counseling and employment specialist services. Employment specialists are trained professionals who help individuals in recovery, people with disabilities and others facing barriers to employment secure and maintain meaningful work.

Maine continues to face shortages of qualified professionals in mental health, substance use recovery and human services. The initiative focused on expanding access to these high need professional pathways and reducing financial and logistical barriers that often prevent adult and nontraditional students from advancing to licensure. 

“Our goals were to increase the number of students preparing to work as employment specialists and substance use disorder treatment counselors,” said Associate Professor of Mental Health and Human Services Wendy St. Pierre. ”We targeted reducing barriers to access by covering tuition costs, as well as the cost of taking the national exam and accessing study guides. I am proud of the work my colleagues and I have done to support students with the grant funds we received.”

Funding was allocated to the University of Maine System through the office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation.

“Supporting Maine’s behavioral health workforce is central to Â鶹APP mission and our commitment to meeting the needs of the state,” UMA President Jenifer Cushman said. “This initiative shows what is possible when we remove financial barriers and create real pathways for people who want to enter helping professions. UMA is proud to work with UMF to expand access to education and strengthen the network of professionals who provide essential services across Maine.”

Direct Student Support 

More than half of the MJRP funding went directly to students, prioritizing tuition assistance and licensing-related expenses over equipment and infrastructure. Support provided through fall 2025 includes: 

Tuition scholarships 

• 49 UMA students supported for 486 credits across 162 courses
• 56 UMF students supported for 168 credits across 56 courses

Licensing and exam resources

• Seven UMA students passed the national Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor exam and had exam fees reimbursed. 
• Twenty-five UMA students received free national exam study guides
• 48 additional study guides were distributed across UMA centers, libraries and faculty-led groups

For many students, the financial support was pivotal, allowing them to focus more fully on their coursework and professional goals.

“Receiving tuition assistance for the Employment Specialist course alleviated the financial burden I would have faced and allowed me to focus fully on my coursework,” said student and program participant Rudy Rideout. “Without that stress, I was able to fully immerse myself in the course content, engage with the additional opportunities the classes had to offer and perform at my highest level academically. I will use these credentials to assist future clients in finding jobs best suited to them and their individual needs.”

For others, the grant opened a path toward meaningful work shaped by personal experience and a commitment to helping their communities.

“I am deeply grateful for the grant that supported my Substance Abuse Response Team certification. It made it possible for me to complete the program, pass my CADC exam and begin applying for roles in the field,” said student Jacqueline Campbell. “This work is very personal for me. I lost both my sons, each touched by addiction, and pursuing this path has helped me turn my grief into purpose. The scholarship opened a door to healing and to a future where I can support other families facing similar challenges.”

Building Workforce Capacity

The initiative strengthened long-term workforce solutions, including:   

• Development of a new employment specialist educational program, which will be offered again at UMA in summer 2026. 
• Employment of three undergraduate research assistants 
• Launch of an Institutional Review Board-approved study, now involving 43 students to examine the initiative’s ongoing impact.

The project was led by four UMA and UMF faculty members, all UMF alumni, who brought shared expertise and a commitment to supporting students entering human services and behavioral health careers.

Commitment to Statewide Access and Workforce Development

The UMA–UMF collaboration reflects Â鶹APP mission to expand access to education and support Maine’s workforce needs. By lowering barriers to credentials in behavioral health and recovery fields, the project helps meet growing statewide demand for licensed professionals who provide essential services.