The University of Maine DigitalCommons@UMaine General University of Maine Publications University of Maine Publications 2008 2008 UMaine News Press Releases Division of Marketing and Communications Joe Carr University of Maine George Manlove University of Maine Dan Cashman University of Maine Margaret Nagle University of Maine Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/univ_publications Part of the Higher Education Commons, and the History Commons Repository Citation Division of Marketing and Communications; Carr, Joe; Manlove, George; Cashman, Dan; and Nagle, Margaret, "2008 UMaine News Press Releases" (2008). General University of Maine Publications. 1092. https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/univ_publications/1092 This Monograph is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UMaine. It has been accepted for inclusion in General University of Maine Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@UMaine. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UMaine News Press Releases from Word Press XML export 2008 Williams Appointed to University of Maine Foundation Post 07 Jan 2008 Contact: Contact: Amos Orcutt, University of Maine Foundation President/CEO, 207 581-5100 ORONO -- Amos Orcutt, president/CEO of the University of Maine Foundation, has announced the appointment of Daniel B. Williams as planned giving officer. Williams, who earned both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from UMaine, returns to his alma mater having accumulated a great deal of experience relevant to his new position. Since 2006, Williams has served as foundation president and director of development for Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor. In that role, he was responsible for all institutional fundraising including planned giving, annual and endowed scholarships, in-kind gifts, annual campaign and capital projects. Prior to that, the former state legislator served as director of annual and reunion giving for the University of Maine Alumni Association and as assistant director of admissions for UMaine. "I am thrilled to have this opportunity and am honored to be joining such a strong organization," Williams says. "I can think of no better way of advancing the University of Maine's mission and making higher education accessible to more students than through the Foundation." Williams and his wife, State Rep. Emily Cain, who is also a UMaine graduate, live in Orono. "I am delighted to welcome Danny Williams to the University of Maine Foundation," says Orcutt. "His enthusiasm, commitment to the University of Maine and his broad experience are great assets that will complement and enhance the mission of the Foundation, which is dedicated to encouraging gifts and bequests to promote academic achievement, foster research and elevate intellectual pursuits at the University of Maine." More information about the University of Maine Foundation is online at www.umainefoundation.org Unity Foundation Grant to Support Hutchinson Center Expansion 07 Jan 2008 Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571 BELFAST -- A $200,000 Unity Foundation challenge grant will provide valuable support for the University of Maine's planned Hutchinson Center expansion. The university announced in August a campaign to raise $2 million in private funds to help create a 15,000 square foot addition at the Belfast facility. The new wing will double classroom space at the Hutchinson Center, while adding science labs and other facilities critical to the center's future as UMaine's primary educational and outreach connection point with the people of midcoast Maine. "We are grateful for this generous gift, and we are most grateful that the Unity Foundation sees the value in this exciting project," says Barbara Beers, UMaine's vice president for development. "The Unity Foundation has a remarkable track record of supporting important community causes, and the foundation's support helps us take a meaningful step toward reaching our goal of an expanded Hutchinson Center." The Unity Foundation grant requires UMaine to match the $200,000 by raising the same amount from other sources. The late Bert Clifford established the Unity Foundation in 2000, to support nonprofit organizations "to fulfill their missions to arts/culture/ recreation, community/economic development, education, the environment, and youth." The project's total price tag is $4 million, with the balance set to come from a bond to be repaid through future revenue generated through the center's expanded activities. A campaign volunteer committee, led by Judy Stein and retired Hutchinson Center Director James Patterson, has been working on private fundraising for several months. The Hutchinson Center private fundraising effort is part of Campaign Maine, the university's six-year, $150 million comprehensive campaign. Through a partnership with MBNA, UMaine opened the Hutchinson Center in 2000. Bank of America donated the building and grounds to UMaine in June 2006. "The Hutchinson Center continues to be a remarkable success story," says Robert White, UMaine associate provost and dean of its Division of Lifelong Learning. "To a large extent, this success is attributable to the tremendous support of people in the midcoast communities who have embraced the opportunities that derive from the University of Maine's presence and all the Hutchinson Center brings to the Belfast area. This Unity Foundation grant will help continue the fundraising momentum and will help assure the Hutchinson Center's continued growth and dynamic involvement in the continued development of Maine's midcoast region." UMaine Fundraising Campaign Announcement Thursday 09 Jan 2008 Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571 ORONO -- The University of Maine will host a Thursday, Jan. 10 (4:30 p.m.) event announcing a major gift in support of Campaign Maine, the university's six-year, $150 million comprehensive fundraising campaign. A prominent Bangor-area couple, well-known in the business community, has made the gift, which will provide support for student-related activities at UMaine. The university's Student Innovation Center, which will be the site of Thursday's event, will be named in their honor. President Robert Kennedy will make the announcement during a brief program, which is scheduled for 5 p.m. Fosters Donate $1.5 Million to UMaine; Student Innovation Center to Bear their Name 10 Jan 2008 Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571 ORONO -- The University of Maine today announced a $1.5 million gift from Bion and Dorain Foster of Hampden. The donation will provide support for programs at UMaine's Student Innovation Center and Student Recreation and Fitness Center, along with scholarship funds through an endowment at the University of Maine Foundation. They made the gift in honor of their four daughters and their families. The Student Innovation Center, which will now be known as "The Bion and Dorain Foster Student Innovation Center," opened in 2006. UMaine faculty and Student Innovation Center staff members work with UMaine students to develop the knowledge and skills to transform their ideas into real products and services. It is the home of UMaine's Innovation Engineering curriculum, an academic minor that provides education, support and inspiration to student innovators and entrepreneurs. "It is fitting that this facility will bear the name of Bion and Dorain Foster," says UMaine President Robert Kennedy, noting that Bion Foster was named Maine's Entrepreneur of the Year in 2001. "They are true innovators and entrepreneurs who have succeeded in business and become community leaders because they exemplify the skill, intelligence, work ethic and creativity that we strive to develop in our students." Friends, family members, students and UMaine officials attended a Thursday afternoon event to announce this gift and to thank the Fosters for their ongoing support of the University of Maine. In recent years, the Fosters have provided financial support for UMaine in various ways, through contributions to the athletics department, the Page Farm and Home Museum, the Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition, the University of Maine Alumni Association, and the campaign to build UMaine's Buchanan Alumni House, where a board room is named in their honor. The second-floor multi-purpose room in the new Student Recreation and Fitness Center is also named for the Fosters. They are among UMaine's most generous benefactors, and are members of its two most prestigious organizations recognizing long-term philanthropy: the Stillwater Society and the Charles F. Allen Society. "There is a common thread in Bion and Dorain's philanthropy," Kennedy says. "They always focus on what is important for our current students, and they have an eye on the future, helping UMaine develop in ways that will help us serve our students and our state in meaningful ways. They take great pride in mentoring young people, including their daughters -- who are carrying on the family tradition of hard work, professional success and community service. Their legacy will continue both through their generosity to UMaine and their impact on others." Bion Foster, who graduated from UMaine in 1968 and earned an MBA in 1970, has served his alma mater in a variety of roles, including current service on the Board of Visitors, service on the President's Development Council and a recent stint as chair of the University of Maine Alumni Association Board of Directors. Dorain Foster is currently on the UMaine development staff, where