The new year means another adventure for Kevin McCartney, Professor of Geology and Environmental Science at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, who is heading to Poland on Jan. 4 after being awarded a prestigious Kosciuszko Fellowship to conduct research in the field of micropaleontology. McCartney will return to Szczecin, Poland, to build on the research he did during the 2016 to 2107 academic year as the first Fulbright Scholar in northern Maine’s history.

In an effort to provide area youth with even more wide-ranging higher education opportunities—from college success activities, to internships, to community service—Aroostook Aspirations and the University of Maine at Presque Isle have expanded and strengthened their partnership.

Students in need of professional attire have a new resource available to them now that the University of Maine at Presque Isle has opened up its Career Clothing Closet. Designed especially for students, the store is open in the Campus Store. All are welcome to visit and donate to the closet, which is sponsored by the Student Activities Office, the Career Readiness Program, and the Campus Store.

Classical pianist Duncan J. Cumming returns home for a concert at the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center.  This event is free and open to the public; donations will be accepted at the door for future cultural events.

For the second year in a row, the University of Maine at Presque Isle has seen the largest percentage increase in enrollment within the University of Maine System, up 10.4% in enrollment by headcount from Fall 2017 to Fall 2018. Officials attribute this increase to the initiatives underway at UMPI focused on student affordability, early college opportunities, and access for adult learners.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle and the Presque Isle Rotary Club will host their Seventh Annual Purple Pinkie Project on Friday, Nov. 9 and, with the help of the Rotary Clubs in Caribou, Fort Fairfield, Limestone, Mars Hill, and Washburn, the celebration spreads throughout central Aroostook County and, for the second time, into Canada. All activities raise awareness of Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio worldwide and raise money $1 at a time to go toward that global effort.

With the stroke of a pen, officials with the University of Maine at Presque Isle received a gift of $1 million from benefactor Mary Barton Akeley Smith to establish the first-ever endowed chair in the institution’s history. The permanent faculty position was formally named the Dr. Robert Vinton Akeley Chair of Agricultural Science and Agribusiness during an official announcement and naming ceremony on Oct. 23.

For the fifth consecutive year, the University of Maine at Presque Isle will host a Take Back the Night event for campus and community members. Organized by a new student organization on campus, the Black Student Union, the event will take place on Thursday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. Take Back the Night will include a candlelight vigil for all sexual assault victims, starting at Gentile Hall and heading to South Hall, and end with a gathering and survivor stories in the South Hall Faculty Lounge. All are encouraged to come to this free event, which will occur rain or shine.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Art Gallery will present Folk Mined: Musical Installations by Caroly Ayoob, from Oct. 29, 2018 through Jan. 18, 2019. The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and attend the Gallery Reception on Friday, Nov. 2, from 5-7 p.m., which includes a talk with the artist at 5:30 p.m.; light refreshments will be served.