For Shyquinn Dix, going to college isn’t just about getting an education, it’s about having a life-changing experience. The University of Maine at Presque Isle sophomore, Social Work major, and point guard for the Owls basketball team was featured on 60 Minutes in late March because of his unusual journey from success to second chance.
In Their Shoes is the theme of the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s 18th annual University Day, taking place on Wednesday, April 10, and students will be showcasing that theme in presentations on everything from student work with the Hope and Justice Project to the Underground Railroad in Maine to using floor worker feedback for changing recordkeeping procedures.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Art Gallery will present Painted Landscapes of Aroostook County by Michelle Mishaan from April 1 through May 10, 2019. The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and attend the Gallery Reception on Friday, April 5, from 5-7 p.m. with an artist talk at 5:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Working and aspiring geologists from throughout Maine, as well as geology educators and students, will gather at the University of Maine at Presque Isle when it hosts the Geological Society of Maine 2019 spring meeting on Friday, April 5. The meeting will be held in UMPI’s Campus Center from 1 to 5:30 p.m.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host a book reading by Maine writers Dr. Jenny Radsma, a faculty member at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, and Cheryl Grant Gillespie, a long-time public school educator, on Wednesday, April 3, at 7 p.m. in Campus Center. The two are among five women who authored the anthology Compassionate Journey: Honoring Our Mothers’ Stories. The book reading is free and open to the public.
Tampa, Florida-based musician Taylor Reed will travel to the University of Maine at Presque Isle on Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center for a rhythm and soul-filled performance that swerves from pop to R&B to jazz music. This event, sponsored by UMPI’s Student Activities Office, is free and open to the public and donations will be accepted at the door.
The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Inclusion and Civility Task Force, in conjunction with Aroostook Acts Against Hate, will present Shay Stewart-Bouley—the author of the blog Black Girl in Maine and Executive Director of Community Change, Inc.—as the guest speaker for its Diversity Dialogue presentation on Tuesday, March 26 at 12:30 p.m. in the Campus Center. This event is free and the public is encouraged to attend.
Simultaneous Planet Head Day celebrations will happen in Maine and Poland for the second time as the unique cancer fundraiser—where people get their heads shaved and painted to look like planets—goes international again. The event takes place in Presque Isle on Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Wieden Hall Gymnasium, with a simultaneous event happening in Szczecin, Poland. This is the 13th annual event being held in Presque Isle, and the third time the event is happening in Sczcecin.
Seniors Achieving Greater Education [SAGE]—a special program of the University of Maine at Presque Isle that serves local residents over 50 and fosters “Lifelong Learning, Lifelong Connections”—will host its Spring Kick-off event from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, March 22 in the Campus Center Multi-Purpose Room. Coffee, tea, and muffins will be served beginning at 9:30 a.m.
The Star City Syndicate—a local group with an impressive range and even bigger, brassier sound—returns to the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Auditorium in Wieden Hall on Saturday, March 9 at 7 p.m. This time, the group will perform a special fundraising concert for a cause near and dear to band members’ hearts—the Larry Hall Memorial Scholarship.
