UMPI to establish downtown gallery, art studios at 149 State St.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will soon have a physical presence in downtown Presque Isle as part of a major project to establish the region’s very first facility dedicated to the visual arts. UMPI officials are partnering with the Wintergreen Arts Center on this project that not only supports the region’s growing arts community and efforts to spur economic development, but also encourages innovation in academic and community education.

Two hundred and nineteen students graduated from the University of Maine at Presque Isle during the 2012-2013 academic year. On Saturday, May 18, at 10:30 a.m. during the 2013 Commencement Exercises, the University’s 104th Commencement, President Linda Schott conferred degrees upon 145 students who participated in the ceremony held in Wieden Gymnasium.

Three hundred and twenty-three students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle have been named to the Dean’s List for the spring semester, according to Dr. Michael Sonntag, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

Taylor Ussery, a 2013 University of Maine at Presque Isle graduate, has just been named one of four statewide finalists in the “Young and Free Maine Spokester” contest, powered by Maine’s Credit Unions. Voting is underway until June 18 at 3 p.m. and the new Spokester will be named by June 21. To vote for Taylor, please visit www.youngfreemaine.com/2013-search.

University of Maine at Presque Isle officials held a press conference on Monday, June 3 at the Campus Center to officially announce a major effort to provide a healthy and productive work and learning environment for students, employees and visitors—its move to a Tobacco-Free Campus.

UMPI President Linda Schott was joined by members of the University Senate, Student Senate and the campus Health and Wellness Committee in providing details about UMPI becoming tobacco-free, an effort that has been years in the making.

For Jonathan Stormer, heading to medical school this fall isn’t just about pursuing his dreams, it’s a symbol of his very unusual path to an undergraduate degree and the strong support he received from UMPI faculty and staff members along the way.

Stormer has crammed a lot of work into a short two and a half years to earn his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a pre-med concentration. But this effort was more than a decade in the making.

New work by UMPI Assistant Professor of Fine Art Heather Sincavage was on display during the Mayfair Festival of the Arts, a national multidisciplinary arts festival held in late May in Allentown, Penn. that welcomes about 50,000 attendees each year.