The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host more than 100 high school students and their teachers for the annual World Language Day on Thursday, April 16 in the Campus Center. Students from Ashland, Mars Hill and Presque Isle will spend the day on campus for mini-classes in language, culture, Spanish dancing and international games.

Several University faculty, staff and students, as well as community members, will present workshops on their countries of origin, or countries where they have lived and worked. Countries and cultures to be explored include Poland, Italy, Russia, China, Niger, Migmaq, Puerto Rico, Bulgaria, France, Portugal, Sweden and Nepal.

World Language Day will provide area students with an opportunity to learn more about other nations and cultures in a fun and interactive environment. Other schools were interested in participating in this event, but were unable to attend due to freezes on field trips.

A group of students from the University of Maine at Presque Isle who spent their February Break completing an international service learning project in South America will host a Guatemala Fiesta on Tuesday, April 14 from 6-8 p.m. in the Campus Center. The public is invited to attend this event.

The Fiesta will feature an evening of food, photos, fun and celebration. It will showcase the work done by: Kasey Knowles, Skowhegan, senior Behavioral Science student; Laura Long, Blaine, senior Social Work student; Jessica Plant, Perth Andover, NB, junior Social Work student; and Tia Shaw, Perth Andover, NB, senior Social Work student. The group was led by advisor and UMPI Social Work Professor Shirley Rush.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will host the founder of an organization dedicated to affordable rural housing as its next Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow.

Robert Wiener, the Founder and Executive Director of the California Coalition for Rural Housing Project, which has been the leading voice in California for the production and preservation of affordable rural housing since 1981, will speak at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8 in the Campus Center. His talk, Preserving Rural Life in Tough Times: Strategies to Combat Shelter Poverty and Stabilize Communities, is part of the University’s Distinguished Lecturer Series and is being held in conjunction with University Day.

A performer with ties to The County will bring the show she has presented on stages across the country to the University of Maine at Presque Isle in April.

Pam Chabora will perform The Belle of Amherst, a one-woman play which explores the life and poetry of Emily Dickinson, on Tuesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. in Wieden Auditorium. Chabora, a professor of theatre at North Dakota State University, portrays Dickinson at the various stages of her life in this Tony-Award winning two-act play by William Luce.

Dr. Chabora for many years has maintained parallel careers in educational theatre – she previously taught theatre in Aroostook County at the University of Maine at Fort Kent – and in professional theatre as an actress, singer, director, and choreographer. Her theatrical credits range from Juliet in Star-Crossed Lovers, a musical, to the title role in Miss Julie.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Student Organization of Social Work will co-sponsor, with the National Association of Social Work Branch D, a public lecture by a board certified psychiatrist on Monday, April 6 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Campus Center.

Dr. Momen El Nesr will speak on Anorexia Nervosa: A Hidden Disease. Dr. El Nesr is board certified in general psychiatry, addiction psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine. Allied health providers are encouraged to attend this free lecture.

An expert on Maine’s economy will discuss the economic situation in the state and across the country during the next Business Breakfast, co-sponsored by the University of Maine at Presque Isle, LEAD [Leaders Encouraging Aroostook Development], and the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce. The Business Breakfast will be held on Thursday, April 9 at 7:30 a.m. in the University’s Campus Center.

Charles Colgan, professor of public policy and management in the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine and Chair of the masters program in Community Planning and Development, will deliver a talk titled The Maine and U.S. Economies: How Far Down? How Long Back?

Colgan is a frequently quoted source in statewide and national media coverage of economics in Maine. Each year, he delivers a detailed economic forecast on the state’s economy, which is based on his analysis of employment trends, income, retail sales, and a range of other indicators.

From neural prosthetics to political cartoons to international service learning opportunities, students at the University of Maine at Presque Isle will be showcasing their academic research, scholarly work and community service on Wednesday, April 8 during the 8th Annual University Day. The theme of this year’s event is Connecting Learning, Life and Community.

University Day is an event that heightens students’ awareness of the work being done by peers in all of the disciplines represented on campus. The event allows students to better understand how disciplines interrelate and how the academic work they do applies to the local and global community. It is also an opportunity for students to experience a professional conference format. No regular classes are held during University Day, but in their stead, students are encouraged to attend student-led presentations and talks held during five sessions throughout the day.

Award-winning painter and printmaker David Estey visits the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Fine Art Gallery from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday, March 15 for the opening reception of his solo show Driven to Abstraction.

During the March 15 reception, the Belfast-based, Fort Fairfield-born artist will give a brief talk and answer questions about his work. According to the artist, his work includes primarily abstract paintings and prints in a wide variety of styles and media, but also an abundance of strong, expressive figure drawings in charcoal. This installation of Estey’s paintings and drawings will be on display from March 15 to April 18, 2009.

With signs of the County’s cold and snowy winter in huge piles around campus, the University of Maine at Presque Isle is hosting its second annual winter survival celebration for students, faculty and staff at 3 p.m. on Thursday, March 19 at Gentile Hall.

Frozen Frenzy II will include winter games, contests, and prizes all meant to celebrate the campus’s winter “survivability.” This year’s event is being organized by the UMPI Pride Committee with planning support by Professor Dawn McPherson’s Recreation class. Students in the course, which focuses on program planning, will be earning class credit to plan activities for the celebration.

Local kids will unknowingly be getting exercise while taking part in fun activities during the 9th semi-annual Fit and Fun Day, to be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 7 in Gentile Hall. The event is sponsored by the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Physical Education Majors Club.

The Club has organized the free play day for area children in grades 1-5 for the past four years to teach them about health and fitness in a fun environment. Activities may include a wide range of activities, from cup stacking, rhythm activities, and parachute games to juggling, and ball handling games, and improving motor skill techniques through activities such as throwing with rubber chickens, frogs, and turtles.