The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Reed Art Gallery is proud to present In the Company of Things by Léo-Paul Cyr, from Friday, Sept. 16 through Friday, Oct. 21, 2016. The public is invited to view the exhibition throughout the show’s run and attend the Gallery Reception on Friday, Oct. 7 from 5-7 p.m., which is being held in conjunction with the First Friday Art Walk. The event will include a Gallery Talk with the artist at 5:30 p.m.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present an action-packed, fun-filled Homecoming 2016 weekend—complete with an inflatable obstacle course, block party, fireworks, movie under the stars, and the annual Hall of Fame dinner—from Thursday, Sept. 29 to Sunday, Oct. 2. Alumni, friends, and campus and community members are invited to attend all events.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is proud to present one of the top 10 African dance companies in the United States—Step Afrika!—for a performance on Saturday, October 1 at 8 p.m. in the Auditorium in Wieden Hall as a part of the University’s Homecoming 2016 Celebration. This event is free and open to the public; donations to future cultural events will be accepted at the door.

Officials at the University of Maine at Presque Isle are pleased to announce that the institution earned three top rankings on U.S. News and World Report’s 2017 Best Colleges list. In this year’s annual rankings, UMPI was named among the 50 Best Regional Colleges in the North, the 15 Top Public Schools in the North, and the top 10 Regional Colleges in the North for graduates with least debt.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is set to open a brand new, state-of-the-art space devoted to the region’s professional and workforce development needs this fall thanks to a generous donation from MMG Insurance of $50,000, as well as a $10,000 grant from the Maine Community Foundation. University officials and business leaders will unveil the MMG Center for Professional Development during a grand opening celebration on Monday, Sept. 12, at 3 p.m. All are invited to attend this special event, which will include a ribbon cutting and refreshments.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle will present David Sylvester—a cyclist, award-winning filmmaker and best-selling author—as the first guest speaker in its 2016-2017 Distinguished Lecturer Series. Sylvester will deliver his talk on Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s TRIO College Access Services Office is strengthening its efforts to help Aroostook County middle and high school age students prepare for and enroll in college—and succeed once they get there—thanks to a $1.2 million competitive grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle and the Wintergreen Arts Center are teaming up again to present one of The County’s most unique and fun-filled 5K fundraisers—the Fourth Annual Color Presque Isle 5K, where participants dress in white and get showered with colored powder throughout the course. The event, which serves as a benefit for arts programming in Presque Isle, will be held on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 9 a.m. starting at Riverside Park. Registration begins at 8 a.m.

A University of Maine at Presque Isle faculty member has received a prestigious national award from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA). Barbara Blackstone, Coordinator of Athletic Training Education, Chair of the College of Professional Programs, and Chair of the College of Education, was selected to receive a 2016 Athletic Trainer Service Award during the 2016 NATA Convention, held in Baltimore, Maryland on June 24.

University of Maine at Presque Isle Class of 2016 graduate Emma Ruff had little time to celebrate her Bachelor of Fine Art degree after this year’s Commencement Exercises: she went straight to work fulfilling a Lunder Fashion and Textile Arts Internship that she was awarded from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston This internship, in the David and Roberta Logie Department of Textile and Fashion Arts, brings together the experience Ruff has earned through her degree in Fine Arts from UMPI and her lifelong passion for fashion.