Harold Alfond: Maine has got the type of student that I like to help because they appreciate it, they work harder. As they say, the harder you work, the luckier you get and I think they get that model. Kid going to Maine will give usually more than 100%, and that’s what happened up there.
Very proud that the college has allowed me to be part of it. And I know that for years to come they’ll benefit a lot of people.
On screen: Transformative (adjective); causing a major change to something or someone, especially in a way that makes it, him, or her better
Dannel Malloy: The commitment by the Harold Alfond Foundation is really quite spectacular.
Joan Ferrini-Mundy: The idea that we would have this kind of an investment in the University of Maine System and in particular in the University of Maine — it’s transformative, it’s a chance to do so many things that matter for all of us and for our students.
John Volin: The size of the gift alone is phenomenal. But the areas that they have focused on are crucial for the state of Maine.
Kimberly Whitehead: The initiatives are infused with high-impact practices, such as research learning experiences, and internship opportunities that will allow students to enter the workforce directly from college and to be well equipped to be leaders in the global economy.
Ken Ralph: It’s also going to force the University of Maine to up its game in a lot of different areas, whether it’s in research or engineering or in student success or in athletics. So it’s always fun when you have that carrot out in front of you that makes you strive and work even harder to be the best.
On screen: A $240 million investment in students, in Maine’s future
Dannel Malloy: We’re going to retain more of our students on a year-to-year basis. We’re going to see more of our students graduate on a year-to-year basis. We’re going to enlarge our computing and engineering program by at least one thousand five hundred students.
On screen: $55 million for the University of Maine Graduate and Professional Center
Glenn Cummings: It builds the future for Maine leadership. That means that there will be people who will be coming to that graduate center who will be learning public policy, law, business, and they will be our future leaders and they will know how to handle complex problems in a multidisciplinary approach.
Leigh Saufley: There will be an approach to student needs that will help every kind of student and that allows us to think much more expansively about how our students receive an education at the university.
On screen: $20 million to bolster student success and retention through graduation and into meaningful careers
John Volin: The one thing that hasn’t been done, even at small liberal arts colleges, is being able to scale, at that first and second year, a research learning experience for all students. And I’m confident that we will be successful, and if we are it will be a national model.
On screen: $90 million in facilities investment in support of competitive excellence and gender equity at Maine’s only Division I athletic program
Ken Ralph: What you are going to see is our facility infrastructure is going to change pretty dramatically here in the next six to eight years. And that’s something exciting, it’s long overdue here but there’s also more space for the community to access as well. And we’d like to get much more involved in hosting youth events and high school events and other large-scale competitions to introduce more young people to the Orono community.
On screen: $75 million investment in a multi-university Maine College of Engineering Computing and Information Science
Dana Humphrey: This is an incredible opportunity to really provide the educated workforce and the new ideas that are going to take Maine’s economy to the next level. What engineering and computer science professionals bring is high quality jobs, not just for themselves, but they create and are the feedstock for industries that give those high-paying jobs. That’s what Maine needs to move forward.
On screen: Seven universities and the University of Maine School of Law; working together to move Maine forward
On screen quote: “The University of Maine System is rising to meet the challenges of our state. We are betting big on its success and urging others to join us.” — Greg Powell, Chairman of the Harold Alfond Foundation
James Thelen: In very aspirational moments, we talk about unified accreditation as being a tool that will allow us to open up our academic programs to students anywhere in the state, no matter which university they start at. They should have clear and simple pathways to accessing the best of our programs.
Joan Ferrini-Mundy: We’re ready to move, I think, and be a place that’s nimble, addresses the needs of the state of Maine, and prepares students to be the leaders of tomorrow.
Dannel Malloy: What better investment could we make than to be investing in young people, who have a hundred years ahead of them to live, can make extraordinary personal contributions to our economy, to our humanity, to the state of Maine.
Dana Humphrey: It’s going to keep young folks in Maine and it’s going to attract young folks to Maine.
Kimberly Whitehead: We are excited about the impact of this gift for our students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, community partners, friends of the university and especially for the citizens of Maine, the region and beyond.
Leigh Saufley: It is a gift that will help Maine thrive for the next century.
Harold Alfond: As I always believed, I only could wear one pants and one jacket at a time. I couldn’t understand why I had six of them. So the only way I could clarify that in my own mind, was give five away. In all my life I believe one thing, I’ve been in a lot of charity drives. I think the more you give to charity, that somehow, somewhere it comes back, in other ways. And the greatest feeling is to give.