New UNE president sees ‘bright, bright future’ 

James Herbert was inaugurated as the sixth president of the The University of New England on Sept. 9 on the Biddeford campus of the university, which also has a Portland campus. 

Herbert, who took office on July 1, came to UNE from Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he served as executive vice provost and dean of the Graduate College. He previously held a variety of administrative roles at Drexel, including head of the Department of Psychology, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, director of the Anxiety Treatment and Research Program, director of the Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology, and president of the university faculty. Herbert replaced Danielle Ripich, who retired at the end of June.

“I am deeply honored to play this role in the next chapter of UNE’s unique and remarkable story,” said Herbert. “It’s a story steeped in the history of courageous people who were dauntless in their efforts to build and grow an institution of higher learning. Throughout the years, the university and its predecessor institutions continuously upheld the values of dogged determination and inclusivity while delivering on the promise of education and the personal fulfillment that comes with it. I know that that spirit of UNE is ever-present and will push us forward, together, to a bright, bright future.”

Cheverus students raise funds for hurricane relief

Cheverus students raised almost $2,300 during a Dress Down Day on Friday, Sept. 15, to help families impacted by hurricanes in Houston and other locales.

“We have two Jesuit High Schools in Houston, Cristo Rey Jesuit and Strake Jesuit,” said John Moran, principal at Cheverus. “Between the two schools, they have 50 families whose homes have been destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. We also have schools in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Miami.”

If they brought in a donation, students could wear their regular clothes to school instead of their uniforms.

Local theater starting new student program

Portland Ovations Offstage is launching a program to enroll Maine high school students to spread the word about the magic of the performing arts and to provide them with an in-depth semester-long opportunity to explore what a professional commitment to the performing arts truly entails. By selecting a core group of students, Ovations Offstage hopes to establish and nurture a vital link to their peers regarding the arts, both locally and nationally.

Offstage Ambassadors will attend performances and various outreach events presented by Portland Ovations and asked to post reviews on social media sites or on the organization’s website, PortlandOvations.org. Ambassadors will receive community service hours for their participation in the program, which will run from December through June each season.

“With the launch of the Offstage Ambassador program, we hope to engage students in the arts in a new, exciting way and encourage their active participation allowing them to gain new perspectives on the performing arts and share valuable insights with their peers,” said Catherine Anderson, director of Ovations Offstage.

Applications are available at www.portlandovations.org/ambassadorprogram and are due Nov. 1. For more information see http://bit.ly/2xAxg8V. 

Trio of National Merit Scholars announced

Three high school seniors in the Portland Public Schools have been named semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program: Lucy Tumavicus, a student at Deering High School, and Jessica Brown and Samuel Mermin, who attend Portland High School.

The students will have the opportunity to compete for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth over $32 million this spring as three of around 16,000 semifinalists nationwide. Semifinalists were selected from a pool of about 1.6 million high school juniors who took the 2016 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The semifinalists represent less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors.

Waynflete open house scheduled

“Discover Waynflete: Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools,” an open house for prospective parents of students in preschool to grade 11, will be held at the school Thursday, Oct. 19. The event will be from 8:30-10:30 a.m. To register or for more information, contact Melissa Fox at admissionoffice@waynflete.org or 774-5721, ext.1224. The  school is located at 360 Spring St. in Portland

James Herbert, new incoming president of the University of New England.