Boyne Foundation donates ‘largest gift ever made’ to SMCC

The Boyne Foundation has donated more than $500,000 to the Southern Maine Community College Foundation — the largest gift ever made to the SMCC Foundation — to help students pay for college.

The donation will be used to establish an endowed scholarship fund, known as the Boyne Family Scholarship Fund, that will benefit students enrolled in SMCC’s nursing program.

“The Boyne Foundation’s generosity and longtime support of SMCC makes a huge difference in allowing our students to achieve their goals and pursue their dreams,” SMCC President Ron Cantor said. “This gift shows the Boyne family’s confidence in our college, our students and the SMCC Foundation.”

The Boyne Foundation is a family-run nonprofit charitable organization whose mission is to provide scholarships for future health care providers. It was founded by the late Dr. Philip Boyne, a native of Houlton who attended Colby College and became an accomplished oral surgeon and research scientist at Loma Linda University.

“The Boyne family has been funding nursing scholarships at SMCC for the past nine years,” said Boyne’s son, John Boyne. “Our donation to the SMCC Foundation provides a permanent fund for future nursing students. The SMCC Foundation has many grants for students in other excellent programs, and we hope that our gift may encourage others to consider similar grants to help future students.”

Prior to the Boyne Foundation’s donation of $503,600, the largest gift to the SMCC Foundation came from the estate of Franklin Talbot, a Portland college librarian who bequeathed about $263,000 to the foundation upon his death in 2014.

The SMCC Foundation is an independent, nonprofit foundation that raises money from businesses, civic groups, community leaders and individuals for academic programs, classrooms and equipment, and scholarships for deserving students.

SMCC interim named dean of academics

Southern Maine Community College has named Charles Gregory as its dean of academic affairs following a nationwide search.

Gregory has served SMCC for 23 years as a faculty member with stints as department chair, division chair and Faculty Senate president. He served as interim academic dean for a year before being named the permanent dean this month.

Gregory has a bachelor’s degree from the University of New England, and a master’s and doctorate from the University of Maine.

Graduates

Bates College

Sasha Lennon, of Cape Elizabeth, majored in art and visual culture and psychology

Megan Lubetkin, of Cape Elizabeth, majored in geology

William Furbush, of Scarborough, majored in American cultural studies

Jillian Legere, of South Portland, majored in chemistry

William Cleaves, of South Portland, majored in English

Rhode Island University

Amanda Ellen Junkins, of South Portland, Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering, Bachelor of Arts in French, cum laude

Elizabeth A. Hardy, of South Portland, Doctor of Pharmacy, magna cum laude

Jack H. Clark, of Scarborough, Bachelor of Science in ocean engineering, Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, summa cum laude

Matthew Merritt Propp, of Cape Elizabeth, Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering