Why I Give

Paying it back to give students a start

“I’ve always thought it’s important to support the school that gave you a start,” explains Donna Litchfield Cheney, a dedicated member of the UNE community since graduating from Westbrook Junior College in 1962. “UNE has been a state leader in starting programs that are really needed throughout our state and local communities, so in my mind, investing in UNE and its students is a really good investment.”

Donna has supported the University not only philanthropically but in many other ways over the years. Six months after graduating from Westbrook Junior College, she returned to work as secretary for President Blewett. She served as the president of the Westbrook College Alumni Association and later become an alumni trustee, a position she served in until 2003. She also served on the Moving Forward Campaign Committee during UNE’s last capital campaign. When Westbrook College merged with UNE, it was a period of extreme transition, and Donna’s presence in the community during this time provided stability and ensured a lasting dedication to Westbrook College’s legacy.

Today, Donna lives in Falmouth, and she is still very much a member of the UNE family. When Donna graduated in 1962, she felt Westbrook Junior College had equipped her with the necessary skillset to achieve all her professional goals, and the fact that UNE has strived to meet those same standards, as well as put an emphasis on supporting the local community, is something Donna is very proud of.

“UNE is one of the few universities where a student can go to school and come out and get a job in their chosen field — practically right away. It’s very unique in that respect. By giving back and supporting student scholarships, I hope to enable more students to advance their careers and achieve the same start I had.”

Donna Litchfield Cheney is also a proud member of the UNE Heritage Society. If you’ve included UNE in your estate plans, please let us know! You’ll become a member of the Heritage Society and your legacy will be woven into the future of generations of students.

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UNE’s undergraduate Class of 2018 has come together during their senior year in a radical way to make a difference for future nursing students at UNE.

In May of 2017, one of their classmates, nursing student Nathan Desjardins, lost his life during a water rescue while working with the Fryeburg police department. Contributions to UNE in his memory allowed an endowed scholarship for nursing students to be created in his memory.

As the senior class planned ways to celebrate their commencement, it became important to them to find a meaningful way to celebrate Nate as well. The class pulled together and decided to create UNE’s first senior gift effort — a fundraising campaign in support of the Nathan M. Desjardins Memorial Scholarship Fund. By commencement, over 85 students made a gift to the Desjardins Scholarship totaling $1,400.

“We all knew him very well. I talked with him every day on the bus and in class. I think that what we are doing as a class to honor Nate is great,” said Jessica Fraser ’18. “Nate’s legacy will continue to be felt at the university,” added Alex Burno ’18.

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Paying it Forward to Celebrate and Inspire Students

Dr. Rachel Naida is an assistant clinical professor at the University of New England College of Pharmacy, a graduate of the inaugural class of '13, and is also a white coat sponsor, reminding her students of the strong community of alumni, parents, and professionals who support them.

Originally from Raymond, Maine, Rachel always knew that she was interested in the health professions. “I wasn’t sure what area to focus on, but I knew that the University of New England really was the place to be when it came to the health professions. I had worked as a technician in a pharmacy so when UNE opened the College of Pharmacy, it made sense for me to apply. As the first inaugural class, we developed strong relationships with each other well as with the faculty and staff, which fostered that nice family feel that still exists today.”

Upon graduating, Rachel went on to do a residency with the VA Maine Healthcare System. “The VA Maine Healthcare System is extremely progressive in its pharmacy practice. The pharmacists have prescribing authority and there are many different pharmacy-run clinics within the VA. I trained in the Anticoagulation Clinic (ACC), the Diabetes Clinic, and the Hepatitis C Clinic, and after completing my residency, I was hired to work there as a clinical pharmacy specialist.”

In 2015, after a year and a half running the Hepatitis C Clinic at the VA Maine Healthcare System, opportunity knocked. “I always knew I wanted to get into academia, but thought I’d need to wait five to ten years to do so. I know that positions in academia do not come up frequently, so when the job opening at UNE was advertised, I knew I needed to take the plunge and apply.”

“My UNE education has taken me across the world, and today enables me to apply my knowledge, experience, and skills as I help to prepare the next generation of pharmacists here at UNE. I am enormously proud of our students and all they accomplish in the four years they are with us, and it is a tremendous privilege to work with them as they achieve their goals. As a member of faculty, I’m proud that our college takes great pride in the individualized attention afforded to each student. I’m also proud that many of our faculty, including myself, recognize and honor our students by being white coat sponsors. For me, sponsoring a white coat lets students know that I am recognizing them, that I am proud of them, and that I support them in their profession. It shows that I am invested in them, and I think helping them both in the classroom and by sponsoring a white coat, is a fantastic way to pay it forward, as well as celebrate and inspire our students.”

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Bridging the Gap — Bringing Students, Faculty, and the Community Together

Cally Gurley, UNE’s special collections librarian, watches everyday as students come scrambling in and out of every campus building once they have been dismissed from their classes, but none more so than the library and gallery spaces in and around UNE’s campuses. “The Ketchum Gallery itself was only built in 2014 so it is relatively new. It was added to the front of the library and now it's the first thing that people see when they walk into the library. So that's a transformative experience for everybody,” she remarks.

These spaces serve as a bridge to connect students to the community and the immense resources available to them. There are thousands of journals and books at their disposal, librarians are always working with faculty to provide classes in researching techniques as well as providing new spaces for classes to be held, and students and faculty can also have their own works displayed. Additionally, the library provides students with a multitude of electronic resources, support staff, and even employment positions. The Ketchum Library alone employs about 30 student workers and both the Ketchum and Albplanalp libraries are normally open on a 24 hour basis throughout the year.

Gurley, also a regular donor to the university, has been a proud part of the changes regarding the library spaces. “It's much easier for me to make a gift as staff because I have my gift deducted directly from my paycheck. It's not huge, but it does add up. I've been here 19 years and it feels good to be able to contribute to the unbelievable diversity of programs that the university provides. When people make a gift, whether gifts-in-kind, such as fine art, or monetary gifts, they're contributing to the overall health of the institution. And the overall health of the institution makes it a better place for the newer students who are coming in, for the faculty and staff, and for all future students.”

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Philanthropy and an array of study options help make UNE a top college for Marine Biology

In November 2018, College Magazine ranked the University of New England number seven in the country on its list of “The 10 Best Colleges for Marine Biology” — the only school in New England to crack to the list’s top 10.

UNE’s Marine Biology program has grown immensely due to its pinnacle position along the water, an array of study options such as a bachelor of arts degree and a minor in marine affairs, bachelor of science degrees and minors in both aquaculture and marine entrepreneurship, and a bachelor of science in a program called MARMAT — a double major in marine sciences and applied mathematics — as well as from the incredible support of alumni and UNE community.

In fact, an earlier gift from the Art Girard family helped support many of these current programs. He and his family had gifted the locally known Ram Island to UNE, providing the University with the chance to build and expand on its already world-class marine science programs.

An entrepreneur, speedboat racer, commercial real estate broker, and philanthropist, Girard has often been associated with preserving historic and natural landmarks such as lighthouses and the land where they reside. Girard spent a portion of his childhood in Portland, Maine. Later in life he returned to work as a mechanic and thereafter began purchasing real estate for development with an eye for conservation. In regards to Ram Island Girard reflects, "Its location and relatively unspoiled environment teeming with marine wildlife was the perfect match for the studies supported by the Marine Sciences Department. UNE stood out to me for [its] progressive curriculum and extraordinary management team. I have no doubt it will be an excellent custodian of Ram Island."

Ram lsland, located only two miles offshore, provides students with a place to practice more hands on research techniques. Jeanne Hey, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, says, "Adding Ram Island to UNE's already extraordinary marine resources makes us the undisputed leader in marine education. Nowhere else can undergraduates study marine science and policy in an on-campus, fully equipped marine science center and travel to a university-owned island research station within a short boat ride from a university dock. Ram Island's unique location at the confluence of the Saco Bay estuary and the Atlantic Ocean generates opportunities for students to take advantage of a remarkable living laboratory."

In recognition of the large amount of support that the Girard family has provided our university, but more specifically our Marine Science Program, the Marine Science Center located on Biddeford campus was named after Arthur Girard. The Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center (APGMSC) incorporates two floors dedicated to teaching, a tidal pump system, 550,000 gallon storage tank enabling flow-through seawater distributed to classrooms and labs, five internal pools, and wet and dry laboratories.

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