Honorable Donna Loring to provide Keynote Address at UMA Convocation
September 17 virtual event will launch 天美传媒 theme for academic year 鈥� Race and Social Justice
AUGUSTA–天美传媒 Interim President Joseph Szakas is pleased to announce that the Honorable Donna Loring, former Senior Advisor on Tribal Affairs to Governor Janet Mills, will deliver the Keynote Address at聽天美传媒 Virtual Convocation ceremony聽on September 17, 2021 at 3:00 p.m.聽 The public is invited to view the event on Facebook Live at聽.
Convocation marks the beginning of a new academic year, and with that, a new academic theme.聽聽The聽UMA Colloquium selected聽Race and Social Justice as the theme for the 2021-2022 academic year.聽Additionally,聽a theme-related book has been adopted for use in a number of classes across the curriculum: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson.
Dr. Robert Bernheim, UMA Assistant Professor of History, will provide a faculty perspective on the theme and Mohamed Khalid, a Business Administration student, will give his perspective on Race and Social Justice.
During the Convocation ceremony, UMA will also recognize students identified as Rising Scholars for both academic achievement and promise.聽聽Nominated students are those who have excelled in academics, engaged in the UMA community, or are individuals faculty and staff believe show great potential and promise as student scholars. Additionally, UMA Assistant Professor of Mental Health & Human Services Wendy St. Pierre will receive the Distinguished Educator award and UMA Assistant Professor of Biology Con Sullivan will receive the Distinguished Scholar award.
About the keynote speaker
Donna Loring is an elder and former council member of the Penobscot Indian Nation.聽 She held the position of the Nation鈥檚 Representative to the Maine State Legislature for twelve years, ending her service in 2008. Her book titled 鈥淚n The Shadow of the Eagle: A Tribal Representative in Maine鈥� chronicles her experiences in the Maine State Legislature as a Non-voting Tribal Representative.
During her time in the Maine Legislature, she authored and sponsored LD 291 鈥淎n Act to Require Teaching Maine Native American History and Culture in Maine鈥檚 Schools鈥� which Governor Angus King signed into law in 2001, changing the way Maine views its history.
Most recently, she was a Senior Advisor on Tribal Affairs to Governor Janet Mills.
Her professional background is in law enforcement having served as the Police Chief for the Penobscot Nation from 1984-1990 and becoming the first woman police academy graduate to become police chief in the State of Maine.
Donna is a Vietnam Veteran, serving in Vietnam from November of 1967 to November of 1968, during the TET Offensive.
She hosts her own radio show, Wabanaki Windows at WERU Community Radio in Orland.
She is a graduate of the University of Maine at Orono, which also awarded her an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 2017.
Among her many honors, Donna is the recipient of the University of New England鈥檚 prestigious Deborah Morton Society Award and the Courage is Contagious Award, part of University of Maine School of Law鈥檚 Justice for Women Lecture Series.