UMaine College of Education and Human Development

10/26/2026

Congratulations, River!

⭐ 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲-𝟮𝟳 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 ⭐

River McDade is a graduate of the UMaine College of Education and Human Development, Rural THRIVE program and now teaches at Beech Hill School in Otis, ME. We are thrilled to have River on the council to share insights as a rural educator. Congrats and welcome, River!

Read the full announcement: https://ruralschoolscollaborative.org/news/rsc-announces-2026-27-emergent-educators-advisory-council

10/24/2026

Cheers to everyone who stopped by our Tailgate! The breakfast sandwiches were delicious and the College of Education and Human Development scarves were a huge hit! Go Black Bears!!!

10/20/2026

is this weekend! If you’re planning to be in Orono on Saturday, stop by our annual Alumni & Friends Tailgate before the football game for breakfast sandwiches, coffee, hot chocolate and other goodies. We’ll also have a limited number of College of Education and Human Development scarves — modeled here by Hunter Towne ('26, Elementary Education) — to give away to alumni of the college. See you there!

More info is online: https://www.umainehomecoming.com/project/college-of-education-and-human-development-alumni-and-friends-tailgate/

10/19/2026

We're thrilled to announce Project MAINEd (Maine Adaptive Intervention Network for Educators in Disabilities), a new initiative launching with support from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs.

The project aims to help aspiring special educators in rural communities earn master's degrees that lead to state certification, with tuition fully covered!

Sign up for the project mailing list to receive announcements about application dates and other updates. Learn more on UMaine News: https://umaine.edu/news/2026/10/umaine-launches-free-program-to-address-rural-special-education-teacher-shortage/

10/15/2026

Meet Christopher Raymond, a kinesiology and physical education major (exercise science concentration) from Strafford, New Hampshire and our APPL of the week!

The APPLs (Academic Professional Peer Leaders) are our student ambassadors. They represent the college at various University of Maine events, including open houses and accepted student days. They also promote the activities of the college to alumni, donors, faculty and administrators.

"I am excited to be a part of any activity that relates to helping the incoming first years, or getting to meet interested prospective students," said Christopher. "Whether it’s an open house event, or a programmed event with the current first years, being able to meet and help the future of our college is something that I love to do."

Read more at our website: https://umaine.edu/edhd/2026/10/14/meet-the-appls-christopher-raymond/

10/08/2026

Our Meet the APPLs student this week is Marx Kennedy from Glenburn, Maine, a double major in secondary education and Spanish.

As an APPL, Marx is one of our student ambassadors for the 2026-27 school year. APPLs (Academic Professional Peer Leaders) represent the college at various University of Maine events, including open houses and accepted student days. They also promote the activities of the college to alumni, donors, faculty and administrators.

Asked his favorite spot on campus, in Orono or in Maine, Marx said: "Black Bear Cinemas is the spot to go by far! So affordable, friendly employees and a great way to spend down time."

Read more at our website: https://umaine.edu/edhd/2026/10/07/meet-the-appls-marx-kennedy/

10/07/2026

This op-ed in the Bangor Daily News by Laura Bean and Timothy Surrette from our Rural THRIVE project team notes that in Maine "there is growing urgency to identify and develop robust and sustainable mechanisms to provide the professional support early-career teachers need and deserve" and that "Rural THRIVE Foundations could serve as an important model for what this support could look like and achieve." Read more:

"As many as a quarter of Maine's beginning teachers leave Maine public schools before even reaching year four."

10/01/2026

Victoria Jarnich of Bangor, Maine is this week’s Meet the APPLs student. An elementary education major with a concentration in child development, Victoria is the current president of the UMaine chapter of Student MEA, and a member of Back Country Squatters and Kappa Delta Pi at the University of Maine.

APPLs (Academic Professional Peer Leaders) are the College of Education and Human Development’s student ambassadors. They represent the college at various UMaine events, including open houses and accepted student days. They also promote the activities of the college to alumni, donors, faculty and administrators.

“I think this is a great opportunity to practice my leadership skills. More specifically, I think learning how to collaborate with others will greatly aid me when entering a school where I must collaborate with many other staff and students,” said Victoria.

Read more at our website: https://umaine.edu/edhd/2026/09/30/meet-the-appls-victoria-jarnich/

09/30/2026

If you’re coming to ’s Family & Friends Weekend, we hope you’ll consider attending the college mixer event this Friday, October 2, from 4:00–7:00 p.m. in the Donald P. Corbett Business Building Atrium!

Come meet faculty and staff from our college and the university’s other academic colleges before the rest of the Family & Friends Weekend activities begin. This is a casual, open-house-style event, so stop by whenever you are able and enjoy light snacks and non-alcoholic beverages.

Please RSVP so we can plan accordingly. We look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc4wNxdlbSUtk23bwmzCIADYYbQLGzIh-PSDcG_yVXeuaQEiA/viewform

09/24/2026

Amelia Habgood, a kinesiology and physical education major with a concentration in exercise science and a minor in psychology, is this week's Meet the APPLs student!

APPLs (Academic Professional Peer Leaders) are our student ambassadors. They represent the college at various University of Maine events, including open houses and accepted student days. They also promote the activities of the college to alumni, donors, faculty and administrators.

"Becoming an APPL or getting involved in any way will only support your journey at UMaine and challenge you to get out of your comfort zone," Amelia tells other students. "And hopefully along the way you will learn more about yourself."

In addition to being an APPL, Amelia is a student athlete on the Swimming and Diving team and a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Read more at our website: https://umaine.edu/edhd/2026/09/23/meet-the-appls-amelia-habgood/