UMF commencement address to be delivered by Hannah Pingree

FARMINGTON – University of Maine at Farmington will celebrate its 157th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 15. Theodora J. Kalikow, UMF president, and Allen Berger, UMF vice president for academic affairs, will confer degrees to approximately 462 students in the UMF 2010 graduating class in an outdoor ceremony behind the UMF Olsen Student Center.

Rep. Hannah Pingree, Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, will deliver the UMF Commencement address. Elected unanimously in 2008 to her current role with the Maine Legislature, Pingree has served in multiple leadership positions during her four terms in the Maine House, representing 10 island and coastal towns.

“We are thrilled to have Speaker Pingree address our graduates as they come to this memorable moment in their lives,” said Kalikow. “Her leadership in the Maine Legislature is a testament to the great things that educated and inspired young people can accomplish.”

Richard Batt, longtime president of the nationally acclaimed Franklin Community Health Network and dedicated leader on the issue of comprehensive health care, will receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters. Robert Sherman, 2010 class president and graduating senior from Johnston, R.I., will give the student address. Tamera Grieshaber, member of the UMS Board of Trustees, will deliver greetings to the graduates from the University of Maine System.