Page 14 - The Bell Tower - Fall 2014

FACULTYHIGHLIGHTS ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Grant Support for Rural U
UMFK has received a grant
for $132,500 by the Davis Educational Foundation for the 2014-2017 academic years. The support will allow the organization to expand and further develop the Rural U Early College and Dual Enrollment program.
The three-year project will provide support for staffing infrastructure, the improvement of quality outcomes and assessment, and the development of an app in order to fully connect and supply mobile support for the twenty-first cen- tury students served in the program.
As part of UMFK’s mission to focus on and serve the educational needs of rural
communities, the Rural U program pro- vides opportunities for rural high school students in 45 rural high schools in Maine to experience college learning and earn college credits while still in the supportive environment of high school. Courses are taken in an online environment, via dual enrollment classes taught in partner high schools, and via the Pleasant St. Academy Early College High School. The program is focused on post-secondary aspirations for students, and increases high school and university collaborations, efficiency, and alignment.
“Rural U, since its inception, has seen rapid and exponential growth,” states Scott Voisine, UMFK’s Dean of Community Education, “This grant will provide for the continued development of the necessary infrastructure, program outcomes and assessment, and student-centered
technology necessary to make the pro- gram a model for early post-secondary education in rural Maine and in other rural communities.”
The grant was received from the Davis Educational Foundation established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis after Mr. Davis’ retirement as chairman of Shaw’s Supermarkets, Inc.
For more information please visit our website, http://ruralu.umfk.edu or call Scott Voisine at 207-834-8644.
Gauvin Presents on Low Cost Solutions
UMFK Associate Professor of Electronic Commerce, Anthony Gauvin, attended and presented at the 2014 Community Development Society (CDS) International Annual Conference and Meeting in Dubuque, Iowa.
Gauvin’s presentation was entitled
Leveraging “Free”; Creating an Electronic Communication Portfolio for a U.S. based non-profit organization.
In his presentation, Professor Gauvin discussed the communications needs of non-profits and how those needs translate into electronic communications function- ality. According to Professor Gauvin, by matching the required functionality into free or near free electronic communica- tion tool kits, a standardize portfolio of electronic communications tools is pre- sented that allows non-profits to enable
their communication strategies for a very minimal cost. This portfolio includes inter- nal and external social networking, email, virtual conferencing, web sites, and crowd sourcing tools for fundraising and collab- orative document creation tools. A central component of this portfolio is the Google for Non-Profits program.
While in Dubuque, Professor Gauvin was re-elected for a three-year term to the
Community Development Society Board of Directors. Gauvin’s re-election to the board of directors symbolizes his leader- ship within the CDS organization. The CDS is a professional organization dedicated to finding the most effective ways to support community development professionals
in their practice, teaching, and research activities.
Higher offices within the CDS structure are selected from the board of directors. Gauvin currently serves on the finance and communications committee and is a member of the editorial board, review-
ing manuscripts for its publications: CDS Journal and CD Practice. Gauvin also has published several articles in the CDS news- letter, Vanguard.
The mission of the Community Development Society is to further commu- nity work through teaching, practice, and research. CDS members represent a variety of fields, including education, health care, social services, government, utilities, economic development practitioners, and citizen groups.
12 | The Bell Tower