Summer 2026

Louis Fontaine, Chair UMA Senior College

“May you live in interesting times.” This phrase is usually taken as an irony, a subtle curse. But if you look at it, it is quite positive. The phrase fits the past year of UMA Senior College in both respects. We started out cursed in the fall when our web site had problems during registration. The two hours that it took to remedy the problem stalled class registrations. The bad juju carried on when trying to adapt to the new computer software that the University installed. Then the changes in Zoom operation caught us off guard. We recovered and adapted to the situations. The rest of the year went relatively smoothly. The Office Commitee members may disagree since they were in the middle of addressing each problem as it occurred but hopefully most classes and lectures went smoothly because of their efforts.

The spring semester went more smoothly, featuring several engaging classes and lectures. We had three lectures by the faculty of the University of Maine at Augusta as part of our recognition of its 60th anniversary: Director of Library Services Cynthia Kitchin, Associate Professor of Biology Jennifer Long, and Doctor of Counseling Psychology, John O’Brien. Recordings of all the spring lectures are now available on the UMASC website under the Class and Activities menu. Most are available for viewing on demand anytime.

Partnerships are a key part of our senior college. From its beginning, the UMASC has relied on a close partnership with the University of Maine at Augusta. Frankly, we could not exist without its support. We have access to its physical facilities and electronic resources without any expense, and it also covers a significant portion of our administrative specialist’s salary. UMA Dean Pam MacRae has been the representative of the university on the UMASC Board of Directors for five years and has provided us with strong support and good advice. She will be leaving UMA for a position at the University of Maine at Farmington this summer. UMASC owes her thanks for the guidance that she provided.

The other valuable partnership is with the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, located in the Michael Klahr Center on the UMA campus. We use the Klahr Center classroom for several of our popular classes and use its theater for our films class. We used the Klahr Center theater to show “Art of the Earth in 3D” by Roger Richmond, which was spectacular. We will try to bring Mr. Richmond back for another show in the fall. We demonstrate our appreciation to the Klahr Center with an annual monetary contribution.

The cooperative relationship with these two organizations allows us to provide the classes that you all enjoy. This spring, we developed a new partnership with the Viles Arboretum in Augusta. We previously rented class space at the facility for field courses. This year, David Greenham, the arboretum director and one of UMASC’s board members, offered the arboretum’s space at no charge. David views it as part of the arboretum’s public service mission. The arboretum provided the perfect place for the class “Sewing Dresses for Little Girls in Need” (aka Dress a Girl Around the World). The sewing class needed a large space that was easily accessible for bringing in materials and sewing machines. David offered the Viles Arboretum downstairs conference room where the participants could walk in and set up their sewing machines with minimal effort. This spring, the Board of Directors of UMA Senior College strengthened this partnership by becoming a Sustaining Sponsor of the Viles Arboretum for $500.

Hopefully, UMA Senior College provides its members with a positive experience of “interesting times.” Our formal partners, volunteers, and instructors help enrich the lives of our members. Every partner is valuable whether their role is providing physical facilities, scheduling courses, registering people for classes, or teaching a course. These partners are essential in the operation of our senior college.

We are always looking for new volunteers to make UMA Senior College work. Recently, Mick O’Halloran described the type of people that we need as “experienced, very bright, accomplished, well spoken, with some tolerance for sitting in meetings and willing to do work for no monetary remuneration.” He said this with a smile, but the description fits many of our members. If you would like more information about how you can help UMA Senior College, please contact us at office@umasc.org or 207-621-3551.

Mark Twain said that an open mind leaves a chance for someone to drop a worthwhile thought into it. Who knows? Maybe interesting times at UMASC can provide some of those thoughts.