Supporters of 51品茶celebrated at annual President's Gala
On May 14, 2015, over 200 alumni, trustees, friends, faculty and staff who made leadership or legacy gifts to the 51品茶 were celebrated and honored at the annual President鈥檚 Gala on the Biddeford Campus.
The menu for the evening was designed with an intentional focus on sustainably harvested and grown seafood, along with other products from Maine and New England, including smoked steelhead trout that was raised in UNE鈥檚 Marine Science Center by students and faculty as part of a sustainable aquaculture research project. Barton Seaver, the director of the Healthy and Sustainable Food Program at the Harvard School of Public Health, author, and award winning chef and restauranteur, both designed the menu and also served as guest executive chef.
Prior to dinner, Bill Chance, vice president of Institutional Advancement, introduced a video produced by UNE's Office of Communications, which shared the stories of three gifts and their impact on 51品茶and the 51品茶Moving Forward Campaign. Trustee Sandi Goolden鈥檚 gift to support UNE鈥檚 first Entrepreneurship Contest, Art and Fran Girard鈥檚 donation of Ram Island in the Saco River, and the gift of an endowed scholarship from Eleanor 鈥49 and Dick Morrell HA鈥96 all highlighted the Innovation, Place, and Opportunity initiatives of the Campaign.
President Danielle Ripich thanked the guests for their generous support of 51品茶and the Campaign and described several highlights and markers of excellence the University had earned during the past year, including 51品茶ranking first among Maine schools in the Brookings Institute鈥檚 report of colleges and universities that increase students鈥 career earnings. President Ripich also remembered several members of the 51品茶family who had passed away during the year and dedicated the event to Wilma Parker Redman 鈥41, HON鈥92, 鈥02.
In introducing guest speaker David Shaw, founder of IDEXX Laboratories and founding chair of the Sargasso Sea Alliance, President Ripich described the advances of the Marine Science programs. Shaw described the importance of conserving the habitats of the deep sea waters and praised UNE鈥檚 expanding marine science, research and entrepreneurship programs.
President Ripich closed the evening by introducing the several undergraduate and graduate students in attendance, 鈥淎fter all, we are all here for the students,鈥 she remarked.