Congresswoman Chellie Pingree to be UNE's 2012 commencement speaker

University of New England announces that Congresswoman Chellie Pingree will be the 2012 Commencement speaker.

UNE Commencement 2012 will take place on Saturday, May 19 at 10:00 a.m.at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland.  Pingree will also be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree at the ceremony.

Chellie Pingree

Pingree was elected from Maine's 1st Congressional District in 2008, the first woman elected to Congress from that district.

She first ran for State Senate in 1991 and won, serving four terms - including her role as majority leader from 1996-2000 - until leaving office due to term limits.  In her last session, Pingree sponsored one of the nation's first prescription drug pricing bills, MaineRX.  After a legal fight that led to the U.S. Supreme Court, the bill became law, and has since been a model for states around the country working to lower prescription drug prices.

Pingree also sponsored the "Parents as Scholars" program, a national model for welfare reform, which continues to help working Maine parents gain access to education.  From 2003-2007, she served as a national president and CEO of Common Cause, a non-partisan citizen activist group with nearly 300,000 members and 35 state chapters.  Common Cause's mission is to help citizens make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest. 

Theodora J. Kalikow

UNE will also honor University of Maine Farmington President Theodora J. Kalikow, Ph.D., with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.  Since 1994, Kalikow has been a guiding force in Maine's educational and civic life.

In 2001, Kalikow was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame to honor the statewide impact of her achievements and her effect on improving the lives of women in Maine. In 2006, she received the prestigious Deborah Morton Award, presented by the trustees of the University of New England, to recognize outstanding women who have achieved high distinction in their careers and public service.

The University of New England will award an estimated1, 246 associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees at the event, representing the College of Arts and Sciences, Westbrook College of Health Professions, College of Osteopathic Medicine, and College of Graduate Studies.   Each college will recognize its own student achievements at pinning and hooding ceremonies throughout the week.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.