UMFK News Releases

The trustees of the Maine Higher Education Assistance Foundation (MeHEAF) are pleased to announce the awarding of a scholarship for $1,000 to Julia Labbe of Eagle Lake. Julia is a junior pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business management at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, where she maintains a high grade-point average.

Josh Steirman, director of government relations of the Maine Bankers Association, made the presentation to Labbe on Tuesday, December 6th at Katahdin Trust Company, in Fort Kent, with members of UMFK faculty and staff, local bank representatives, and Julia’s parents.

Participating schools select scholarship recipients who are in their second, third, or fourth year of study and are Maine high school graduates majoring in a business-related subject. The schools choose recipients based upon academic standing. The MeHEAF awards all scholarships for second-semester expenses.

Julia Labbe is a 2021 graduate of Community High School in Fort Kent and currently works at Corriveau’s Hilltop Blossoms. Julia will graduate from UMFK in May of 2024.

Organizers formed the Maine Higher Education Assistance Foundation in the 1950s as a guarantee fund for student loans. The founders included a wide range of banks, businesses, community organizations, and individuals. In 1990, the MeHEAF trustees, to continue the original intent of the founding members, initiated a scholarship program funded by the return on the original loan guarantee funds. The Maine Bankers Association, now located in Westbrook, manages the fund.

MeHEAF has given thirty-three scholarships to UMFK students to date. UMFK also has a plaque with each student’s name and year awarded, which the University displays in the Grindle conference room located in Cyr Hall.

The University of Maine at Fort Kent was well represented with awards for high-achieving athletes and coaches at the 2022 USCAA National Conference in November.

Jermaine West: USCAA Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year

Jermaine stepped in to fill the head coach role late into the season but made an immediate impact. His players connected immediately, and they hit the ground running with a successful season that ended with
the USCAA National Championship title.

“This is not a team; this is a family. Coaching this group, I couldn’t ask for anything more. It was a pleasure to work with this group of ladies, and if I could go back and do it all over again, I would without
hesitation,” said West.

Tara Kelley: USCAA Women’s Volleyball Coach of the Year

2022 was Tara’s second season. In addition to a 16-game win streak, she elevated the volleyball program to a runner-up finish. She was able to mix in several new athletes with the returners and create a cohesive group.

“This team was built differently from the start,” said Kelley. “They have the leadership, encouragement, positivity, and energy that every team strives for. With every game, win or loss, they found positives that
they reflected on. They also found things they individually needed to work on.”

Beatriz Garrido Jaramillo: USCAA Student-Athlete of the Year

Beatriz (Bea) is slated to graduate in the spring of 2023 with a bachelor of science degree in Behavioral Science (MHRT/C concentration) with a minor in Criminal Justice. The senior volleyball setter is not only
a leader on her team but also serves as the SAB president, student senate secretary, and helps out anywhere she is needed. Her high GPA also has her on the All-Academic Team.

“Bea is a great ambassador of UMFK. She embodies everything you want in a student-athlete,” said UMFK Athletic Director Carly Flowers. “She is a good teammate and heavily involved on campus. I
have enjoyed getting to know Bea and watching her compete. This honor is very much deserved!”

* All-Academic Athletes need to maintain 24 or more credits on their USCAA transcripts and hold overall (cumulative) grade point averages of 3.50 (on a 4.00 point system) or greater.

For more information about athletics at UMFK, contact Carly Flowers at (207) 834-7571.

The University of Maine at Fort Kent made a strong representation at the 2022 USCAA Division I National Championships with both the men’s and women’s Bengal soccer teams as well as the women’s volleyball team making the playoffs. All UMFK teams entered the tournament as the #1 seeds. Both of the Bengal soccer teams brought home national titles and the UMFK volleyball team gave a strong representation with a second-place finish.

Men’s Soccer Highlights: After a memorable season, the UMFK Men’s Soccer team came off the field with the esteemed USCAA Division I National Championship title. This was the third attempt at the finals since Head Coach Oniqueky Samuels was appointed to his position in 2018 to give him and his nine seniors their first victory.

In 2021, the Bengals lost on penalty kicks against the same opponent — Bryant and Stratton – Syracuse, and the team felt the additional pressure when the outcome once again came down to penalties where the Bengals outshot their competition.

“The team played a high-energy game that was fluent and efficient. Although we did not capitalize on them in regulation, we moved the ball well and created many good scoring opportunities,” said Coach Samuels, “Even though it was nerve-wracking to find ourselves in the same situation as last year, this time around, we were able to come out victorious in the penalty shootout.”

In the last two championship tournaments (2021 & 2022), UMFK only conceded one goal in regulation time.

The 2022 season prepared the team well with high-level match-ups that proved to be their most challenging season. They played NCAA DI University of Connecticut and St. Francis, NCAA DII Palm Beach Atlantic, Nova Southeastern University, Franklin Pierce and Assumption College, and NAIA Giant: West Virginia Tech. During the regular season game, they also defeated Defending USCAA Champions (Bryant and Stratton – Syracuse) at their home (0-3).

“Our accomplishments this past season were based on our team’s chemistry and how well we worked together towards the same goal,” said Samuels.

The MVP of the tournament was third-year student and UMFK goalkeeper, John Amoah. He saved three penalties in the final match and held a clean sheet in the finals.

“He is a top-quality goalkeeper and has exceptional talent,” said Samuels.

Other honors included All Tournament Team members: Markell Holness, Aaron Boateng, Jaheim McIntosh, Ajay Chin, and Ronaldo Watson.

Women’s Soccer Highlights: UMFK’s Lady Bengals are no strangers to the USCAA Division I National Championships, and this year, they brought home the coveted title for the ninth time. Their opponent, Bryant and Stratton – Syracuse, beat out the Bengals in a disappointing loss in the race for the 2021 title, but the Bengal’s hard work paid off and this year’s rematch brought redemption to the Fort Kent team with a 1-0 finish.

“This is not a team; this is a family,” said UMFK Women’s Head Coach Jermaine West, “Coaching this team, I couldn’t ask for anything more. It was a pleasure to work with this group of ladies and if I could go back and do it all over again I would without hesitation.”

In the well-matched final, UMFK outshot the opposition 14-12. UMFK Goalkeeper Dominique Valadez made four saves to keep the Bobcats at bay.

“Our team showed no sign of giving up because we knew what it meant to us. We gave everything we got,” said West.

Attacking Midfielder and sophomore Sage Stroud scored the only goal of the game and was awarded MVP.

UMFK Director of Athletics Carly Flowers noted,” Sage is a tremendous player who stepped up when her team needed her most. She works hard and deserves the MVP accolades. I’m very happy for her and the team.”

Stroud was joined on the All Tournament Team by Chelsea Thornburgh, Tarece Lawrence, Dominique Valadez and Naylea Beltran-Mendoza.

UMFK Volleyball players, Kayla Iwata and Jamie Nena also made the Volleyball All Tournament Team.

For more information on the athletic program at UMFK, contact Carly Flowers at (207) 834-7571.

When Will Pols enrolled in the Conservation Law program at The University of Maine at Fort Kent in 2020, he didn’t expect to be on an active search and rescue as a student. Earlier this summer, Pols joined eight other UMFK students in an emergency search and rescue mission in the Fort Kent area. Their knowledge and expertise were put into mobilization by the Maine Warden Service when an elderly citizen went missing.

“Being part of a live search impacted my experience as a student in a very positive way,” said Pols, “It gave me the opportunity to connect with many different game wardens and agencies. The real-world experience has increased my drive to enter the field of conservation law enforcement even more.”

The northernmost university has long been known for its hands-on learning opportunities. Several of UMFK’s programs, including Conservation Law Enforcement, prepare students with certifications required by professional employers, in addition to the awarded degrees that attract students to the campus. Conservation Law Enforcement students have the opportunity to earn their Incident Qualifications Card (Red Card) certification, qualifying them for wildland firefighting operations. At the completion of their search and rescue course, students have the opportunity to become certified to respond to search and rescue events in the state.

Kale O’Leary, a Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife game warden, is an adjunct professor at UMFK. He specializes in preparing students with the skills necessary to be successful during an active search and rescue.

“When I initially started teaching at UMFK, I knew there would be many positive takeaways from this involvement. I always hoped that in the future we would be able to use these students as highly trained volunteers, but their knowledge and assistance were extremely valuable to our recent search,” said O’Leary, “Without their help, we would have been limited to grid teams made up of only Wardens. This would have significantly slowed our progress and very likely led to a very different outcome, as time was critical in locating this man.”

UMFK’s Conservation Law Enforcement program is one of very few in the eastern United States. Located in the midst of thousands of acres of wilderness, the natural resources available to the northern Maine campus are unparalleled. Students can easily practice their professional skills in the environments they hope to work in and enjoy outdoor recreation interests such as hunting, fishing, and snowmobiling that may have influenced their career paths.

The program is interdisciplinary, working closely with forestry and environmental sciences to ensure that students receive a well-rounded, multi-faceted education that allows them to choose from a variety of pathways upon graduation.

“The Maine Warden Service expects to lose 50% of its workforce over the coming years, so the demand for wardens is great for the foreseeable future,” said Marilyn Epp, UMFK Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice and Public Safety. “Maine Forest service is in dire need of forest rangers. The education and skills that our program imparts makes applicants highly competitive in these high-demand professions.”

Conservation Law students develop skills in investigative techniques such as interviewing, writing reports and affidavits, and evidence collection.

As far as what he thinks about the UMFK program, Pols says the certifications he has obtained have greatly increased his satisfaction with his degree path. He is grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the active search.

“Overall, it impacted my experience as a student at UMFK in a very positive way, and I am very excited about what the future holds.”

For more information about UMFK’s Conservation Law program, visit the Conservation Law Enforcement page on the UMFK website.

The University of Maine at Fort Kent has been named among the top tier of all north region colleges for the twelfth consecutive year, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2023 rankings. UMFK first achieved top-tier college status in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2011 rankings.

The latest U.S. News & World Report ranked UMFK 34th on the Regional Colleges North list and 18th on the Top Public Schools list. This is an improvement for the university in both categories. UMFK is also ranked on the Regional Colleges list as a top performer in social mobility, which means UMFK has great success in helping economically disadvantaged students graduate on time.

“These rankings are very meaningful to our university and show that we are continually looking at ways to improve the student experience,” said UMFK President Deb Hedeen, “Our campus is very safe, it’s situated in an inviting community, and it has a wealth of natural resources all around us. These unique qualities offer a wonderful foundation for the quality education that we continue to deliver.”

U.S. News & World Report bases the U.S. ranking on key measures that education experts have proposed as reliable indicators of academic quality. The indices include peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving.

The U.S. News rating system rests on two pillars. The formula relies on quantitative measures that education experts have proposed as reliable indicators of academic quality that are based on the U.S. News’ researched view of what matters in education.

The North region includes the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland.

For prospective students and their families, the 2023 U.S. News rankings provide an excellent starting point to help identify colleges and universities that are right for them because they offer the opportunity to judge the relative quality of institutions based on widely accepted indicators of excellence.