UMPI offers J-Term on trial basis

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is offering its first ever J-Term – that’s January Term – to see if there is interest from its student population and the greater community in providing a short class term between the fall and spring semesters.

“UMPI is increasingly focused on providing courses when and where students want them,” UMPI Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Michael Sonntag said. “We’ve drastically increased our online offerings, and last summer significantly increased the number of courses we offered in the summer. We will offer even more courses this coming summer, and with the addition of J-Term courses, the University will effectively offer a robust schedule of courses year round.”

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is helping to expand options for area residents who want to pursue healthcare careers by taking major steps this fall to develop a Physical Therapist Assistant program. When it is accredited, the program would be one of two Physical Therapist Assistant programs available in the State of Maine.

University of Maine at Presque Isle Junior Business Management Major Cody Humphrey recently was recognized for his hard work and dedication as a Mitchell Scholar with an award given to just 18 out of the nearly 1,800 scholars and alumni who have gone through the Mitchell Institute.

University of Maine at Presque Isle President Don Zillman recently added another title to his list of publications – he and colleague Jack H. Simmons co-authored the Maine Tort Law 2011 Supplement.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle and the Caribou Regional Technology Center have signed an articulation agreement that will allow Aroostook County students to earn college credit for the high school level Criminal Justice classes they take at CRTC, and get a head start on a Criminal Justice degree from the University.

CRTC and UMPI officials held a press conference and signing ceremony on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at the technology center to announce the collaboration.

University of Maine at Presque Isle Professor Anderson Giles has helped to locate an important piece of World War II history – the hardstand which the B-29 bomber ENOLA GAY returned to after the Hiroshima mission.

Through a Faculty Development grant, Giles was able to lead an expedition this summer to the island of Tinian in the South Pacific to locate the hardstand – the very large, crushed coral pad on which a huge, 4-engine B-29 was serviced and prepped for its missions and parked after its missions. Over the years, this hardstand had become covered in jungle growth and lost to historians.

The University of Maine at Presque Isle [UMPI], BalanceBPO, Inc. [BalanceBPO], a premium business process outsource service provider, and TxVia, a New York City-based digital payments company, today announced the launch of the Business Process Outsourcing [BPO] Certification Course.

Set to begin in January 2012, the course will encompass 75 hours of on-campus classroom learning that will prepare students for the highly skilled work underway at BalanceBPO and TxVia.