PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A University of Maine at Presque Isle student and a locally-headquartered insurance company were honored recently during the Maine Campus Compact Awards in Portland on April 26.
Alexandra DesRuisseaux received the Heart and Soul Student Award and the coalition gave MMG Insurance the inaugural Corporate Partner of the Year Award.
DesRuisseaux, a sophomore majoring in elementary education, is a founding member of UMPI’s Inclusion and Civility Task Force, vice president of the Student Education Association of Maine chapter, and UMPI’s student representative to the University of Maine System Board of Trustees.
The award recognizes her work with the recently established Inclusion and Civility Task Force, which included helping to create a campus inclusion pledge and design a silicone bracelet that reads “Owl Stand By You,” a reference to the University’s mascot, the snowy owl. Both the pledge and bracelet symbolize UMPI’s support of all community members, its engagement in civil discourse, and commitment to making the campus inclusive for all.
MMG Insurance received the inaugural Corporate Partner of the Year Award from the Maine Campus Compact for its collaborative work with the University of Maine at Presque Isle. From left are University of Southern Maine President Glenn Cummings, UMPI President Ray Rice, John Herweh, MMG director of human resources; Matt McHatten, MMG chief operating officer; and Carolyn Dorsey, UMPI associate professor of business management. (Contributed photo)
“I am honored and humbled to be a recipient of this award,” DesRuisseaux said. “I think it is a testament not just to my work at UMPI, but to the work of many dedicated individuals on our campus. My student voice may not have the magnitude that is does had I been anywhere else. Our campus is dedicated to students in a way that no other campus is and I’m truly proud to be a part of that.”
As the recipient of the Corporate Partner of the Year Award, MMG Insurance received recognition for its partnerships with UMPI, including the establishment last year of the MMG Center for Professional Development, located in UMPI’s Kelley Commons, and the Young Professionals Institute.
The MMG Center for Professional Development opened in Fall 2016 as a space to educate local business leaders through professional development courses.
For the past 10 years, MMG and UMPI have hosted the Young Professionals Institute, a seven-week short course designed to engage young business professionals. The course helps professionals refine skills that can contribute to greater productivity in the workplace and long-term career success. Since the inception of YPI, MMG has supported the program by planning and executing courses as well as providing financial support.
“We are humbled and honored to receive this award,” said Matt McHatten, MMG’s chief operating officer. “We see partnerships with our state’s higher educational institutions as imperative in dealing with workforce challenges of the future.”
McHatten continued, “Together we have the opportunity to explore innovative and unique opportunities to empower students and support their passion for community involvement. Our sense of community is our number one asset in Maine and we are proud of their efforts in perpetuating it.”
According to Maine Campus Compact, the collaboration between UMPI and MMG “serves as an innovative example of visionary, collaborative problem-solving in business through and in partnership with education.” MCC said the two partners are a model for how business and education leaders can work together in ways that benefit both organizations.
