More than 3,200 students graduated from the University of Maine this weekend, including a record number earning advanced degrees.
Thousands of family and friends crowded into the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on Saturday and Sunday. It was the first time UMaine’s commencement was held off campus, because of the ongoing renovations at Alfond Arena.
A total of 779 master’s and doctoral students received degrees, a record high in the flagship university’s 160-year history.
Meg Caron of Bangor, was the 2025 undergraduate valedictorian, who pursued dual degrees in French and microbiology with a second science major in molecular and cellular biology. Her time at UMaine taught her that she didn’t need to be perfect and to embrace spontaneity, Caron said in her speech.
“I myself realized that we are all blessed by an immeasurable amount of families,” Caron said. “From the sports teams I’ve been a part of, the labs I’ve researched in, the teachers and classmates I’ve grown close to, and the roommates I’ve had in Maine, Michigan, France, Costa Rica, and Canada, I’ve formed familial relationships with a thousand souls, and they’ve each gifted me a part of themselves.”
More than 2,200 students were eligible to participate in UMaine’s undergraduate ceremonies, which were divided by college into two sessions. Students in the College of Earth, Life and Health Sciences, the Maine Business School, and the Division of Lifelong Learning graduated Sunday morning. Those in the College of Engineering and Computing, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the College of Education and Human Development attended an afternoon ceremony.
Robert Dana, a longtime dean of students who retired earlier this year, addressed both undergraduate ceremonies. He said he’s loved every minute he’s spent with students during the four decades he spent as a dean.
The graduates have the ability to make the world a better place, especially by using kindness, Dana said. They can help their communities and lift up people who need help, he said.
“Today you all arrived here changed,” Dana said. “You’re different than yesterday and not quite who you’re going to be tomorrow.”
Caron urged her fellow graduates to look inside themselves and think about the people who have helped them become who they are. Her dreams come from the passions and values of everyone she has met throughout her time at the university, she said.
“Your knowledge, skills, and very morals, are a marriage of teachings brought to you by every figure in your life,” Caron said. “I hope that you will carry them with you into this next chapter and allow them to guide you to what brings you happiness.”