PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The dust was blown off a time capsule tucked away for a quarter century as the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Campus Center, a hub for student activities, community events, and cultural programs, celebrated 25 years as part of the campus on Friday, Oct. 6.
UMPI president Ray Rice welcomed guests to the 25th anniversary open house, which included piano music played by Theresa Herold, refreshments by the campus food service company Sodexo, and the opening of the long-sealed time capsule. The celebration took place during UMPI’s Homecoming 2017: Friends & Family Weekend.
“The campus center here looks as good now, besides a spot of mess I made on the floor there, as it did 25 years ago,” Rice said, referring to food he accidentally dropped on the floor before his speech.
Among the items, wrapped in plastic, that were removed from the capsule and put on display were copies of the University Times, the Star-Herald, an issue of Time magazine, campus programs and pieces of clothing, a 1991 campus yearbook, textbooks, a student ID, a letter from previous university president Dr. James Roach, and a VHS tape of Roach’s inauguration.
“I’m supposed to actually say this?” Rice joked before closing his speech in an over the top tone. “With the opening of this time capsule we’re going to declare the 25th anniversary celebration of the campus center complete.”
New items from 2017 are to be added to the time capsule before it is sealed up for another quarter century.
Over the years, thousands of people have used the Campus Center, which opened in October 1992 and became a central location for student events, cultural activities, and state and regional meetings and conferences. The facility now also is home to the Alumni Room, Student Activities and Student Senate offices, a University Credit Union branch, and the Owl’s Nest, which includes a Starbucks counter.
The center was built with funding from three main sources — donations from community members and businesses, a bond issue, and yearly student fees. It was connected to the existing Kelley Commons, which houses the UMPI Campus Store, the Campus Communications Center, and a large dining hall.
Two defining features of the center, according to an UMPI press release, are its white cupola and six white walls on the north side – a work of art created in 1992 by Portland artist Robert Hoover and funded by the state’s Percent for Art Program. Hoover’s hope, the release states, was that people would discover and enjoy the work in their own way and that the art would serve as a spot for students to meet, work, and study.
