PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — University of Maine at Presque Isle President Ray Rice has announced that U.S. Senator Angus King will deliver the commencement address during the University’s 109th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 12.
King will also receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
“Senator King has served the State of Maine and our nation so well in his government and leadership capacities, and has been a dedicated proponent of civic responsibility, bipartisan dialogue and relationship building. We are honored to have him address our graduating class this year and serve as our honorary degree recipient,” President Rice said.
“We look forward to hearing the message he will share during our commencement exercises and know it will inspire our graduates as they prepare for the next step in their journey.”
King became Maine’s first Independent United States Senator in January 2013, filling the same seat once held by storied Maine leaders Edmund Muskie, George Mitchell and Olympia Snowe. He is a member of the Armed Services Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on the Budget and the Committee on Rules and Administration.
King was the 72nd governor of Maine, and during his two terms in the Blaine House he focused on economic development and job creation. He achieved reforms in education, mental health services, land conservation, environmental protection and delivery of state services, and was re-elected in 1998 by one of the largest margins in Maine’s history.
King is married to Mary Herman and has four sons, Angus III, Duncan, James and Ben, one daughter, Molly, and six grandchildren. He was born in Virginia and attended Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia Law School.
UMPI’s commencement will begin 10:30 a.m. on May 12 in Wieden Gymnasium. The ceremony will be live streamed on the university’s website at www.umpi.edu/livestream.
