University of Southern Maine

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“Young and the Restless” Actress Victoria Rowell to Speak at USM’s 126th Commencement

May 5, 2006

Victoria Rowell, who grew up in foster care in Portland and went on to dance professionally and act in TV and films, will be the speaker at the University of Southern Maine’s 126th commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 13, in the Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland.

Rowell will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters for her commitment to social justice with respect to foster children and youth.  She founded the Rowell Foster Children’s Positive Plan (RFCPP), a program that introduces foster children to the fine arts, athletics, and summer camps early in life, and also offers job placement aid for youths who become emancipated from foster care.

Born in Maine, Rowell was enrolled in classical ballet classes by her mother Agatha Armstead when she was eight years old. She received scholarships at the Cambridge School of Ballet, the School of American Ballet, and the American Ballet Theater. She danced professionally before moving to modeling and then acting. She has received seven NAACP Image Awards and was nominated for an Emmy Award for her long-running role on the daytime drama, “The Young and the Restless.” Other acting credits include roles on “The Cosby Show,” eight years on “Diagnosis Murder,” and a number of movies including “Eve’s Bayou.”

Bob Ludwig, of Gateway Mastering and DVD, Portland, one of the foremost audio mastering engineers in the music recording industry, will also receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters for contributions to his field. He has worked with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Bette Midler, Tony Bennet, Aretha Franklin, Luciano Pavarotti and Philip Glass. He is the recipient of the first Les Paul Award, which honors those who set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of recording technology.

Ludwig has been active in the pre-planning phase of a new performance and teaching facility for USM’s School of Music and has donated professional-level digital audio recorders to USM’s Corthell Concert Hall. In addition to working on recording projects with School of Music faculty, Ludwig has funded two Gateway Mastering Studio Scholarships for USM music students.

In recognition of significant professional achievement and a strong commitment to public service, Distinguished Achievement Awards will be presented to Madeleine G. Corson and Wallace H. Nutting, General, U.S. Army (Ret.).

Madeleine (Maddy) G. Corson is know for her role as chair of Guy Gannett Communications, a Maine-based media company founded in 1921 by her grandfather Guy P. Gannett, and as publisher of Guy Gannet Communications’ newspapers. Since the sale of the newspapers and television stations in 1998, Corson has served on the Capital Campaign Committee of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute; the National Council of the Board of Trustees of the Maine College of Art; the AIDS Advisory Board, the Youth Alternatives’ President’s Council, and The Spurwink Institute and The Spurwink School Committee. She is a recipient of the United Way of Greater Portland Mary Rines Thompson Award for outstanding volunteer service, the Deborah Morton Award from the University of New England, and the Henri A. Benoit award from the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Wallace H. Nutting retired in 1985 as a four-star general in the U.S. Army and is currently mayor of Biddeford, Maine. He served 35 years on active duty, beginning in World War II when he served in the Maine State Guard.  He served in the Korean War and had two command tours in the Vietnam War. He and wife Jane chose to return to Biddeford Pool upon his retirement in order to play an active role in the direction of Thornton Academy, where her father served as a trustee.  Nutting served as a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Higher Defense Studies at the National Defense University and is an Associate Fellow at the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. Nutting was board chair of USM’s Senior College, and was instrumental in securing legislative approval of the statewide Senior College initiative that now includes 5,000 members statewide.

Retired faculty members who will be honored during Commencement with emeriti status for exemplary scholarship and public service are: Orlando E. Delogu, professor emeritus of law; Robert A. Estes, Sr., professor emeritus of mathematics; Nancy R. Gordon, professor emerita of chemistry; Michael O’Donnell, professor emeritus of professional education; Francis Schwanauer, professor emeritus of philosophy; and Robert A. Walkling, associate professor emeritus of physics. Staff members honored with emeriti status are Kathleen H. Bouchard, director of human resources emerita; and George Higgins, executive director of business services emeritus.

The class of 1956, in honor of their 50th reunion, will have 27 representatives joining the procession of graduates marching in the ceremony. Of the over 1,500 students eligible for graduation, it is expected that nearly 1,000 graduates will march in the Civic Center.  Among them is USM’s student commencement speaker Linda M. Jalbert.

Jalbert arrived at USM through the first pilot Drug Court program that provided a grant funding her first semester. Jalbert spent several years in and out of jails and drug rehabs before landing at USM where she found the encouragement to excel in her major of political science.  She was accepted into USM’s Honors Program and interned on Capitol Hill for Senator Collins. Jalbert feels strongly that everyone should be given the educational opportunities she received through Drug Court and is a member of the Maine Adult Drug Treatment Court Statewide Steering Committee and is a Drug Court mentor. A single parent, her son will be attending college in Maine this fall, at which time she plans to return to Washington, D.C.

Murama Rugumanya of Rwanda is another student who arrived at USM against all odds. While he was attending boarding school, his family fled Rwanda during the genocide thinking he had been killed.  The pastor of his church, a Hutu, risked his and his families’ lives hiding Rugumanya in their home for three months until it was safe to be united with his family. Rugumanya, a psychology major, plans to attend graduate school in the U.S. to study conflict transformation and then return to Rwanda where he will work toward the healing and reconstruction of his homeland. Recently, Rugumanya attended USM screenings of “Hotel Rwanda” to answer questions American students might have about the atrocities that he witnessed in his country. 

Editor’s Note:  For help arranging interviews, call USM Public Affairs at 780-4200.

Graduates of the School of Law will be recognized at a separate ceremony, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 27, at Merrill Auditorium in Portland.

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