UMF alumni program helps students finish degree, even after years away from campus
by April Mulherin, Associate Director for Media Relations
UMF President Edward Serna (right) surprises recent graduate Will Addelson (left) with his UMF diploma.
What happens when college students have to walk away, just shy of finishing their undergraduate education? They move on, without proof of their hard work and the benefits their degree affords them.
That’s why Ashley Montgomery, an assistant dean at the University of Maine at Farmington, established “Almost Alumni” to assist students still pursuing their degrees. The UMF outreach program aims to track down students who were close to finishing their bachelor’s degree before they left campus—and help each reach that milestone.
It’s a difficult and time-consuming job, and Montgomery and other Farmington staff and faculty have been working to help these students for years. This year, though, after a long conversation with UMF President Edward Serna and a determined effort by the University of Maine System, Montgomery went a step farther: She launched a formal program to help UMF students who had to walk away from their education finally earn their degree.
In the past year, Montgomery has hand-delivered several diplomas and often cried when she saw the new grad’s delighted response. There was the county clerk whom she helped complete a final course. New graduate Will Addelson was surprised when Montgomery arrived at his workplace, along with UMF’s president, provost, vice president of student services and director of admissions, all of whom were there to celebrate his newly earned diploma.
“Farmington’s mission is to help our students achieve the level of education they need to be successful, even though time and distance sometimes interrupt that process,” President Serna said. “Almost Alumni is a way to help those individuals bridge that gap and reconnect with their aspiration of being a college graduate.”
UMaine System Associate Vice Chancellor Rosa Redonnet got the ball rolling when she asked Robert Zuercher to work with system campuses, including ours. Zuercher, senior institutional research and planning analyst for UMS, identified former students who’d earned credit at one of the UMS institutions but never completed degrees there or elsewhere.
Montgomery used that data to identify some 50 students who were at UMF from 2015-2020 and left campus with 90 credits or more. This year, 20 students will be either well on their way or will actually graduate, having earned their degree from UMF.
“A college degree is a credential that will help you in your career and throughout your life,” Montgomery said. “I can’t imagine working that hard and getting that far and not being able to finish. This program reaches out to see if there is anything we can do to help them.”
Melissa Parziale is one of those students. She left UMF 24 years ago as a senior, with only six credits left to graduate.
“I was young and was ready to experience life,” said Parziale. “But I loved Farmington and even though I have had some career success, it was the one thing that always nagged at me that I didn’t graduate.”
She had long forgotten about the debt of library fines she left behind. But Mantor Library Director Bryce Cundick discovered Parziale’s ancient fine and asked the registrar to remove it from her record. In the process, they noticed how close she was to graduating.
Montgomery followed up. She found Parziale and presented her with several options to finish her degree, including attending community college near her home in Florida. But, given the choice, Parziale wanted to finish her degree at UMF, the college she’d always loved.
Montgomery and Professor Waleck Dalpour helped Parziale find two courses that not only filled her college requirement but also put her on a path to further her career goals.
These days, Parziale works as the human resources director for a dental laboratory, overseeing 100 employees. She’s already using what she learned from her UMF courses in HR management and her independent study on Women in Top Management in her own career. Now, she’s even considering pursuing her master’s degree.
Helping Parziale fulfill her longtime college aspirations encouraged Montgomery to ask UMaine system staff for additional data—leads that will help her reach even more former students who dream of completing their college degrees. One by one, they’re stepping forward to finish what they started.
“I was at a point in my career where I asked myself ‘What’s next?’” Parziale said. “Ashley helped me answer that. It was a quick turnaround to go from almost an alumni to a UMF degree holder. I can’t wait to put my diploma up in my office. And, if anyone asks me, I will say it was definitely worth it. It’s never too late!”