AUBURN — “Partnering with Business and Industry” was the theme of the Central Maine Commu­nity College annual dinner held recently at the Hilton Garden Inn in Auburn. More than 200 people attended the event which was sponsored by the College’s Education Foundation board of directors.

President Scott Knapp’s address focused on several key collaborations the college has with major employers. These include a supervisor training program developed for Bath Irons Works; the development of the nursing simulation lab through a grant from the Anthem Foundation; the start of the Safety Academy of the Maine Community College System through a grant from the Maine Employers’ Mutual Insurance Company; the extension of the CMCC nursing program to Damariscotta through a partnership with Lincoln County Healthcare; and a longstanding collaboration with Maine Machine Products of South Paris to provide scholarships and employment opportunities to students in the precision machining technology program.

The event also included the presentation of awards to individuals and organizations noted for their achievements or contributions to the college. The following students were honored: Gail Bennett of Otisfield and Suzanne Cohen of Greene, All-Maine Academic Team; Curtis Miller of Bingham and Kayla Ellis of Dover, N.H., male and female ath­letes of the year; Gemma Rogers of Naples, scholar­ship recipient of the year; Yuli Huang of Auburn, “Against All Odds” award. Bennett was also honored as the student of the year.

Nicholas Hamel of Monmouth, director of student administrative services, was honored as the staff per­son of the year. The fac­ulty member of the year award was given to Dr. Jesse Morris of Standish, instructor in the human services program. The corpo­rate partner of the year award went to General Dynamics/Bath Iron Works, and the president’s award was given to Lincoln County Healthcare. Richard Bastow of Auburn, who is retiring as an instructor in the architectural and civil engineering program after 43 years, was honored for his outstanding service to the college. A surprise “founder’s award” was presented to Ronald Lebel of Auburn for having started the annual dinner and serving as its first chairperson.

Proceeds from the dinner, which are expected to exceed $17,000, benefit the foundation’s scholarship fund. The mission of the CM Education Foundation is to provide financial support to CMCC and its students, to advocate on behalf of the college and to nurture relationships with the community and constituencies.

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