BELFAST — Registration is open for two new online professional development programs through the University of Maine Hutchinson Center.

The Online Grant Writing certificate program with Jack Smith runs May 18-22 and Online Public Speaking with Tom Dowd is June 3 and June 10. More information about both of these programs is available on the Hutchinson Center website.

Grant Writing course instructor Jack Smith, M.P.A., has taught more than 1,500 grant writing programs, including seven at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast. He currently teaches grant writing certificate programs at University of Southern Maine, Emory University, University of Georgia and Austin Center for Nonprofit Studies. The five-day grant writing course is offered from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with breaks throughout the day.

Participants will earn a UMaine certificate in grant writing, and 3.0 CEUs/30 contact hours are available. At this time, this is the only Grant Writing Certificate Program that will be offered at the Hutchinson Center in 2020. The cost of the program is $650 and need-based scholarships are available.

Given the economic implications of COVID-19, grant writing is poised to become an even more valuable skill for businesses, organizations, municipalities and individuals, according to Hutchinson Center, in a news release. Participants in this intensive program will produce a well-vetted grant proposal. Smith will guide participants step-by-step through the development of a proposal, identifying and evaluating the most appropriate funding sources, researching a problem, and supplying the documentation and statistics necessary for supporting a successful grant proposal.

Distinguished Toastmaster Tom Dowd (also known as “Transformation Tom”) will lead the two-part online version of Practical Public Speaking for Business and more from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. In-person versions of this program have been taught at the Hutchinson Center three times previously and several more will be offered in the fall. Dowd is a speaker, and an author, trainer and coach.

“As a member of Toastmasters International, Dowd exhibits consistent success in speech competitions and achieved the Distinguished Toastmaster status in 2015,” said the Center.

The cost of Public Speaking for Business and More is $125 and need-based scholarships are available.

Public Speaking is a useful course for business leaders, clergy, educators, managers, municipal employees, nonprofit workers, researchers and anyone who wants to improve communication skills. Throughout the program, public speaking through online platforms (such as Zoom) will be addressed. Program participants will learn how to relieve the stress associated with speaking publicly; become skilled in speaking with or without notes; and support their message most efficiently. They’ll learn to think quickly, speak logically, engage an audience and use the power of storytelling to increase audience attention.

These courses are the first two online professional development programs to be offered by the Hutchinson Center. Those participating in these courses will need access to reliable internet. Both courses will be taught synchronously. In-person professional development programs will be available when the UMaine campuses reopen. In the meantime, the Hutchinson Center hopes to offer more online professional development programs on a regular basis, according to the Center.

For information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Michelle Patten, michelle.patten@maine.edu; 207.338.8002. The Hutchinson Center, an outreach center of the University of Maine, is committed to offering high-quality professional development programs to the greater Midcoast Maine community. For more information about upcoming professional development programs, to register online, or apply for a need-based scholarship, go online. 

About the Hutchinson Center:

The Hutchinson Center is an outreach center for the University of Maine in Orono, that serves as an educational and cultural center for the midcoast area. It is named for University of Maine President Emeritus Frederick E. Hutchinson. The mission of the Hutchinson Center is to broaden access to University of Maine academic and non-degree programs and services, lifelong learning opportunities, and professional and career development experiences using innovative approaches that increase synergy among University of Maine System entities, University of Maine departments and divisions, and that engage a wider Maine community. 

About the University of Maine: 

The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's land grant and sea grant university. As Maine's flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community institutions in the Northeast and attracts students from Maine and 49 other states, and 67 countries. It currently enrolls 11,240 total undergraduate and graduate students who can directly participate in groundbreaking research working with world- class scholars. The University of Maine offers 35 doctoral programs and master's degrees in 85 fields; more than 90 undergraduate majors and academic programs; and one of the oldest and most prestigious honors programs in the U.S. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide aimed at conserving energy, recycling and adhering to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine, visit umaine.edu.