Speakers challenged graduates to forge lasting professional networks as they enter an
evolving job market.
PORTLAND — The University of New England celebrated its 191st Commencement on Saturday, May 16, awarding degrees to nearly 1,400 graduates during a ceremony at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland.
Graduates received bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in critical fields like medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, health sciences, business, marine and environmental sciences, education, public health, the humanities and more. The ceremony also marked the first graduates from UNE’s College of Business, established in 2023.
Members of the graduating class represented all 16 Maine counties, 49 U.S. states and territories and six countries. Among the graduates were 166 newly matched doctors from UNE’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, including 13 entering residency programs in Maine; 65 dentists; 30 pharmacists; 43 physician assistants; 63 nurses; and 11 teachers. Nearly one third of undergraduate graduates were first-generation college students.
Dan McCormack, MBA, CEO of Spectrum Healthcare Partners, longtime UNE trustee and former chair of the UNE Board of Trustees, delivered the Commencement address and received an honorary doctor of humane letters.
In remarks centered on the importance of relationships and human connection, McCormack urged graduates to continue building networks grounded not only in career advancement but in shared purpose, trust and community.
“You have been networking your whole life,” McCormack told graduates. “Your life is apt to intersect with your contacts in ways that you can hardly imagine as you sit here today. And that is the beauty of having interesting people in your network.
“Those relationships,” he added, “open a world of possibilities for you all: To collaborate, create new things, solve hard problems, and imagine a better future for the people and entities for which you share common concern.”
McCormack reflected on how professional relationships shaped his own career in healthcare leadership and ultimately led him to UNE, where he has served on the board of trustees since 2013. He encouraged graduates to think of networking not as a transactional exercise, but as an extension of the meaningful personal and professional connections they have already cultivated throughout their lives and enhanced by the skills learned at UNE.
“UNE has provided you with an incredible foundation for a network that you will rely upon at varying times in your career,” he said. “Keep building that network to reinforce your happiness and your well-being. It’s about much more than getting a business card that lands you a job.”
In his remarks, UNE President James Herbert challenged graduates to pair technological fluency with the distinctly human skills that will continue to define leadership and success in a rapidly evolving workforce shaped by artificial intelligence and automation. Herbert emphasized that UNE’s educational model intentionally prepares students to navigate emerging technologies while cultivating the human qualities that remain essential to meaningful work and leadership.
“Taken together, the combination of AI proficiency, enhanced human intelligence and networking, and intellectual curiosity and engagement across differences makes for a truly powerful educational model,” Herbert said. “And it makes for a powerful professional mindset that will distinguish you from others in the workforce.”
Herbert closed by reflecting on the lasting impact the Class of 2026 has had on the University community.
“Each of you has made your own unique marks on our campuses and in our programs, and they won’t be quite the same without you,” he said. “But we know you’re ready to head into the world to apply your knowledge and skills to important endeavors. Thank you for bringing your special light to our community.”
More information about the 2026 Commencement exercises and recordings of the ceremony are available at University of New England Commencement and at https://www.une.edu/live.
