AUGUSTA — The Finance Authority of Maine celebrated successful business and educational partnerships at its annual meeting and awards event, Showcase Maine, on Nov. 21 at Portland’s Holiday Inn By The Bay.

The Education at Work for Maine Award was presented to Ronald Milliken and the UMF Financial Literacy Peer Education Program.

Milliken, longtime director of financial aid at University of Maine Farmington, as well as champion of financial literacy and responsible borrowing, was recognized along with the Financial Literacy Peer Education Program, which he helped found.

The program provides comprehensive personal financial education to students, delivered by their peers, with the goal of helping to improve financial well-being and reduce student loan indebtedness. The program’s mission is to increase the financial literacy capability of students by providing them with student-led informational programming regarding personal finance, student loan borrowing, default prevention and financial aid.

Although the University of Maine Farmington is the home base for the program and host of the annual peer educator training camp, the group has begun a statewide expansion of the program, which will ultimately be offered at all seven campuses of the University of Maine System.