University of Maine

University of Maine

Former names	Maine State College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts (1865–1897) University of Maine (1897–1971) University of Maine at Orono (1971–1986)
Motto	Dirigo(Latin)
Motto in English	"I direct"
Type	Publicland-grantresearch university
Established	1865; 159 years ago(1865)
Parent institution	University of Maine System
Accreditation	NECHE
Academic affiliations	UArctic Sea-grant Space-grant
Endowment	$444.9 million (2021)[1]
Chancellor	Dannel Malloy
President	Joan Ferrini-Mundy
Academic staff	578
Students	11,561 (Fall 2019)[2]
Undergraduates	9,430 (Fall 2019)[2]
Postgraduates	2,131 (Fall 2019)[2]
Location	Orono , Maine , United States 44°54′05″N68°40′11″W / 44.901369°N 68.669628°W /44.901369; -68.669628
Campus	Small Suburb, 660 acres (2.7 km2)[3]
Newspaper	The Maine Campus
Colors	Dark Blue Light Blue White[4]
Nickname	Black Bears
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division IFCS–America East Hockey East CAA NEISA
Mascot	Bananas T. Bear
Website	www.umaine.edu
University of Maine Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Location	Munson, Sebec, and Schoodic Rds.,Orono, Maine
Area	660 acres (267.1 ha) (entire campus) 13 acres (5.3 ha) (original historic district) 57 acres (23 ha) (increased historic district)
Built	1868
Architectural style	Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian, Greek Revival
NRHP referenceNo.	78000194[5](original) 10000228(increase)
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 12, 1978
Boundary increase	April 27, 2010

TheUniversity of Maine(UMaine) is apublicland-grantresearch universityinOrono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is theflagship universityof theUniversity of Maine System.^[6][7]It isclassifiedamong "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".^[8]

With an enrollment of approximately 11,500 students, UMaine is the state's largest college or university. The University of Maine's athletic teams, nicknamed theBlack Bears, are Maine's onlyDivision Iathletics program.Maine's men's ice hockey teamhas won two national championships.

The University of Maine was founded in 1862 as a function of theMorrill Act, signed by PresidentAbraham Lincoln. Established in 1865 as the Maine State College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, the college opened on September 21, 1868, and changed its name to the University of Maine in 1897.^[9]

By 1871, curricula had been organized in Agriculture, Engineering, and electives. The Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station was founded as a division of the university in 1887. Gradually the university developed the Colleges of Life Sciences and Agriculture (later to include the School of Forest Resources and the School of Human Development), Engineering and Science, and Arts and Sciences. In 1912 the Maine Cooperative Extension, which offers field educational programs for both adults and youths, was initiated. The School of Education was established in 1930 and received college status in 1958. The School of Business Administration was formed in 1958 and was granted college status in 1965. Women have been admitted into all curricula since 1872. The first master's degree was conferred in 1881; the first doctor's degree in 1960. Since 1923 there has been a separate graduate school.^[10]

Near the end of the 19th century, the university expanded its curriculum to place greater emphasis onliberal arts. As a result of this shift, faculty hired during the early 20th century includedCaroline Colvin, chair of the history department and the nation's first woman to head a major university department.^[11]

In 1906,The Senior Skull Honor Societywas founded to "publicly recognize, formally reward, and continually promote outstanding leadership and scholarship, and exemplary citizenship within the University of Maine community."^[12]

On April 16, 1925, 80 women met in Balentine Hall — faculty, alumnae, and undergraduate representatives — to plan a pledging of members to an inaugural honorary organization. This organization was called "The All Maine Women" because only those women closely connected with the University of Maine were elected as members. On April 22, 1925, the new members were inducted into the honor society.^[13]

When the University of Maine System was incorporated, in 1968, the school was renamed by the legislature over the objections of the faculty to the University of Maine at Orono (known informally as "U.M.O."). This was changed back to the University of Maine in 1986, when the "U.M.O." moniker was also abandoned and replaced officially with "UMaine" as the informal title with which to reference the Orono campus.^[14]

The University of Maine is the flagship of the University of Maine System.^{[7][15][16][17]}The president of the university isJoan Ferrini-Mundy.^[18]The senior administration governs cooperatively with the chancellor of the University of Maine system,Dannel Malloy, and the sixteen members of the University of Maine Board of Trustees (of which fifteen are appointed by the governor of Maine and one is the current Maine state commissioner of education). The Board of Trustees has full legal responsibility and authority for the university system. It appoints the chancellor and each university president, approves the establishment and elimination of academic programs, confers tenure on faculty members, and sets tuition rates and operating budgets.^[19]

UMaine is also one of a handful of colleges in the United States whose Student Government is incorporated.^[20]Student Government was formed in 1978 and incorporated in 1987. It is classified as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation.^[21]It consists of a legislative branch, which passes resolutions, and an executive branch, which helps organize on-campus entertainment and guest speakers, works with new and existing student organizations, and performs other duties. Other organizations fall under the umbrella of Student Government Inc., including representative boards, community associations, and many other student groups.The Maine Campus, the student newspaper, is also incorporated and does not operate under or receive money from student government.

Situated onMarsh Island, between thePenobscotandStillwaterrivers, the University of Maine is the nation's only land grant university (other than theUniversity of Hawaiʻi) on an island.^[22]Occupying the small city of Orono, population ~9,500,^[23]the 660-acre (2.7 km²) campus^[23]has an enrollment (2012–2013) of 10,901 students.^[24]The campus has thirty-seven academic buildings, thirty administrative buildings, eighteen residence halls, eighteen specific laboratory facilities, fourteen Greek life houses, ten sports facilities, five museums,^[25]two dining facilities, two convenience stores, a student union, a cafe, a pub,^[26]an 87,000-square-foot (8,100 m²) state of the art recreation and fitness center,^[27]and a 200'x200' air supported athletic/recreational dome.^[28]

In 1867, the university rejected a campus plan by landscape architectFrederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park in New York City and the White House grounds in Washington, D.C.^[29][30]The plan's broad concepts, including the Front Lawn, were nevertheless adopted during the school's first fifty years, and were oriented toward the Stillwater River. A second master plan was produced in 1932 by Carl Rust Parker of theOlmsted Brothersfirm, which reoriented the campus center to the Mall, an open grassy area between theRaymond H. Fogler Libraryand the Memorial Gym.^[31]The Mall is further bordered by one residence and five academic halls.

The campus is essentially divided into three sections (northern, southern, and hilltop),^[32]all of which are near or border the Mall. The northern section includes many of the athletic facilities, including theAlfond Arena(basketball, hockey),Morse Field at the Alfond Sports Stadium(football, track and field),Larry Mahaney Diamond(baseball), Kessock Field (softball), the Field Hockey Complex (field hockey), and the Mahaney athletic/recreational dome. Other buildings on the northern section include the Cutler Health Center, two administrative halls, three residence halls, and multiple academic halls.

The southern section of campus includes the Memorial Student Union, theMaynard F. Jordan Observatory, Lengyel Gymnasium and Athletic Field, the Buchanan Alumni House, as well as multiple administrative, residence, and academic halls. The recently renovatedCollins Center for the Artsis also on the southern part of campus, and not only provides the Hutchins Concert Hall, a 1,435-seat venue for performing artists from around the world,^[33]but also houses theHudson Museum, known for its contemporaryNative Americanart, as well as displays that are culturally specific to the indigenous people of Maine. The Hilltop section of campus is populated largely with residence halls but also includes the 7-acre (2.8 ha) Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamental Gardens,^[34]as well as academic and recreational facilities. The campus is also designated as anarboretum.^[35]

The pre-1915 core of the campus, covering its earliest period of development, was listed as ahistoric districton theNational Register of Historic Placesin 1978; this was expanded to include the second major phase of development (through the end ofWorld War II) in 2010.^[31]

Student body composition as of May 2, 2022

Race and ethnicity[36]	Total
White	83%	83
Hispanic	5%	5
Other[a]	4%	4
Black	2%	2
Foreign national	2%	2
Asian	2%	2
Other[b]	2%	2
Economic diversity
Low-income[c]	27%	27
Affluent[d]	73%	73

The University of Maine operates the "University Volunteer Ambulance Corps," anAmbulanceservice fully licensed by the State of Maine. The service is operated by students and staff of the university. UVAC's ambulances are available to respond to emergencies on campus and can also provide mutual aid to many surrounding towns and agencies. The service ensures a licensed Emergency Medical Technician is sent on every call. The service has two ambulances both equipped to provideParamedic Levelcare. UVAC responds to approximately 500 calls per school year.^[37]

Greek lifehas existed at the University of Maine since 1874. Approximately 14% of University of Maine undergraduates are members of Greek letter organizations.^[38]

The University of Maine is one of 16 colleges and universities listed inPrinceton Review's"Green Honor Roll" (2011). Several of the nation's leading research universities, including Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Oregon State, Arizona State and the University of Washington are also on that prestigious list, as are Harvard and Northeastern. Recognizing schools for their commitment to sustainability, the Green Honor Roll lists only those 16 institutions that received the highest possible score onThe Princeton Reviewgreen rating. The guide lauds UMaine for its recycling programs, green-certified buildings and free shuttle bus service. It also notes the fact UMaine has a sustainability coordinator, a sustainability council, and "Eco Reps" in its residence halls.^[39]

University of Maine has a sustainability council made up of students, faculty, administrators, staff and a full-time sustainability coordinator. A green loan fund provides capital for energy efficiency and renewable energy investments.^[40]The university has committed to achievingcarbon neutralityby 2040, and two residential-scale solar thermal systems are in place on Nutting Hall and Sebec House. The University of Maine composts food scraps from dining facilities, and York Dining Hall has gone trayless to reduce waste. For all new campus construction,LEEDSilver standards are required.^[41]The Blue Bike program refurbishes abandoned bikes and rents them to students free of charge, providing a means of alternative transportation on and around-campus.^[42]

The campus has two dining halls, Hilltop and York, and the Bear's Den Café & Pub in Memorial Union. Wells Dining Hall closed in fall 2022 due to a decrease in student enrollment.^[43][44]In fall 2023, the university deployed robots called Kiwibots to deliver food to students across campus.^[45]The Black Bear Exchange is the campus food pantry open three days a week.^[46]The pantry is supported by the Good Shepherd Food Bank, donations, and food drives.^[47]

In 2022, the university signed a contract to outsource campus dining services toSodexobeginning on July 1, 2023. Sodexo provides food service at Maine's six other public universities. The deal requires Sodexo to pay the university a $3 million signing bonus and invest $7 million in dining hall improvements.^[48]Sodexo announced that it would add to the campus a food truck, a coffee shop and an autonomous market located in the Wells Dining Hall.^[49]In 2024, the high number of student and parent complaints about the poor quality of the food led the university to form weekly focus groups of students. Students complained of undercooked meat and the lack of options for pescatarians. The dining halls began stocking its fresh fruit bars all day.^[50]

In 2016, after the university was asked to offer more vegan choices by a student group, the university dining halls switched from using a conventional mayonnaise to using an egg-free, vegan mayonnaise, and food services department officials said it helped the university lower the campus environmental footprint.^[51]

Founded in 1875,The Maine Campusis a weekly newspaper produced by students. It covers university and Town ofOronoevents. TheCampusis a direct-funded student organization and is not under the purview of student government.Stephen Kingwrote a weekly column for theCampusin the 1970s and also published short stories such asSladein the newspaper.^[52]

Academic rankings
National
Forbes[53]	509
U.S. News & World Report[54]	202
Washington Monthly[55]	146
WSJ/College Pulse[56]	> 600
Global
ARWU[57]	501–600

The University of Maine offers more than 90 undergraduate major programs organized in five colleges: the College of Education and Human Development; the College of Engineering; the Honors College; the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and the College of Earth, Life, and Health Sciences. UMaine also is home to one of the nation's oldest honors programs, now called the Honors College.^[58]The Honors College offers academically qualified students an opportunity for intensive, interdisciplinary study. Students are invited to become part of the Honors College during the admissions review process. UMaine also offers a wide array of graduate programs, including more than seventy master's degree programs and thirty doctorate programs.^[59][60]

The University of Maine is one of only a handful of institutions to offer a combined developmental/clinicalPhDto students accepted into theirclinical psychologyPhD program,^[61]as well as advanced degrees with distinct concentrations indevelopmental psychology,social psychology,cognitive psychology, andbehavioral neuroscience.^[62]The University of Maine has a strong commitment to developing the next generation ofneuroscienceresearchersandeducators, thus along with offering a PhD in psychological science with a concentration in behavioral neuroscience, they also offer aneuroscienceconcentration for PhD students studyingbiomedical science.^[63]

It is the only institution in Maine ranked as anational universityin theU.S. News & World Reportannualrankings. U.S. News categorizes UMaine as an institution that offers "a full range of undergraduate majors, master's, and doctoral degrees."^[64]

UMaine is one of only four institutions in Maine (along withBowdoin,Bates, andColby) accredited to award membership into thePhi Beta Kappahonor society.^[65]

The university is also the birthplace of thePhi Kappa Phihonor society, recognizing high academic achievement across all disciplines.^[66]

TheRaymond H. Fogler Libraryis the largest in Maine^[67]and serves as one of its intellectual hubs, attracting scholars, professors, and researchers from around the state.^[68]A collection of rare and ancient manuscripts, as well as about two million government publications, augment the university's collection.^[69]The Special Collections Unit includes theStephen King(author and UMaine alumnus) papers, which attract researchers from across the globe.

UMaine hosts the Intensive English Institute, anEnglish as a second language programdesigned to help students develop their English language skills for success in school, business, and social communication.^[70]Due to budget cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic, the IEI was discontinued as of May 31, 2020.^[71]

The University of Maine is also home to the Maine Business School, the largestbusiness schoolin the state. Paris-based international educational consulting organization Eduniversal has included the Maine Business School at the University of Maine among its selection of 1,000 of the world's best business schools, ranking it as an "excellent business school-nationally strong and/or with continental links."^[72]In 2011,U.S. News & World Reportranked the Maine Business School among the nation's best business colleges^[73]

The Canadian-American Center, an institution that focuses on Canadian-American studies is based at the University of Maine.^[74]

The University of Maine isaccreditedby theNew England Commission of Higher Education,^[75]and programmatically accredited by other accreditors including theAssociation to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, theAccreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, theAmerican Chemical Society, theAmerican Dietetic Association, theAmerican Psychological Association, theAmerican Speech-Language-Hearing Association, theCommission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, theCommission on Collegiate Nursing Education, theComputing Sciences Accreditation Board, theCouncil for the Advancement of Educator Preparation, theCouncil on Social Work Education, theNational Association of Schools of Music, theNational Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, theSociety of American Foresters, and the Society of Wood Science and Technology.^[76]

The fall 2018 admissions data are as follows:^[77]

Student Classification	Applications	Acceptances	Enrollment
New First-Year Students	12,457	11,503	2,248
New Transfer Students	1,027	863	409
Graduate Students	1,423	845	499

In the fall of 2020, the university's enrollment consisted of:^[77]

• 8,870 undergraduate degree-seeking students
• 595 undergraduate non-degree students
• 2,121 graduate degree-seeking students
• 155 graduate non-degree students
• 9,110 full-time students
• 2,631 part-time students

The University of Maine is one of the National Science Foundation's top 100 public universities for research. In FY10, UMaine exceeded $100 million in external expenditures for research, 86% of which was federal funding. Leading sectors of the university in generating external support are advanced materials, marine sciences, climate change, environmental studies, forestry, precision manufacturing, and aquaculture. Undergraduate research is a priority at UMaine, and in 2008, the Center for Undergraduate Research was established to connect students with faculty projects that suit their interests.^[78]

TheUMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center, founded in 1996 with support from the National Science Foundation, provides research, education, and economic development encompassing material sciences, manufacturing and engineering of composites and structures. The center's research and development projects have included the VolturnUS 1:8, composite arch bridge system, and the Modular Ballistic Protection System (MBPS).

The center is the leading member of theDeepCwind Consortium, whose mission is to establish the State of Maine as a national leader in deepwater offshore wind technology.^[79]

Founded in 2018, the Multisensory Interactive Media Lab (MIM Lab) is moving into an era of ‘Internet of Everything,’ in which everything and everyone will be digitally embedded and connected. In the MIM Lab of the University of Maine, academic researchers develop novel enabling technologies to explore the immense potential for the communication of our experiences – shifting focus from the current age of information towards a new age of experience. Many of their research works try to answer a fundamental question “How can we move beyond traditional visual- and auditory-based digital interfaces to form immersive sensory rich interactions in the context of real-world, augmented or virtual experiences?”.^[80]

The University of Maine was granted an ocean energy demonstration site through state legislation in 2009. The site, known as theUMaine Deepwater Offshore Wind Test Site, is available for use by commercial and non-commercial entities in partnership with the university to research and develop ocean energy devices, such as floating wind turbines or wave energy converters.

The University of Maine is responsible for over 14,000 acres (5,700 ha) of land across Maine which is used for research and recreation.^[81]Among the most prominent are:Aroostook Farm, (Presque Isle, Maine);Bear Brook Watershed, (Hancock County, Maine);Dwight B. Demeritt Forest, (Orono, Maine / Old Town, Maine);Fay Hyland Bog, (Orono /Veazie, Maine); andHirundo Wildlife Refuge, (Old Town, Maine).

The Bureau of Labor Education at the University of Maine in August 1966 with funds appropriated by theMaine Legislature. Its mission is to ensure that “appropriate and specialized educational programs (be made) available to members of the Maine labor force, both organized and unorganized.” HistorianCharles Scontrashas been affiliated with the BLE since its founding with his first book being published also in 1966.^[82]

The University of Maine Climate Change Institute dates to 1973 and the founding of the Institute for Quaternary Studies. In 2002, it was renamed. Polar explorer, climate scientist, and glaciologist Paul Mayewski is the institute's director.

The institute has made numerous scientific discoveries, including mapping the difference between climate during the Ice Age and during modern times, connecting acid rain to human causes in the 1980s, and finding that the climate can change abruptly through analysis of ice core samples from Greenland.^[83]

The institute maintains the Climate Reanalyzer, a website that provides data visualization tools based on climate and weather datasets from theNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrationand other meteorological organizations.^[84]

The University of Maine participates in theNCAA'sDivision Ilevel,^[85]and is a member of theCoastal Athletic Associationforfootball,^[86]Hockey Eastforice hockey,^[87]and theAmerica East Conferencefor all other sports.^[88]The school has won two national championships, both inmen's ice hockey. In 1993, they defeated Lake Superior State University 5–4 behind a third period hat trick by Jim Montgomery. In 1999, they defeated rivalUniversity of New Hampshire3–2 in overtime on a goal by Marcus Gustafsson.^[89]

In 1965, the football team competed in the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Florida against East Carolina. They were beaten in the game 31–0,^[90]but remain the only team from Maine to compete in a bowl contest. In the 2018 season they went to the FCS Semifinal, eventually losing to Eastern Washington.

The baseball team has participated in sevenCollege World Series, six of them under coachJohn Winkinbetween 1976 and 1986, and one under Jack Butterfield in 1964. The Black Bears achieved two third-place finishes in 1964 and 1982.

Although the officialfight songof UMaine is "For Maine", the school's main spirit song is the better-known "Maine Stein Song". Written by Lincoln Colcord (words) and E. A. Fenstad (music), the tune rose to fame when singerRudy Valléearranged the current version. Vallee attended Maine from 1921 to 1922 before transferring toYale, and his popularity helped make the song a national favorite. To this day, the "Stein Song" remains the only college fight song to ever reach number one on the pop charts, achieving this distinction in 1930.^[91]According toCollege Fight Songs: An Annotated Anthology, by Studwell and Schueneman, the "Stein Song" is one of the very best fight songs of all time.^[92]

In addition to varsity athletics, the university offers many club sports through its Campus Recreation department. Sport clubs represent UMaine by competing against teams and clubs from other universities and colleges. National governing bodies for each club provide competition guidelines and league structure.

Sport clubs are student-led and student-administered. Each has a budget that is run through Campus Recreation, which in part funds nearly all clubs. Clubs are eligible for funding through Campus Recreation after they have been active for at least one year and have a membership minimum of ten members. Current club sports includealpine skiing,baseball,crew,cricket,cycling,fastpitch softball,field hockey,golf,ice hockey,lacrosse,Nordic skiing,roller hockey,rugby,shotokan karate,soccer,tennis,table tennis, tacklefootball,ultimate, andvolleyball.^[93]

• 
  Stephen King, Author of over 30 #1 best-selling novels
• 
  Joseph E. Brennan, 70th Governor of Maineand former congressman
• 
  Lawrence Bender, Eight-time Academy Award-winning film producer
• 
  Timothy Simons, Actor and comedian
• 
  Bernard Lown, Nobel Peace Prize-laureate and inventor of the direct current defibrillator
• 
  Wallace Rider Farrington, 6th governor of Hawaii
• 
  Nick Di Paolo, Stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster

• University of Maine School of Law

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