Trustees are expected to act on capital projects at the University of Maine that grow talent and innovation to strengthen the state’s economy, and get an update on the University of Southern Maine’s efforts to bolster the health care workforce through its Lewiston-Auburn campus
AUGUSTA, Maine — The Board of Trustees for the University of Maine System (UMS) will hold their bimonthly meeting on Monday, April 8 at the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA).
The public meeting will begin with public comment at 8 a.m. in the Randall Student Center and is expected to end at noon. The agenda and materials are available at maine.edu/board-of-trustees. As part of the Board’s commitment to transparency and accessibility, the public meeting will be livestreamed here (External Site).
Consistent with the goals of the System’s new strategic plan and the state’s 10-year economic strategy (External Site), Trustees are expected to take action on capital projects proposed by the University of Maine (UMaine) to accelerate recruitment, retention and economic development through research and innovation, including:
- Advanced Manufacturing Center renovations to create an Industry 4.0 Manufacturing Training Innovation Center to strengthen talent pipelines for defense, aerospace and other manufacturing employers in the state, supported by one-time Community Project Funding (External Site) secured by U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, and a Maine College of Engineering and Computing Student Success Center, supported by investment from the Harold Alfond Foundation as part of UMS TRANSFORMS.
- Campus-wide electrical infrastructure upgrades, including to enable modern research at the state’s only institution to achieve R1 Carnegie Classification, putting UMaine among the nation’s top 146 high-performing research universities.
- Construction of the Green Engineering and Materials Factory of the Future, supported in part by Gov. Janet Mills’ Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan and federal funding secured by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, to expand the world-class Advanced Structures and Composites Center’s workforce training and research in large-scale bio-based manufacturing process and materials development.
- Division I athletic facility design and construction to promote excellence, opportunity and inclusion through sports, also supported by investment from the Harold Alfond Foundation through UMS TRANSFORMS.
- Hancock Hall bathroom renovations to support residential student recruitment, retention and success.
- Hitchner Hall and Bennett Hall HVAC systems upgrades to undergird modern research, support student and faculty recruitment and retention, and reduce operating costs.
The Board will also vote on whether the University of Maine at Fort Kent can sell 85 acres of gifted land in Harmony as part of larger System efforts to achieve fiscal and energy efficiencies through the reduction of unused or underutilized buildings and land. At their January meeting, Trustees approved multiple property sales to advance student affordability and benefit the public, including four acres to BangorHousing for 50 units of affordable senior housing.
Host President Jenifer Cushman will overview UMA’s student demographics at the meeting and introduce 10 students who will talk about why they chose the university and how their success is being supported. The average age of UMA students is 32 and many are the first in their families to pursue postsecondary education and eligible for need-based federal Pell grants.
University of Southern Maine (USM) President Jacqueline Edmondson will also provide the Board with an update on revitalization of that university’s Lewiston-Auburn campus (External Site) (LAC). USM has refocused LAC on health care programming and partnerships in support of regional and state workforce needs, including through expanded collaboration with local providers and other UMS universities like UMA and the University of Maine at Presque Isle as well as Maine’s community colleges.
Contact: Samantha Warren, University of Maine System Director of External Affairs, 207-632-0389, samantha.warren@maine.edu
About the University of Maine System
Established in 1968, the University of Maine System (UMS) unites seven Maine’s distinctive public universities, comprising 10 campuses and numerous centers, in the common purpose of providing quality higher education while delivering on its traditional tripartite mission of teaching, research, and public service.
In 2020 UMS became the first and only statewide enterprise of public higher education in the country to transition to a unified accreditation for the system. Much different than a merger or consolidation, unified accreditation is a new operating model for the University of Maine System that removes the primary barrier to inter-institutional collaboration.
A comprehensive public institution of higher education, UMS serves more than 30,000 students annually and is supported by the efforts of more than 2,000 full-time and part-time faculty, more than 3,000 regular full-time and part-time staff, and a complement of part-time temporary (adjunct) faculty.
Reaching more than 500,000 people annually through educational and cultural offerings, the University of Maine System also benefits from more than two-thirds of its alumni population residing within the state; more than 123,000 individuals.
The System consists of seven main campuses: The University of Maine (UMaine), including its regional campus the University of Maine at Machias (UMaine Machias); the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA); the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF); the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK), the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI); and the University of Southern Maine (USM). The System also includes a UMA campus in Bangor, USM campuses in Gorham and Lewiston-Auburn, the University of Maine School of Law, and the University of Maine Graduate and Professional Center.