University of Southern Maine

[EduCativ]

The University of Southern Maine, northern New England's outstanding public, regional, comprehensive university, is dedicated to providing students with a high-quality, accessible, affordable education. Through its undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, USM faculty members educate future leaders in the liberal arts and sciences, engineering and technology, health and social services, education, business, law, and public service. Distinguished for their teaching, research, scholarly publication, and creative activity, the faculty is committed to fostering a spirit of critical inquiry and civic participation. USM embraces academic freedom for students, faculty, and staff and advocates diversity in all aspects of its campus life and academic work. It supports sustainable development, environmental stewardship, and community involvement. As a center for discovery, scholarship, and creativity, USM provides resources for the state, the nation, and the world.
A collaborative, inclusive community that engages, educates, and supports students. Residential Life is committed to creating an engaged, respectful, and inclusive community. We provide an environment that is safe, well-maintained, and sustainable. Residential Life provides a meaningful and intentional learning experience that ensures the exploration of diversity, leadership, and wellness.
Your USM experience is about preparing you academically for your future. However, it is also about the people you meet here and the experiences you have with them inside and outside the classroom. At USM, we support our residential students by assigning all first-year residential students to a Living Learning Community (LLC). Your LLC assignment is based on the COR lab class you choose with your Academic Advisor during your initial Advising and Course Selection (ACS) meeting. These LLCs are not connected to specific academic majors; instead, you can choose what best fits your interests. Your housing assignment coincides with the COR lab class that you have chosen, allowing you to live and learn with a smaller cohort of students who share a common interest in that community.
In addition to connecting you with peers who have similar interests, living in university housing gives you special access to USM professors and staff, exclusive programming and services, and invitations to targeted social events. Your COR lab is an experiential learning environment that connects you with peers, faculty, and staff through project-based learning and trips. It is designed to help you connect with both the USM community and the wider community to take advantage of the variety of opportunities to expand your learning outside of the classroom.
At the University of Southern Maine (USM), you'll have exciting opportunities for engagement in the classroom, lab, and the community. Wherever you are in your academic career, our goal is to make your admissions experience smooth and positive every step of the way. Welcome to USM.
USM is committed to academic quality that is affordable, flexible, and meaningful. Choose from a broad spectrum of programs, with both on-campus and online options. Our three campuses are located at the heart of Maine's most vibrant region, creating exciting opportunities for community engagement, including internships, service-learning, and undergraduate research.
Graduate education at USM is designed to be flexible and highly relevant to our region's economic, health, and civic needs and the communities we serve. We offer master's and doctoral degree programs, as well as certificates of advanced study (post-master's) and graduate certificates (post-baccalaureate), some of which are offered entirely online.
At USM, international students from around the world contribute to the growing multicultural environment of our region. We provide ongoing advising and support services to help our international students — both undergraduate and graduate — take full advantage of university and community resources, engage with the community, and achieve their goals while at USM.
At USM, our experienced research faculty and staff take pride in our collaborative partnering with organizations and communities throughout the nation. With advanced degrees and extensive experience in multiple academic disciplines, public policy, and law, we provide global, multidisciplinary approaches and resources to complex issues. Using research and policy analysis, training, technical assistance, and program development and implementation, faculty and staff apply a practical approach to help translate best practices into everyday practice for business clients, government agencies, and communities.
On December 26, 1878, 700 people braved a snowstorm to hear 14 speeches, one of which clocked in at more than one hour, at the opening of Corthell Hall, the first university building in Gorham. The Gothic-style building was constructed for $23,170 and dedicated to teachers' education, who were in short supply. (By comparison, USM's new residence hall, complete with apartment/suite style quarters, carries a $21 million price tag.)Some 40 years later, soon after World War I, Portland University opened on the second floor of a commercial building, located just off Monument Square in downtown Portland. The university was established in response to the lack of educational opportunities for accountants.
On September 6, 1988, USM's Lewiston-Auburn College opened its doors on Lewiston's Westminster Street to 673 students. In January of 1989, LAC enrolled 840 students, 167 more than the first semester. Enrollment has continued to grow at LAC, but it is only one measure of the region's support for the college. LAC's establishment and growth directly result from the interdisciplinary nature and community focus of its curriculum.

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