University of Maine System COVID-19 Information: Together for Maine: Principles for a Safe Return
University of Southern Maine Return-to-Campus Plans

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Notifications

Electrical engineering program update

Starting with our Fall 2021 semester, our B.S. in Electrical Engineering will become a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Merit Scholarships

Deadline extended: To be automatically considered for merit scholarships, apply for admission by May 1 for first-year students and by June 1 for transfer students.

Merit Scholarships: Apply Now
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Highlights

David Shaw, in full academic regalia, applauds during our 2015 Commencement ceremony where he was a featured speaker. A graduating student can be seen beside him.

Encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship

Thanks to a $500,000 gift to the University of Southern Maine (USM) from David E. Shaw ’76G, ’15H — founder of IDEXX Laboratories — we launched the Shaw Innovation Fellows program. Each year, the program will award five graduate students a fellowship to conduct research projects that demonstrate innovative approaches to solving environmental, economic, human, and societal problems. Fellows will receive a $5K grant and mentorship from business leaders in their fields of interest.

Encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship: Learn More
A composite image of alumnae Lisa Howe and Lisa Backman. Howe is wearing a winter coat in a snowy exterior shot. Backman is outside the double-doors of a nearby building.

Alums earn top state psychology honors

Alumnae Lisa Howe and Lisa Backman received the School Psychologist of the Year and Lifetime Achievement awards, respectively, from The Maine Association of School Psychologists. Classmates and colleagues, Backman and Howe feel honored to be recognized for their commitment to the well-being of the children and families in the communities they serve.

Alums earn top state psychology honors: Learn More
A health care provider wearing a face mask, scrubs, and a rainbow watch band places a bandage on the injection site of a patient, who just received a vaccine and is wearing two, layered face masks.

Thank you, nursing students

More than 250 nursing students from across the entire University of Maine system will enter clinics and hospitals this spring to participate in Maine’s COVID-19 vaccination deployment. 100 of these dedicated students are from the University of Southern Maine (USM) School of Nursing — they’re ready and willing to help and grateful for the experiential opportunity.

Thank you, nursing students: Learn More
Five people, wearing face masks, standing outside on a wooded section of Maine's coast: Program Coordinator Daniel Barton, three Promise Scholars, and President Glenn Cummings.

Promise Scholarship program reaches milestone

Our Promise Scholarship program serves first-generation students with strong leadership skills who demonstrate significant financial need. We support up to 100 Promise Scholars every year and, over the past three years, we have raised more than $8.8 million to support the program. That includes $7.5 million to endow the program in perpetuity, which means the Promise Scholarship will serve deserving USM students for generations.

Promise Scholarship program reaches milestone: Watch Video
A student with outstretched arms practices ballet on stage in Russel Hall on our Gorham campus.

Learning life skills through ballet

Get a beautiful, in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at one of our ballet classes. Maria Tzianabos, lecturer in Theatre and Dance, and teaching colleague Vanessa Beyland discuss the value of studying ballet — no matter your career path — and some of the fundamental skills you could learn and apply to several areas of your life.

Learning life skills through ballet: Watch Video
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Featured News & Events

A photo of Dr. Ibram X. Kendi

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi to deliver keynote address at USM's 141st Commencement

Best-selling author and national anti-racism thought leader Dr. Ibram X. Kendi will deliver the keynote address during USM's virtual Commencement celebration at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 8. In addition to pieces performed by students from USM’s School of Music, the YouTube-based virtual Commencement ceremony will feature a student address by Human Biology major Grace Muheto ’21 of Portland and remarks from USM’s four honorary degree recipients: Yvon Chouinard, author, activist, and founder of Patagonia Inc.; Timothy P. Wilson, senior advisor and director of the Maine Seeds Programs; and Beverly and David Worthington, co-founders of the Worthington Scholarship Foundation.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi to deliver keynote address at USM's 141st Commencement: Learn More
A photo of Grace Muheto

Grace Muheto ’21 to give student address in 2021 Virtual Commencement

Grace Muheto ’21, a self-described shy person who says she once quaked when she had to speak in front of her high school classes, will deliver a powerful student address to USM’s 1,655 graduates and all of Husky Nation during the virtual Commencement celebration on Saturday, May 8. She also will receive a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology with minors in Biochemistry and Psychology. 

Grace Muheto ’21 to give student address in 2021 Virtual Commencement: Learn More
A photo from the "We Exist" digital exhibit at USM

USM's African American Collection unveils exhibit on Maine’s Black families

We invite you to experience the just-opened digital exhibition, "We Exist: Evidence of Maine's Black Families from 1800 to the 20th Century." Hosted by the USM Digital Commons, "We Exist" tells the stories of Maine's Black families through photos and interviews, and is the first of six digital exhibitions at USM focused on Black Mainers. The digital exhibit is curated by Dr. Lance Gibbs, Lecturer in Race and Ethnic Studies, Director of USM’s Race and Ethnics Studies program, and the Talbot Fellow for the Gerald E. Talbot and African American Collections.

USM's African American Collection unveils exhibit on Maine’s Black families: Learn More
A photo of Kate Ahrens

USM researcher Kate Ahrens receives $400,000 NIH grant

Kate Ahrens, an assistant research professor with the Public Health Program at USM’s Muskie School of Public Service, has received a major three-year, $400,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the health outcomes of new mothers in Maine. She and her team will use all-payer health insurance data to look at women’s diagnoses and medical care up to 24 months after giving birth and compare the results of those women living in rural Maine to those in more urban parts of the state. The ultimate goal: See where any health disparities lie so those issues can be fixed. 

USM researcher Kate Ahrens receives $400,000 NIH grant: Learn More
A student sitting on a couch working on a laptop.

Connect with us: Visits & Online Experiences

While our in-person visits and campus tours are limited, there are still many dynamic opportunities for you to learn about our thriving academic community from home. Attend an informational webinar about our university or a specific academic program, schedule a one-on-one video chat with a current student or an admissions counselor, and more. We’re excited to connect with you!

Connect with us: Visits & Online Experiences: Browse Events
A badge that reads, 'Best Colleges U.S. News & World Report Social Mobility 2021' appears in the upper left corner of a photo of a graduate wearing a mortarboard decorated with small, fake roses and text that reads, 'Be the change; empower; respect; advocacy; empathy; USM BSW.' A tassel with blue, gold, and white strands hangs over one edge.

An engine of academic excellence

The U.S. News & World Report college rankings for 2021 are here! Out of 4,000 colleges and universities in the country — 1,500 in the northeast — the University of Southern Maine (USM) ranked as a top university for social mobility in the northern U.S. The strength of our undergraduate engineering program also earned recognition.

An engine of academic excellence: Learn More
A photo of Heather Shattuck-Heidorn

USM researcher Heather Shattuck-Heidorn works to understand gender and race difference among COVID-19 deaths

Researchers at the University of Southern Maine and Harvard University have released a new report examining COVID-19 deaths and their discovery that African-American women are dying at rates higher than men in other racial and ethnic groups. Heather Shattuck-Heidorn, an assistant professor of Women and Gender Studies at USM, served as the senior author of the article, just published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

USM researcher Heather Shattuck-Heidorn works to understand gender and race difference among COVID-19 deaths: Learn More
An illustration of our husky mascot wearing a mask against a gold gradient on a grey background.

Healthy Huskies

Detailed information regarding the re-opening of our university is available on a dedicated section of our website, Healthy Huskies, that is updated regularly. Find answers to frequently asked questions — from new and returning students to faculty and staff to community members — that cover all facets of our institution.

Healthy Huskies: Visit Website
A black rectangle featuring white type that reads, Stand Against Racism

President Cummings' "Stand Against Racism" statement

As a university, USM stands against racial injustices. We make a collective and individual call for accountability and justice. We bear witness to the precarity of black lives, both at the hands of individuals and at the hands of our systems and policies. We are angry, disgusted, and saddened. We stand in solidarity with everyone calling for an end to this legacy of racial violence. We remember that our ultimate calling is love.

President Cummings' "Stand Against Racism" statement: Read More
The marquee on the State Theater building in Portland, which reads, Resurgam | See you after intermission!

Archiving signs of the times

History professor Libby Bischof is asking for help to crowd-source an online archive of COVID-19-related signage called “Signs of the Times: Documenting COVID-19 Signs in Southern Maine.” She wants to capture the pandemic as it unfolds so the archive can one day serve as a reminder for those who experienced it and as a slice of history for those who come later.

Archiving signs of the times: Learn More
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Data Points

53 Majors, 82 Minors, 26 Graduate Degrees
53 Majors, 82 Minors, 26 Graduate Degrees: Find Yours
$30 million in grants and scholarships
$30 million in grants and scholarships: Explore
265 full-time faculty
265 full-time faculty: Meet Our Faculty
Over 1400 courses
Over 1400 courses: Browse Courses
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