Highlights
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Featured News & Events
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
