The University of Southern Maine (USM) Foundation has announced Northeast Delta Dental as a Founding Sponsor of the McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success, located on the University’s Portland campus. The non-profit organization is a leading provider of dental benefits in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
Northeast Delta Dental is sponsoring a space in the Career & Employment Hub, located on the McGoldrick Center’s second floor. They join a growing number of employer partners who are committed to expanding career-building opportunities for USM students and supporting their recruitment and workforce development needs. To date, more than 20 companies and organizations, from a broad spectrum of Maine’s employer community, have invested in the McGoldrick Center.
USM’s Career Hub provides a dedicated place for students to connect with prospective employers, meet with career counselors, and improve their career readiness through research and preparation. Career Hub programs offer students invaluable opportunities to gain experience in the field, explore career directions, develop global citizenship skills, and give back to the community.
“As a community member, it is important for us to support the career development of our future leaders,” said Tom Raffio, President & CEO, Northeast Delta Dental. “In addition, as a business committed to addressing workforce shortages in our provider industry, we appreciate the opportunity to participate in a center dedicated to students’ success.”
“We are so pleased to be partnering with Northeast Delta Dental to support the McGoldrick Center,” said Ainsley Wallace, President & CEO of the USM Foundation. “USM’s career-development programs are essential, not just for our students, but also for the workforce recruitment needs of Maine’s employers. We are deeply grateful to Northeast Delta Dental for their generous investment in our students’ future success.”
The McGoldrick Center Founding Sponsors program offers employer partners like Northeast Delta Dental recognition and promotional opportunities in a central location at the heart of USM’s newly transformed Portland campus. The company will be recognized with a plaque prominently displayed at the Career Hub.
About the McGoldrick Center
The three-story McGoldrick Center features an expansive dining area, Husky Brew Pub, University Store, Double L Fireside Lounge, and other public spaces that are available for community use. The Center regularly draws hundreds of students, faculty, staff, and community members through its doors.
The second floor is devoted to the Career & Employment Hub, as well as meeting and community engagement spaces. The third floor focuses on cultivating student leadership opportunities and connections, with additional spaces set aside for USM’s Diversity Center, student organizations, Promise Scholars, and the Student Government Business Office.
Overlooking the new campus quad––the “Bean Green––the Center sits adjacent to Portland Commons, the first residence hall on USM’s Portland campus. The McGoldrick Center is among the most environmentally sustainable buildings on USM’s Portland campus. On track to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) Gold certification, the Center takes advantage of passive solar heating through the large glass openings facing south in the wintertime. It has a 33.3 kW photovoltaic solar array on its roof and incorporates smart-energy strategies and sustainable building materials throughout.
The $26.6 million, 41,000 square-foot building was funded through a combination of private philanthropy, corporate sponsorships, and $19 million in public funding from the voter-approved 2018 University of Maine System Workforce Development Bond.