May 2023
Dr. Katherine Ahrens, Assistant Research Professor of Public Health, is part of a team that won an $11 million grant to investigate how Medicaid-funded doulas could help reduce maternal health disparities in the U.S. The study aims to determine if available doula services could improve post-pregnancy health outcomes for people of color and for low-income people.
Apr 2023
Our Cybersecurity Ambassadors are hoping to get the message out about online safety via podcast. Since their debut, they’ve recorded detailed, full-length interviews with John Forker, chief information security officer for the UMaine System, Rob Simopoulos, cofounder of Portland-based cybersecurity company Defendify, Maine U.S. Senator Angus King, and others.
Mar 2023
We received an incredible $1.2 million gift from the Avangrid Foundation in honor of the legacy of David Flanagan — a Maine business icon, our 12th president, and a passionate conservationist. The investment will fund a sustainability scholarship and professorship in Flanagan’s name at the Muskie School of Public Service, to help train the next generation of problem solvers.
Feb 2023
Two of our faculty members can count their names among other literary greats, such as Stephen King and Barack Obama. Hokuloa Road by Elizabeth Hand and Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty made The New York Times list of “100 Notable Books for 2022.” This recognition cements both authors’ place as remarkable writers and inspires our students to pursue their own writing goals.
Oct 2022
We recently received a $350,000 gift to support 15 to 20 craft beverage businesses in their efforts toward going green. This gift will allow our New England Environmental Finance Center to work with businesses — including breweries, distilleries, wineries or cider makers within our state — to implement crucial sustainable practices and improve processes that impact the environment.
Aug/Sep 2022
L.L.Bean has announced a gift of $850,000 to support a new Career & Student Success Center as well as a scholarship for students pursuing environmental education. The student center and environmentally friendly campus quad are all part of the historic transformation of our Portland campus — the University’s largest construction project ever and our most sustainable.
Established: September 2013