The University of Southern Maine (USM) is undertaking an exciting transformation of our Portland campus, situated in the economic and cultural heart of Maine.
The Portland Campus Development Project will include the construction of two new student facilities and a campus green:
- McGoldrick Center for career & Student Success: A three-story, 42,000 square foot structure serving as our new campus hub.
- Portland Commons Residence Hall: A 580-bed, 218,000 square foot hall for second-, third- and fourth-year undergraduate students, residential staff, USM and University of Maine System graduate students, and Maine Law students.
- Residential Quad: A one-acre campus green that will serve as a natural entry-point to our Portland campus.
With the construction of environmentally sustainable facilities devoted to student affairs and career services, we are investing in the academic and professional success of our students and enriching our strong community partnerships. The project marks another key step in the development of our Portland campus, in which we’re replacing a surface parking lot at the center of campus with a one-acre green quad flanked by the state-of-the-art McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success and our first-ever residential housing on the Portland campus.
The McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success will host dining, the Husky Brew cafe/pub, our University Store, an expanded Career & Employment Hub, and Student Activities and Student Government Association offices as well as the University’s Diversity and Multicultural Center. The Center will serve as a campus hub for new on-campus residents and will be a key resource for our many commuter students as well for community members, who will be able to take advantage of our retail dining options, the Husky Brew cafe/pub, University Store, and the campus green.
The Portland Commons Residence Hall is being designed with three primary objectives:
- To increase access to attractive, affordable housing in Portland for our undergraduate and graduate students as well as Maine Law students.
- To advance the University’s commitment to sustainability by building the largest Passive House residence hall in the Northeast.
- To continue to improve the aesthetic and functional appeal of our Portland campus.
With the completion of the Portland Commons, we will expand our current residential capacity by approximately 50 percent, continuing to support the University’s growth and the development of our Portland campus.