Office of Public Affairs

Some of the fleeting Maine images of COVID-19 — of light-up marquees, lawn signs and storefront warnings — are being collected in an online archive by the University of Southern Maine. The crowd-sourced archive, titled “Signs of the Times: Documenting Covid-19 Signs in Southern Maine,” currently consists of about 200 photos. But creator Libby Bischof, a history professor and the executive director of the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education at the University of Southern Maine, thinks many more signs are out there.

The University of Southern Maine is working to support community efforts to help small business owners navigate many of COVID-19’s challenges — from advising small business owners on how to apply for aid money to helping them navigate today’s quickly changing rules and regulations. And the help is free.

Now hale and hearty, the rising senior information technology major says he feared for his life while coping with the disease he contracted at work.

The course and webinar series — which is free to the public — will feature online lectures delivered by University of Maine System experts in the fields of public health, policy, law, and business. Two special guests — Dr. Nirav Shah, Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Dora Mills, Chief Health Improvement Officer at MaineHealth — will kick off the lectures on June 1.

To help the 2020 recipients of the USM Art Department’s Discipline Awards share their vision with the world — and give cooped-up art lovers everywhere a chance to take in a stunning virtual exhibit from the safety of home — we bring you a sampling of their creativity.

The University of Southern Maine joined the chorus of thank-yous to Maine’s front-line workers Wednesday, erecting a set of 20-feet-long banners on the Portland campus’ Alumni Skywalk above busy Bedford Street.

USM senior and 2020 Fulbright candidate Julia Gustafson, of Falmouth, Maine, is weighing several graduate school options for next year — all of them prestigious and international.

USM was well represented at the 2020 BioME Student Showcase of science research, as senior biology major Anastasia D'Amico of Belgrade Lakes and master of science in biology candidate Rachel Cray of Freeport were among the top-three higher-education honorees.

In this video featuring Assistant Director of Custodial Services Kristen Case and Manager of Custodial Services Brett Hallett, USM Multimedia Producer Zach Boyce documents the high-tech approach our Facilities Management team is taking to disinfect campus spaces during the pandemic.

Jared Cash says USM has extended its deadline to apply for financial aid to June 30, 2020, and is also offering a new Welcome Home Scholarship of up to $2,000 to Maine students attending out-of-state colleges who transfer to USM to be closer to home during the pandemic.