Office of Public Affairs

Following graduation in 2020, student Pratima Bajgain hopes to use her biotechnology degree to help her home community in Nepal. Here she tells us about the natural beauty and cultural diversity of her home country.

Taking full advantage of USM's study abroad opportunities, Sara Brown has participated in short term travel programs, exploring both South Africa and Singapore.

Three USM School of Music singers earned prizes and performed at the 2017 Young Stars of Maine Prize Winners concert at the Rockport Opera House.

A 34 percent increase in enrollment deposits by new students — saving their places among incoming freshmen in the fall — was highlighted in the Portland Press Herald. First-year student deposits at USM increased from 563 students a year ago to 756 this spring, and the combined first-year and transfer deposits increased 20 percent from 948 students to 1,134.

USM political science student Nairus Abdullahi earned a prestigious 2017 Critical Language Scholarship, enabling her to spend this summer learning Arabic in Jordan. Abdullahi, who lives in Lewiston, was one of roughly 550 students selected nationwide into the program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to raise the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages.

The hour-long radio program "Maine Calling" featured a conversation with Willis, an adjunct faculty member and researcher with the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, as part of its discussion of the popular fish's changing population and ongoing conservation efforts.

"I am honored and humbled," said Flaherty, who led the team to two championships. "And I feel a little weird about it. I'm still coaching these guys, and if I stay healthy I'll continue coaching them for a little more."

The Portland Press Herald recently covered plans for an $80 million capital campaign to improve USM's campuses. The story by reporter Noel Gallagher described the approval by the University of Maine System trustees to begin the campaign, which calls for particularly dramatic changes on the Portland Campus, including a new dormitory and student center.

USM Ardis Cameron wrote a recent opinion piece for the Portland Press Herald about the availability of high quality food. Her piece was titled, "'Real food' shouldn't be hard to get in Maine."

USM Admissions Director Andrew King described efforts to keep up with radical changes in high school grading in recent radio interview on Maine Public. The story by reporter Robbie Feinberg was titled, "Maine Families Concerned About Proficiency-Based Diplomas Harming Kids' College Chances."