Alfond Ambassador Scholarship

Alfond Ambassador Program

The Maine Center’s Alfond Ambassador program provides financial support and leadership development for graduate students in business, law, policy, public health, engineering, and computing who are committed to strengthening Maine’s economy after graduation. The Alfond Ambassadors are a distinguished cohort of future leaders and changemakers empowered to leverage their education to tackle challenges and drive innovations critical to advancing Maine.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

• Prospective Ambassadors must be currently applying to or accepted into a full-time Master’s Program at the University of Maine Graduate School of Business, the Muskie School of Public Service, or the Maine College of Engineering and Computing, or must be currently enrolled as a first-year student at the University of Maine School of Law.
• Ambassadors must demonstrate a commitment to strengthening Maine’s economy and professional landscape post-graduation. 
• Applications will be evaluated based on academic excellence, leadership potential, a shared vision for positively impacting Maine’s future, and a demonstrated dedication to fostering economic growth and innovation in Maine after graduation.
• Ambassadors must reside in Maine for the duration of their academic program (i.e., cannot be a remote, online student living outside Maine)
• In-person participation in the leadership development programming and community service initiative is mandatory. The leadership development program includes a two-day overnight retreat in the fall, a daylong session in the spring, and three to four additional meetings throughout the academic year. The community service initiative involves a minimum of four hours throughout the academic year.
• Ambassadors cannot be a full-time graduate assistant or a full-time employee of the University of Maine System or any of its universities. There is no prohibition on working full-time outside of the University of Maine System.

Program Details and Requirements

• For each year of their degree program, Alfond Ambassadors receive an academic scholarship totaling $12,000 annually and expenses for accommodations, meals, and travel related to overnight and daylong leadership programming.
• Alfond Ambassadors are expected to:
  • Maintain good academic standing
  • Maintain full-time student status
  • Participate in all Alfond Ambassador program-related activities
  • Travel to the Greater Portland area, or other locations, for in-person events as scheduled
• Post-graduate professional employment in the field of study and in Maine is strongly encouraged but not a requirement of program participation.