University of Southern Maine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
University of Southern Maine

Former names	List Gorham Normal School (1878–1945) Portland University (1921–1933) Portland Junior College (1933–1957) Gorham State Teachers College (1945–1964) University of Maine at Portland (1957–1970) Gorham State College (1964–1970) University of Maine at Portland-Gorham (1970–1978)
Motto	"The Joy and Power of Learning (Gaudium Visque Discendi)"
Type	Public university
Established	1878; 147 years ago (1878)
Parent institution	University of Maine System
Academic affiliations	CUMU Space-grant
President	Jacqueline Edmondson
Students	6,257 (fall 2024)
Undergraduates	4,455 (fall 2024)
Postgraduates	1,802 (fall 2024)
Location	Gorham, Portland, Lewiston , Maine , United States 43°39′45″N 70°16′34″W / 43.66250°N 70.27611°W / 43.66250; -70.27611
Campus	Urban, Suburban, 142 acres (57 ha)
Newspaper	The Free Press
School Song	Southern Maine is Coming Home by Heidi Parker
Colors	Royal blue and gold
Nickname	Huskies
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division III
Mascot	Champ the Husky

The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university in Maine, USA. It has campuses in Gorham and Portland, Maine. USM is part of the University of Maine System.

It started as two separate schools: Gorham Normal School and Portland University. These schools later became Gorham State College and the University of Maine at Portland. In 1970, they joined together. This helped make the public university system in Maine better. In 1988, a third campus was added in Lewiston.

The Portland Campus is home to several important centers. These include the Edmund Muskie School of Public Service and the USM School of Business. The Gorham campus has more student housing. It is where the School of Education and Human Development and the Osher School of Music are located.

A Look at USM's History

Robie Andrews Hall is one of the original Gorham State College buildings. It is now primarily a residence hall with some mixed academic usage on the first floor. Taken from a 1907 postcard.

USM began in 1878 as Gorham Normal School. This school trained teachers. Over time, its name changed several times. In 1970, it merged with the University of Maine at Portland. The combined school was first called the University of Maine at Portland-Gorham. In 1978, it officially became the University of Southern Maine. The Lewiston-Auburn campus opened in 1988.

Who Leads USM?

The university has had many leaders over the years. Jacqueline Edmondson became the 14th president of USM in July 2022. She helps guide the university.

USM Campuses

The McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Services, left, the Bean Green, and the Portland Commons dorm.

Luther Bonney, Masterton Hall, and the Science building at USM's Portland Campus

USM has three main campuses. Each campus offers different programs and experiences.

Portland Campus

The Portland campus is in the Oakdale neighborhood. Students here can study many subjects. These include business, nursing, history, and science. The campus has several key buildings. These include the Wishcamper Center and the Osher Map Library.

In 2023, a new dorm called Portland Commons opened. It has 580 beds for students. It offers different types of apartments. This dorm is open to USM students and others from nearby colleges.

Also in 2023, the McGoldrick Center for Career & Student Success opened. It has a dining hall and student lounges. A large parking garage is across the street. It has many electric vehicle charging stations. These new buildings were built using green building methods. Portland Commons is a very energy-efficient building.

A new arts center, the Crewe Center for the Arts, is being built. It will have an art gallery and a performing arts center. It is expected to open in the future.

The student newspaper, The Free Press, is on this campus. The student radio station, WMPG, is also here. The campus is close to parks and stores.

Glickman Library

USM Glickman Library at Portland

The Albert Brenner Glickman Family Library is the main library. It is on the Portland campus. It includes the Osher Map Library. The library also has special collections. These include books about diversity in Maine. It also has rare old textbooks.

Gorham Campus

Corthell Hall is located on the Gorham campus and is the home of the Dr. Alfred and D. Suzi Osher School of Music, which houses Corthell Concert Hall. Originally Corthell Hall was the sole classroom building on the Gorham Normal School campus.

The Gorham campus has most of the student dorms. It also has sports facilities. Students here can study engineering, art, music, and education. Historic buildings like McLellan House and the Academy Building are on this campus.

Several dorms are located on the Gorham campus:

• Woodward Hall
• Upton Hall and Hastings Hall: These dorms can house up to 300 students.
• Anderson Hall
• Robie Andrews Hall: This hall was built in 1897.
• Phillipi Hall: This dorm opened in 2001.
• Upperclass Hall: This dorm was completed in 2007.

Some older dorms, Dickey and Wood Towers, were closed in 2015. The university plans to take them down.

Lewiston-Auburn Campus

USM's Lewiston-Auburn campus, Front entrance. This campus was established in 1988.

The Lewiston-Auburn campus is the newest of the three. It is also known as Lewiston-Auburn College (USM LAC).

Students at USM LAC can earn bachelor's degrees. These include Arts and Humanities and Natural and Applied Sciences. Master's degrees are also offered here. The nursing program is available at this campus too.

What Can You Study at USM?

USM offers many different study programs. You can earn bachelor's, master's, and even doctoral degrees. There are about 115 areas of study for undergraduate students.

The university has several schools. These include the School of Business and the School of Nursing. The Department of Educational and School Psychology offers degrees to become a school psychologist.

The Stonecoast MFA Program in Creative Writing is a special program. It helps students become better writers. USM is also one of two schools in Maine with an ABET-approved Computer Science degree.

Students from Southern Maine Community College can easily transfer to USM. This helps them continue their studies in many fields.

Special Programs and Partnerships

USM works with other groups on interesting projects.

Maine-Greenland Collaboration

This project studies challenges in coastal communities. It looks at environmental and cultural issues in Maine and Greenland.

Reykjavik University Partnership

USM has a partnership with Reykjavik University in Iceland. This allows students and teachers to exchange places. It helps them learn from each other.

Maine Teacher Residency Program

This program helps train new teachers. Students work in Maine classrooms while finishing their degrees. This helps with the shortage of teachers in the state. In the 2022–2023 school year, 40 students were in this program.

Edmund Muskie School of Public Service

This school is on the Portland campus. It focuses on public health and policy. The Catherine Cutler Institute is part of this school. It does research.

Quality Control Collaboratory (QC2)

QC2 works with Maine breweries. It tests craft beverages in a lab. This gives USM students research chances.

Boyne Family Advanced Simulation and Interprofessional Education Center

This center is a special lab for nursing students. It helps them practice their skills.

Maine Regulatory Training & Ethics Center

This center offers training in rules and ethics. It works with businesses and the community. It helps scientists learn about ethics in AI.

Charles Scontras Center for Labor and Community Education

This center teaches workers about their rights. It opened in Fall 2023.

Working with Other Countries

USM is part of the University of the Arctic. This is a network of schools in the Arctic region. They work together on education and research. USM also takes part in the north2north program. This lets students study in different parts of the North.

How Many Students Attend USM?

USM is the second largest university in the University of Maine System. In the 2023–2024 school year, 5,407 students were enrolled. In 2022, more female students attended than male students. The university has a good student-to-teacher ratio.

Student Life at USM

Dining and Food

Sodexo runs the dining halls at USM. In 2022, they started using delivery robots called Kiwibots. These robots bring food to students on both the Gorham and Portland campuses. They can even work in the snow!

The Brooks Dining Hall on the Gorham campus was updated in 2019. It now offers more vegetarian and gluten-free food. The McGoldrick Center on the Portland campus also has a large dining hall.

The Free Press Newspaper

The Free Press is the student newspaper. Students write and fund it. It has been publishing since 1972. It prints a new edition every week during the school year.

WMPG Radio Station

WMPG is a community radio station. It is on the Portland Campus. USM students and local volunteers create the shows. It started broadcasting in 1973.

Husky Line Bus Service

The Greater Portland METRO bus runs the Husky Line. This bus connects the Portland and Gorham campuses. It comes every 30 minutes on weekdays. USM students and staff can ride for free with their ID. The buses have Wi-Fi.

USM Sports Teams

Southern Maine Huskies wordmark

The sports teams at the University of Southern Maine are called the Huskies.

The university has 23 sports teams. They compete in NCAA Division III. Most teams play in the Little East Conference.

Varsity Teams

Club Sports

USM also has six club sports teams. These include ice hockey, rugby, and esports. The esports team is very popular. It had 170 students in the 2023–2024 school year. A new esports arena is being built on the Gorham campus.

Famous People Who Went to USM