University of Maine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| University of Maine | |
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| Motto: | Dirigo (I lead) |
| Established: | 1862 |
| Type: | Public |
| Endowment: | $230.5 Million |
| President: | Robert A. Kennedy |
| Faculty: | 720 |
| Students: | 12,100 |
| Undergraduates: | 9,596 |
| Location: | Orono, Maine, USA |
| Campus: | Rural |
| Colors: | Blue and White |
| Nickname: | Black Bears  |
| Mascot: | Bananas the Bear |
| Website: | www.umaine.edu |
The University of Maine, established in 1865, is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. It is located in Orono, Maine just outside of Bangor, one of Maine's largest cities. Known as "UMaine" for short, the school has an enrollment of over 12,000 students making it the largest university in the state. Athletic teams are nicknamed the Black Bears, and sport blue and white uniforms.
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[edit] History
UMaine was founded in 1862 by the Morrill Act, signed by President Lincoln. Originally named the Maine College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, the Maine College opened on September 21, 1868, changing its name to the University of Maine in 1897.
The College was the fourth to be established in Maine, after Bowdoin, Bates, and Colby. Originally intended as an agricultural college, the College also placed a large emphasis on engineering and the sciences.
Tuition at the Maine College was free until 1879. In return, all students were expected to contribute 15 hours a week of labor, on which they were graded and received compensation in accordance with their grades.
Near the end of the 19th century, the curriculum was expanded to place greater emphasis on liberal arts. New faculty hired during this time included Caroline Colvin, chair of the history department, and the first woman in the nation to head a major university department.
In 1906, The Senior Skull Honor Society was founded to “publicly recognize, formally reward, and continually promote outstanding leadership and scholarship, and exemplary citizenship within the University of Maine community.”
When the University of Maine System was incorporated, the school was renamed by the legislature over the objections of the faculty to the University of Maine at Orono (or UMO). This was changed back to the University of Maine in 1986. However, it is still frequently referred to as UMO.
The official song of UMaine is the “Stein Song”. Written by Lincoln Colcord (words) and E.A. Fenstad (music), the tune rose to fame when Rudy Vallee arranged the current version. Vallee attended Maine from 1921-1922 before transferring to Yale, and his popularity helped make the song a national favorite. To this day, the “Stein Song” remains the only college fight song to ever reach number one on the pop charts, achieving this distinction in 1930. According to “College Fight Songs: An Annotated Anthology” published in 1998, the “Stein Song” ranks as the sixth greatest fight song of all time. It trails only “Notre Dame Victory March”, “The Victors” (Michigan), “On Wisconsin”, “Down the Field” (Yale), and “Anchors Aweigh” (Naval Academy). Maine students and alumni alike take great pride in singing the “Stein Song” while supporting their national powerhouse hockey team.
[edit] Academics and student life
UMaine counts engineering, business, forestry, marine science and Agriculture among its most prominent programs. Other programs include wood science, sustainable agriculture, aquaculture, education, and nutrition science. UMaine is unique in offering a program in Socialist and Marxist studies and a minor in that field.
The University's Fogler Library is the largest in Maine and serves as one of its intellectual hubs, attracting scholars, professors, and researchers from around the state. A collection of rare and ancient manuscripts, as well as about two million government publications, augment the University's collection. The Special Collections Unit includes the Stephen Edwin King (author of The Shining and UMaine alumnus) papers, which attract researchers from across the globe.
The University's education is often rated as an excellent value, ranking high in both the Princeton Review and Kiplinger's annual lists of best public school bargains.
It is the only institution in Maine ranked as a national university in the U.S. News and World Report annual rankings. U.S. News places the University of Maine between the 50th and 75th percentile of national universities, a category they define as institutions which "offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master's and doctoral degrees." [1].
The Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamentals Trial Garden is a research garden for horticulture in northern climates. The University of Maine is also home to the Maine Business School, the largest business school in Maine.
The student body consists of students from Maine, other states of the U.S.A., and international students from Latin America, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa, and some Native American students from the surrounding area.
The University is also host to the Intensive English Institute, [2] an English as a Second Language program designed to help students develop their English language skills for success in school, business, and social communication.
[edit] University of Maine Student Government, Inc.
The University of Maine is one of a handful of colleges in the United States whose Student Government is incorporated. Student Government was formed in 1978 and incorporated shortly thereafter. They are classified as a 501(c)(3) not for profit corporation. The organization represents solely undergraduate students as each semester.
It consists of a Legislative Branch, which passes resolutions, and an Executive Branch, which helps organize on-campus entertainment and guest speakers, works with new and existing student organizations, and performs other duties.
Other organizations fall under the umbrella of Student Government, including Representative Boards, Community Associations, and many other student groups.
Student Government in the recent past has brought Live, Blues Traveler, Ben Folds, Guster, Better Than Ezra, Dashboard Confessional, Motion City Soundtrack, and others to the campus as well as actively lobbying for student interests at all levels of the government and administration.
The current President of University of Maine Student Government, Inc. is Steven Moran.
[edit] Athletics
The University of Maine participates in the NCAA's Division I level, is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association for football, Hockey East for ice hockey, and the America East Conference for all other sports. The school has won two national championships, both in men's ice hockey. In 1993, they defeated Lake Superior State University 5-4 behind a third period hat trick by Jim Montgomery. In 1999, they defeated rival University of New Hampshire 3-2 in overtime on a goal by Marcus Gustafsson.
In 1965, the football team competed in the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando Florida against East Carolina. They were beaten in the game 31-0, but remain the only team from Maine to compete in a bowl contest.
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[edit] Notable alumni
[edit] Arts, literature, humanities, and entertainment
- Doris Allen, Children's International Summer Villages founder
- Lawrence Bender, film producer (Pulp Fiction and Good Will Hunting)
- Judith Carducci, artist, author, board member Portrait Society of America
- Don Holder, Tony Award winner-lighting design, The Lion King
- Stephen King Class of 1970, author
- Tabitha King Class of 1971, author, wife of Stephen King
- Jill McGowan, fashion designer
- Brad Sullivan, American actor
- Rick Hautala, Class of 1970, author
[edit] Politics
- John Baldacci Class of 1986, governor of Maine
- Joseph E. Brennan, U.S. politician
- Styles Bridges, former governor of New Hampshire, senator
- Matthew Dunlap, Maine Secretary of State
- John R. McKernan, Jr., former governor of Maine, U.S. politician
- Olympia Snowe Class of 1969, U.S. Senator
- Wallace Rider Farrington Class of 1891, Former Governor of Hawai'i, Founder of the University of Hawai'i
[edit] Business, construction, and service
- Colby Chandler Class of 1950, former CEO, Eastman Kodak
- Francis Clergue, businessman, industrialist
- Raymond Fogler Class of 1915, president, Montgomery Ward Co. and W.T. Grant, Senior Skull, Member of the Rho Rho chapter of the Sigma Chi Fraternity
- Maurice K. Goddard - former secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, a driving force in the creation of 45 Pennsylvania state parks during his 24 years in office.
- Roger C. Prescott, noted transportation economist
- Robert A. Rushworth Class of 1951, Air Force test pilot
[edit] Science and engineering
- Bernard Lown Class of 1942, Nobel Peace Prize winner
- Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Class of 1979, Professor at IIT Madras and Padma Shri recipient
- Francis T. Crowe Class of 1905, Civil Engineer, chief engineer of the Hoover Dam, namesake of the Francis Crowe Society
- Leslie Holdridge Class of 1931, Botanist
- Harold Beverage Class of 1915, Inventor, Vice President of R&D at RCA Communications
[edit] Faculty and administration
- Alvin C. Eurich, first President of the State University of New York
- Eileen Farrell, opera singer
- Edward D. Ives, noted folklorist
- C. C. Little, President (1922–1925)
- Joanne P. McCallie, coach
- H. A. Pogorzelski, mathematician
- Anatole Wieck, violinist
- Clark G. Reynolds, Professor of History (1968-1976)
[edit] Sports
- Jack Leggett, Clemson University Baseball Head Coach
- Cindy Blodgett, basketball player in the WNBA and head women's basketball coach at the University of Maine.
- Rick Carlisle, NBA player, Indiana Pacers coach (transferred to University of Virginia)
- Paul Kariya, NHL player, Nashville Predators (attended half of sophomore year, then left for the Canadian Olympic team and then professional hockey)
- Steve Kariya, SEL player, Frölunda HC, brother of Paul
- Garth Snow, NHL player, Colorado Avalanche, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders; General Manager, New York Islanders
- Mike Dunham, former NHL player and United States Olympian (2002)
- Dustin Penner, NHL player, Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers Became first player to win the Stanley Cup (2007)
- John Henry Williams, only son of baseball legend Ted Williams
- Bill Patrick (AKA Gerard Monteux) - NBC, Versus Network announcer and columnist
- Gary Thorne ESPN sports analyst and play-by-play announcer
- D'Lo Brown (born Accie Conner), professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment
- Carl "Stump" Merrill, former manager of the New York Yankees
- Bill Swift, former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Mike Bordick, former Major League Baseball shortstop
- Mark Sweeney, Major League Baseball outfielder
- Larry Thomas, former Major League Baseball player
- Greg Moore, AHL player, Hartford Wolfpack
- Barrett Heisten, ECHL player, Alaska Aces
- Lofa Tatupu, Pro Bowl Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks (transferred to University of Southern California)
- Michael LaPlante, Head Basketball Coach, Jacksonville State University
- Jimmy Howard, NHL Goalie, Detroit Red Wings
- Mike Flynn Center, Baltimore Ravens
- Brandon McGowan, Defensive Back, Chicago Bears. 2005.
- Jack Capuano, NHL Defenseman; Asst. Coach of the New York Islanders AHL affiliate, Bridgeport Sound Tigers
- Viktoriya Rybalko, long jumper
- Peter Metcalf, former captain of the black bears ECHL player, Alaska Aces
- John Tortorella, head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
- Montell Owens, Fullback, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Stephen Cooper, Linebacker, San Diego Chargers
- Daren Stone, Safety, Atlanta Falcons
- Kevin McMahan, Wide Receiver, New York Giants
- Dennis Emerson, Quarterback, Invited to Steelers training camp
- Justin Strzelczyk, Offensive Lineman, Pittsburgh Steelers
- Jim Boylan, Head Basketball Coach, University of Utah
[edit] Points of interest
[edit] References
- Smith, David C. (1979). The First Century. University of Maine at Orono Press. ISBN 0-89101-037-8.
- Office of Institutional Studies, Fact Sheet with Official Enrollment
- http://bangornews.com/news/t/maineblackbears.aspx?articleid=159527&zoneid=221
- http://bangornews.com/news/t/city.aspx?articleid=160623&zoneid=176
- http://www.mainecampus.com/news/2007/11/08/MaineSports/Hockey.Player.Charged.With.Assault.Unlawful.Sexual.Touching-3086925.shtml
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official UMaine site
- Official Maine athletics site
- UMaine Student Government, Inc.
- The Maine Campus
- UMaine Alumni Association
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