UMaine Corporate Affiliates Program Reaches Out to Business
Contact: Jonathan LaBonte, (207) 581-1976, George Manlove, (207) 581-3756
Editors’ note: The first in a series of public sessions is Thursday, March 24, in Augusta and Tuesday, March 29 in Lewiston.
ORONO — The University of Maine is reaching out through a series of eight regional public forums to encourage more business owners, government leaders and development authorities to the take advantage of the university’s Corporate Affiliates Program.
The first two sessions are Thursday, March 24 in Augusta and March 29 in Lewiston.
Hundreds of business leaders and public policy officials have been invited to the regional sessions planned around the state over the next few months. UMaine interim President Robert Kennedy and interim provost and business professor John Mahon will lead the discussions. Faculty from the Maine Business School and others from employment-related segments of the UMaine community will be on hand to answer questions and explain how the university can help Maine businesses and organizations with anything from market and marketing research to industrial and technological research.
Created in 1994, the Corporate Affiliates program overseen by the Maine Business School in the College of Business, Public Policy and Health has matched students, researchers and faculty business experts with thousands of businesses across the state, nationally and internationally. Such partnerships typically include internships, job-placements and industry-specific research projects.
The state’s largest research and development center, UMaine has attracted more than $50 million annually in research grants over the last four years, and has a wealth of experience and expertise that researchers, faculty and even students are able to share with public and private sectors, says Dan Innis, dean of the College of Business, Public Policy and Health.
The university has more than 11,000 graduate and undergraduate students in 184 programs of study, pursuing some 88 different bachelor’s degrees, 64 different master’s degree programs and 25 separate doctoral programs. Students work in a vibrant community with state-of-the-art learning and research facilities, including Maine’s largest library, the legislatively designated central research library for the state.
With the university placing increased emphasis on education combined with practical experience, much of the research involves solving real problems for real business entities.
Cianbro Corporation in Pittsfield is one of hundreds of corporations in Maine that regularly utilizes student internships through UMaine.
“The corporate affiliates collaboration between Maine businesses and the university is a program we think more people should know about,” says Peter G. Vigue, president and CEO of Cianbro. “We’ve worked closely with the business school and the College of Engineering and have many, many success stories as a result. It’s great to work with the students. These kids are the future of our state and hold the key to Maine’s economy. And from our perspective, they’re helping to build our company.”
Vigue adds that some students have worked several semesters or summers at Cianbro and have joined the company after they graduated.
“We’ve found that they can hit the ground running and the quality of their training is more than evident,” he says.
Representatives from different segments of UMaine will explain how to access many of the resources the university can offer. The Augusta session is from 12:30-2 p.m. at The Senator Inn on Western Avenue. The Lewiston session is from 12-1:30 p.m. at the Colisee on Birch St.
For more information about the regional meetings, and registering, please call Jonathan LaBonte in the College of Business, Public Policy and Health at (207) 581-1976.