UMaine Breaks Ground for Hutchinson Center Expansion
Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
BELFAST, Me. –University of Maine’s President Robert A. Kennedy, along with community leaders and other university officials, broke ground this morning on the Hutchinson Center’s new expansion.
Also participating was Frederick Hutchinson, the former UMaine president for whom the eight-year-old facility is named. Through the Hutchinson Center, UMaine provides educational and outreach programs and services to mid-coast Maine.
In addressing those attending the groundbreaking, Kennedy noted that the Hutchinson Center has exceeded UMaine’s expectations in every way.
“The Hutchinson Center has simply allowed people from this region to gain access to what they need, and to what they deserve: the educational and related programs that open doors to a brighter future,” Kennedy said. “The success stories are many, and we are all proud of the individual and collective achievements of the students who are part of UMaine and part of the Hutchinson Center.”
The the new wing will double the center’s classroom space and will include high-tech space to allow students to participate in one of the university’s most popular academic programs, New Media. The new facility will also include two science labs and space for art classes. Fully equipped science laboratories will allow the center to offer nursing programs and will enable students to fulfill undergraduate science requirements, such as pre-med and pre-engineering requirements, at the Hutchinson Center. The art room will expand the possibilities for creative work that is limited in the existing space. All new classrooms are designed for multiple uses, including expanding conference center space that will be available to the community, according to Sue McCullough, Hutchinson Center director.
“This is a watershed day for the University of Maine and, most importantly, for the people of midcoast Maine,” Kennedy added. “We are pleased that our partnership is expanding, and we look forward to celebrating the achievements that we will realize together in the larger, even more functional and relevant Hutchinson Center.”
The expansion is a $4 million project. Two million dollars will be raised through revenue bonds to be funded from income from the Hutchinson Center. With generous gifts from businesses, individuals and foundations the campaign has currently raised over $1.3 million of its $2 million private fundraising goal. The new facility is expected to open in the fall of 2009.
For information about the campaign, call McCullough at (207) 338-8000.