Reaffirmation of the University of Maine’s status as a Research-1 institution

Dear members of the University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias communities,

I hope you are safe and sound on this snowy Maine day. I write to share some exciting news that was announced this morning: the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education have reaffirmed the University of Maine’s status as a Research-1 (R1) institution – “very high spending and doctorate production” – as part of its periodic review of American research universities.

This is a significant achievement, resulting from years of outstanding scholarly work and research by faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Maine.  UMaine is one of just 187 out of 2,690 four-year institutions nationally to receive this classification.  This designation distinguishes and benefits the UMaine community and demonstrates our commitment to the state of Maine in many important ways.

I want to express my gratitude to you – the faculty, staff, and students of our university – for working every day to explore uncharted domains, innovate for impact on society, understand and create to enrich our world, and solve problems with new technologies and original ideas.  Thank you.

We are committed to being a learner-centered R1 university.  That means that efforts across the university, in all of our disciplines, departments, schools, colleges, and centers, will be focused on the role of students – undergraduate and graduate.  Our students inspire curiosity with their lines of inquiry and willingness to challenge, engagement in disciplined scholarly pursuits, and interpretation and use of what they learn.  Simultaneously, the scholars and researchers across this university integrate questions, approaches, and results into their work as teachers, mentors, advisors, and collaborators.  All of this truly makes us a learning community.

As we celebrate this continued recognition as a community, let’s continue to collaborate with kindness, caring, and compassion, and strategically re-envision UMaine’s tomorrow.

Congratulations to all of you.

Sincerely,

Joan Ferrini-Mundy
President
University of Maine and the University of Maine at Machias