Celebrating a century of impact and leadership

The Graduate School at the University of Maine celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023. This milestone marks a rich history of advancing graduate education and enhancing student experiences through collaborative efforts. True to its mission, UMaine’s Graduate School has supported more than 150 degree programs, financial aid, and diverse academic guidance.

The school capitalizes on UMaine’s status as a flagship research institution with R1 status and propels the university’s mission to drive state and national economic growth through research and development. UMaine’s R1 status is the highest honor designated by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and places the institution among the top 3.7% of top-tier doctoral research universities nationwide. Only 146 of the nation’s 3,982 degree-granting postsecondary institutions hold this classification.

From its inception in 1923, the Graduate School has built on tradition dating back to when UMaine granted its first graduate degree in 1881. From the Graduate School’s origins with just five disciplines, including agriculture, chemistry, and engineering, UMaine’s graduate education has expanded to encompass a wide range of research areas led by internationally recognized faculty. This legacy of excellence in research and scholarship continues to enrich every facet of the UMaine experience.

The centennial year of the Graduate School provides us with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate a century of graduate education that has advanced both individuals and society and to plan for the next 100 years of world-class graduate education that will have global impact and relevance to our local communities. Today, with 154 opportunities for graduate study, consisting of 32 advanced certificates, 91 master’s, and 31 doctoral programs, the University of Maine provides the most extensive graduate degree programs in Maine, attracting students from all over the world.

1881

Walter Balentine earned the first graduate degree conferred by Maine State College, now the University of Maine System, in 1881. The Board of Trustees granted Balentine a Master of Science for completion of his thesis. He first graduated from Maine State College in 1874 with studies in agriculture. He pursued postgraduate studies at Wesleyan, the Connecticut State Experiment Station, and a research fellowship to study agricultural chemistry in Germany before returning to Maine to serve as Chair of Agriculture at his alma mater. After receiving his M.S. degree, Balentine became a professor of agriculture and, in 1885, was named founding director of the first Agricultural Experiment Station in Maine, supporting the growth of agricultural pursuits in the region and throughout the world.

1882

Percia Ann Vinal White, an Orono native, made history at UMaine as the first woman to earn a Master of Science in Literature in 1882. She was also among the university’s first female undergraduates. White published many short stories and a novel under the pseudonym A. Steele Penn. She founded the Women’s Club of Orono, contributed to the Maine Writers’ Research Club and was involved in other local organizations, leaving a legacy in academia and her community.

In 1923, the Division of the Faculty of Graduate Studies was formally established as a distinct administrative unit at the university, solidifying the institution’s commitment to advancing graduate education.