University of Maine Graduate and Professional Center
Comprehensive career and leadership preparation
$55 million in investment and a challenge to raise an additional $50 million to support scholarships, integrated program development across business, law, and policy and engineering, computing and information sciences with a state-of-the-art building to host Maine Center programs and Maine Law.
The new building will be physically located on the University of Southern Maine’s Portland campus, and will provide a technological conduit to students and communities throughout the state.
The Maine Center delivers integration and innovation: Professionals and business leaders must work with teams and across disciplines to advance projects and pursue opportunities. Graduate and professional education must deliver the same integration to meet the needs of employers and serve students seeking to upgrade their skills and opportunities for career and leadership development.
The Maine Center continues to perform: The $55 million investment in the University of Maine Graduate & Professional Center follows on prior gifts from the Harold Alfond Foundation to advance curriculum innovation, real-world relevance, and stronger connections among educators and employers. The work is already underway and is being led by Maine Center Venture CEO Terry Sutton.
The Maine Center brings us together: A vibrant, growing Maine economy needs a critical mass of leaders who are connected, highly prepared, and focused on the knowledge economy. The Maine Center is helping build a dynamic education and workforce development community in the state through innovation and experiential learning delivered through clinics, practicums and internships. The result is stronger ties across the globe to any place where workers who are pursuing opportunities with Maine-based projects, our employers, and educational institutions reside.
The Maine Center is building: The UMS TRANSFORMS Maine Center initiative is being led by Maine Law Dean Leigh Saufley (lead), USM President Glenn Cummings (co-lead) and UMaine School of Business Dean Faye Gilbert. With focused coordination, they will work with the team at Maine Center Ventures, faculty, donors, and workforce partners to build a global brand and reach for University of Maine System graduate business, law, and policy, along with engineering, computing, and information sciences. These programs will come together in a new state-of-the-art building in Portland that, by design, will strengthen connections throughout Maine and its higher education community.
“The Maine Center takes an approach to student needs that thinks much more expansively about what is possible. It allows us to deliver professional and graduate degrees that link learning across disciplines, allowing us to provide more comprehensive career and leadership preparation to our students. The expertise and community connections at the center are enhancing our ability to design curriculums that are responsive to the needs of the employer communities today.” Leigh Saufley, Dean, University of Maine School of Law