The University of Maine at Farmington is a public liberal arts college and a founding member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, offering programs in teacher education, human services and arts and sciences as a part of the University of Maine System. The school is also at times referred to as UMaine Farmington or UMF for short.
History
In March 1863, a Normal School Act passed into law, and that fall, Farmington was chosen from a list of possible locations for a normal school. Founded in 1864 as the state's first publicly-funded normal school, the first class graduated from the Western State Normal School in 1866. The school merged into the University of Maine System in 1968 to become "the University of Maine at Farmington".
Many early graduates attended the school for its liberal arts offerings alone. Among these were the Stanley brothers, famous for building the Stanley Steamer automobile, and John Frank Stevens, engineer of the Panama Canal. Another famous graduate from the university is comedian Bob Marley, who graduated with a degree in community health. Interest in the liberal arts continued unabated, and the college offered its first degree programs in the liberal arts in 1971. By the 1974â€"75 school year, nearly 300 students were enrolled in liberal arts majors.
On April 26, 2016 Maine's governor Paul LePage abruptly walked out of a dedication ceremony for the Theodora J. Kalikow Education Center. Kalikow was UMF's president for 18 years and retired in 2012. At the ceremony two students held signs that criticized the government on environmental issues. During LePage's speech he saw the signs and after 45 seconds of speaking, he said, "I'm sorry, I'm done," and walked out. On his way LePage stated "Thank you, you idiots out back there with the signs." The 44,500 square foot building is home to UMF's College of Education, Health and Rehabilitation. The building features a geothermal heating and cooling system as well as recycled and sustainable construction materials.
Academics
The University of Maine at Farmington has been ranked among the top schools in the liberal arts and comprehensive college categories by U.S. News & World Report in its "America's Best Colleges" College and university rankings for 16 consecutive years (1998â€"2013). The university has a 15:1 student/faculty ratio and an average class size of 19.
UMF offers majors in Art, Arts Administration, Biology, Business Economics, Community Health Education, Community Heath Education - school health education concentration, Computer Science, Creative Writing, Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Special Education, Elementary Education, English, Environmental Planning and Policy, Environmental Science, Geology, Geology/Chemistry, Geology/Geography, Geography, History, International Studies, Mathematics, Music/Arts, Philosophy/Religion, Political Science, Psychology, Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Administration, Secondary Education (with concentrations in Biology, English, Language Arts, Mathematics, Mathematics/Computer Science, Physical Science, Science, Social Science), Sociology/Anthropology, Special Education (with concentrations in Emotional Disturbance, Learning Disabilities, Mental Retardation), Theater, and Women's & Gender Studies. With the approval of the Arts and Sciences Committee, students may choose to design their own academic program through interdisciplinary studies or an individualized major. It also offers a unique certificate program in Ski Industries (available to students in any major). UMF programs in education are nationally accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
In January 2008, the university announced they plan to offer a Masters of Science in Education graduate degree program. It will allow students to focus in one of four concentrations: Educational Technology, Literature and Literacy, School Administration or one designed by the participant. The University started to accept applications as it awaited approval by New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). NEASC approved the initial degree offering on June 4, 2008.
Penelope Schwartz Robinson, UMF professor of English, was selected from about 350 qualified applicants as a Literary Arts Fellow of the Maine Arts Commission for 2009, and presented her work at an awards showcase at the Bangor Opera House on November 21, 2008. Her alternately funny and sad collection of essays, Slippery Men, recounts the tough, quirky lives of Mainers â€" and folks from other places â€" in calm, exacting, poetic detail. The book, which garnered her the Stonecoast Book Prize, lifted her into the short list of great Maine writers. In addition to her book, her essays have appeared in numerous literary magazines, and have been heard on both Maine Public Radio and National Public Radio.
Wilson Research Scholars and Fellows
Since 2006, the Michael D. Wilson Scholar/Fellow Program has distributed monetary awards to hundreds of students. The program consists of single semester Research Scholar awards and full-year Research Fellow awards to support more substantive research projects. The program was expanded in autumn 2007 to include two full-year Wilson Research Fellow awards to support more substantive research projects. The awards are funded by a gift from Michael and Susan Angelides of Stonington, Connecticut, in honor of their good friend and UMF alumnus Michael D. Wilson, Class of 1976, who died shortly after graduating.
Athletics
The UMaine Farmington Beavers compete in the NCAA Division III North Atlantic Conference. The school's official colors are maroon and white.
UMaine Farmington has 12 NCAA varsity teams, including men's teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, and soccer, and women's teams in basketball, cross country, field hockey, soccer, softball, and lacrosse. Athletics also sponsors varsity men's and women's programs in alpine and Nordic skiing and snowboarding that compete through the United States Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association (USCSA). There are also club teams in cheerleading, ice hockey, men's rugby, women's rugby, and men's and women's ultimate disc sport. Recent NAC champions include men's cross country (2003â€"2005), women's basketball (2004, 2006, 2007), women's cross country (2004â€"2005), women's field hockey (2003â€"2004, 2006, 2007), women's soccer (2003), women's softball (2005) and men's basketball (2010). Recent NCAA tournament appearances include women's basketball (2006), women's field hockey (2004, 2006, 2007), women's soccer (2003) women's softball (2005), and in 2010 the men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
In addition to the outdoor athletic fields and Dearborn Gymnasium, UMF has a Fitness and Recreation Center that houses a cardio fitness area with machines; a fully equipped and supervised weight room with free weights and weight machines; four multipurpose courts; a 1/8-mile walking/jogging track; and a 25-yard swimming pool for the use of UMF students and members of the area community.
Notable alumni
- Sharon H. Abrams, executive director, Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers
- Steve Clifford, head coach of the Charlotte Hornets
- Lance Harvell, state legislator
- Otis Wells Johnson, Wisconsin state legislator
- Bob Marley, comedian
- David Miramant, Maine state legislator
- Francis Edgar Stanley, inventor of the Stanley Steamer
- Freelan Oscar Stanley, inventor of the Stanley Steamer and builder of the Stanley Hotel
- John Frank Stevens, designer of the Panama Canal
- Charlotte Warren, Maine state legislator and former mayor of Hallowell, Maine
- Alexander Willette, Maine state legislator
- Chandler Woodcock, politician
- Eli Yoder, Call Center Guru
- Dr Thomas Kane Academic and Strategic Theorist
References
External links
- University of Maine at Farmington
- UMF Athletics
- Mantor Library
- WUMF 100.1 FM, UMF's student radio station
- Farmington First, the University of Maine at Farmington magazine
- Alice James Books, UMF affiliate
- [1], PressHerald
