While we are proud of the
University of Maine's status as a national-level research university, an
institution where outstanding scholars work to redefine the borders of
new knowledge, it also is important to consider the foundation upon
which the research enterprise rests. Without our strong, comprehensive,
liberal arts-based undergraduate programs — the heart of any
university's academic life — UMaine would not be nearly as strong, nor
would it be able to effectively support the research and development
activity that also is an important component of a 21st-century
land-grant university.
Unlike any other university in Maine, but similar to the great state
universities across the United States, UMaine offers a vast array of
academic programs that help our students to learn to think clearly, to
communicate effectively and to understand the world around them. As
people who are truly educated, our students leave UMaine ready to take
leadership roles and to contribute to society in meaningful ways. We are
fortunate to have a faculty of learned and accomplished scholars —
historians, anthropologists, philosophers, economists and experts in so
many other disciplines — who provide those critical insights that help
our students truly learn.
A great many of those UMaine professors are leaders in their fields.
Their research and scholarly contributions are on the leading edge of
current thinking in important areas, and our students benefit greatly
from the close faculty interaction that is so important to us at UMaine.
We have talked a lot recently about partnerships and collaborations —
the "new model" land-grant university. Several fine institutions have
joined with us in enterprises related to important research. I believe
that the decision makers at those institutions recognize the true
essence of UMaine, and that they appreciate the fact that our students
and our faculty members are part of a real community of scholars, where
the quest for knowledge is valued above all else.
UMaine Today Magazine
Department of University Relations
5761 Howard A. Keyo Public Affairs Building
Phone: (207) 581-3744 | Fax: (207) 581-3776
