The University of Maine Foundation

The University of Maine has more than 200 buildings on its campus in Orono. Links related to this story

Alumnus Thomas Hosmer recognizes the University of Maine's leadership role as the state's land grant. As a mechanical engineer, he also knows the importance of infrastructure.

That's why he recently established the Thomas P. Hosmer Fund in the University of Maine Foundation, where income from this endowed fund supports maintenance projects on the Orono campus.

The fund does not supplant UMaine's annual maintenance budget. Instead, it provides supplemental income for maintenance and repairs that would not be carried out due to budgetary limitations.

"My intent," says Hosmer, who lives in Concord, Mass., "is to convey to students, faculty and alumni that the university is a special place and should look the part."

Hosmer earned a degree in mechanical engineering from UMaine in 1958. A consulting engineer for Arthur D. Little in Cambridge, Mass., from 1965–2000, Hosmer established a Crosby Hall design-engineering center, which he also supports with an endowed fund held in the University of Maine Foundation. The fund enables the Department of Mechanical Engineering to upgrade and maintain the equipment, and purchase supplies to enhance the students' experiences.