University of New England (United States)

University of New England
Motto	Connections. For Life.
Established	1939
Type	Private
President	Danielle N. Ripich
Provost	Jack Williams
Academic staff	295
Admin. staff	495
Students	7,330
Undergraduates	4,237
Postgraduates	2,218
Doctoral students	875
Location	Biddeford and Portland, ME, USA 43°27′30″N 70°23′15″W
Campus	Rural
Colors	Blue and white
Athletics	NCAA Division III Commonwealth Coast Conference and ECAC
Nickname	Nor'easters
Affiliations	NEASC
Website	www.une.edu

The University of New England (UNE) is an independent, coeducational university with two campuses in Maine: the main campus in Biddeford and another in Portland.

History

In 1939, a boys-only high school and junior college called the College Séraphique was founded in Biddeford by Father Decary and the Franciscan friar of St. Andre's parish. In 1952, the school changed its name to St. Francis College and began granting bachelor's degrees with state approval in 1953. The high school program was phased out by 1961, and the college was first accredited in 1966. The school became co-educational for the first time in 1967 and the Franciscans finally withdrew from the administration of the college in 1974. To survive dropping enrollment, St. Francis College entered into an agreement with the New England Foundation for Osteopathic Medicine to establish the New England College of Osteopathic Medicine on the same campus, and in 1978 the two merged under the new name of the "University of New England". In 1996, Westbrook College closed and merged with the University of New England. The merger took place under the terms of the original 1831 Westbrook charter, and the combined institutions became Westbrook College before changing the name back to the University of New England. The campus of the former Westbrook College is now known as the UNE Portland Campus.

In December 2010, the university received the largest gift in its history -- $10 million from the Harold Alfond Foundation to build the Harold Alfond Athletics Complex on the Biddeford Campus, and to support interprofessional healthcare workforce education.

The project will include a 105,000-square-foot (9,800 m²) athletics complex featuring an ice hockey rink with 900 seats; a basketball court with 1,200 seats; classroom space; a fitness center; and multi-purpose indoor practice courts that can also be used for performances and other events, with a combined seating capacity of 3,000.

This will provide the largest gathering space on both the Biddeford and Portland campuses. The complex will be located between UNE’s new synthetic blue turf field and Sokokis Hall.

Campus

Biddeford Campus

The Biddeford Campus covers 540 acres (2.2 km²), with 0.75 mile (1.2 km) of ocean frontage. The 26 buildings on the campus include the Harold Alfond Center for Health Sciences, the Pickus Center for Biomedical Research, and the Marine Science Education and Research Center, which houses the Marine Animal Rehabilitation Clinic. The Harold Alfond Center for Health Sciences houses Maine's only medical school, University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNE-COM).

UNE’s Biddeford Campus is also home to the George and Barbara Bush Center and Legacy Collection, which houses material anchoring the Bush legacy in Maine, including memorabilia on loan from the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library at Texas A & M University.

A transit service called the Nor'easter Express provides transportation from University Campus to downtown Biddeford and Saco, as well as the Saco train station and the park & ride lot near the Biddeford turnpike exit.

Portland Campus

Main article: Westbrook College Historic District

College of Pharmacy, Portland campus.

Ludcke Auditorium, Portland campus.

The 41-acre (170,000-m²) Portland Campus (43°40′59″N 70°17′44″W) is designated a national historic district. It is the home of the Westbrook College of Health Professions, the College of Pharmacy, the Art Gallery, the Maine Women Writers Collection, and the Dental Hygiene Clinic.

Academics

The university offers certificates, Bachelor's degrees in various fields, Master's degrees both on-site and online, and Doctoral degrees. The university comprises five colleges: the College of Arts & Sciences, the Westbrook College of Health Professions, College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and College of Graduate Studies.

UNE has a satellite nursing program in Israel through the Israel College.

The College of Osteopathic Medicine is Maine's only medical school; its graduates constitute 25 percent of primary care physicians practicing in rural parts of Maine, and 10 percent of practicing physicians in the state.

Centers of Excellence for Research and Scholarship

The University of New England has four centers of excellence for research and scholarship. These university-wide centers build on existing programs in marine science and neuroscience, humanities and public health.

The centers are designed to provide opportunities for collaborative research and scholarship programs for interdisciplinary, multi-investigator and multi-institutional awards. The centers are also designed to expand undergraduate research at UNE and explore opportunities for future Ph.D. programs, and include:

• Center for Land-Sea Interactions (CLSI): Human, River and Ocean Health
• Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences (CEN)
• Center for Global Humanities (CGH)
• Center for Community and Public Health (CCPH)

External links

• Official website
• Department of Mathematical Sciences
• Math Club at UNE