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University of Southern Maine

Undergraduate School

Mailing Address
96 Falmouth St
Portland, Maine 04104
Phone
(800) 800-4876
Email address
admitusm@maine.edu
School Information
"USM is at the heart of Maine's most exciting metropolitan region — from Portland's lively Old Port to Lewiston's vibrant arts district to Gorham's friendly village center." The university offers over 54 majors, 82 minors, and 26 graduate degrees, as well as employing over 265 full-time faculty, and offering over 1,400 courses. (Source: https://usm.maine.edu/about) (Source: https://usm.maine.edu/)
General Information
The University of Southern Maine's leadership has taken steps to encourage its students to support anti-racism. The university president urged students to sign a pledge to “practice anti-racist behaviors.” Only the number of people who sign the pledge will be released, not the students' names. No mandatory Critical Race Training sessions are yet required of students. However, see developments below:

Actions Taken

Curriculum Changes and Requirements
  • The school "adopted a full-fledged 'diversity' requirement in its 2021-2012 catalog."
Political Actions and Support for Anti-Racism
  • University president urged students to sign a pledge to “practice anti-racist behaviors.” Number of people who sign the pledge will be released.
Program and Research Funding
  • As part of the UMS Transforms program, grant money is being funded to promote DEI, specifically for students as well as for other goals such as curricular development in addition to recruitment and retention.
Resources
  • USM has "hired high-level administrations to head up DEI efforts."
  • The University of Southern Maine created President's Five-Year Plan outlining goals which "include the adoption of aggressive affirmative action plans, the hiring of a DEI hiring coordinator, substantial curricular developments like learning-living communities and associated new programs, and a rebooting of the Intercultural Student Engagement Center."
  • The school "began offering a 'Women and Gender Studies: Social Justice Minor and Certificate' in 2021," teaching "anti-racist and political economy debates about racialized capitalism."
Symbolic Actions
  • USM has instituted "an independent committee on campus - Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Council - charged with expanding and deepening its DEI mission."
  • In September of 2020, the school appointed an Associate Vice President for Equity.
Last updated July 26th, 2022
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