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UMS Board Approves Name Change For University Of Southern Maine

Corey Templeton
/
Flickr/Creative Commons
The University of Southern Maine's Portland campus in 2016.

The University of Maine System's board of trustees has endorsed a proposal to re-name the University of Southern Maine.At a meeting on Monday, the board voted in favor of a resolution to change the school's name to the University of Maine at Portland.

School officials say the name change will cost about $1.2 million, but they anticipate it will also boost enrollment, particularly from out-of-state students.

Board member Gregory Johnson says that those students will be vital to sustaining the university. 

"To compete in that incredibly difficult environment, I think this will go a long way to making the University of Maine at Portland a wonderful, metropolitan university it can be with that name change," Johnson says.

The change has been pushed by USM President Glenn Cummings, who says it would tap into Portland's growing popularity and increase enrollment from out-of-state students.

But while trustees voted in favor of the change, a few expressed concerns. Trustee Patricia Riley questioned the cost of a transition, as well as the new name's focus on Portland.

"You said that location matters. Maine is a good location. The state of Maine should be marketed as a place with multiple options for out-of-state students," Riley said. "And I do worry that this has unintended consequences that could be significant."

Student organizations supported the name change. It will now need to be approved by the state Legislature. State Sen. Nat Libby has already submitted a bill that could be taken up in the next legislative session that starts in January.

 Updated Nov. 18, 2019 at 1:03 p.m. ET.