UMA transforms the lives of students of every age and background across the State of Maine and beyond through access to high-quality distance and on-site education, excellent student support and civic engagement, and innovative professional and liberal arts programs.

UMA is the third largest public university in Maine. In addition to its main campus in the states capital, UMA also serves students at its campus in Bangor (UMA Bangor) and through UMA Centers around the state. With its multiple locations and long-term expertise in online and distance learning, UMA is generally considered the university of choice for Mainers of all ages who want to attend college without uprooting their lives.

UMA Civic Engagement connects and coordinates the many different classes, events, programs, and opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to get involved in their communities. Our goals are to strengthen the personal and academic development of our students, build our UMA community, and connect our students to the greater society through service, civic activities, and community leadership.

Civic Engagement and Service Learning have broad and sometimes fluid definitions and usages, and are often used interchangeably. For the purposes of clarity, UMA Civic Engagement uses the following working definitions:

Civic engagement means working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values, and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.

Service-learning incorporates community work into the curriculum, giving students real-world learning experiences that enhance their academic learning while providing a tangible benefit for the community.

UMA Civic Engagement is co-coordinated by Janet Smith, Executive Director of New Ventures Maine, and Kati Corlew, Associate Professor of Psychology. Our leadership team also includes Jean Dempster and Thomas Grogan of New Ventures Maine, and our VISTA volunteer Madalyn Shircliff.

In addition, UMA Civic Engagement is led by a large Steering Committee comprised of Faculty, Staff, and Students who are committed to civic engagement, service learning, volunteering, and other community work at UMA and in the greater state of Maine. Membership to the Civic Engagement Steering Committee is open and flexible. If you are interested in joining our Steering Committee to help guide civic engagement at our university, please contactkate.corlew@maine.eduorjanet.smith@maine.edu.

With our multiple campuses and locations and our array of professional programs, UMA attracts a unique mix of recent high school graduates and adults returning to the classroom. All are enriched by the interaction between young and older students.

UMA is especially noted for its experience and success working with adult students, many who enter college after years away from a classroom. UMA faculty and staff understand the special challenges of these adult students, who often need to juggle family and work responsibilities while attending college.

UMA offers 1 masters degree, 2 graduate certificates, 8 post-baccalaureate programs, and 22 different baccalaureate programs that include numerous opportunities for concentration within a major. We also offer select associate degrees in 11 different programs as well as 44 minors and 49 certificate programs.

The majority of our graduates leave UMA with a baccalaureate degree in a professional field of study that meets a specific state or regional economic need. Moreover, UMA graduates overwhelmingly stay in Maine, where many go on to become leaders in their profession and their community.