File Photo / Renee Cordes
A view of the University of Maine School of Law building in Portland.
Updated: September 10, 2020
Higher ed notebook: USM adds to diversity leadership team, UMA partners with Maine Law
Courtesy / University of Southern Maine
Idella Glenn, left, is USM’s new associate vice president for equity, inclusion and community impact, while Will Johnson joined this summer as the new director of intercultural student engagement.
In a move aimed at increasing diversity at the University of Southern Maine, the school on Tuesday unveiled the appointment of two individuals to help lead the charge.
Idella Glenn was named USM's associate vice president for equity, inclusion and community impact, while Will Johnson has joined USM as director of intercultural student engagement, according to a news release.
“My role is to take the lead on looking at diversity, equity and inclusion issues at USM from a structural standpoint,” Glenn said in the release. “My goal will be to get a sense of what’s happening and try to coordinate and collaborate with various partners on campus, to move us forward in this area.”
Glenn comes to USM with 24 years of experience leading diversity and inclusion initiatives, most recently as special advisor on inclusivity and diversity at Hollins University in Roanoke, Va.
At USM, her hiring is meant to strengthen the ongoing work of the Intercultural and Diversity Advisory Council, co-chaired by professor Joyce Gibson and PJ Singh, senior associate director of admissions.
"We strive to be an anti-racist university,” said USM President Glenn Cummings, adding that both the council and Glenn will help the school get closer to the goals in its new five-year strategic plan. It calls for a university-wide equity review, a full curriculum review, active recruitment and retention initiatives, and an examination of policies and practices.
Johnson began his doctoral work while working at the University of New England, serving as the founder and program director of the Community Assistant Program. For his doctorate, he is researching the facets of the social justice movement and its effects on the student experience.
At USM, he said he wants to support all students and for his office to be “a haven for underrepresented and marginalized students."
Johnson also noted that students are entering college this fall with the same anxieties about COVID-19 and race issues as the rest of society.
“For many, they want to engage in conversation, but they don’t know how,” he said. “They’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. We’re not going to always get this right, but being able to come together is too important to give up.”
Faster path to law for UMA students
Students at the University of Maine at Augusta will have a shorter path to the University of Maine School of Law under an accelerated degree program announced this week.
The 3+3 Program, as it is formally known, will allows juniors at UMA to apply to Maine Law and, if accepted, take first-year law classes that would fulfill undergraduate degree requirements in Augusta.
Students who choose the accelerated program save their final year of college tuition and position themselves to enter the legal field a year earlier.
“We are excited to enter into this agreement,” stated Sharon McMahon Sawyer, an assistant professor and program coordinator of UMA's Justice Studies Program, which will oversee the accelerated degree program.
“The 3+3 Program with Maine Law provides a cost effective and timely pathway for those seeking to obtain a law degree.”
A spokesperson for UMA told Mainebiz that it's too early to know how many students will take advantage of the new opportunity.
To participate, students must be enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program at UMA, apply to Maine Law during the appropriate admissions cycle and take the Law School Admission Test.
Admission is not guaranteed, and students are evaluated as part of the entire field of law school applicants.
Further details are available online.
A total of 5,811 students are enrolled at UMA for the 2020-21 academic year.
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