The University of Southern Maine says undergraduate enrollment grew by 4% among campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston.
Growth at the Lewiston campus was particularly strong, with undergraduate enrollment up 37% in the fall of 2016 compared to the year before, the Sun Journal reported.
Glenn Cummings, president of USM, told the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce that USM is strengthening in other ways, too. Its budget is balanced — that compares with $16 million in debt two years ago — and philanthropic giving is up, with the USM Foundation surpassing its fall goal of raising $1 million by $500,000.
Speaking to workforce shortages in Maine, Cummings said USM can help fix that by getting students ready for jobs.
