University of New England

Maine’s Largest Private University Makes a Bold Move in Portland

Photo courtesy of UNE

UNE President James D. Herbert, Ph.D.

“This is the new site of Maine’s only medical school,” said James Herbert, president of the University of New England, as he stood on a sandy hillside in the back of UNE’s Portland Campus on Stevens Avenue.

The University plans to build a sustainably designed, 110,000-square-foot building on this spot for the UNE College of Osteopathic Medicine, which has been located in Biddeford for more than 50 years.

The goal of the plan is to better serve the health care needs of New England by graduating more doctors and increasing integration between UNE’s health professions programs. Here, future doctors studying in UNE’s prestigious College of Osteopathic Medicine will join students from other health professions programs that are already located on the Portland Campus — future pharmacists, nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, occupational and physical therapists, physician assistants, nurse anesthetists, and social workers.

This convergence of disciplines will create an interprofessional health education campus that is one-of-its-kind in the region.

“Tomorrow’s caregivers will study side-by-side here to learn the team-based health care of the 21st century,” said Herbert. “Students will build connections that enhance their learning and social lives, and they’ll gain professional collaboration skills.”

Becoming Maine’s Health Education Leader

The University of New England is Maine’s largest private university, with some 4,000 students per year learning on campuses in Biddeford and Portland, Maine, and Tangier, Morocco, and roughly 7,400 students learning online. With more than 70 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs, UNE is renowned for flagship programs in the health professions and in the health, life, marine, and environmental sciences, and offers a range of degrees in business and the liberal arts.

The University is a central institution in the fabric of Maine life, generating an economic impact of more than $1 billion per year in the state. President Herbert serves as a commissioner to the New England Commission of Higher Education and was a co-chair of the workforce development group of Governor Mill’s COVID Economic Recovery Committee. He regularly participates in regional summits and working groups.

The University has achieved this prominence through a long history of constant evolution.

The College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNE COM) has been located on UNE’s coastal Biddeford Campus since 1978 when the New England Foundation for Osteopathic Medicine joined forces with St. Francis College — a small liberal arts college — to form UNE. Since then, UNE COM has grown to become a leading osteopathic medical school in the U.S., and it still stands as Maine’s only medical school.

UNE merged with Westbrook College in 1996, bringing the Portland Campus and an array of health professions programs into the fold. New programs were then launched in Portland, including Pharmacy and Dental Medicine.

Now, the Harold and Bibby Alfond Center for Health Sciences will serve as the new home for UNE COM in Portland, as well as for the Institute for Interprofessional Education and Practice.

Additionally, the plan includes expansion of the College of Dental Medicine and health professions simulation lab, as well as the creation of a health professions makerspace and a digital health teaching center.

“Co-locating these programs and facilities in Maine’s cultural, business, and medical hub of Portland is a game changer for our students and our state,” explained Herbert. “Our integration with other regional institutions, combined with our educational approach, will produce graduates who are uniquely equipped to support the health of the people of Maine and who are prepared to lead wherever they practice.”

The project will also enable UNE COM to increase annual class sizes by 35 students. UNE already provides more doctors, and more health professionals in general, for Maine than any other university. This expansion will contribute still more physicians for Maine’s growing population and underserved rural communities at a time of dire health care workforce shortages.

Photo courtesy of UNE

The Next Step in a Mission-Driven Journey

UNE’s Portland plans represent the next logical step in the University’s pursuit of a health-focused mission. This continuity is evident in the Interprofessional Simulation and Innovation Center, a health professions simulation lab on the Portland Campus.

On a recent morning in the “Sim Lab,” a group of students from various health professions programs worked together in a clinical care room. As they practiced CPR on a life-like mannequin, a technician controlled the mannequin’s vitals — and even had the faux-patient converse with the students — from an adjacent control room. The students supported each other as they took turns and then headed to a debriefing room to review video of their exercises.

“UNE is already a leader in interprofessional education,” said Herbert. “Moving the med school to Portland will deepen the integration between disciplines.”

An Expansive View of Health

The president clarified that UNE’s health-based mission reaches beyond health care. “UNE exists to prepare students for a rapidly changing world. In doing that, we support health with a capital “H” — the health of individual people, of communities, and of the planet.”

That broad view of health comes alive in the Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center on UNE’s Biddeford Campus.

At 7 a.m. on a spring Thursday, Associate Professor Carrie Byron, Ph.D., met a team of early-bird students at the Marine Science Center. They gathered gear, said goodbye to their colleagues managing the aquariums, and took the short walk to a private dock to load one of UNE’s four research vessels. From there it’s a 15-minute ride out to the University’s floating kelp farm in Saco Bay, where the group would analyze the crop and gather data on water temperatures.

The Biddeford Campus sits on 540 acres near Biddeford Pool, on the shore where the Saco River meets the sea. The location is an ecological crossroads, featuring forests, fields, marshes, river and marine habitats — ideal for studying environmental and marine sciences.

“UNE students live and work within the ecosystems they are learning to steward — it’s experiential learning to the nth degree,” said Byron. “They also graduate with sought-after technical skills in managing boats, docks, lab equipment, and aquariums — helping them stand out as their career begins.”

While both of UNE’s Maine campuses house undergraduate and graduate programs, the Biddeford Campus serves as the undergraduate hub. The campus is home to the science, business, and liberal arts programs of the College of Arts and Sciences, as well as the fields, rinks, courts, and gyms of a thriving Division III athletics program. Moving UNE COM will make space for a slate of new academic programs and experiential learning facilities here.

The coastal location is great for more than learning – it also makes UNE a fun place to be. Students regularly get out on the water and enjoy social time on UNE’s private beach. “Before and after classes, my students participate in everything from birding to biking to kayaking,” shared Byron.

Photo courtesy of UNE

Associate Professor Carrie Byron performing research in the Girard Marine Science Center.

Career Readiness in a Troubled World

President Herbert recognized that this is a time of uncertainty for students. “Passion to do good is key, but, for us to effectively educate students, we must recognize that the entire context for higher education has changed,” he said. “In these times of social division, advances in technology, and growing globalization, we need to transform how we deliver education.”

Several key initiatives highlight that transformation:

Research: UNE is designated as an R2 University with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Classification system. The quality of research combined with UNE’s size results in undergraduates having ample opportunities to work closely with faculty on cutting-edge research.

Open Inquiry: Herbert is a champion of higher education as the “marketplace of ideas,” a place where students and faculty explore timely and even controversial topics through robust and open discourse, while maintaining a decorum of respect and civility. A number of programs bring these principles to life.

Innovation: The Office of Innovation, headquartered in a high-tech makerspace, sponsors innovation competitions and supports individual projects. Here, students learn to apply principles of design thinking to solve real-world problems.

Global Experiences: UNE owns a study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, that combines beautiful Moorish architecture with modern labs, classrooms, and residences. The facility was built to enable science and health professions students to experience an unfamiliar culture while staying on track with the rigors of their major. Students also study at partner universities in France, Spain, and Iceland.

“We prepare students with the skills and knowledge of their chosen major, of course. We also go further, to foster the critical thinking and lifelong learning skills that are so important for citizenship and professionalism,” said Herbert.

“At UNE, it’s our goal to create experiences and degrees that are relevant and durable for a changing — and frankly, challenging — world.”

Photo courtesy of UNE

A student explores UNE’s kelp farm in Saco Bay.

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