USM President Glenn Cummings has set in motion a process that could change the name of the University of Southern Maine and more closely identify it with Portland. Although the university was created by a 1970 merger between Gorham State College and the University of Maine at Portland, it has retained a regional identity with campuses in Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston.

Gorham has been a college town since the Gorham Normal School was founded in 1878. When the state teacher’s college became part of the Maine University System it was known locally as Pogo. After its name was changed to the University of Southern Maine in 1978, the campus at the center of town continued to expand with new buildings, dorms, and athletic facilities.

Not surprisingly, some Gorham residents have expressed concern about the impact a name change would have on the town and on the university. Gary Johnson, a USM faculty member and Gorham resident, said, “I cringe at President Cummings suggestion because it effectively erases the Gorham and Lewiston campuses from the university’s public image.”

State Representative Andrew MacLean, however, sees this process as “an opportunity to reimagine not only the name and brand, but the institution’s role in shaping Maine’s economic future.”

“While I don’t know how the name change process will play out,” President Cummings said, “I do know that USM’s commitment to our Gorham campus is steadfast and unwavering.” He emphasized that the new Master Plan “includes exciting initiatives to build new housing on the Gorham campus, improve existing buildings there, and develop a new and transformational campus heart.”

Robert Stein, USM Executive Director of Public Affairs, told the Portland Press Herald that there has been a positive reaction to the proposed “University of Maine Portland” name and that “a name change could reflect our growing ties to the city of Portland.” The university just received a $1 million gift to design a new Center for the Arts on the Portland campus.

The administration has hired public relations and marketing research firms to survey perceptions of USM to determine if a name change would increase interest in attending the university, particularly among potential out-of-state students. They will also survey the university community and alumni. Any potential change would involve approval from both the University of Maine System trustees and the Maine State Legislature.