The University of Maine is planning major renovations to its Gorham campus for the 2019-2020 school year as part of a $7 million investment. At the forefront is a $2 million dining hall renovation which started in May and is scheduled to be completed before students return in the fall. The cost of the project is being paid for in partnership with Sodexo, the university’s food services and facilities management company.
“We’ve received extensive feedback from our students and want to provide a bigger menu, more options, and a cleaner, more appealing look to the facility.”
The renovated dining hall will include a health and wellness station with a full salad bar, smoothies, and made-to-order deli sandwiches; a Simple Servings station catering to students with food allergies; a YouCook area which will allow students to prepare their own meals; a gas-fired brick oven for pizzas and pasta; and a stir-fry kiosk. Additionally, more than 100 seats will be added, increasing the dining hall’s capacity to 475.
According to Nancy Davis Griffin, Vice President for Enrollment Management & Chief Operations Officer, “we have a record number of students signing up for housing due in large part to the dining hall and campus renovations. In 2015, we had 1,000 students living on campus. For the 2019-2020 school year, we will be at maximum capacity of 1,450.”
In addition to the dining hall renovations, Woodward Residence Hall will undergo extensive renovations to its main lobby, bathrooms, and stairs, as well as a fire alarm replacement. “One and a half million dollars will be put into Woodward Hall alone. This includes a first floor facelift that will really transform the hall,” said Griffin.
Graphic courtesy of USMUSM students will return to a new dining hall this fall as part of the university’s renovations.
Additional structural and mechanical work to be completed this summer includes replacement of the Brooks Dining Hall roof, installation of an emergency generator and replacement of electrical service at the Brooks Student Center, removal of existing ceiling tiles containing asbestos in Bailey Hall, and replacement of the Hill Gym floor.
The Academy Building is also showing signs of wood rot, which Griffin says is in the works to be repaired. “We want to honor the historical significance of the building. We currently have specialists evaluating the problem and hope to start repairs this summer that are in line with maintaining the historical importance of the building.”
The improvements to the Gorham campus are significant. Maine is the oldest state in the nation with a median age of 44.5, seven years above the U.S. figure. The number of births is also declining precipitously meaning that there is a large gap between the number of people who will retire and the number young people who will enter the workforce.
“We want our Gorham and Portland campuses to be transformational. We are here for our communities and USM wants to make an investment in our students and Maine’s workforce,” said Griffin. “We are proud to say that USM is one of the few U.S. schools where student debt has gone down. Our goal is to attract and retain young people and research shows that 70% of graduates stay within 70 miles of where they attended college.”
In addition to the upcoming renovations, school officials hope an effective name change from the University of Southern Maine to the University of Maine at Portland, slated for 2021, will attract more students from outside the state.
For USM President Glenn Cummings, “our success in recruiting out-of-state students is critically important to Maine employers who are in dire need of more college graduates to fill essential jobs that will grow our economy.”
USM is now in the process of moving forward in securing approval of the proposed name change from the University of Maine System Board of Trustees and the State Legislation.