I strongly support the University of Southern Maine name change. USM needs a stronger brand to attract more out-of-state students.

Due to lower state funding and declining high school graduation rates in Maine, USM needs to expand its student base beyond Maine in order to increase enrollment. Higher enrollment generates higher revenues and further strengthens USM’s financial position. This is critical for USM to continue to carry out its important mission: to provide affordable, high-quality education and to develop a desperately needed skilled workforce for Maine’s economy.

The proposed new name, University of Maine at Portland, makes USM more appealing to prospective students, parents and college guidance counselors within and outside of Maine. It highlights USM’s desirable location: a flagship campus in the city of Portland, Maine’s largest commercial capital and thriving small city. The new name creates clarity that USM is associated with the University of Maine System, a larger and stronger entity that represents Maine’s public universities in Augusta.

The proposed name is also consistent with other Maine public universities who are recognized by their unique locations; it is a step toward the “One University One Maine” initiative; it eliminates the divisive notion of a southern and northern Maine, and it reduces confusion with other institutions that use the same acronym such as the University of Southern Mississippi.

Changing the name of an institution such as USM is an emotional process. It will undoubtedly generate tensions and incur costs. But the positives exceed the negatives, and the time is right to embrace change.

Laongdao “Tak” Suppasettawat

president, TAK Advisory LLC

Cape Elizabeth

 


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