The University of Maine at Farmington:
A Community/University Partnership
The town of Farmington has long enjoyed a cozy "town/gown" relationship with the in-town University of Maine at Farmington. Located in downtown Farmington, the friendly 2,000-student campus adds a distinctive college town atmosphere to the Farmingtion community. Each fall as college students arrive for the start of a new school year, the entire town buzzes with renewed energy and vitality.
Established in 1864 as Maine's first public institution of higher education, the University of Maine at Farmington has earned a national reputation for excellence. In fact, the nations's best-selling college guide, U.S. News & World Report, recently named the University of Maine at Farmington "One of America's Best Colleges" for the seventh consecutive year. UMaine Farmington is the only college of its kind in all of New England to receive that distinction.
But the University of Maine at Farmington is more than just one of the state's premier institutions of higher learning, nationally renowned for its teacher education and arts and sciences programs. The University is also an integral member of the Farmington area community. In fact, many of the University's facilities and offerings are open to the public, many free of charge.
A centerpiece of the close campus-community partnerships is the University's Health & Fitness Center. Open year-round, seven days a week, the facility features four multi-purpose courts, a fully-equipped weight room and cardiovascular fitness equipment area, a 6-lane swimming pool, a walking/jogging track and more. The UMF Health & Fitness Center offers memberships to the area community, allowing area residents full use of the Center's facilities and gives the community the opportunity to participate in numerous fitness classes, swim programs, children's programs, and senior's fitness programs. It also provides yet another opportunity for townspeople to mingle with the University's students and staff.
The University's Mantor Library, also open to the public year-round, seven days a week, offers free library cards to members of the area community, allowing those aged 12 and older to borrow library materials. The community is also welcome to use Mantor Library's Internet access, browse its 700+ periodicals, its 100,000 volume collection and make use of its other holdings.
UMaine Farmington also sponsors educational opportunities for the young and old alike. For children, the UMF Saturday Express offers weekly creative enrichment programs for area youngsters. And UMF's Gold Leaf Institute provides life-long learning opportunity for area adults over age 50. This popular program offers invigorating classes, lectures, presentations, field trips, and more - without the pressure of tests, term papers or other academic requirements.
The campus and the community are also culturally-connected partners in The Arts, collaborating in activities such as the UMF Community Chorus, UMF Community Band, UMF Community Orchestra, UMF Chamber Choir, UMF Dancers, Theatre UMF, the UMF Art Gallery and more. The University hosts the community-based Arts Institute of Western Maine and The Sandy River Players. In addition, UMaine Farmington invites the public to countless concerts, lectures, debates, films, readings, and other cultural and educational offerings, helping to establish the Farmington-Wilton area as the cultural center of the region.
If outdoor sports are of interest, UMaine Farmington is the place to be. Farmington's youth soccer program and area sports camps are held at UMF's Prescott Athletic Fields, and the fields are available for area softball leagues and all kinds of pickup games. And the public is always welcome to cheer on UMF's basketball, baseball, cross-country, field hockey, soccer, softball, rugby, and ultimate frisbee teams.
It is obvious to all in the surrounding area that the University of Maine at Farmington is not an ivy-towered, gated-off college campus. In addition to the many opportunities for community involvement on campus, UMF's students, staff and faculty are actively engaged in the community. Its students regularly student-teach in area schools, bringing cutting edge teaching practices into local classrooms. They also volunteer as coaches in youth sports programs and teach area youngsters to swim, to read and to speak a foreign language. UMF students participate in numerous other volunteer activities that better their neighborhoods. In fact volunteerism is even a part of the curriculum (called "Service-Learning") in some UMF classes. In addition, many of the University's 350+ employees are heavily involved in the community, serving as school board members, volunteer firefighters, and in countless civic and religious organizations.
UMaine Farmingtion is also proud of its regional and national leadership. One of only a handful of institutions in Maine to be fully accredited by both the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and Colleges (NCATE), UMaine Farmington is also a founding member of COPLAC, the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges; this has become an exclusive national group of nineteen public colleges and universities dedicated to the liberal arts tradition, the creation of teaching and learning communities and to the expansion of access to an undergraduate liberal arts education. Community members share in the pride of the University's excellent national reputation.
The UMaine Farmington/community partnership is strong, making life on and off campus much richer for the connections. Visitors are invited to visit the picturesque campus and experience the essence of a true New England university.
Kent Wiles, President | Laurie Blake, Executive
Director
407 Wilton Road | Farmington, Maine 04938
Tel. (207) 778-4215 | Fax: (207) 778-2438 | Email: info@fwcoc.org