University students, faculty, and staff were
invited to dine under the tent during Welcome Week festivities
sponsored recently by the Student Government Associations
at Lewiston-Auburn College. Clockwise left to right are Cindy
Allen (serving), Paul Manoff, Jane Bureau, Amy Mathieu, Trisha
Turgeon, and Jason Tebbets. The tent was erected on the site
of the proposed campus expansion at 61 Westminster Street,
which is adjacent to the current campus.
September 2005
A record number of students have enrolled this fall in University
of Southern Maine courses on the Lewiston-Auburn campus. The
most recent figures indicate that 1350 students are registered
for the current semester, an increase of almost 10% over the
fall of 2004.
“USM/L-A has been the fastest growing campus in the
entire state university system, said Assistant Dean Roger
Philippon. “The number of USM students on our campus
has doubled since 1995, while total credits enrolled in since
that time has increased by 143%. This demonstrates very clearly
how important this campus has become to the Androscoggin County
area,’ he added.
Most lab science courses are at or close to full capacity,
as are most of the writing, math, and computer courses. Two
graduate programs offered at USM/L-A, leadership studies and
occupational therapy, are experiencing increased enrollment
this fall, and a record number of “Early Study”
students are registered for courses. Early Study is an academic
enrichment program for qualified high school juniors and seniors
to take college courses at USM.
The programs with the largest enrollment at USM/L-A include
social and behavioral sciences, nursing, and leadership and
organizational studies. Other programs offered in their entirety
on this campus include arts and humanities, natural and applied
sciences, and CLASS, a professional K-8 teacher education
program.
In order to accommodate continued growth and future programming
needs, USM recently purchased the adjacent property at 61
Westminster Street for a proposed campus expansion. “In
addition to creating additional instructional space, this
expansion has as a centerpiece the establishment of the 'Educational
Change Center' that will serve as the resource hub to coordinate
programs and services for the 'College for ME-Androscoggin'
campaign,” said Dean Zark VanZandt. “In addition
to support and advising services, the Educational Change Center
will conduct research on the barriers to higher education
and the strategies that have the most impact on addressing
those barriers. We are committed to increasing the number
of college graduates in this county, and this center will
be a catalyst for taking bold action and achieving lasting
results.”
