USM Public Affairs

Clara Porter

Domestic violence and sexual assault are serious issues that are prevalent in most campus communities.  According to the Liz Claiborne Foundation, one in three relationships contain elements of abuse.  By all statistical measures, USM offers a safe environment, but the university wants to ensure that every effort is made to make our campuses as safe as possible.

To do this, USM is taking major steps to make the university safer for all students, faculty and staff through the creation of the Campus Safety Project, a division of the Office of Student and University Life.  Clara Porter is the project coordinator. (more…)

University of Southern Maine President Selma Botman is available to offer commentary as populist movements intensify throughout the Middle East. Botman is a scholar of modern Egyptian history and author of the books “Engendering Citizenship in Egypt,” “From Independence to Revolution: Egypt, 1922 to 1952,” and “The Rise of Egyptian Communism: 1939-1970.” During the spring 2010 semester, she taught an undergraduate course on modern Egyptian history and political movements.

To arrange an interview, contact her office at 207-780-4480. For help arranging an interview, please call Judie O’Malley or Bob Caswell of USM Public Affairs at 207-780-4200. Home and cell numbers are available at that number during evenings and weekends.

Read, view and listen to recent interviews by visiting Botman’s web page.

Elizabeth Nunez

The University of Southern Maine Women and Gender Studies program will hold its annual Women’s History Month Dinner and keynote lecture on Friday, March 11. Award-winning novelist and CUNY Distinguished Professor Elizabeth Nunez is the keynote speaker.  The evening begins with a reception and cash bar in the University Events Room of USM’s Glickman Family Library, Portland, followed by dinner.  Tickets for the dinner are $20 and must be purchased in advance by calling 780-4289. (more…)

The University of Southern Maine is hosting “Egypt Now,” a symposium about the revolution in Egypt and its effect on the Middle East. “Egypt Now” will be held from noon to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1 in the USM Woodbury Campus Center Amphitheater, Portland.  USM President Selma Botman will be the featured speaker, with a noontime talk on “Emerging Citizenship in Egypt and the Middle East.”  Botman is a scholar of modern Egyptian history who has written three books on the subject.  This event is free and open to the public.  For more information, please contact Reza Jalali, coordinator of the USM Office of Multicultural Affairs, at 780-5798.

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The University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine are receiving a $493,577 grant from the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) to advance the research, development and commercialization of private sector manufacturing projects in need of the universities’ technological assistance.

The three-year grant from MTI’s Cluster Initiative Program will enable precision manufacturers in Maine to advance, expand and increase hiring as they move forward with new project development. The Cluster Initiative Program awards up to $500,000 annually to cluster initiatives that support Maine’s technology sectors and businesses.

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For the 11th year running, the University of Southern Maine will again host the Northern New England Science Bowl.

Teams of high school students from Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont will travel to the University of Southern Maine Saturday, March 5 to compete in the Northern New England Science Bowl. The competition is styled in a game-show format similar to “Jeopardy” with students fielding questions on a range of subjects including biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, earth sciences and mathematics.  The competition will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Bailey Hall, Gorham.  The event is free and open to the public.

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Selma Botman in her office speaking to reporters about unfolding events in Egypt.

As recent events unfolded in Egypt, USM President Selma Botman was contacted by numerous Maine reporters for her perspectives. Botman is a scholar of modern Egyptian history and author of the books “Engendering Citizenship in Egypt,” “From Independence to Revolution: Egypt, 1922 to 1952,” and “The Rise of Egyptian Communism: 1939-1970.” During the spring 2010 semester, she taught an undergraduate course on modern Egyptian history and political movements.

Read, view and listen to recent interviews by visiting Botman’s web page.

At a recent lecture, USM Distinguished Professor of Public Policy and Management Mark Lapping explained that Maine imports more food than any of the lower 48. He also found that Maine is among the highest sate in the nation, and highest in New England, for its rate of “food insecurity” — not knowing where one’s next meal will come from. In fact, Lapping states that “one out of every five children in the state is food insecure.”

See our News Archive for more information about his lecture, “Understanding Maine’s Food System: Life at the end of the Pipeline.”  Lapping is available for interviews at 207-780-4563, or by calling USM Public Affairs at 207-780-4200.

The following art events will take place in the USM Robie Andrews Hall on the Gorham campus and the USM Area Gallery on the Portland campus during the months of March and April.

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USM is gearing up for Maine Entrepreneurship Week – a statewide effort to support and cultivate the efforts of entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout Maine, held February 12-19.  At USM, 25 student teams from Maine high schools will be gathering on the Portland campus for the fifth annual Titan Challenge, sponsored by Junior Achievement of Maine, held Thursday, February 17. (more…)