University of Maine at FarmingtonMaria Oliveira grew up in Brazil before moving to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where she dreamed of a career in medicine. When she learned of the University of Maine at Farmington’s Johnson Scholars program, she applied as the first in her family to attend college. Farmington reminded her of her rural upbringing, and the school’s Pre-Professional Biology program supported her goal. Later in her academic journey, she worked with faculty advisors to add a dual major in psychology. “It always stood out to me that understanding the human brain would make me a better professional in helping people’s health,” she says. Even with her rigorous pre-med course load, Oliveira graduated in four years.
Established in 1864 as Maine’s first public institution of higher education, UMF was originally called Farmington Normal School and focused on training teachers. The school’s nationally accredited Education program still attracts aspiring teachers, but more and more students like Oliveira are realizing the strength of the school’s other degree programs and the nimbleness a small university allows in designing a personalized course of study.
One of the school’s growing interdisciplinary programs is a four-year Outdoor Recreation Business Administration program, launched in 2010. Because UMF is located at the gateway to the western Maine mountains, students can access a wide network of businesses and organizations where they can gain experiential education. ORBA’s roots are in the school’s former ski-industries certification, but with a greater emphasis on developing the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs to help build Maine’s outdoor economy.
Austin French graduated from the ORBA program in 2019. He has since joined UMF’s faculty as the internship coordinator. “I work with students and faculty across campus, in addition to industry partners that align with our academic programs,” he says. Involved organizations also gain value by tapping into the university’s vast resources. French’s own college internship was spent running Copper Mountain’s ski school, in Colorado. He now runs the seasonal ski school program at Sugarloaf ski resort.
Beyond internships, UMF students can make additional industry connections by tapping into the school’s close-knit alumni network. “We have an alumni base that is spread out across not just the nation, but the world,” French says. “You get access to that because you are part of this Beaver community.”
Through all of UMF’s bachelor’s, master’s, and certificate programs, the goal is to graduate professionals who are ready to make a mark. “With our strong education focus since 1864, we’ve always understood that we attract lifelong learners,” French says. “As a university, we know that our students are our number-one asset in terms of how we can make an impact in the world.”