Visits to highlight the faculty and staff innovation, campus leadership, and hard work that have brought the University of Maine System universities and their students together for Maine this fall.
UMFK Media Availability — 1:30 to 2:20 PM, Tuesday, September 22: Campus Walk and Guest Lecture in a UMFK E-Commerce Class. Please connect with Kerri Watson-Blaisdell at (207) 554-8010 to participate.
UMPI Media Availability — 10:30 AM to 11:20 AM, Wednesday, September 23: Campus Site Visit and Guest Lecture in a UMPI Organizational Behavior Class. Please connect with Dan Demeritt at (207) 441-6962 to participate.
Orono, Maine — University of Maine System Chancellor Dannel Malloy is kicking off the Fall 2020 ‘Keep It Up’ Campus Tour with a visit to Aroostook County and the campuses of the University of Maine at Fort Kent and the University of Maine at Presque Isle on September 22 and 23. The tour will highlight many of the innovations, the hard work, and university leadership that are making it possible to provide in-person instruction and prioritize student and Maine community safety during the pandemic.
Chancellor Malloy and hosting university presidents will be thanking their colleagues from across the state for their dedication to students and public service throughout the public health crisis. Chancellor Malloy will also be urging the university community to ‘keep it up’ over the next ten weeks until in-person instruction transitions to distance learning at the Thanksgiving break.
Last week Chancellor Malloy thanked students and pointed out the success of the semester is still in their hands in a message co-signed by each of the university presidents.
“We will likely find more COVID cases in our communities at some point again this semester,” Chancellor Malloy wrote in his message to students. “We have plans to monitor and respond to cases of infection immediately. We are also closely tracking and responding to developments with the pandemic across the state.
“Through it all, the success of this semester is still up to you. Let’s keep at it. Let’s stay together for Maine.”
Chancellor Malloy will visit all the University of Maine System universities and the University of Maine School of Law as part of the Fall 2020 campus tour schedule. Each visit will highlight how a campus program or function has had to adapt operationally to serve students and adhere to safety practices.
Fall 2020 Safe Return Quick Facts and Resources
- One known and active case of COVID-19: The University of Maine System is reporting one known COVID-19 case as of 9/21/20 among its 30,000 students and employees. The System’s daily COVID-19 updates are archived here;
- 15,592 Asymptomatic COVID-19 Tests: The University of Maine System has a three-phase asymptomatic screening strategy to identify and isolate incidents of infection. Testing will continue until the Thanksgiving-break transition to remote learning for the remainder of the semester;
- 13 Positive Asymptomatic Cases Identified: Asymptomatic screening to date has identified and isolated 13 cases of COVID-19. All 13 of these individuals were safely moved into isolation upon detection and all have now been released by the Maine CDC. The screening dashboard can be found at this link;
- 26,442 students being served in the Fall Semester: Despite the pandemic the University of Maine System enrollment for the Fall 2020 semester (undergraduate, graduate, and law) is just three-tens-of-one-percentage-point (0.3%) below enrollment at this point in the Fall 2019 semester (26,518); and,
- $50 Million COVID-19 Impact on Maine’s Public Universities: The University of Maine System estimates pandemic-related expenses and lost revenue to be greater than $50 million.
Media Resources
Link to UMS Logo and Bio for Chancellor Malloy
Photo: Chancellor Malloy and UMaine students discuss safe return planning
Photo: Chancellor Malloy speaks with USM student Nathan Henry, a Business Marketing Major from Brewer, Maine, moving into his residence hall at the start of the Fall 2020 semester.
About the University of Maine System
Established in 1968, the University of Maine System (UMS) unites six distinctive public universities, comprising 10 campuses and numerous centers, in the common purpose of providing quality higher education while delivering on its traditional tripartite mission of teaching, research, and public service.
A comprehensive public institution of higher education, UMS serves more than 30,000 students annually and is supported by the efforts of more than 2,000 full-time and part-time faculty, more than 3,000 regular full-time and part-time staff, and a complement of part-time temporary (adjunct) faculty.
Reaching more than 500,000 people annually through educational and cultural offerings, the University of Maine System also benefits from more than two-thirds of its alumni population residing within the state; more than 123,000 individuals.
The System consists of six universities: The University of Maine (UMaine), including its regional campus the University of Maine at Machias (UMM); the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA); the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF); the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK), the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI); and the University of Southern Maine (USM). The System also includes the University of Maine School of Law and the University of Maine Graduate and Professional Center.
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