By: Asha Tompkins, Staff Writer
A $100 million construction plan for a career and student center and residence hall on Portland campus has received unanimous support from the University of Maine System Trustees last Monday.
According to the USM Office of Public Affairs, “the new buildings will dramatically improve facilities for all students on the Portland campus.”
The dorm will have 577 beds, a mixture of bed-and-bath rooms, studio apartments and larger apartments with multiple bedrooms. They plan for the new housing to accommodate upper-classmen undergraduates, graduate students and law students.
The new career hub will provide a better connection for students and employers with dining services, student organizations and open spaces, a university store and more.
“This is the largest single investment the University of Southern Maine has made in its history in terms of development,” President Glenn Cummings said in a quote to the Portland Press Herald.
Cummings stated that this investment “will position our campus to attract out-of-state students, retain Maine’s best and brightest, and connect all students and graduates with future-forward careers in Maine.”
This project is being funded by a public-private partnership, and Capstone Development Partners is the project’s developer. The Office of Public Affairs said that it’s “a national leader in developing higher education buildings.”
The University plans to begin construction in Spring 2020, and to finish by Fall 2022.