The University of Maine at Farmington (UMaine Farmington or UMF) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual cap ...

Farmington, Maine Farmington is a town in and the county seat of Franklin County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 7,592. Farmington is home to the University of Maine at Farmington, Nordica Memorial Auditorium, the Nordica Homes ...

. It is part of the

University of Maine System The University of Maine System (UMaine System or UMS) is a state university system in the U.S. state of Maine. It was created in 1968 by the Maine Legislature and consists of eight institutions, each with a distinct mission and regional character. ...

and a founding member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.

History

In March 1863, a Normal School Act passed into law, and that fall, Farmington was chosen from a list of possible locations for a

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turn ...

. Founded in 1864 as the state's first publicly funded

, the first class graduated from the Western State Normal School in 1866. The school merged into the University of Maine System in 1968 to become the University of Maine at Farmington. Many early graduates attended the school for its liberal arts offerings alone. Among these were the Stanley brothers, famous for building the

Stanley Steamer The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was an American manufacturer of steam cars; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although several different models were produced. Early history ...

automobile, and John Frank Stevens, engineer of the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condu ...

. Comedian

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

graduated with a degree in community health. Interest in the liberal arts continued unabated, and the college offered its first degree programs in the liberal arts in 1971. By the 1974–75 school year, nearly 300 students were enrolled in liberal arts majors. In early 2016, the University of Maine at Farmington Education Center was named in honor of its longtime President Theodora J. Kalikow who served from 1994 to 2012. Now named the Theodora J. Kalikow Education Center, the LEED-Silver certified building is home to the UMF College of Education, Health and Rehabilitation. The 44,500 square foot building features a geothermal heating and cooling system as well as recycled and sustainable construction materials.

Athletics

The UMaine Farmington Beavers compete in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleg ...

Division III North Atlantic Conference. The school's official colors are maroon and white. UMaine Farmington has 12 NCAA varsity teams, including men's teams in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, and soccer; and women's teams in basketball, cross country, field hockey, soccer, softball, and lacrosse. Athletics sponsors varsity men's and women's programs in alpine and Nordic skiing and snowboarding that compete through the United States Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association (USCSA). There are also club teams in cheerleading, ice hockey, men's rugby, women's rugby, and men's and women's ultimate disc sport. Recent NAC champions include men's cross country (2003–2005), women's basketball (2004, 2006, 2007), women's cross country (2004–2005), women's field hockey (2003–2004, 2006, 2007), women's soccer (2003), women's softball (2005) and men's basketball (2010). Recent NCAA tournament appearances include women's basketball (2006), women's field hockey (2004, 2006, 2007), women's soccer (2003) and women's softball (2005). In 2010 the men's basketball team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament. In addition to the outdoor athletic fields and Dearborn Gymnasium, UMF has a Fitness and Recreation Center that houses a cardio fitness area with machines, a fully equipped and supervised weight room with free weights and weight machines, four multipurpose courts, a 1/8-mile walking/jogging track, and a 25-yard swimming pool for the use of UMF students and members of the area community.Fitness & Recreation Center
UMF. Accessed 2009-03-07.

Notable alumni

* Sharon H. Abrams, executive director, Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers * Steve Clifford, professional basketball head coach * Lance Harvell, state legislator * Otis Wells Johnson, Wisconsin state legislator *

, comedian * David Miramant, Maine state legislator * Francis Edgar Stanley, inventor of the

* Freelan Oscar Stanley, inventor of the Stanley Steamer and builder of the Stanley Hotel * John Frank Stevens, designer of the

* Charlotte Warren, Maine state legislator and former mayor of

Hallowell, Maine Hallowell is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,570 at the 2020 census. Popular with tourists, Hallowell is noted for its culture and old architecture. Hallowell is included in the Augusta, Maine, micropolita ...

* Alexander Willette, Maine state legislator * Chandler Woodcock, politician

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maine At Farmington, University Of Educational institutions established in 1864 Farmington, Maine Universities and colleges in Franklin County, Maine University of Maine Farmington 1864 establishments in Maine University of Maine at Farmington Public liberal arts colleges in the United States