Career & Student Success Center

$5,000,000

Funding Goal

A signature part of USM’s new, reimagined Portland campus, this green, energy-efficient center for student and employer engagement will put career readiness and community at the heart of the USM student experience. The Center will create a vibrant gathering place that has facilities for dining, socializing, events, and other activities to benefit our entire community.

Vision

Home to an expanded Career Hub and adjacent to the first-ever residence hall on the Portland campus, the new Career & Student Success Center will be critical to increasing student retention. Pairing career preparation and student success strategies, the Center will improve degree completion rates by creating accessible career goals and pathways, accompanied by meaningful support.

Your gift will help:

Increase visibility and community on the USM Portland campus
Strengthen USM’s focus on career development and employer engagement
Create one of the most sustainable buildings ever constructed at USM
Enhance the student experience, strengthening both recruitment and retention

At a Glance

About the Career & Student Success Center

Part of the new Residential Quad at the heart of campus
Adjacent to our new 577-bed residence hall (a first on USM’s Portland campus)
Three stories, approximately 42,000 SF, including:
- Dining areas, café/pub, and Fireside Student Lounge
- University store and welcome desk
- 4,500 SF multipurpose event room and Husky Dining Room
- Expanded Career & Employment Hub
- Meeting Rooms and student government office
- Diversity & Multicultural Center
Built to LEED Silver sustainability standards, with low-carbon technologies, waste diversion, and healthy spaces
Estimated to add 750+ career-ready graduates into Maine’s workforce each year
Cost: $26 million, funded in part by $19 million in State of Maine workforce development bonds

Your Gift at Work

Fundraising for the Career & Student Success Center will:

Create a space that’s a catalyst for community development and connection between USM and Portland
Provide visiting employers with well-designed spaces for workshops, interviewing and hiring, on-campus internships, and more
Bring together USM’s career development and student success programs in one central location
Produce qualified candidates for employers
Enable USM to meet the growing demand for space and create ease of access—for students, alumni, and employers

Center for the Arts

Programs of Excellence

Stories of Grit, Determinations, and Authentic Leadership

Ashlyn Tomer ’21, ’22G

Ashlyn Tomer ‘s leadership capabilities were in evidence long before she received her MA in Leadership Studies in spring 2022. As an undergraduate and indigenous scholar from the Penobscot Tribe, Ashlyn founded and led the Native American Student Alliance at USM and was an active advocate for Native students on campus. A double major in […]

Daniel Kleban ’04

USM alum Daniel Kleban and his brother, David, started Maine Beer Company in 2009 as one of Maine’s first “nano-breweries.” They brewed beer on the weekends, growing slowly and responsibly into what is today one of Maine’s leading craft brewers. Their motto, “Do what’s right,” speaks not only to their beer, but also to the […]

David Pease ’82

David Pease graduated from USM with a BA in Political Science in 1982. He later earned his master’s in Human Resources at Lesley University and went on to a long, successful career as an HR professional. Today, David serves as senior vice president and director of talent, diversity and inclusion at Bangor Savings Bank, one […]

Video – Career & Student Success Center 2021 Virtual Groundbreaking

Featuring remarks from several of USM’s highly accomplished student groundbreakers as well as the leaders who are catalyzing this transformation of the USM Portland campus.

Video – USM Career & Student Success Center “Fly-through” Video

Introducing viewers to the exciting new center for student and community engagement, now under construction on the Portland campus