University of Maine Orono

The University of Maine

Motto	Dirigo (Latin)
Motto in English	I Guide
Type	Public Flagship Sea grant Land grant Space grant
Established	1865
Endowment	$179.9 million (2016)
President	Susan J. Hunter
Academic staff	720
Students	11,219 (Fall 2016)
Undergraduates	9,323 (Fall 2016)
Postgraduates	1,896 (Fall 2016)
Location	Orono, Maine, U.S. 44°53′58″N 68°40′05″W / 44.8994°N 68.6681°W / 44.8994; -68.6681Coordinates: 44°53′58″N 68°40′05″W / 44.8994°N 68.6681°W / 44.8994; -68.6681
Campus	Rural
Colors	Dark blue, Light blue, and White
Athletics	NCAA Division I – America East, Hockey East, CAA
Nickname	Black Bears
Affiliations	University of Maine System APLU UArctic
Mascot	Black Bear (Bananas the Bear)
Website	www.umaine.edu

The University of Maine (also referred to as UMaine, Maine or UMO) is a public research university in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is the flagship university of the University of Maine System. The University of Maine is one of only nine land, sea and space grant institutions in the nation.

With an enrollment of approximately 11,000 students, UMaine is the state's largest research university and the only institution in Maine classified as a research university (RU/H) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The University of Maine's athletic teams, nicknamed the Black Bears, are Maine's only Division I athletics program.

The University of Maine was founded in 1862 as a function of the Morrill Act, signed by President Lincoln. Established in 1865 as the Maine State College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts, the Maine College opened on September 21, 1868 and changed its name to the University of Maine in 1897.

By 1871, curricula had been organized in Agriculture, Engineering, and electives. The Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station was founded as a division of the university in 1887. Gradually the university developed the Colleges of Life Sciences and Agriculture (later to include the School of Forest Resources and the School of Human Development), Engineering and Science, and Arts and Sciences. In 1912 the Maine Cooperative Extension, which offers field educational programs for both adults and youths, was initiated. The School of Education was established in 1930 and received college status in 1958. The School of Business Administration was formed in 1958 and was granted college status in 1965. Women have been admitted into all curricula since 1872. The first master's degree was conferred in 1881; the first doctor's degree in 1960. Since 1923 there has been a separate graduate school.