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V O L . X X V I I N O. X V I 24 Fact Book / Doing Business in Maine Q UA L I T Y O F L I F E Going forward "Portland should not try to become Boston. Portland should be a better version of itself. UNE's not trying to become Tufts or Harvard," Herbert says. "Colleges have to figure out their mis- sion, identity and niche. ey can't go trying to be 'Generic College.'" "We all need to think about this — UNE, Roux, USM — how to attract and retain students and young profes- sionals," he says. UNE is moving its medical school from Biddeford to Portland, to coexist in a new $93 million home along with pharmacy, dentistry, nursing and allied health professions. e move will allow UNE to grow the size of the medical school and train the young profession- als together. "In Boston, Tufts, Harvard, BU all have dental and medical all spread out. Not on one footprint. We're creating a health sciences campus unique to New England," Herbert says. "It's an inter- professional education that requires everyone to be co-located." "Being in Portland for the profes- sional students and graduate students is important to them. ey like being in Portland. ey like the vibe, the urban vibe, that Portland offers," Herbert says. Portland needs to do more to become known as a college town. "For a place like Maine that needs to attract youth, Portland should abso- lutely market itself as a college town," Cummings says. He says one regret of his tenure at USM was his unsuccessful effort to change the name of the school to the University of Maine at Portland. "e difference among guidance counselors and students at hearings 'University of Maine at Portland' versus 'University of Southern Maine' was dramatically different. ere's overwhelming support for putting Portland in the name, but the politics of it in Maine were a little grim," Cummings says. e idea of a rebranding had won endorsement from the school's alumni association and the student government, in addition to the system trustees. But since USM is a public univer- sity, the change also required approval of the state Legislature and drew criticism from some graduates and three legislators from the Portland suburb of Windham. USM scratched the idea in 2019. "Portland is at an inflection point," says Chris Mallett, chief administra- tive officer of the Roux Institute. "e global cities that are leading at the moment have an investment in inno- vation. Portland is poised to become a leader and attract students and talent from all over the world." J e s s i c a H a l l i s a f o r m e r s t a f f w r i t e r a t M a i n e b i z » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E For a place like Maine that needs to attract youth, Portland should absolutely market itself as a college town. — Glenn Cummings Former president, University of Southern Maine. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F U S M Glenn Cummings, former president, University of Southern Maine

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