PORTLAND, Maine — Leadership at the University of Southern Maine is considering another name change for the school after making six over the past 90 years.
Wednesday morning school administrators announced they would like to change USM to the University of Maine at Portland.
The new logo would include the words, “Gorham, Lewiston and Online”, in a section underneath the above name.
Administrators say this will make the school more uniform with the University of Maine System and the University of Maine School of Law located on the USM campus.
USM leaders also say putting the word Portland in the name will make the school more marketable to out of state students, which administrators believe is critical to the school's survival because Maine's birth rate is so low.
They’re worried there will not be enough in-state students to sustain the school’s future.
The school will have to clear few hurdles to leave the USM moniker behind including getting the state legislature's approval.
“I don't expect to have an enormously tough time,” said USM President, Dr. Glenn Cummings. “I think there will be one or two people who will say it's always been this way, it's good enough, why don't you just keep it that way but we know we have significant leaders in the legislature who are behind us.”
The name change is not popular among some school stakeholders.
According to the school's research, 54 percent of USM’s internal community and alumni oppose the idea.
The proposed timeline for the new name suggests it go into effect by summer or fall 2021.