USM delays Lewiston campus move, citing COVID-19 challenges
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Citing challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Southern Maine said it is holding off on the planned sale of its Lewiston campus and move to downtown Lewiston-Auburn, but will reassess the situation this fall.
“We continue to have high aspirations for a new and thriving campus in Lewiston-Auburn," said USM President Glenn Cummings in a statement Tuesday.
He also said that despite the delay, he believes USM's Lewiston-Auburn College "will be even more vibrant — and better positioned to meet the educational and workforce development needs of the region's citizens and employers.”
Lewiston-Auburn College is part of USM.
The move was announced in October. The delay will give the university time to consult with counterparts at the University of Maine at Augusta, which has been sharing space on the Lewiston campus. USM said it looks forward to continuing this relationship as new space is found and LAC broadens its mission.
In response to a query from Mainebiz, USM spokesman Daniel Hartill said the school is working with Maine Realty Advisors, chosen following a request for proposals, on appraisal of the building.
"We have not moved beyond that point with the sale of the building and land," he added.
Brian Toy, interim dean of Lewiston-Auburn College, said in Tuesday's announcement the decision will not affect the academic programs offered on the Lewiston campus, at 51 Westminster St.
“Indeed, we are moving forward with many academic initiatives for the college and the campus,” Toy said. “These include preparing to launch, in fall 2020, both the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program and Ph.D. degree in Leadership and Organizational Studies. Thus, regardless of physical location we will continue to strive to offer needed academic programming for the citizens of the Lewiston-Auburn community."
Marcel Gagne, chair of Lewiston-Auburn College's Community Advisory Board, welcomed the decision to pause.
He said: "This terrible health situation we are in may provide all of us working together, the needed time to reconstruct and recreate the [Lewiston-Auburn College] of tomorrow to better serve our students and to accommodate our local communities' needs regarding workforce development and critical ongoing education."
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