UMA President
Allyson Hughes Handley

As President of UMA, I want to welcome you to an institution that has transformed the lives of many deserving students. I believe our strengths are many, but five in particular stand out.

• First and foremost is our commitment to student access. Established to meet the educational and academic needs of students who were not being served by other academic institutions, UMA continues to be a place where anyone  -- regardless of age, geography, family responsibilities or other circumstances -- can attend and thrive at a first-class university.
• Second is our commitment to academic quality. Throughout our history, UMA faculty have demonstrated an abiding commitment to academic rigor and quality, and to preparing our students for professional careers.
• Third is our commitment to innovation. A national pioneer in distance education, UMA continues to be a leader in the development and delivery of online courses, web streaming and other course delivery vehicles that make a university education available to anyone in Maine.
• Fourth is our commitment to student service.  UMA faculty and staff pride themselves in their support of our students. That’s not just something we say; surveys consistently demonstrate that students share our belief that at UMA student needs always come first.
• Fifth is our commitment to the community. Whether it be the city of Augusta or Bangor or any of the communities that surround our University College Centers, UMA works closely with civic leaders, businesses and educators to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the regions we serve.

Thanks to the work and support of our faculty and staff, our alumni and students, and so many people in the communities we serve, UMA has enjoyed close to five decades of great accomplishments and progress.

Still, I cannot help but believe that for UMA the best is yet to come.