Unity College Changes Its Name

Unity College announced in late February that it is changing its name to Unity Environmental University.

Dr. Melik Peter Khoury, President of Unity said. “This name better reflects who we are today as a multi-faceted institution that is committed to creating a better, more equitable world for future generations.”

The name change has recently been approved by the Maine Department of Education and the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

The institution was founded as the Unity Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1966. The name changed to Unity College the following year in 1967.

You can read more in "Unity College taps into its environmental strength with rebranding," at MaineBiz with reporting by Ann Fisher.

Beal College Announces Name Change to Beal University

Beal College in Bangor, Maine announced that it is now Beal University.

The institution was founded as Bangor Business School in 1891 by Mary E. Beal. There have been a number of name changes as it became Beal’s School of Shorthand and Typing in 1903, Beal College of Commerce in 1922, Beal College School of Business in 1929, and then, Beal Business College.

Visit the History of Beal College page for more information, including a timeline with key dates in the institution's history.

Individuals can also consult the Index of Colleges and Universities that have Closed, Merged, or Changed Names to see more information on institutions that have closed or changed names. There are separate pages for each of the states and the District of Columbia.

Announcement of Merger between Maine College of Art and Salt Institute for Documentary Studies is likely this Week

Ray Routhier reported for the Portland Press Herald of a merger between Maine College of Art and Salt Institute for Documentary Studies will likely be announced on Tuesday, April 12th.

The Press Herald and Routhier have reported extensively since 2015 about discussions of a future partnership.  The Maine College of Art in Portland was founded in 1882 and Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in 1973.  

Salt Institute and Maine College of Art Continue to Explore Options

Ray Routhier reported for the Portland, ME Press Herald on October 20, 2015 that talks moved to a more formal stage with representatives of several groups meeting the previous day to discuss the future partnership.  

The Maine College of Art in Portland was founded in 1882 and Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in 1973.  In mid-June, Routhier wrote in some detail about Salt's focus and enrollment. 

Routhier's reporting last week on October 15, 2015 included a link to a letter from Salt's founder with accusations of mismanagement.

You can also read Pam Wood's letter posted at the Bangor Daily News on October 14, 2015

Maine Colleges that have Closed, Merged, or Changed Names

This table below includes institutions that have closed, merged, or changed their names.  If you note a need for changing or updating information, please notify ray01brown@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

An index with links to separate pages for other states and countries is available.

There is a College History Garden Facebook group or you can view and follow multiple College History Garden boards on Pinterest or there is a board specifically devoted to Maine colleges.

Thanks for your interest and suggestions!

Westbrook Seminary and Female Collegiate Institute (ME)

The Maine Memory Network includes a collection of images featuring Westbrook Seminary.  Founded by Universalists, the institution was initially located in Westbrook, ME (1831-1870).  It later moved for a time to Deering, ME (1871-1898) and Portland, ME (1899-  ) where it merged with University of New England in 1996 under the Westbrook charter.

The Westbrook College History Collection of the University of New England documents and preserves the history of Westbrook Seminary (1831-1925), Westbrook Seminary and Junior College (1925-1933), Westbrook Junior College (1933-1970), Westbrook College (1970-1996), and now the Westbrook College campus.  There are links to many interesting resources, including a Powerpoint file commemorating the 175th anniversary, and a timeline. 

Changing Course: Reinventing Colleges, Avoiding Closure

There is a certain ebb and flow in the number of articles calling for significant changes or highlighting the financial stress of small colleges or universities.  We certainly appear to be in one of those periods where a new article or blog posting seems to surface every few days.  In a recent example, Nathan Harder writing for the The American Interest predicts, "In fifty years, if not much sooner, half of the roughly 4,500 colleges and universities now operating in the United States will have ceased to exist."

I found Changing Course: Reinventing Colleges, Avoiding Closure to offer a timely and interesting selection of case studies and essays edited by Alice W. Brown and Sandra L. Ballard.  Intended as a wake-up call, readers can certainly benefit from the experiences of the various authors involved with institutions that either closed or almost closed.

The book was published in 2011 as part of the Jossey-Bass New Directions for Higher Education series.  Chapters include:

1. Case Study of a College that Closed: Saint Mary's College, Alice W. Brown
2. Bradford College: Requiem for a College, Arthur Levine
3. A College that Reinvented Itself: The Wilson College Story, Mary-Linda Merriam Armacost
4. Case Study of Reinvention: College of Charleston, Alice W. Brown
5. Reinventing Black Colleges in Postethnic America: The Case of Knoxville College, Barbara R. Hatton
6. Antioch College: A Celebrated History and an Uncertain Future, Elizabeth R. Hayford
7. Advice to Presidents of Struggling Colleges, Michael J. Puglisi

College for Sale...the Nasson College campus

 

There is an admittedly small group of people who spend a lot of time thinking about colleges that have closed....and it sometimes seems like too much time passes between relevant new books or dissertations.  Fortunately this past week has almost seemed like Christmas with three "new" books arriving via the U.S. Postal Service.

I just finished reading the first one...College for Sale: The Fall and Rise of a Closed College Campus  written by Richard E. Schneider and highly recommend it to anyone interested in:  issues surrounding the closing of a small college, efforts to find other uses for a college campus, or maintaining an alumni group after an institution closes.  

Schneider is an alum of Nasson College that was located in Springvale, Maine and his book reflects an intimate knowledge of events leading to closure thirty years ago and the involvement of alumni and community members since that time to build both a vibrant alumni organization and revitalize the campus.  The unfolding story that led to these successful outcomes is amazing and Schneider does a masterful job of portraying the conflicts and drama while weaving details into a book that will keep your interest.  

Nassson College #2 (ME)

Foster's Daily Democrat published an article yesterday relating that Rick Schneider is updating the history of the former Nasson College.  Nasson's history is contained in the book "Nasson: The Seventy Years," by Albert Prosser, with an "Epilogue," by Richard D'Abate.  Prosser's portion of the book ended in 1975 with D'Abate's Epilogue covering the period from 1975 to the school's closing in 1983.

The Nasson College alumni maintain an extensive website with more details and resources.

The University College of Bangor (Maine)

Eric Russell reports in the Bangor Daily News that the University College of Bangor is considering the 12th name change since the institution was founded in 1968.

Before adopting the current name in 1986, the institution was known as the South Campus, University of Maine at Bangor (1968); University of Maine at Bangor, Penobscot Valley Community College (1970); and the Bangor Community College of the University of Maine at Orono (1974).

Maine Department of Education

The Maine Department of Education (MDOE) seeks to acquire academic records of closed institutions in the state. MDOE may also be able to help if the records are archived elsewhere. Contact information is available on their website.

Husson University

Two interesting video segments on the history of Husson University in Bangor, Maine are available off the website of WABI, Channel 5. Cori Skall reports on the growth of the institution, initially founded as Shaw Business School in 1898. Known as Bangor School of Commerce for a time, it became Husson College in 1947. The name was changed again to Husson University in 2008.

The Eastern Maine Medical Center School of Nursing, founded in 1892, merged with Husson and became the origins of the School of Health. In 1997, Husson purchased the New England School of Communications which is currently held as a wholly owned subsidiary with separate accreditation and degree granting authority.

The Bangor Theological Seminary (BTS) is also located on the Hesson campus and offers graduate programs in Master of Divinity, Master of Arts and Doctor of Ministry degrees. Founded in 1814, BTS is an ecumenical seminary in the Congregational tradition of the United Church of Christ.

Nasson College

Nasson, the Seventy Years, by Albert L. Prosser, with an epilogue by Richard D'Abate is available through the Nasson College Alumni Association. The Association supports and represents the interests of all members of the Nasson family and maintains a web site.