The University of Maine at Farmington serves a statewide mission as Maine's public liberal arts college. We offer the educational experiences typically found at selective private colleges to bright and ambitious students from Maine and beyond. We are committed to the belief that a liberal education in a residential setting is the best preparation for careers and for citizenship. Because all our graduates, including those who have studied in pre-professional programs, are liberally educated, they are creative problem solvers who have learned how to learn and how to work on complex challenges with people from a variety of backgrounds and fields.

UMF offers baccalaureate programs of high quality in the arts and sciences, education, and human services. Our approach to education is based on the belief that students must have opportunities to form meaningful relationships with inspiring teachers. They must be challenged to be active citizens in a campus community that helps them find their own voices, teaches them the humility to seek wisdom from others, and prepares them for ongoing explorations of how knowledge can be put to use for the common good.

Specifically, we prepare women and men for a better life by developing intellectual curiosity, critical thinking and decision-making, commitments to health and wellness, communication skills, technology skills, aesthetic appreciation, respect for human diversity, environmental stewardship, responsible citizenship in the global community, and an appreciation for the intellectual heritage of humankind.

As Maine's first institution of public higher education, UMF is rooted in tradition but also values innovation. Because scholarship contributes to excellence in teaching and learning, we support faculty, staff, and students in their scholarly and creative endeavors. As a public institution, we value engagement with, and service to, the community. We take pride in being an intellectual and cultural center for western Maine.

In order to achieve this mission, we:

• focus on baccalaureate education;
• foster collaborative, active learning in small classes;
• limit our enrollment through selective admission;
• invest in ongoing efforts to assess and improve teaching and learning;
• provide financial aid and academic support to students who need assistance;
• provide physical and technological accessibility;
• seek out and celebrate human diversity.