WESTBROOK – The city of Westbrook and Husson University celebrated the grand opening of the school’s new southern Maine campus on County Road on Tuesday.
The event, featuring a ribbon-cutting ceremony, building tours and plenty of food, took place at the school’s recently completed, 17,000-square-foot building. Speakers included Husson President and CEO Robert Clark and Westbrook Mayor Colleen Hilton.
Husson University, based in Bangor, operates satellite campuses in Presque Isle, Wells, and previously South Portland, which relocated to the larger Westbrook location nearby.
The new campus offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in 20 programs and opened to students on Jan. 18. Visitors on Tuesday roamed the facility’s halls and even peeked in on a professional development session that was taking place prior to the ceremony.
According to a press release, the building has 15 classrooms, which offers “more classes, to more students, than the previous location in South Portland.” This is the first time Husson University has owned property and educational facilities outside of Bangor.
According to Lynne Coy-Ogan, Husson’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, Husson “is the most affordable private university in New England.”
In a press release last week, Charles Collins, executive director of Husson University’s southern Maine campus, said the Westbrook location is beneficial for the university and potential students.
“We’re just a little over a mile from Interstate 95 at the corner of County Road and Spring Street,” he said. “That makes our new campus both convenient and accessible to the thousands of high school graduates and working professionals in southern Maine who are interested in furthering their education.”
On Tuesday, Clark told visitors about collaborating with the city of Westbrook and its officials.
“I want to give testimony of the diligence, cooperation and friendliness that we have found in working with all of the officials here in Westbrook,” he said. “They have made this transformation a partnership journey.”
Hilton welcomed the university to the city, and said that the campus will draw from students living in Westbrook, Portland, Gorham, Scarborough and South Portland.
“We’re especially pleased that students in Westbrook can now successfully complete an education from pre-K all the way up,” she said. “Thank you for choosing Westbrook.”
At the Husson University ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday in Westbrook are, from left, Charles Collins, executive director of Husson’s southern Maine campus; Colleen Hilton, Westbrook mayor; Robert Clark, Husson president and CEO; Carol Kanar, chairwoman of of Husson’s trustees; Lynne Coy-Ogan, Husson senior vice president for academic affairs and provost; and Matthew Cook, president of Allied Cook Construction. Send questions/comments to the editors.
