UMFK is a small campus at the top of Maine on the Canadian border and if you love fishing, hunting, winter sports, kayaking and biking, this is the place to be. Each winter, the town of Fort Kent hosts the annual CanAm Crown Sled Dog race, a qualifier for the Iditarod. This community was also the proud host site of the 2004 Biathlon World Cup, an event combining nordic skiing and marksmanship. Our success in hosting over 18,000 spectators from around the world led to our recognition as "the little town that could" and a planned repeat of the World Cup here in 2009. We are situated where the Fish River meets the St. John. The Allagash Wilderness is a thirty minute drive from campus along the beautiful St. John Valley. Both alpine skiing and 22 miles of nordic skiing trails are right here. There is no better place to study and enjoy the outdoors.
The University marked its 125th birthday in 2003 (we were founded as the Madawaska Training School in 1878). We recently added two great new facilities: A residence hall - The Lodge - with suite style accommodations for 150 students; and a new building to house the Acadian Archives. UMFK pursues a three-part mission:
- To focus on the needs of rural communities in America,
- To celebrate and explore this region=s unique Franco/Acadian heritage and
- To study and preserve Maine=s beautiful forests and wilderness.
Academic programs are structured in four divisions: Nursing, Education (elementary and secondary), Arts and Humanities, and Natural and Behavioral Sciences - this includes environmental studies, forestry, business management and computer applications. Our two newest programs are E-Commerce and Rural Public Safety Administration. All of our programs focus on living and working in rural communities close to our natural environment. Our faculty members are here because they love to teach. You can get your hands dirty working with your professors and you will find their enthusiasm contagious.
The Town of Fort Kent is a friendly community of 4300 people. Many of the families who reside here are of Acadian and French-Canadian heritage and French is commonly spoken in town. If a small caring environment, where you know all of your professors and your classmates sounds good to you, check out this site and learn more. Then come and visit. We'd love to show you around.
Sincerely,
Dr. Richard W. Cost
President