Unity College (Maine)

For other Unity Colleges, please see Unity College (disambiguation).

Unity College
MottoAmerica's Environmental College
TypePrivate
EstablishedSeptember 7, 1965
PresidentMelik Peter Khoury
Academic staff
55
Students1,300
Location
Unity
,
Maine
,
United States
Campus240 acres (0.97 km2)
ColorsGreen and White
AthleticsUSCAA
AffiliationsNEASC
MascotThe Ram
Websitewww.unity.edu

Unity College is a private liberal arts college in Unity, Maine. It offers undergraduate and graduate education based on sustainability science that emphasizes study of the environment and natural resources. Initially founded as a residential school, Unity College expanded into online education in 2016 which grew both its enrollment and number of academic programs.[1]

History

The college was founded in 1965 as the Unity Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a faculty of 15 and a student body of 39. The founders, a group of local business people, were looking for ways to counter economic decline in the adjacent town of Unity. Two years later, it changed its name to Unity College and in 1969 awarded degrees to its first graduating class of 24.[2] Past presidents include Mitchell Thomashow,[3] Wilson Hess, Stephen Mulkey[4] and current President Melik Peter Khoury.[5]

Unity began offering online education in 2016. In 2020, the college claimed that online attendance had doubled annually.[6] The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States forced the college to shift to an online-only model "for the foreseeable future".,[7] which became permanent on August 3, 2020, when it announced it planned to close and explore the sale of any assets, including the main campus"[8] In Fall 2020, the college also recorded its highest number of students and had a record incoming class.[9]

Athletics

Unity College (mascot the "Rams") competes in the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) which is a Division II member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). The men's varsity sports are: Basketball, Cross-Country, and Soccer. The women's varsity sports are: Basketball, Cross-Country, Soccer and Volleyball. Additionally Unity College has a number of club sports (Woodsmen's Team, ice hockey, indoor soccer and ultimate Frisbee), plus intramural sports.[10]

The Unity College men's and women's cross-country teams both won the 1996 NSCAA (National Small College Athletic Association) National Championship meet held at Michigan Christian College in Rochester Hills, Michigan. These were Unity College's first-ever men's and women's national championship teams. The NSCAA was the predecessor of today's United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). In 1992 the Unity College women's cross country team won the NAIA Division 5 New England Championship meet held at Johnson State College, Vermont.[11]

Student life

Unity College is home to dozens of extra-curricular clubs and activities for students. Unity Commons is the student-run newspaper, consisting of locally-focused journalism and student submissions of art, photography, poetry, and short fiction.

References
  1. "Unity College adds five new degree programs to Distance Education". Unity College. 2020-01-10. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  2. "At A Glance | Unity College | America's Environmental College". www.unity.edu. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  3. "News | Unity College | America's Environmental College". www.unity.edu. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  4. "Dr. Stephen Mulkey | President's Office". president.unity.edu. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  5. "| Unity College | America's Environmental College". www.unity.edu. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  6. "Unity College adds five new degree programs to Distance Education". Unity College. 2020-01-10. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  7. "COVID-19 FAQS". Unity College. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  8. "Unity College Permanently Eliminates Two-Semester Campus Model in Favor of Hybrid Approach". Unity College. 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  9. "Unity College welcomes more new students than ever". Unity College. 2020-09-02. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  10. "Unity College Athletics". Unity College Athletics. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
  11. "Johnson State Bulliton" (PDF).

44°36′14.05″N 69°19′50.90″W

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