ORONO — The University of Maine Cohen Institute Emerging Leaders Summer High School Program, part of the Cohen Institute for Leadership & Public Service in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has received a $25,000 community grant investment from Amazon.
The funds will be used to directly support costs associated with student participation in the statewide program. The gift was facilitated through the University of Maine Foundation.
“Amazon is proud to support the University of Maine Foundation and Cohen Institute for Leadership and Public Service,” said Jerome Smith, head of community engagement for the New England region at Amazon. “Our investment into the Cohen Emerging Leaders Summer High School Program will help ensure more students across the state have the opportunity to attend and develop leadership skills for potential careers in public service and beyond.”
In 2019, the Cohen Institute launched the inaugural summer institute. Since then, the program has immersed over 150 rising high school seniors, including at least one student from each of Maine’s 16 counties every summer, in leadership theory and practice. The program has welcomed numerous leaders from a wide range of fields to share their practical insights on leadership and public service, including former U.S. Secretary of Defense and U.S. Sen. William S. Cohen, the namesake of the Cohen Institute; U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, Gov. Janet Mills, UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy, author and speechwriter Mark Salter and coaches from UMaine’s athletic teams.
“This innovative program was started with the understanding that we must make significant and ongoing investments in the development of our future leaders so that they will be guided by a deep commitment to serving the public and also be equipped with the leadership skills and perspectives necessary to forge solutions to society’s most pressing problems in thoughtful, data-driven and non-partisan ways,” said Richard Powell, director of the Cohen Institute and the John Mitchell Nickerson Professor of Political Science.
The program was created to train the next generation of Maine’s public service leaders, selected from among the state’s most promising high school students. The program also links Maine high school students with UMaine, the state’s public flagship and only R1 institution. Since its inception, most participants subsequently applied and matriculated at UMaine or another public university in the state.
Students are nominated by their high school and are able to participate tuition-free. Their room and board are paid for thanks to the generosity of donors. Families are responsible for travel to and from UMaine, books and any other incidental costs associated with the course.
“I loved every minute of the week we were there. The great support system through the mentors and professors was eye-opening, the wide range of activities was what made the experience so perfect, and the guest speakers were picked with such care that you could tell with each one that they believed in what they were saying,” said inaugural participant Olivia Schanck. “The connection that I made with the other students who attended is something that most kids my age do not have with kids from other schools. You gave us this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect. Once a week, we all check in through a group chat to see how everyone is doing and keep each other updated on college and life decisions.”
The summer program doubles as an optional capstone experience for UMaine’s Early College Leadership and Public Service pathway. In completing this pathway, high school students can learn about leadership and public affairs from UMaine’s world-class faculty. This pathway was developed with Congressionally Directed Spending from the U.S. Department of Education that was included in the FY23 federal budget at the request of U.S. Sen. Collins, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the University of Maine System.
Originally launched in 1997 as the Cohen Center, the Cohen Institute models, promotes and teaches leadership and public service through programs that reflect and honor the rich legacy of one of Maine’s most highly respected and influential leaders.
The University of Maine Foundation is dedicated to supporting the University of Maine by securing and managing private gifts to enhance the University’s mission of teaching, research, and public service. Through the generosity of alumni and friends, the Foundation strives to ensure the continued growth and success of the university.
As Maine’s only public research university and a Carnegie R1 top-tier research institution, the University of Maine advances learning and discovery through excellence and innovation. Founded in 1865 in Orono, UMaine is the state’s land, sea and space grant university with a regional campus at the University of Maine at Machias. Our students come from all over the world and work with faculty conducting fieldwork around the globe — from the North Atlantic to the Antarctic. Located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation with UMaine Machias located in the homeland of the Passamaquoddy Nation, UMaine’s statewide mission is to foster an environment that creates tomorrow’s leaders. As the state’s flagship institution, UMaine offers nearly 200 degree programs through which students can earn bachelor’s, master’s, professional master’s and doctoral degrees as well as graduate certificates. For more information about UMaine and UMaine Machias, visit umaine.edu/about/quick-facts/ and machias.edu/about-umm/umm-facts/.
