ORONO, Maine — Thanks to a $2 million gift from an alumnus, the University of Maine will establish a new endowed scholarship fund and will be able to further support a political science professorship.
The gift came from John Nickerson, who earned a degree in political science from UMaine in 1959 and taught political science at the University of Maine at Augusta from 1970 to 2012. He died in May of 2013 at the age of 75.
University of Maine Foundation President Jeffery Mills announced the gift at a press conference held Tuesday at Stevens Hall on the Orono campus.
“It’s one of the largest scholarships in the University of Maine’s history,” Mills said. “The big thing is to try to make education affordable for Maine kids. The state legislature is facing a lot of budget issues. Support over the last couple of decades going down.”
Therefore, long-term endowments funds will become increasingly important, he said.
The gift-endowed fund is expected to generate about $100,000 a year for scholarships for political science majors, according to Monique Hashey, marketing coordinator at the University of Maine Foundation. Details on how the scholarships will be distributed are still being worked out, she said.
The support for the political science professorship will allow a professor to spend more money on research and possibly hire a graduate assistant.
