History
In 1939, a boys-only high school and junior college called the College Séraphique was founded in Biddeford by Father Decary and the Franciscan friar of St. Andre's parish.
In 1952, the school changed its name to St. Francis College and began granting bachelor's degrees with state approval in 1953. The high school program was phased out by 1961, and the college was first accredited in 1966.
The school became co-educational for the first time in 1967 and the Franciscans finally withdrew from the administration of the college in 1974.
To survive dropping enrollment, St. Francis College entered into an agreement with the New England Foundation for Osteopathic Medicine to establish the New England College of Osteopathic Medicine on the same campus, and in 1978 the two merged under the new name of the "University of New England". In 1996, Westbrook College closed and merged with the University of New England. The merger took place under the terms of the original 1831 Westbrook charter, and the combined institutions became Westbrook College before changing the name back to the University of New England. The campus of the former Westbrook College is now known as the UNE Portland Campus.
In December 2010, the university received the largest gift in its history -- $10 million from the Harold Alfond Foundation to build the Harold Alfond Athletics Complex on the Biddeford Campus, and to support interprofessional healthcare workforce education.
The project when it opens in fall 2012 will include a 105,000-square-foot (9,800 m2) athletics complex featuring an ice hockey rink with 900 seats; a basketball court with 1,200 seats; classroom space; a fitness center; and multi-purpose indoor practice courts that can also be used for performances and other events, with a combined seating capacity of 3,000.
This will provide the largest gathering space on both the Biddeford and Portland campuses. The complex is located between UNE’s new synthetic blue turf field and Sokokis Hall.
Read more about this topic: University Of New England (United States)
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