Getting To Know: Husson University (ME)
Located in Bangor, Maine, Husson University got on my radar for two reasons. A friend who formerly worked at Rutgers came out of retirement to become their interim vice president for advancement. Next, Husson appeared in a book, 333 Awesome Small Colleges. written by Peter Pitts, aka ‘The Small College Guy’.
I’d like to thank Sarah Walker Caron, Director of Communications and Donna Keirstead, Interim Vice President for Advancement, for introducing me to Husson. Donna is one of my favorite senior college administrators. Intelligent and approachable, she strengthed the alumni relations functions at her alma mater, the University of Maine-Orono (UMaine) and Rutgers and is quite respected in that world. Husson University is very lucky to have her.
Micheal Fox, Vice President for Enrollment Management at Husson University, agreed to answer my questions in a Zoom interview. I invite you to listen and read on!
Husson University has approximately 3,000 undergraduates and just over 600 graduate students. There are 1,500 students who pursue degrees online. The undergraduate student body is about a third the size of UMaine’s. While Husson offers several liberal arts majors, it is more focused on pre-professional bachelor’s and graduate degrees in business, communications, computer science, criminal justice, education, and the health professions (nursing, occupational therapy and physical therapy).
What are some of the more similar schools?
Husson selected a peer group that includes UMaine as well as several other New England public and private colleges and universities. In addition to UMaine I have visited Western New England University (MA), Merrimack College (MA) and Salve Regina University (RI).
Within this group Husson is most similar to Salve Regina in terms of academic offerings, mainly because the other schools offer engineering degrees while Salve does not. Husson offers only audio engineering within the New England School of Communications. In addition, like Salve, Husson has an easily navigable campus –it’s a circle–close to a popular tourist destination. However, Husson has a much more modern campus, while Salve ‘s campus is dominated by a collection of older Newport, Rhode Island mansions. Newer buildings-one example is below-follow more modern lines.
Husson also has some similarities with UMaine .
Both of these schools:
- Attract just over a third of their freshman classes from other states
- Retain just below 80 percent of their freshman classes
- Graduate 45 percent of a freshman class. However, Husson offers accelerated options into graduate programs that will require students to stay longer as well as three-year bachelors degrees that take less time to finish..
- Have the same student/faculty ratio: 15 to 1.
- Accept well over 80 percent of all applicants
- Practice test-optional admissions. I could not even find ACT or SAT score ranges on Husson’s Common Data Set.
- Have similar student loan indebtedness among borrowers, around $35,000. However, to be fair, this also includes students who took an accelerated path to an advanced degree.
Both schools place more emphasis on affordability than most colleges.
UMaine has a program called Flagship Match. This program allows students in targeted states to attend UMaine at the same tuition and fees as their flagship state university. Husson University starts with a low base rate for tuition and fees of just over $24,000. That’s less that most public flagship universities charge non-residents. It’s unlikely that Husson will undercut UMaine for most students, but it is quite reasonably priced for a private university. Accelerated programs and three-year bachelors degrees in some majors will drive down costs further.Husson awarded an average of nearly $17,000 in need-based scholarship aid to 69 percent of the incoming freshmen class in 2024. The university also awarded an average of $8,500 in merit scholarships to just over a fifth of the class.
However, there are some notable differences.
In addition to offering accelerated and three-year programs, Husson has smaller classes. Only six of the more than 370 classes taught last year had over 50 students. Fifty-eight percent had fewer than 20. At UMaine, a much larger school, 14 percent of all classes had more than 50 students. Forty-five percent had fewer than 20.
However, the majority (62 percent) of UMaine’s faculty are full time while 70 percent of Hudson’s faculty are part time. I listened to several Husson University videos online that mentioned faculty that also work in the professions that students hope to find work after graduation. Learning from adjuncts who work in the real world has its advantages. They know what actually happens in the workplace and often do a very good job helping students to prepare to go to work. The downside is that adjuncts can come and go as they change jobs and advance in their careers. They may be tougher to track down for advice or a reference after they leave.
Bangor is a nice college town.
While neither Husson nor UMaine offer a “walk into town” experience with Bangor, the city has plenty of cultural and recreational amenities. However, access to a car is really necessary to seek them out or to live off campus. The mass transit system is not as extensive as it would be in a larger city. Rents near campus can also get pricey though there appear to be enough units to support the student body that lives off campus.
Conclusions
Husson University appears to be a very market driven school, focusing on the needs of the business and health care community in Maine and neighboring states. What is nicer is that there is a greater emphasis on helping students to manage their costs, whether to save time towards a bachelors or a graduate degree.
The downside is that the brand name is only starting to gain traction outside of Maine, although Maine is a beautiful state and Bangor is a nice college town. The online offerings have helped to make Husson a more global institution.
It is also necessary to add that Husson and some of its peers, like Merrimack College, are offering what many students and parents want: an opportunity for students who did not not top the charts in high school an opportunity to get an affordable and achievable education that will lead to rewarding careers. Such schools have promising futures if they can keep their financial house in order and continue to be up-to-date about professional practices and tools.
Listen to my interview with Michael Fox now!
Report Card: Husson University
- Four-Year/Six-Year Graduation Rates: C/C
- Freshman Retention: C+
- Costs: A
- Curriculum: A
- Community: B+
- Comforts: B
- Connections: A (Maine) /C (elsewhere)
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