About Us

Vision Orientation & First Year Experience at The University of Southern Maine (USM) is committed to supporting and equipping students for success in life and at USM inside and outside of the classroom, especially during students' first year as a Husky. Orientation & First Year Experience innovates to be responsive to shifting needs of today's students and society to be a leader in orientation, retention and transition practices. Mission The Office of Orientation & First Year Experience connects new Huskies, from all backgrounds, to opportunities and resources on and off campus. This enhances their experience as members of the USM community and allows them to explore dynamic curricular and co-curricular engagement throughout their time at USM preparing them with skills and perspective to be successful in life beyond their time as students. We offer a variety of collaborative Orientation programs. These programs begin upon acceptance and continue throughout a Husky's first year in the USM community. We strive to offer programs which resonate with and welcome all new huskies, and honors their experiences, perspectives, and identities as they join the USM community.