Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center

06/01/2026

A study published by the Maine Policy Review in 2025, was recently cited in an article about small towns putting climate plans into action.

BLUE HILL—Many towns on the Blue Hill Peninsula have conducted climate risk assessments, but very few have been able to take action on them. This is primarily due to capacity and cost constraints, according to a recent study of small coastal towns in Hancock County. The study, published in Maine P...

05/28/2026

🎉🌍 Happy World Marketing Day! Today, we celebrate the creativity, strategy, and innovation that drives industry forward. In honor of the day, listen to our Maine Policy Matters podcast about sustainable small businesses and employee ownership.

This episode of Maine Policy Matters explores the key to helping retirement-age business owners who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The episode offers data and strategies from Rob Brown, the director of Business Ownership Solutions at the Cooperative Development Institute based in North...

05/26/2026

Explore our research today! We are involved in many different facets of research. To learn more about what we do, please visit our webpage that reflects the expertise of our interdisciplinary staff!

Our Research Reflecting the expertise of our interdisciplinary staff, we have three major research areas: public health and substance use disorder, economic development, and transportation safety, mobility, and GHG emissions. Our team’s combined knowledge allows us to conduct research directly imp...

05/21/2026

🌍🎉 Happy Global Accessibility Awareness Day! Let's celebrate the power of inclusion and ensure everyone has access to our world! 🌟 Check out our Maine Policy Matters on broadband access in Maine.

In this episode, we discuss broadband’s history and infrastructure in Maine with Heather Johnson, Nick Battista, Clara McCool, and Andrew Butcher. Heather Johnson is the Commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, which works with statewide and local partners, priva...

05/18/2026

Join us this Wednesday at the Margaret Chase Smith Library in Skowhegan to hear a discussion held by our colleagues at the Maine Policy Review about the issues facing rural Maine. Program starts at 3 PM.

From the loss of maternity care to the revitalization of downtowns, rural Maine is changing. How policy plays a role in its ongoing transition will be explored in a panel from the Maine Policy Review, a University of Maine peer-reviewed journal, at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20 at the…

05/05/2026

Mary Mahoney-O'Neil shares her journey from leadership to student-focused roles at the University of Maine.

In this interview, Mary Mahoney-O’Neil reflects on her extensive career within the University of Maine community, highlighting her progression through leadership roles such as the Director of the Master of Arts in Teaching and Associate Dean of the College of Education and Human Development. Drive...

05/01/2026

Maine Policy Review, a leading peer-reviewed journal focusing on policy analysis and research in Maine, is excited to announce an afternoon panel discussion with Rhiannon Hampson, Shelley Megquire, David Vail, Ann Acheson, Dora Ann Mills, and Tora Johnson, to celebrate MPR’s special issue on rural Maine at the Margaret Chase Smith Library in Skowhegan, Maine, on May 20, 2026, at 3 p.m.

ORONO, Maine – Maine Policy Review, a leading peer-reviewed journal focusing onpolicy analysis and research in Maine, is excited to announce an afternoon panel discussion with Rhiannon Hampson, Shelley Megquire, David Vail, Ann Acheson, Dora Ann Mills, and Tora Johnson, to celebrate MPR’s specia...

04/17/2026

Policy Center Research Associate, Dr. Jamie Wren, recently spoke to current undergraduate and graduate students in Anthropology at UMaine's Anthropology Student Symposium. Dr. Wren's talk focused on the unique skill sets, strengths, and opportunities that an anthropology degree offers to students after graduation.

04/16/2026

Medical and forensic anthropologist and director of the MCSPC's Rural Drug and Alcohol Research Program, Dr. Marcella Sorg, was recently featured in the UMaine student paper, "The Maine Campus," discussing opioid use in Maine, and effective prevention strategies.
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