Maine

Maine (ⁱ/ˈmeɪn/; French: État du Maine) is a state in New England, in the United States. Maine is the 39th most extensive and the 42nd most populous of the 50 U.S. states. It is bordered by New Hampshire to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the east and north, respectively. Maine is the northernmost state in the contiguous United States east of the Great Lakes. It is known for its jagged, rocky coastline; low, rolling mountains; heavily forested interior, and picturesque waterways; and also its seafood cuisine, especially lobster and clams. In spite of its maritime position, it has a continental climate even in coastal areas such as its largest city, Portland. The state capital is Augusta with a population of 19,136 (2010), making it the third least-populous state capital (after Montpelier, Vermont and Pierre, South Dakota) in the nation.

For thousands of years, indigenous peoples were the only inhabitants of the territory that is now Maine. At the time of European encounter, several Algonquian-speaking peoples inhabited the area. The first European settlement in Maine was by the French in 1604 on Saint Croix Island, by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons. The first English settlement in Maine, the short-lived Popham Colony, was established by the Plymouth Company in 1607. A number of English settlements were established along the coast of Maine in the 1620s, although the rugged climate, deprivations, and conflict with the local peoples caused many to fail over the years.

University of Southern Maine

The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a multi-campus public comprehensive university and part of the University of Maine System. USM's three primary campuses are located in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. Many courses and degree programs are also offered online. Originally founded as two separate universities (Gorham Normal School, University of Maine at Portland), the two state universities were combined in 1970 to help streamline the public university system in Maine and eventually expanded by adding the Lewiston campus in 1988. The Portland Campus is home to the Edmund Muskie School of Public Service along with the Bio Sciences Research Institute, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute and the Osher Map Library, and the USM School of Business. The Gorham campus, much more residential, is home to the School of Education and Human Development and the School of Music.

USM is among the "Best Northeastern Colleges," according to The Princeton Review's 2007 listings, and was also included in its 2007 edition of "America's Best Value Colleges." As of 2012, USM had 7,500 undergraduate students and 2,320 graduate and law school students, with an average class size of 25 and a student-faculty ratio of 15:1. Recent controversial decisions by the university administration to cut programs and fire up to 50 faculty have led to student-led protests on the campus.

Jill Stein

Jill Ellen Stein (born May 14, 1950) is an American physician who was the nominee of the Green Party for President of the United States in the 2012 election. Stein was a candidate for Governor of Massachusetts in 2002 and 2010.

In 2012, Stein received 456,169 votes for 0.36% in the election, making her the most successful female presidential candidate in U.S. history.

Stein is a resident of Lexington, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Harvard College (1973) and Harvard Medical School (1979).

In February 2015, Stein announced the formation of an exploratory committee to seek the Green Party's presidential nomination in the 2016 U.S. election. On June 22, 2015, during an appearance on Democracy Now!, Stein formally announced she would seek the Green Party's 2016 presidential nomination.

Early life and education

Jill Stein was born in Chicago and raised in Highland Park, Illinois. She is Jewish, and her family attended Chicago's North Shore Congregation Israel, a Reform synagogue.