page_title: University of Maine at Presque Isle
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: University of Maine at Presque Isle / History
context_page_description: The University of Maine at Presque Isle is a public university in Presque Isle, Maine. It is part of the University of Maine System.
context_section_description: It was founded in 1903 as Aroostook State Normal School, offering a two-year teacher preparation program. It has undergone four name changes since then. In 1952, it was renamed The Aroostook State Teachers College; in 1965, it became The Aroostook State College; three years later when it joined the new University of Maine System, it was renamed The Aroostook State College of the University of Maine; and since 1971, it has been known as the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
  UMPI's wind turbine began generating clean energy in late spring 2009 after the university reached an agreement with general contractor Lumus Construction Inc. on a $2 million project to install a 600-kilowatt wind turbine on the campus. This agreement established UMPI as the first university in the state and one of only a handful in New England to install a midsize wind turbine, according to officials. The wind turbine produces about 1 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year and saves the institution more than $100,000 annually in electricity charges and saves an estimated 572 tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere each year.
  In January 2015, officials from the Foundation of the University of Maine at Presque Isle announced their completion of efforts to completely divest from all fossil fuels on campus.  This effort began in fall 2013 and ended in November 2014.  UMPI installed a 999 voltage solar panel array on the roof of its major classroom buildings Folsom and Pullen Halls as well as a biomass boiler and heat pump technology inside those buildings.
caption: Aroostook State Normal School in 1908, now the University of Maine at Presque Isle
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