PORTLAND, Maine (AP) A public Maine university will use the largest monetary gift in its history to build a home for its school of music.
Philanthropist D. Suzi Osher has given the $10 million gift to University of Southern Maine. USM President Glenn Cummings told the Portland Press Herald that the gift will make possible a plan that the university has had for decades.
The Osher gift was announced at a news conference on Tuesday. USM Foundation president Ainsley Wallace said she hopes gifts can pay for at least half of the total cost of the music school building. The building is expected to cost around $40 million and be located at the university’s Portland campus.
The Crewe Foundation gifted the university $5 million in June. Wallace said the earliest possible groundbreaking date would be in 2023.
