PORTLAND, Maine, June 9, 2006 – University of Southern Maine (USM) and Maine Employers' Mutual Insurance Company (MEMIC) have launched a partnership to foster safety in the workplace while increasing learning opportunities for USM students and business professionals.

USM's School of Applied Science, Engineering, and Technology (ASET) and MEMIC have entered into an agreement that will enable USM's Environmental Safety and Health undergraduate students to connect with Maine businesses through internship opportunities and provide training opportunities for business professionals seeking specialty certification in ergonomics and leadership. USM students also will have the ability to conduct valuable hands-on workplace safety assessments using new technology, thanks to the donation of a cutting-edge lumbar motion monitor from MEMIC to the University's ergonomics laboratory. The value of the partnership is estimated at $100,000.

As part of the agreement, MEMIC and USM have teamed to develop the Specialty Certificate Program in Leadership and Ergonomics. Designed for safety and health professionals looking to become ergonomics specialists, classes in the program will focus on application of ergonomic principles in the real world. Funded by MEMIC, the Certificate Program will be managed and operated by USM through ASET's External Programs office. USM will deliver the classes, expected to begin in fall 2005, from the John Mitchell Center on the University's Gorham campus.

"This partnership will benefit our customers, USM students, and the Maine economy for many years to come," said MEMIC President and CEO John T. Leonard. "With this investment, we are proud to help USM instill our next generation of business managers and leaders with the knowledge and tools to create safer, more productive workplaces."

"Providing a safe and healthy work environment is an increasingly important issue," says Greg Bazinet, USM director, ASET External Programs. "This partnership will bring together the best technical and engineering skills the University has to offer with the needs and opportunities of the private sector to build an advanced workforce and foster safer places to work for all Maine employees. This is part of ASET's mission-to act as a catalyst between businesses and the University to strengthen each simultaneously."

The agreement also provides for new student internship opportunities for undergraduate students enrolled in USM's Department of Environmental Science. MEMIC will fund internship opportunities for two USM students to work with MEMIC customers on roughly 12-week projects designed to improve workplace safety. USM students participating in the internship opportunities, expected to begin this summer, will have the opportunity to put theory into practice, taking what they have learned in class and applying it in a real business setting while gaining valuable hands-on experience. MEMIC customers also benefit from the student work, which in turn will foster a safer workplace.

Students also will have access to a new lumbar motion monitor, valued at $35,000, donated to the University by MEMIC. The monitor, available for use by MEMIC, is a state-of-the-art tool designed to digitally measure an individual's soft tissue stresses while performing job tasks. The technology will allow USM and MEMIC to conduct workplace assessments much more efficiently than current assessment methods.

"This partnership not only provides our students valuable exposure to today's issues of workplace safety confronted by MEMIC and its customers, but also allows USM to sustain and enhance their work force and be an asset to their growth and productivity," says ASET Dean John Wright. "We are grateful to MEMIC for support of opportunities and technologies that are so beneficial to our program."

University of Southern Maine serves 11,089 students with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston-Auburn, Maine. A member of the University of Maine System, USM offers nearly 50 undergraduate programs and more than 20 graduate degrees, ranging from musical theater to programs in bioscience. For more information, visit http://www.usm.maine.edu.

About MEMIC

The MEMIC Group, including Maine Employers' Mutual Insurance Company (MEMIC), based in Portland, Maine, is Maine's largest and leading workers' compensation insurer, providing coverage to more than 20,000 employers and their estimated 200,000 employees. The company is rated 'A' (Excellent) by A.M. Best and has been ranked among the Ward 50 for each of the past three years. The Ward 50 is a designation of the top two percent of property casualty companies in the country.