Research, Programs and Public Service

The Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center expresses its mission through policy research and public service to Maine and the nation.  We provide an independent, nonpartisan voice in addressing policy issues.  Center researchers have interests in community development, education, health, and environmental policies.  By working together, we can serve Maine and contribute new ideas and analyses that will provide benefits to Maine taxpayers and policy makers seeking to create new jobs and new opportunities for Mainers from many walks of life. 

The Center acts as a key broker to bring the strengths and talents of the university to bear on public policy matters and is recognized by policy makers for its role in enhancing policy deliberations at the local, state, and national levels.  We often engage in interdisciplinary collaboration with other researchers in the university community or nationally to offer comprehensive attention to important research problems.  Most of the Center’s research investigators serve as faculty members, integrating policy research into the classroom, as well as disseminating research results to professional publications and other venues for public dialogue.  

Center staff maintain competencies in program design and evaluation, and other forms of technical assistance such as convening public forums, acting as facilitators of citizen discourse, and often serving as catalysts for public policy development.  Our outreach frequently includes partnerships and collaboration with other university departments as well as with Maine colleges, universities, and foundations and with private and public stakeholders that cross local, state, and federal policy boundaries.

Our four core Center research areas:  environmental policy, health & public safety, community and economic development, and civic life and governance.

Ongoing projects, programs, and public service:  Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC), the Distinguished Maine Policy Fellow program, Energy & Environment, Legislative Forums, Poverty in Maine, and the Rural Substance Abuse Partnership (RSAP).