BIDDEFORD — The University of New England is well known as Maine’s only medical school, with a focus on training students for careers in the health care field. But Dr. Ali Abdullatif Ahmida, professor and founding chair of the school’s political science department, wants the community to know that there is more to the University of New England than health care studies.

Ahmida, who came to UNE in 1994, has spent the past 10 years building the political science department into what he believes is one of the best in the region.

Ahmida is not alone in his assessment. An unaffiliated examiner who was invited to assess the program stated it was “exceptional” in many ways, according to a letter filed after the review.

“It is a program that can be compared favorably with those of a major university and in many respects ”¦ it may be superior to them,” the examiner stated.

One of the major draws of the political science program is Ahmida himself.

Born in the small town of Waddan, Libya, he came to the U.S. to study at the University of Washington, Seattle. From his humble beginnings, he is now a sought-after expert in Libyan and Arab affairs. Since the Libyan uprising in March of last year, Ahmida has been in demand by news media both nationally and internationally.

But of all his accomplishments as an author, researcher and public commentator, it is the department he has built of which the warm and charismatic Ahmida is most proud.

When challenged to build a political science program from the ground up in the early 2000s, Ahmida spent six months working up a proposal, networking with his contacts at other universities, learning what to do and what to avoid.

He spent 10- and 12-hour days, trying to convince the university to devote resources to the program and recruiting first-rate faculty and quality students.

“I wanted to build a small, first-rate program,” he said ”“ a program that was the same quality as Maine’s most prestigious colleges like Bates, Bowdoin and Colby, “but as down to earth as the University of Maine.”

The core concepts of the program, said Ahmida, are academic rigor and excellence.

For instance, all seniors are required to write a senior thesis and defend it orally, something most students aren’t required to do until they attend graduate school.

Students who go through the program, said Ahmida, are prepared for the best graduate schools and law schools or for careers in government service, foreign service, teaching, research, media and business.

Building such a program doesn’t happen by the work of just one person, said Ahmida. He shares the credit of the success of UNE’s political science program with the other faculty members in the department.

Professor Jennifer Denbow came to UNE only one and a half years ago.

She took the job at UNE, said Denbow, because “it seemed like a good, up-and-coming university in liberal arts.”

Although the program isn’t well known outside of the region, said Denbow, it is a strong one, which “attracts a number of great students.”

One of its strengths is the small class sizes. Denbow said she enjoys developing relationships with her students.

One of those drawn to the program, in part for the small classes, is Ioana Panaitiu, a freshman, who came from Romania to study political science at UNE.

“It allows you to not be just a number,” said Panaitiu. She added that she likes that the dialogue between professors and students is as equals and that the program is very focused.

“It’s a wonderful place for learning and sharing,” said Panaitiu.

In addition to small class sizes, Professor Julie Mueller spoke about the opportunities that students have at UNE that make its political science program unique, such as being the only college in the state that participates in the model United Nations in New York. She noted also that there are a lot of study abroad opportunities for students and that the school attracts top-rated speakers.

“Since I’ve been here, Noam Chomsky has been here twice,” said Mueller.

Erika Streim, a junior, has taken full advantage of the opportunities available to her as a political science major at UNE.

She attended the model United Nations in New York and has traveled to Spain to study political science and international relations. In the spring, Streim will travel to Kenya as part of a class she’s taking in community development. She also had an internship with U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in her Biddeford office.

“I never thought I would have these type of experiences when coming here,” said Streim.

In addition to outside opportunities, Streim said Ahmida is much more involved with the students than advisors in some other programs.

For some students, their study of political science has been life-altering.

“Political science has changed how I view the world and the information that I receive,” Kathryn Leden, a senior, said in an email. “One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is to think critically about what you are told and also about what you read and to not take anything at its face value.”

The combination of academic rigor and opportunities has apparently paid off, as Ahmida said half the program majors have the highest grade point average at the school.

“Our students are going to be leaders not only in Maine, but in the country,” said Ahmida.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.