The American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) was founded in 1991, soon after the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, originally as a branch campus of the University of Maine. Like several other international institutions, AUBG is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, This strategy streamlined initial accreditation and provided the university with a base of institutional resources to start from scratch in a country that had no tradition of American-style undergraduate education. They have long since become completely independent, but its roots in New England remain fundamental to its institutional identity. The mission was, and remains, to promote democratic values and open inquiry and to provide opportunities for students to experience the freeing-liberating-benefits of the liberal arts. AUBG strives to create engaged, effective citizens, critical thinkers and excellent communicators empowered by their education to take an active role in their professions and communities and always work to make the world better. This describes the similarities and challenges between AUBG and higher educations in the New England region.