The University of Maine at Farmington, established in 1864 as Maine’s first public institution of higher education, is a public liberal arts college, and a founding member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges offering programs in teacher education, human services and arts and sciences as a part of the University of Maine System. The school is also at times referred to as UMaine Farmington or UMF for short. In March 1863, a Normal School Act passed into law, and that fall, Farmington was chosen from a list of possible locations for a normal school — the first public institution of higher education in the State of Maine. The first class graduated from the Western State Normal School in 1866. The school merged into the University of Maine System in 1968 to become "the University of Maine at Farmington." Many early graduates attended the school for its liberal arts offerings alone. Among these were the Stanley brothers, famous for building the Stanley Steamer automobile; and John Frank Stevens, engineer of the Panama Canal. Another famous graduate from the university is comedian Bob Marley, who graduated with a degree in community health.