AUGUSTA, Maine — The heads of Maine’s three public higher education systems told lawmakers on Tuesday that their institutions are in the midst of change but would come out at the other end better than they are today.
“Our universities face an unprecedented combination of economic, demographic and competitive challenges,” said University of Maine System Chancellor James Page. “Put simply, Maine cannot afford the system we now have, but we can afford a better system.”
Page said the system is structured in silos that stifle innovation, weighed down by too much administration and aging facilities, and is not responsive enough to Maine’s economic needs. He said one effort that is underway to streamline and improve the university system is the One University initiative, a broadly scaled program that seeks to further integrate a range of functions and programs among the university system’s seven campuses.
“The opportunities that will emerge with the One University are what matters most,” said Page.
The speech comes amid turmoil for higher education in Maine. The University of Maine system is troubled by cost increases that can’t keep up with revenues and major changes. It is on track to rack up a $90 million deficit by 2019, based on an annual budget that is about $529 million. Campuses all over the state have been cutting staff and programs as enrollment continues a seven-year decline. Page said more than 900 positions have been cut since 2007 — including 556 in the past two years — which represents nearly 17 percent of the workforce.
The system has been holding tuition flat for three years and state appropriations have been flat at around $176.2 million since 2012. This year, the system dug into its reserves — appropriating about $11.4 million of $15 million that’s available — and has asked for an increase in its state appropriation. Gov. Paul LePage has proposed increasing funding to the system by 1.7 percent next year and 1.9 percent the year after.
The Maine Community College System, by contrast, faces a different problem. Enrollment is increasing but state appropriations have been flat and LePage intends to keep them that way. When LePage presented his biennial budget proposal, he said he refuses to advocate for more money for the community college system until it implements some of his other goals, such as credit transferability with the university system and a so-called Bridge Year program that allows students to earn college credits while in high school. Page and interim Maine Community College System President Derek Langhauser addressed progress on both fronts on Tuesday.
LePage also used his budget presentation to call for the ouster of Community College System President John Fitzsimmons. Fitzsimmons resigned less than a week later.
Langhauser said progress in community colleges has continued. He recognized Fitzsimmons’ work to transition the system from a series of technical schools to the community college system during his speech.
“The 65,000 students who graduated during John’s tenure … are his legacy,” said Langhauser. “Our community colleges have created aspirations that previously did not exist.”
Maine Maritime Academy President William Brennan reported that the Castine institution is as strong as ever with robust enrollments and very high marks in graduation rates and student retention. More than 75 percent of MMA students are from Maine.
“Our students are focused, they are driven and from many respects that helps to set us apart from many other institutions,” said Brennan. “It’s all about the students and this kind of hands-on experience enhances their opportunities for career success.”
Brennan said MMA, like Maine’s other higher education institutions, faces financial challenges. It receives a lower percentage of its budget from state funding than any of the other six similar maritime colleges in the U.S. He said this is part of the reason that all of those institutions have lower tuition costs than MMA does.
“That disparity makes it difficult for Maine Maritime Academy to compete,” said Brennan.
