Farmington, Maine — University of Maine System Chancellor Dan Malloy will be visiting the University of Maine at Farmington today to tour the campus and to meet with members of the university community and stakeholders. Chancellor Malloy visited UMFK and UMPI his first two days on the job and plans to visit each of the System’s seven campuses by the end of July.
UMF President Edward Serna also began his term of service on July 1.
“One of my first tasks is to meet with campus and community leaders throughout the state to learn more about campus collaboration and the facilities needs and planned investments at our institutions,” said Chancellor Dan Malloy. “UMF has a proud tradition of providing students with an affordable, high-quality liberal arts education. I am eager to work with President Serna and the UMF team to build on our One University progress and educate the 158,000 new credentialed workers we need to build the state economy and continue delivering essential services to Maine citizens.”
Link to Chancellor Malloy’s biosketch and photo
$8.5 Million in Planned Campus Investments and Energy Savings
The Chancellor’s tour will include an update on plans for approximately $8.5 million in campus investments for the University of Maine at Farmington approved as part of the $49 million University Workforce Bond approved by voters last November. Among bond-funded projects at UMF are plans for an updated new home for the Sweatt-Winter Early Care and Education Center that will improve facilities needed to prepare the next generation of Maine early childhood teachers.
In June the Davis Family Foundation awarded a $38K grantto the project.
$800,000 in Estimated Energy Savings: The campus tour also will include a visit to UMF’s Biomass Central Heating Plant. The facility was projected to save the University and taxpayers nearly $800,000 in fuel costs for fiscal year ending June 30th while sustaining jobs in the region’s forest products industry. Since the plant’s opening in 2016 carbon emissions at UMF have been reduced an average of approximately 3,000 Metric Tons annually.
State Collaborations and Leadership
Academic Innovation: University leaders will brief Chancellor Malloy on efforts to build on UMF’s reputation as a premier public liberal arts college and a state leader in teacher education. The institution is pursuing a number of academic innovations to better prepare students for Maine’s workforce need including:
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- Undergraduate certificates in GIS, Alpine Operations, English Language Learners, and Addiction Rehabilitation to enhance career credentials;
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- New graduate-level certificates in Special Education K-8 and Special Education 6-12, Special Education Administration (Pre-K-12), and K-12 Math Interventionist to prepare teachers to identify and address the needs of students who need assistance in mathematics; and
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- A proposal for a new Master’s degree in Special Education is in the final stages of review, with the goal of preparing more certified special education teachers and special education administrators to meet workforce demand.
Affordability: UMF is helping lead Maine’s commitment to public higher education affordability and reduce student debt. The Financial Literacy Peer Education Program is funded by a grant from the office of then-Attorney General Janet Mills and provides comprehensive personal financial education for students to help improve financial well being and reduce debt. The program will be expanded to all University of Maine System institutions.
Additional progress in affordability includes a 16% increase in institutional aid in UMF’s FY 20 budget and a new $1.25 million progressively increasing Persistence Scholarship program that incentivizes student success and progress toward graduation. Increases in financial aid resources made it possible for 518 Maine students to attend UMF free of tuition and fee expenses in the spring of 2019.
One University Partnership: The new Farmington Forward partnership with the University of Maine at Augusta delivers academic programming and support services to students who need additional preparation to succeed in college. Other examples of collaboration include:
- 3+2 Pathway to a Masters in Counseling and Social Work with USM;
- Maine Engineering Pathways Program with UMaine;
- 3+3 Pathway with the Maine School of Law;
- Delivery of an off campus Early Childhood Education Program in partnership with SMCC; and,
- Discussing the development of a concentration in Outdoor Recreation Management with the UMaine Graduate School of Business./li>
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Link to Logo Library
The University of Maine at Farmington
A nationally-recognized public liberal arts college, UMF enjoys a 150-year tradition of providing a quality academic experience combined with the personal attention and close student / faculty collaboration that help prepare all students to be successful. Rooted in a tradition of teacher preparation, UMF offers top quality programs in the arts and sciences, teacher preparation, and business and pre-professional studies. UMF is located in the heart of Maine’s four-season outdoor recreational region and is a welcoming, close-knit academic community that prepares students for engaged citizenship, enriching professional careers and an enduring love of learning.
The University of Maine System
The University of Maine System is comprehensive public institution of higher education with a traditional tripartite mission of teaching, research, and public service. Established in 1968, the System serves more than 30,000 students annually and is supported by the efforts of more than 2,000 full-time and part-time faculty, more than 3,000 regular full-time and part-time staff, and a complement of part-time temporary (adjunct) faculty.
Reaching more than 500,000 people annually through educational and cultural offerings, the University of Maine System also benefits from more than two-thirds of its alumni population residing within the state; more than 123,000 individuals.
The System consists of six universities: The University of Maine (UMaine), including its regional campus the University of Maine at Machias (UMM); the University of Maine at Augusta (UMA); the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF); the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK), the University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMPI); and the University of Southern Maine (USM). The System also includes the University of Maine School of Law and the University of Maine Graduate and Professional Center.
DISTRIBUTED 7/9/19