BOSTON — Higher education leaders representing Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont met in Kennebunkport, Maine, this month to discuss strategies to improve higher education access and affordability for every New Englander who seeks it and alignment of higher education with the evolving needs of the region’s workforce. The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) also honored the Maine-based Harold Alfond Foundation for its impact on that mission. NEBHE meets twice per year, moving from state to state across the region.
Excellence Award
During the meeting, NEBHE recognized the Harold Alfond Foundation with the New England Higher Education Excellence Award for its profound positive impact on generations of students in Maine through its philanthropic support of education. NEBHE launched the awards in 2003 to recognize individuals and institutions that have made substantive contributions to creating equitable higher education opportunities for students in the region.
Harold and Bibby Alfond established the first private foundation in Maine in 1950, beginning a family commitment to charitable giving.
Recent initiatives include investing $75 million in the Maine Community College System to fund short-term workforce programs to train over 70,000 learners in programs that take days, weeks or months, and a $320 million commitment to the University of Maine System (UMS). Known as UMS TRANSFORMS, that investment is intended to strengthen the System’s capacity in engineering and computing, graduate and professional studies, student success and retention and University of Maine athletics – Maine’s only NCAA Division I program.
“The Harold Alfond Foundation has strengthened Maine through more than one billion dollars in generous gifts to institutions and individuals that inspire innovation and collaboration,” said UMS Chancellor and NEBHE Board member Dannel Malloy, who presented the award. “The positive impact Harold and this foundation have had on the aspirations and prosperity of Maine and its people simply cannot be overstated. It is truly transformative. As a result of their strategic investments, generations of Mainers will have greater access to higher education and upward mobility, and they and our state’s economy and communities will thrive as a result.”
In addition to scores of gifts to institutions in Maine, the Harold Alfond Foundation runs the My Alfond Grant, a program that enhances higher education opportunities by giving college scholarships of $500 to every baby born in Maine. Last month, it was announced that more than half a billion dollars has now been invested in the futures of 160,000 Maine children.
Gregory Powell, chairman of the Harold Alfond Foundation Board of Trustees, accepted the award.
2020 Award
The 2020 Excellence Award to Chancellor Emeritus James Page of the University of Maine System, while delayed by the pandemic, was also formally presented at the meeting. Page was recognized for his leadership of Maine’s largest education and economic development enterprise from 2012-2019, especially in uniting and integrating its parts into one system that students from across the world select for undergraduate and graduate studies. Now retired, Page has continued writing and consulting nationally on higher education, primarily governance.
“Chancellor Page stabilized the finances and committed to strategic priorities focused on the long-term health and sustainability of the University of Maine System,” said Maine Senator and NEBHE Vice Chair Mattie Daughtry, who presented the award.
Past Recipients
NEBHE has honored individuals, companies and programs with Excellence awards including:
- Cianbro and Unum Corporations – for their business engagement with higher education
- Patricia Collins, Former Chair, Board of Trustees, University of Maine System
- The Hon. George J. Mitchell, Former U.S. Senator, Maine
- Maine’s Educator Preparation Programs, including those from UMS
- Summer Success Academy, Student Success Center, and Student Veterans of America programs at Eastern Maine Community College
About the New England Board of Higher Education
The New England Board of Higher Education advances equitable postsecondary outcomes through convening, research and programs for students, institution leaders and policymakers. Founded in 1955 by the region’s governors, NEBHE promotes greater education opportunities and services for the residents of New England and its more than 250 colleges and universities. It works across the six New England states to help leaders assess, develop and implement sound education practices and policies of regional significance; to promote regional cooperation and programs that encourage the efficient use and sharing of educational resources; and to strengthen the relationship between higher education and the economic well-being and quality of life in New England.
Media Contact:
Peggy Hayes, mhayes@nebhe.org / 617-533-9501