Dear University of Maine System (UMS) Community,
I write today to call your attention to an important group of visitors who will be coming to Maine this fall.
In 2020, the University of Maine System applied for and was granted unified accreditation by our regional accrediting body, the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). We have operated under that model continuously since that time. This means that where our seven universities and Law School were each formerly evaluated on their own for how well they met a recognized set of quality standards, our System as a whole is now evaluated on that basis. These periodic evaluations are a voluntary and vital process of accountability for us.
An evaluation team appointed by NECHE will visit us in early October to assess the quality and effectiveness of what we do and share feedback about areas of strength and areas where improvement is needed. Our leadership teams, faculty, and staff will use that feedback to help us do what we do better within our unified accreditation in the service of our students and our communities.
During this process, there will be opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to speak with members of the evaluation team. Team members will visit each of our seven universities and Law School while also conducting their overall evaluation in a multi-day set of meetings held on the University of Maine campus.
As part of our preparation, we’ve produced a detailed report, or Self Study, which you can view on the UMS website. A draft schedule for the evaluation—one that is subject to change up to and during the visit itself—can also be found on the website.
I will share further updates with you about the NECHE evaluation visit in the coming weeks.
Thank you.
Dannel P. Malloy
Chancellor
University of Maine System