University of Maine System Board of Trustees to meet in Farmington on Sept. 16

FARMINGTON, Maine - The Board of Trustees for the University of Maine System (UMS) will meet in Farmington on Monday, Sept. 16.

The regular public meeting will be held from 8:30 a.m.-2:20 p.m. in the North Dining Hall at the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) and livestreamed here (External Site) as part of the Board's commitment to transparency.

All of the Board's actions support the goals of the first System strategic plan in nearly two decades, which was released last year and provides a roadmap for UMS to advance Maine; strengthen its financial sustainability, programming and infrastructure; make Maine's public universities a destination for education and employment; and promote collaboration.

Measuring progress toward those strategic goals will be the focus of discussion at Monday's meeting. Trustees and System and university leaders have been working together for months to select the metrics and targets and expect to finalize those later this fall. For example, improving student retention is a goal of the plan, and the System is proposing a double-digit percentage point increase in students retained from their first-to-second year by fall 2028.

Consistent with the plan's prioritization of serving the state, a presentation introduced by President Joe McDonnell will focus on UMF's efforts to strengthen and grow the state's educator workforce, including through innovative academic programming and partnerships with Maine's PK-12 school districts.

The System is the state's largest producer of classroom-ready teachers, having awarded nearly 4,000 education degrees or certificates in the past five years. Of the past 10 Maine Teachers of the Year (External Site), seven are UMS graduates including the current Maine Teacher of the Year Joshua Chard, a University of Southern Maine (USM) alum.

While at UMF, Trustees will also tour the Maine Mobile BIOLAB (External Site), an initiative of Educate Maine sponsored by the System that prepares students for college and career success by expanding access to hands-on STEM learning.

Additionally, they will take action on capital projects, including to support student recruitment and retention, strengthen state impact, and reduce operating costs and energy use including at UMF, USM, the University of Maine, the University of Maine at Presque Isle and the Maine Center.

The Trustee's meeting agenda and materials are available on the Board of Trustees website.

About the University of Maine System

The University of Maine System (UMS) is the state's largest driver of educational attainment and economic development and its seven public universities and law school are the most affordable in New England. Over the past two decades, UMS has awarded 106,362 degrees and spurred and strengthened thousands of small Maine businesses through its world-class research and development activities. For more information, visit www.maine.edu.

Media Contact:

Samantha Warren
Director of External Affairs, University of Maine System
207-632-0389 / [email protected]

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