January 9, 2006
A matter of degrees | With a controversial merger likely off, University of Maine at Augusta supporters outline a plan to improve the quality of education in central Maine
By Richard Smart
For Sylvia Lund, the future of the University of Maine at Augusta is both a personal matter and a community concern. As a UMA alumna and a member of the Augusta City Council, she has a vested interest in the health of the university there and the role of higher education in Kennebec County. And on both fronts, she was uneasy about a 2004 proposal to merge UMA with the University of Southern Maine in Gorham and Portland. "I've lived in Augusta all my life and I look at the University of Maine [at Augusta] as a very important part of the fabric of the city," said Lund. "I did not believe that it would receive the attention and support to be able to develop the way Augusta would like to see it if it was subsumed under the Portland campus."
Lund wasn't alone in those concerns ˆ and, in fact, the divisiveness of the proposed merger prompted Gov. John Baldacci in April 2005 to create a task force, which included Lund, to evaluate the plan. In December, Lund's worries were partially alleviated when the task force made a formal recommendation against the merger to the University of Maine System Board of Trustees.
While the trustees still need to vote on that recommendation later this winter, it appears likely the board will accept the proposal. Still, task force members say a vote against the merger does not mean a vote for the status quo at UMA. Like the trustees, the task force is concerned with finding a cost-efficient way of providing increased baccalaureate programs and improving the quality of services offered at the Augusta campus, which offers a significant number of associate's degrees rather than bachelor's degrees. Associate's degrees accounted for roughly 62% percent of the degrees UMA awarded last year, whereas most University of Maine campuses award predominantly bachelor's degrees.
Rather than merging the school with another campus, though, the task force report outlines a possible collaboration between the Augusta campus, USM and the community colleges in central Maine. The idea is to create a sort of educational funnel that relies on graduates from community colleges continuing their education at UMA, as well as the matriculation of more traditional students interested in bachelor's degrees. "We're essentially talking about sharpening the focus of the University of Maine at Augusta so it becomes known as a baccalaureate institution," said Richard Randall, the interim president of UMA.
The hope is that such a system would create a better-educated workforce in central Maine, capable of meeting the growing complexities of modern labor. Charles Johnson, chair of the University of Maine System Board of Trustees and owner of Kennebec Tool and Die in Augusta, said because jobs are becoming more technical, they require training beyond high school, and often beyond an associate's degree. "Bachelor's degrees are becoming sort of a baseline," said Johnson, "and they need to be as available in central Maine as they are in the rest of the state."
To make the change, the task force is recommending collaboration between USM and UMA that would allow for the brokering of degrees, whereby the Augusta campus could use distance education technology to take advantage of resources available at southern Maine campuses. In addition, the task force is recommending a system that would approve members of the Augusta faculty to teach courses used in established programs at other campuses.
Regardless of which changes, if any, are made to the trustees' original plans, Randall said, the university intends to consult with local area business leaders to determine what their needs are in terms of an educated workforce. UMA already consults with a board of visitors, whose members are local business people and community leaders, to get feedback on long term planning and program quality.
And even though some of the more popular programs at UMA, such as social work and business administration, are already geared toward the region's economy, Peter Thompson, executive director of the Augusta Chamber of Commerce, said greater education is in demand in almost every industry, from government work to automobile repair. "[It's] in our interest, the chamber's interest and the business community's, to continue to foster a better, more educated group of people for performing the various tasks that we require," said Thompson, "and those tasks are getting more complex in this new world of ours."
Teaching efficiency
Charles Johnson is in a position to see both sides of the issue. As a business owner in Augusta, he wants what is best for the university. But as a UMaine trustee he is also charged with finding a cost-effective way to make any changes at the campus.
According to Johnson, the trustees drafted the Strategic Plan that included the proposed merger of UMA and USM in the spring of 2003 to address the issue of improving Maine's higher education system in the face of flat or declining funding from the state. Johnson said the trustees knew the merger would be contentious, and the months that followed bore that out. Staff and faculty at the Augusta campus protested loudly, as did members of the Augusta community and state legislators. The Legislature even went so far as to pass an amendment to the budget for 2006 requiring the current names and locations of campuses in the University System to stay the same.
Members of the Augusta community were primarily concerned that losing autonomy could lead to reduced funding for the university. Having a higher education institution in the state capital also is a matter of community pride for many residents. "We've had a president since we began and the president has been an equal partner in the business of the greater university," said Lund.
While many opposed the merger, they at the same time sympathized with the goals of the trustees. This is reflected in the task force's recommendations, which members say are not seeking to stymie the efforts of the trustees, but instead outline a different path to the same objectives. "We may end up with a different model, but I think the goals will be well aligned with what we originally wanted to do," Johnson said.
Collaboration between the campuses is seen by trustees and task force members as a good solution to the problem of improving the Augusta curriculum while recognizing the realities of a lean budget. While not as cost-effective as an actual merger, collaboration between campuses would allow UMA to save a significant amount on the cost of starting a new program, said Randall.
One means of collaboration is a process called degree brokering, whereby UMA could purchase a program from another University of Maine campus. This would allow for part, if not all, of the program to be taught at UMA and the rest to be made up with distance education. Under the process, members of the Augusta faculty could be reviewed by the desired program's chair to see if they qualify to teach that program's courses.
There is already precedent for degree brokering at the college, according to Randall. UMA's English program arose from a partnership with the University of Maine at Fort Kent, which already offered a bachelor's degree in English. UMA was able to get Fort Kent to approve some of its faculty to teach courses in the English program, and between that and distance education, students in Augusta were able to get bachelor's degrees from UMFK. After the program's success demonstrated its viability, UMA started an English program of its own.
Although the task force did not identify specific courses for UMA to pursue, Randall said that should an alliance be formed, UMA would likely look first to USM for any new programs because its proximity makes it easier to share resources. The reorganization plan also calls for UMA to develop a shared standard in terms of education quality that would allow for easier transitions from community colleges and other University of Maine System campuses. Johnson said this could be beneficial to him as a business owner, because many of his employees have gone through the two-year machine tool program at Kennebec Valley Community College, but had trouble pursuing an engineering degree at UMA because they could not get credit for all of their previous work.
For Johnson and the other trustees, though, the proposed changes are primarily about the bottom line. For the first time in the history of the university system, said Johnson, income from tuition accounts for more of the system's budget than appropriations from the state. "It means that we've got to find other pots of money or get more efficient at what we're doing," said Johnson. "That's where a lot of the tension has come from with the strategic plan."
Thompson of the Augusta Chamber of Commerce said the local business community understands the need for cost effectiveness, but argued that UMA already is a model of how to run a university efficiently. By allowing it to retain its autonomy, he bets UMA will achieve an example of what the kind of institution the trustees envisioned in their strategic plan. "This college [is] one of the most efficient in the state in terms of cost to educate a student, and one of the least supported in terms of funding," said Thompson. "If it's allowed to continue to do that, [UMA] could help create exactly what [the state] is looking for."
Lund wasn't alone in those concerns ˆ and, in fact, the divisiveness of the proposed merger prompted Gov. John Baldacci in April 2005 to create a task force, which included Lund, to evaluate the plan. In December, Lund's worries were partially alleviated when the task force made a formal recommendation against the merger to the University of Maine System Board of Trustees.
While the trustees still need to vote on that recommendation later this winter, it appears likely the board will accept the proposal. Still, task force members say a vote against the merger does not mean a vote for the status quo at UMA. Like the trustees, the task force is concerned with finding a cost-efficient way of providing increased baccalaureate programs and improving the quality of services offered at the Augusta campus, which offers a significant number of associate's degrees rather than bachelor's degrees. Associate's degrees accounted for roughly 62% percent of the degrees UMA awarded last year, whereas most University of Maine campuses award predominantly bachelor's degrees.
Rather than merging the school with another campus, though, the task force report outlines a possible collaboration between the Augusta campus, USM and the community colleges in central Maine. The idea is to create a sort of educational funnel that relies on graduates from community colleges continuing their education at UMA, as well as the matriculation of more traditional students interested in bachelor's degrees. "We're essentially talking about sharpening the focus of the University of Maine at Augusta so it becomes known as a baccalaureate institution," said Richard Randall, the interim president of UMA.
The hope is that such a system would create a better-educated workforce in central Maine, capable of meeting the growing complexities of modern labor. Charles Johnson, chair of the University of Maine System Board of Trustees and owner of Kennebec Tool and Die in Augusta, said because jobs are becoming more technical, they require training beyond high school, and often beyond an associate's degree. "Bachelor's degrees are becoming sort of a baseline," said Johnson, "and they need to be as available in central Maine as they are in the rest of the state."
To make the change, the task force is recommending collaboration between USM and UMA that would allow for the brokering of degrees, whereby the Augusta campus could use distance education technology to take advantage of resources available at southern Maine campuses. In addition, the task force is recommending a system that would approve members of the Augusta faculty to teach courses used in established programs at other campuses.
Regardless of which changes, if any, are made to the trustees' original plans, Randall said, the university intends to consult with local area business leaders to determine what their needs are in terms of an educated workforce. UMA already consults with a board of visitors, whose members are local business people and community leaders, to get feedback on long term planning and program quality.
And even though some of the more popular programs at UMA, such as social work and business administration, are already geared toward the region's economy, Peter Thompson, executive director of the Augusta Chamber of Commerce, said greater education is in demand in almost every industry, from government work to automobile repair. "[It's] in our interest, the chamber's interest and the business community's, to continue to foster a better, more educated group of people for performing the various tasks that we require," said Thompson, "and those tasks are getting more complex in this new world of ours."
Teaching efficiency
Charles Johnson is in a position to see both sides of the issue. As a business owner in Augusta, he wants what is best for the university. But as a UMaine trustee he is also charged with finding a cost-effective way to make any changes at the campus.
According to Johnson, the trustees drafted the Strategic Plan that included the proposed merger of UMA and USM in the spring of 2003 to address the issue of improving Maine's higher education system in the face of flat or declining funding from the state. Johnson said the trustees knew the merger would be contentious, and the months that followed bore that out. Staff and faculty at the Augusta campus protested loudly, as did members of the Augusta community and state legislators. The Legislature even went so far as to pass an amendment to the budget for 2006 requiring the current names and locations of campuses in the University System to stay the same.
Members of the Augusta community were primarily concerned that losing autonomy could lead to reduced funding for the university. Having a higher education institution in the state capital also is a matter of community pride for many residents. "We've had a president since we began and the president has been an equal partner in the business of the greater university," said Lund.
While many opposed the merger, they at the same time sympathized with the goals of the trustees. This is reflected in the task force's recommendations, which members say are not seeking to stymie the efforts of the trustees, but instead outline a different path to the same objectives. "We may end up with a different model, but I think the goals will be well aligned with what we originally wanted to do," Johnson said.
Collaboration between the campuses is seen by trustees and task force members as a good solution to the problem of improving the Augusta curriculum while recognizing the realities of a lean budget. While not as cost-effective as an actual merger, collaboration between campuses would allow UMA to save a significant amount on the cost of starting a new program, said Randall.
One means of collaboration is a process called degree brokering, whereby UMA could purchase a program from another University of Maine campus. This would allow for part, if not all, of the program to be taught at UMA and the rest to be made up with distance education. Under the process, members of the Augusta faculty could be reviewed by the desired program's chair to see if they qualify to teach that program's courses.
There is already precedent for degree brokering at the college, according to Randall. UMA's English program arose from a partnership with the University of Maine at Fort Kent, which already offered a bachelor's degree in English. UMA was able to get Fort Kent to approve some of its faculty to teach courses in the English program, and between that and distance education, students in Augusta were able to get bachelor's degrees from UMFK. After the program's success demonstrated its viability, UMA started an English program of its own.
Although the task force did not identify specific courses for UMA to pursue, Randall said that should an alliance be formed, UMA would likely look first to USM for any new programs because its proximity makes it easier to share resources. The reorganization plan also calls for UMA to develop a shared standard in terms of education quality that would allow for easier transitions from community colleges and other University of Maine System campuses. Johnson said this could be beneficial to him as a business owner, because many of his employees have gone through the two-year machine tool program at Kennebec Valley Community College, but had trouble pursuing an engineering degree at UMA because they could not get credit for all of their previous work.
For Johnson and the other trustees, though, the proposed changes are primarily about the bottom line. For the first time in the history of the university system, said Johnson, income from tuition accounts for more of the system's budget than appropriations from the state. "It means that we've got to find other pots of money or get more efficient at what we're doing," said Johnson. "That's where a lot of the tension has come from with the strategic plan."
Thompson of the Augusta Chamber of Commerce said the local business community understands the need for cost effectiveness, but argued that UMA already is a model of how to run a university efficiently. By allowing it to retain its autonomy, he bets UMA will achieve an example of what the kind of institution the trustees envisioned in their strategic plan. "This college [is] one of the most efficient in the state in terms of cost to educate a student, and one of the least supported in terms of funding," said Thompson. "If it's allowed to continue to do that, [UMA] could help create exactly what [the state] is looking for."
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