Husson, Bangor Savings team up to offer free college courses for bank employees

Courtesy / Husson University Husson University, whose Bangor campus is shown here, is...

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By Staff

Three months after Bangor Savings Bank said it will donate $500,000 to Husson University to help fund a new business school building, the two Bangor institutions are partnering again.

Under an agreement announced last week, Bangor Savings Bank employees will be able to take up to six undergraduate courses at Husson every calendar year free of charge, or one course in every seven-week term.

Bank employees have the option of taking 15-week versions of the courses on any Husson campus and taking more than one course at a time, as along as they don't exceed six per calendar year. Those who do want to take more than six per calendar year can do so at their own expense.

“With 59 branches across Maine and New Hampshire, Bangor Savings Bank employees are spread out over a sizable geographic area,” said Marie Hansen, dean of Husson's College of Business and the New England School of Communications, in a news release

She added. “Our robust online capabilities, along with our campuses in southern Maine, northern Maine and Bangor, are ideally suited to reach all of these busy professionals and help them complete their undergraduate degree studies."

By emphasizing the use of prior learning assessments, Husson will give bank employees the chance to earn undergraduate credits. These credits recognize the professional experience and learning bank employees have acquired outside the traditional classroom.

Bangor Savings employees will also be able to submit college credits received at other colleges or universities for recognition as transfer credits.

“Continuing to invest in our employees by helping them find ways to achieve their goals is who we are as a company — the completion of undergraduate degrees is one way Bangor Savings Bank does that,” said Bob Montgomery-Rice, president and CEO of Bangor Savings. “With thanks to Husson for their partnership, we hope that we are able to set an example for others.”

About Husson University

Husson University offers courses at its main Bangor campus, three off-campus satellite education centers and online. A recent analysis by U.S. News & World Report found Husson to be the most affordable private college in New England.

About Bangor Savings Bank

Bangor Savings Bank, founded in 1852, has a total of 58 branches in Maine and New Hampshire. In June, the bank said that it finished the fiscal year that ended March 31 with $4.44 billion in assets, 219,000 customers, and nearly 950 employees across northern New England. The bank also reported net income of close to $33.2 million, a 38% jump over a year earlier.