The proposal for a new school within the University of Maine is such a natural that many residents will be surprised that it does not already exist. When university trustees today review the proposal for a School of Marine Sciences, they should enthusiastically support the plan.

Maine’s dependence on the sea is evident from the Piscataqua Bridge in Kittery to the Lubec Narrows. Maine is tied to the Atlantic culturally, spiriturally and economically, yet its university, one of the few Sea Grant universities in the nation, has no formal marine school for training undergraduate and graduate students, conducting research or helping the public better appreciate and use this awesome natural resource.

This is not to say that the university does not have faculty trained in marine sciences or that individual programs have not existed. Proponents of the school estimate that UMaine has 70 faculty and professionals qualified to teach or conduct research in this field. The problem has been a lack of coordination. The qualified scientists are scattered among four colleges, 14 departments and nine research programs.

The school would allow the university to expand its current undergraduate-degree offerings (currently, it allows only one in marine sciences, in aquaculture), attracting new students to rigorous programs in such areas as oceanography, fisheries and marine geology and biology. Though graduate programs already are more developed, the school should help coordinate research projects.

Univerisity administrators report that there is a steady request from students and potential students for marine science majors, so the courses should be well-attended, without endangering related marine programs, such as one at Maine Maritime Academy.

Though faculty already are on campus, the school still comes with a price tag. The proposal places startup costs at $131,800, with the first new degree program to be offered in 1998. This would be money well-invested by the university, and would cover the cost of promoting a faculty member to a director of the school and other administrative requirements. Growth beyond the beginning stages would be based on the school’s ability to attract research dollars.

UMaine’s Sea Grant status gives it the responsibility of making a long-term commitment to state and national marine issues. Developing well-trained students in a half-dozen related fields of marine science could help the state make better long-term plans for successful, sustainable growth. University trustees should support this mission.