… in the community

At the press conference last week releasing the FAME study, Gov. Angus King offered one important part of a remedy to Maine’s low college-participation rate when he said it needs to emphasize low-cost, low-stress, close-to-home access to higher education. Maine’s new Community College Partnership meets those requirements nicely.

The partnership grew out of the dual problems of the lack of access to college compounded by Maine barely being able to afford the higher education systems it already had. The solution from the King administration was encouraging: It proposed last year that the technical colleges and UMaine systems together offer programs and services to high school students and adults who would not otherwise go to college. The fact that Maine has among the lowest rate of residents attending college and was one of only three states without a community college system probably isn’t a coincidence.

The partnership is taking off. This fall the two systems will cooperate in offering an associate of arts in general studies degree. One goal, of course, is to show doubtful students that they can be successful in college and encourage them to pursue further learning. Building confidence for some students is as important as developing skills. And this approach casts a wider net for students than Maine has tried before.

It is a good idea that needs to grow. In Houlton, residents are wondering whether the community college could grow their way. The University of Maine at Presque Isle and Northern Maine Technical College already offer classes there, but bringing increased access through a community college increases the chances that the community will have greater opportunity for attracting and holding new industry.

The community-college system is as yet untested and will certainly need adjustments in the next few years, perhaps most importantly in finding ways to reduce tuition costs. But introducing higher education that is low cost, low stress and close to home should increase opportunities here in ways Maine has yet to anticipate.