BETTER HIGHER ED

Maine’s technical-college and university systems have been growing steadily closer through sharing resources, agreeing to a hybrid community-college system and seeing students spend two years at the technical colleges then want to continue for a four-year degree at a state university. But the announcement Saturday that the two systems would find more areas of cooperation was important because it is becoming increasingly evident that, however, they are administered, the two should be one system, representing seamless opportunities in higher education for thousands of Maine students each year.

The technical colleges, under the able direction of President John Fitzsimmons, have done much to encourage this view, first by expanding in liberal-arts areas of study and then by proposing a name change to a more bricks-and-mortar community college system. As it more closely aligns curriculum with the University of Maine System the natural thought is to improve efficiency, make the transition for students easier and take advantage of economies of scale by merging them. At least it was a natural thought for UMaine

System Chancellor Joseph Westphal, who proposed the idea a couple of months ago and, having made his point, worked with President Fitzsimmons and Gov. John Baldacci to produce the agreement announced Saturday.

That agreement is expected to make transferring easier, expand access to learning statewide, develop collaborative grant proposals and scholarships and support the state’s economic growth plans. The systems will form an advisory board to see that these goals are met. Appropriately, Gov. Baldacci made the announcement at the new Mid Coast Center for Higher Education in Bath, one of five schools that will offer both university and technical-college courses.

President Fitzsimmons and Chancellor Westphal deserve credit for working together to expand the areas of agreement between the systems. But a remark the chancellor made last week about the deal was accurate and telling. The Legislature this winter, he said, will “be so focused on financial issues that it would be irresponsible to place on them the additional burden of having to manage issues between our systems.” The Legislature will be desperate for money this year, and the systems could be made to yield immediate savings if they were quickly pushed together and administration were cut by 30 or 40 percent. Neither system leader would want that, and by acting now they are averting a slapdash marriage of the two.

Ultimately, however, and carefully, the systems should be brought together, and that will require broad reorganizations of the many campuses, centers and sites that make up the systems. Done right and with the proper respect of the types of education provided by each, a merger could improve public higher education in Maine while lowering costs. The agreement last week was an important, thoughtful step in that direction.