I applaud Maine voters for approving bond measures to improve the quality of education at the University of Maine. I am, however, dismayed at the vapidity of the recent editorial, “University Finances” (BDN, Nov. 10). To wit, the suggestion that “Campuses must find new ways to reduce costs and raise revenue” is about as meaningful as stating that in order to win in Iraq we must prevail over the insurgents and bring the country back to order. Phew, that was easy!

I spent nearly two years at the University of Maine in Orono as an assistant professor in the chemistry department. One of the reasons I left was that the conditions in the department were awful. Equipment was ancient and seemed held together with chewing gum and tape.

Insufficient funding was available to offer competitive stipends to graduate students (the stipends were $5,000 to $7,000 less than most schools), and as a result we had graduate students supervising undergraduate labs who oftentimes knew less chemistry than the undergrads themselves and who barely spoke English. This chronic underfunding had been in effect for more than a few years and, it seems, there is little chance it will change. The funds in the recently approved bond, while a worthwhile start, will not even bring facilities up to second rate.

I offer two solutions to improve UMaine: Get rid of all those campuses, and raise tuition. Yes, it feels good to have “universities” across the state. While I doubt any current faculty member would admit it in public, aside from the University of Southern Maine, these small campuses are really just glorified high schools, not universities. The waste of resources in the duplication of administration could go to making UMaine at Orono a good school.

And, yes, I realize UMaine prides itself on being a low-cost school. K-Mart is a low-cost store, and I would never buy a suit there. At UMaine tuition is low, and the quality of the incoming class reflects this (SAT scores are among the lowest in New England, as is the six-year graduation rate).

Increasing tuition would fund more faculty positions and allow departments to buy modern equipment. This would make it more difficult for some students to attend, but loans are readily available and there’s nothing wrong with paying for something one derives benefit from.

For a poor state seeking to improve its economy the best possible investment it can make is in its schools. The University of Maine has some very talented faculty and could well become a very good school. Providing faculty with better graduate students (by funding competitive stipends) and better equipment would produce better research, which would attract better students and potentially create jobs form spin-off companies.

Finding ways to reduce costs is not a viable strategy. The school needs strong leadership and the support of the Legislature. As with everything, you get exactly what you pay for.

Andrew R. Vaino, M.B.A, Ph.D., was an assistant professor in the chemistry department at the University of Maine for two years. He now works for an investment bank in Newport Beach, Calif.