LITTLETON – A delegation of nearly 30 representatives from the University of Maine and the Houlton Band of Maliseets gathered Friday to lay the foundation for what officials hope will result in more tribal youths enrolling at the flagship campus.

Faculty, students and staff from the university met with tribal representatives during a daylong forum held at the tribal headquarters in Littleton.

“This is the first time that we’ve ever done this,” said Brian Reynolds, the Maliseets’ education director, gesturing around the room at the attendees who were mingling during a break. “The delegates from the university came here to talk about student retention – not just how to get more of our Maliseet youth to attend college, but also how to keep them there.”

For 35 years, members of the state’s American Indian tribes have been offered free tuition at the University of Maine. But historically, according to college officials, very few have taken advantage of the offer.

To rectify the situation, educators have begun to identify and eliminate social, economic or other barriers between native youths and college.

Members of Friday’s delegation were from the university’s College of Education and Human Development, Native American Studies program, the Wabanaki Center, the ALANA Center, the UMaine Folklife Center, Peace Studies program, and the English, history and new media departments.

Many of the same delegates visited the Aroostook Band of Micmacs last summer, and a group of young people from the tribe toured the Orono campus two months later. O.J. Logue, associate dean for academic services in the College of Education and Human Development, said the university hopes to create a strong dialogue with both the Micmac and Maliseet communities.

The University of Maine has had an office, now called the Wabanaki Center, since 1973 to assist and accommodate American Indian students on campus. But Logue pointed out that the university can always be more accessible and welcoming to Indian youths.

“We now have a tremendous dialogue going and we’ve gotten an understanding about some barriers that may be impeding Maliseet and other Native American students from coming to the college,” he explained.

During the meeting, the group discussed barriers that might discourage Maliseet and other American Indian students from attending or staying at the university, such as feeling intimidated by the size and population of the Orono campus.

Reynolds, who graduated from the university in 1994, remembers those feelings well.

“When I first went there, it was complete culture shock,” he recalled. “We are such a small, close-knit community here, and it’s really an eye-opening experience to leave your small, little community and step onto the Orono campus where you see thousands of people every day.

“When I went to school, I left behind my support system and stepped out of my comfort zone,” he continued. “I felt out of place at times. I think that a lot of our Maliseet youth might feel that way when they first get to Orono, and I think that the people from the university who are here today want to do whatever they can to make the experience easier for them.”

Before the forum ended, the Maliseet community and the university delegation shared a traditional American Indian meal, which included hulled corn soup, moose meat and fiddleheads.

The university plans to host a visit by high-school-age members of the Maliseet Nation in February.