Not only did Chancellor Terry MacTaggart bring calm to a turbulent University of Maine System when he arrived five years ago, he brought legislative skill that has allowed him to work with lawmakers, sometimes quietly, and usually to good effect. That makes his latest proposal, The Maine Idea, not only daring, but surprising.

Daring, because while The Maine Idea is a collection of previously discussed proposals to increase access to higher education, expand technology and repair the UMS campuses, the scale of the plan, at $120 million ($59 million in operating expenses; $61 million for capital requests) in new money over the next two years, is a significant step up.

Surprising, because legislators knew when they left Augusta last spring that there wasn’t a lot of money left over for new programs. The so-called structural gap – the difference between the amount of expenses budgeted and expected revenues – is something over $200 million. Revenues are up a bit over projections, but not much. Gov. Angus King recently commented that the challenge would be to maintain the current level of services.

Certainly there is much to like in The Maine Idea. It aims high, with the goals of preparing students for “life, work and stewardship in the 21st century;” increasing the number of college graduates; increasing the use of technology; working both with K-12 schools and businesses to improve education; and all the while maintaining the core operations of the system – for instance, by paying competitive salaries to keep good people. Almost no one would disagree with these goals, but they don’t come free.

The capital cost of maintaining the universities themselves is $408 million, of which chancellor is asking $61 million from the state, with a $25 million match from UMS, to get started. A much-needed endowment for student financial aid would require a $10 million match from the state. Money for research and development, which, though new, already is paying dividends for the state in terms of jobs and matching federal money, would be further expanded.

And more than the money, The Maine Idea represents a commitment to higher education in Maine and a recognition that it remains the best way for the state to grow out its low-wage dependence on the high-tech industries of other states. It’s a commitment from the chancellor that the taxpayers of Maine can count on his hard work to make this investment worthwhile.

Still, there’s the money. Unless the state receives a windfall, lawmakers would have to cut programs in other areas to make this valuable plan happen. Fortunately, the chancellor has presented The Maine Idea early enough to allow for a thorough debate.