Report of the Public Higher Education Systems Coordinating Committee - Submitted to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs and Governor Janet T. Mills - February 15, 2019

Oct 15, 2026

Annual report letter and narrative describing the Public Higher Education Systems Coordinating Committee created under Public Law 2015, Chapter 261. It outlines how the University of Maine System and Maine Community College System coordinate efficiency, cooperative planning, and strategic initiatives to raise Maine’s higher education attainment rate to 60% by 2025. The report summarizes the 2018 partnerships, governance structure, and current activities focused on access, student success, and cost-effective program delivery, including new mathematics pathways, a micro-credentialing system, and planning for a student success summit.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

I. INTRODUCTION

II. REPORT OF CURRENT ACTIVITIES

A. Access

February 15, 2019 Senator Rebecca Millett Representative Victoria Kornfield Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs 100 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0100 Dear Senator Millett and Representative Kornfield: As you know, Public Law 2015, Chapter 261 created the Public Higher Education Systems Coordinating Committee. The Committee is charged with promoting efficiency, cooperative effort, and strategic planning between the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System. It is also charged with submitting a report of its work to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs and to the Governor annually on February 15. Our report for 2018 is attached. It details the partnerships and planning that has been undertaken by the two systems over the past year in support of the State’s goal to increase the higher education attainment rate in Maine so that 60% of Mainers will hold postsecondary education or workforce credentials that position Maine and its families for success by 2025 (MaineSpark) . Among the new initiatives to improve attainment and completion and meet state needs that are detailed in this report are the establishment of new mathematics pathways, a new micro-credentialing system, and the planning of a June 2019 joint student success summit. As we believe the report makes clear, we continue to collaborative closely to meet the educational needs of Maine citizens and the workforce requirements of Maine’s employers while being good fiscal stewards of the investments in our respective institutions by tuition and taxpayers. We look forward to meeting with the Committee in the coming weeks to discuss our continued collaborations and would suggest Thursday, March 14 when we will be delivering our respective addresses on the state of our systems to a Joint Session of the Legislature. Sincerely, James Page Chancellor University of Maine System David Daigler President Maine Community College System Report of the Public Higher Education Systems Coordinating Committee Submitted to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs and Governor Janet T. Mills February 15, 2019 I. INTRODUCTION Public Law 2015, Chapter 261 (LD 1441) created the Public Higher Education Systems Coordinating Committee to recognize more formally the importance of cooperative efforts between Maine’s two systems of higher education. The Committee is comprised of the Chancellor of the University of Maine System (UMS), the President of the Maine Community College System (MCCS), and the chairs of both systems’ Boards of Trustees. The Committee is charged with promoting efficiency, cooperative effort, and strategic planning between the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System. A copy of the law is provided in Appendix A. Signaling their strong commitment to joint efforts that enhance the educational and economic health of our state, the Boards of Trustees of UMS and MCCS subsequently passed a joint resolution in 2016 encouraging continued and expanded collaborations between the two systems. (Appendix B. ) This annual report, the Coordinating Committee’s fourth, documents the collaborative efforts currently underway across our two systems to meet the educational needs of Maine citizens and the workforce requirements of Maine’s employers while being good fiscal stewards of the investments in our respective institutions by tuition and taxpayers. It details how the two systems are working in close collaboration with each other and, through MaineSpark, a statewide coalition of organizations, to increase the higher education attainment rate in Maine so that 60% of Mainers will hold postsecondary education and workforce credentials that position Maine and its families for success by 2025. As we enter 2019, both systems remain focused on the collaborations required to advance Maine towards this critically important attainmen

FAQs

Who created the Public Higher Education Systems Coordinating Committee and what is its purpose?

Public Law 2015, Chapter 261 created the Committee to formalize cooperative efforts between Maine’s two higher education systems and to promote efficiency, cooperative effort, and strategic planning.

What report is being submitted and when?

The report for 2018 is submitted to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs and to Governor Janet T. Mills on February 15, 2019.

What kinds of initiatives are highlighted to improve attainment and completion?

The report details initiatives such as establishing new mathematics pathways, implementing a micro-credentialing system, and planning a June 2019 joint student success summit.

Oct 15, 2026

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