"A Bold Plan" for the UMaine System

I read this article with trepidation. As a sometimes adjunct professor who taught Writing & Reporting for Print at UMaine during the spring semester, I am part of the "restructuring" process. My class had two sections -- I taught one of them. Since the class is held in the computer lab there is a cap on enrollment -- about 20 students I believe. Each spring I always had a waiting list of students who wanted to get into my class. It was a 200 level introductory course that all mass communications/journalism majors had to take to earn their degree. My section has been canceled this spring, leaving just one and, I'm assuming, a lot of angry students who are trying to fulfill their writing requirement.

They say they are cutting back classes with low enrollment -- but they are also cutting back on classes with more than enough students. I have seen frustrated students be driven to tears because of cuts in the journalism program. Some of them can no longer graduate on time. The students who are studying advertising have no program at all left -- it was cut.

Bold, yes. I wonder how the University of Maine system plans on boosting enrollment while they raise tuition and cut back on academic and athletic programs. This fall there is no women's volleyball team and no men's soccer. Students are fed up with paying more and getting less and I don't blame them. Going to a state school is often the most affordable way for Maine students to get an education, but should they have to suffer watered down academic programs to save a few bucks? If you ask me I'd rather invest more money into my education and go to a school that offers a wide variety of classes, has a good reputation, has ample work study, and doesn't raise tuition to make a buck at the expense of my experience.

The plan identifies cost savings totaling $31.3 million by 2013 in the area of administrative, student, and financial services. In addition, it calls for $8 million to $10 million in cost reductions related to academic programs and services, and projects revenue increases of $3 million to $5 million as a result of improved student recruitment and retention. - Bangor Daily News

$10 million in cuts to academic programs and services. That's a huge red flag to me. They're going to need that $3-5 million to retain and recruit students...especially when they talk about cutting financial services.

This may not impact the smaller schools as much as it will UMaine Orono. Students have lots of choices of where to attend college for their 4-year degree. Competition is fierce. This plan doesn't seem to fit with the overall goal of keeping the best and brightest in state. If students can't get a quality education at their state school, what will make them come back to work? This is a bold plan...but I'm not sure it's the right one.