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Meg Weston '76 Leads System Board of Trustees
by Gregory Reid Meg Weston '76, knows the challenge of working full-time and still finding the energy to get to class. Thirty years ago, she was one of those young people struggling to balance paying the bills and making the grades. She also knows the rewards of such hard work. And now she's in a position to help more people follow a similar path to reach their goals. In July, Weston became the first USM alumna to chair the University of Maine System Board of Trustees. The 16-member board oversees the University System's $599 million annual budget, serving 34,000 students across seven campuses. Her tenure begins at a time when institutional budgets are tighter than ever. For example, USM is working through an enrollment blip that has caused tighter budgets than expected. Weston is well-qualified for the post, given her long history as an advocate of higher education. She has served on what was then the USM Council of Visitors, and, under former Gov. Angus King, the Commission for Higher Education Governance. She also served as a University System board trustee for eight years, one of those as vice chair. And she is well-suited for a leadership role in challenging times. She has been in business in southern Maine for more than 25 years, currently as principal of her Weston Associates consulting firm. She is a past president of three large organizations: U.S. photo finishing operations for Konica Corporation; Printlife.com, a digital imaging company with operations in the United States, Israel, and Japan; and the Portland Press Herald and Maine Sunday Telegram. In addition, she has served as chair of the Institute for Civic Leadership. "Meg brings a powerful combination of experience in leading large organizations, leading long-term planning efforts in the public and private sectors, a commitment to public education," President Pattenaude says, "and a sensitivity to the complex human issues involved in change." Weston outlined two top priorities facing the board: hiring a new system chancellor (see related article about the hiring of the new chancellor) and tending to the system's financial stability. In September the board voted to seek a $14.8 million increase in state support for the next fiscal year, and a second, $21.6 million increase for the following budget year. At the same time, trustees are looking closely at how current budgets are spent and where changes are needed. Weston says her familiarity with USM deepens her understanding of how an institution can evolve to meet the needs of its community on a very lean budget. And while acknowledging the vast differences among the seven campuses, Weston says, staff at each university “try to share best practices, take something that works one place that can be applied someplace else.” Pattenaude certainly appreciates Weston's mandate. “Meg and the trustees need to set clear expectations for the universities and, working through the chancellor, hold them accountable,” he says. “Meg's role includes bringing a balanced view to the situation in order that the University System can serve the entire state in an appropriate manner.” Moreover, she knows first-hand what is at stake for the people of Maine. When Weston, a Connecticut native, came to Maine in the 1970s, she had studied at four colleges around the United States and Canada. At USM, she settled down and completed a B.A. in communications. She graduated summa cum laude. “I was married, working full-time, and the University was there for me to finish my degree,” she says. “If it weren't, I don't think I'd have completed my degree and I wouldn't have had the opportunities I've had.” She believes her work with the board ultimately will help give others similar opportunities. “There's nothing more important in the state than increasing higher education opportunities for the people of Maine,” she says. “Strong higher education attracts business, research and development, and reverses the brain drain. A public university must be made available to help people achieve what they want to achieve. I welcome the opportunity to try to keep us moving in the right direction.”
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