UPDATE From: President Richard L. Pattenaude
Number 1, September 2005
> 2005-06 Faculty and Staff Breakfast
> USM in Two Bond Packages for $4 Million
> University Commons
Thanks to all who attended the 2005-06 Faculty and Staff Breakfast that took place on Friday, September 2, in the Costello Sports Complex in Gorham. It was very rewarding to see so many friendly faces, including the faces of many of our new faculty and staff members. Many thanks to those who worked so hard to make the Breakfast happen.
As I said in my opening remarks, we have achieved great success over the past year under Transforming USM. This year, it is critical we capitalize on this momentum and converge our efforts to bring about the significant progress that will define USM’s future.
I want to remind you of the five levers of change that guide our work and highlight some of the goals we will target in the coming year (a complete copy of Transforming USM is available at http://www.usm.maine.edu/pres ):
We will continue to transform our curriculum by moving ahead with the development of our co-curriculum, adding several new undergraduate and graduate degrees and expanding our career center at Lewiston-Auburn College. We also will seek to transform our studentbody, launching new recruitment and retention plans and boosting our existing financial aid program with an additional $250,000 commitment.
As we transform our work, we will continue to work to resolve the USM-UMA merger question, forge ahead with the important implementation of PeopleSoft, overhaul our diversity plan, and continue our important discussion of the report on research, scholarly and creative activity—potentially resulting in the creation of the role of a Chief Research Officer. As we transform our funding, you will begin to see changes in the budgetary process, including the reduction of structural deficits and the addition of incentives as well as the completion of the $25 million capital campaign.
Finally, we will transform our facilities by breaking ground for a new 324-bed residence hall and a new childcare facility in Gorham, opening the newly expanded Bioscience Research Wing in Portland, and finalizing the plans or perhaps even breaking ground on University Commons in Portland.
In short, we must continue to build a 21st century university that not only remains committed to creating, preserving and sharing knowledge, but also is efficient, creative and responsive. There is no doubt that we are facing hard work. Achieving our goal will require us to become more decisive, more focused, and more disciplined. However, I am confident we can harness our collective experience and creativity to continue building a truly comprehensive, regional university.
A full transcript of my remarks from the Opening Breakfast is available at http://www.usm.maine.edu/mcr/news/releases_0506/breakfast.htm.
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On November 8, Maine citizens will have an opportunity to vote for two bonds that will strengthen USM’s capacity to serve our region. Question #4 includes a $2-million bond for an expansion of LAC that would provide space for The Educational Change Center, a project of the community-based initiative College for ME-Androscoggin designed to double the number of college-educated citizens in Androscoggin County in the next decade.
Question #6, the Higher Education Bond, includes a $2-million bond for the construction of a new home for USM's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). The $2-million state bond not only would help fund construction of a new OLLI building, a critical component of the University Commons on USM's Portland campus, its passing also will leverage an additional $4 million in private foundation funds.
Maine has taken significant strides in making educational opportunities accessible to more and more of its citizens—citizens of all ages. At a time when higher education has become a foundation for today’s knowledge-based economy, it is imperative that we continue this momentum.
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As you may recall from a message to the USM community earlier this calendar year, the Student Senate and related offices in Portland are moving from leased space on Baxter Blvd. to the meeting spaces formerly known as Rooms A, B and C in the Woodbury Campus Center, Portland campus. We will continue to make better use of existing conference spaces on the Portland campus, including meeting spaces in the Law School, Muskie and Luther Bonney, as well as spaces available in the Abromson Community Education Center.
Last month, USM received final approval from the Gorham Planning Board for the construction of a new child care building on the Gorham campus. The 6,500-square-foot facility, to be located adjacent to the John Mitchell Center, will serve 50 children through a collaborative project with PROP. Construction is scheduled to start soon, with the hopes of completing the facility in Spring 2006.
Also in the works is the planning for a new 324-bed residence hall to be located on the Gorham campus adjacent to the water tower and Bailey Hall. Planning also is underway to add parking to offset losses in parking by the location of the residence hall site. This project is still in the early design phase, and we will keep you posted as planning progresses.
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In recent years, we have initiated new construction and/or renovation projects totaling nearly $80 million. In the last 18 months alone, our university has seen considerable growth of our facilities, including the opening of the Advanced Technology Wing of the John Mitchell Center in Gorham and, in Portland, completion of the Glickman Family Library, the Abromson Community Education Center and the expanded Bioscience Research Wing. Our work transforming the Gorham campus continues with upcoming construction of a new 324-bed residence hall and a new childcare facility in Gorham, and planning already has begun for the expansion of Lewiston-Auburn College.
The next phase of our development of the Portland campus is proceeding quickly. Architectural planning is well underway for University Commons, which includes redevelopment of the land that runs between the Abromson Community Education Center and the Glickman Family Library in Portland. This fall, we will formally submit our plans to the City of Portland for municipal approvals in the first half of 2006. Additionally, in an effort to keep you apprised of the design and development process for University Commons as well as to gather your important feedback, we will be scheduling a series of community meetings later this year. We will keep you posted as the dates for such discussions are finalized.
In the meantime, it is important to mention that the $25 million capital campaign, much of which supports the development of University Commons, is proving quite successful. To date we have raised just short of $15 million, including five $1-million gifts in the last year. Congratulations to campaign co-chairs Carol Wishcamper and Dick McGoldrick, as well as to the entire University Advancement staff for their current success. We look forward to seeing the continued fruits of your good work.
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