Maines Colleges & Universities Meeting the Needs of Maine People

Who We Are The presidents of Maines 33 colleges and universities The Chancellor of the University of Maine System The President of the Community College System The Commissioner of Education and the DOEs Director of School Support Systems

About Maines Colleges and Universities 15 publics, 16 private non-profits; 2 proprietary We serve over 60,000 students 75% of our students are from Maine Our campuses are located in all reaches of the state Students all over the world are taking thousands of web-based credit hours from Maine colleges and universities

Our Economic Contribution Today Higher Ed is among the 20 largest industries in Maine We provide over 14,000 jobs Wages and salaries = $500 million annually Combined operating budgets total nearly $800 million Approximately $65 million drawn to Maine annually for R&D projects 30% goes to purchase goods and services directly from Maine vendors Out of state students bring $ with them

Our Intellectual Contribution for Tomorrow…

Population Growth is Expected to Continue to Slow

The Share of Older Workers in the Labor Force is Rising

Over the next 10 years, many of the countrys 78 million baby boomers will leave the workforce and only 44 million replacements will be available.

In Maine, openings in occupations will be fueled by replacement demand rather than by growth in all occupations except one. *source: Maine Department of Labor

Job growth will be the largest among the highest and lowest paying occupations.

The fastest job growth is projected to require at least some college education.

Most High Growth/High Wage jobs will be filled by workers with at least some post-secondary education.

Job growth will be concentrated in: Healthcare (51%) Professional/Business (18%) Leisure & Hospitality (17%)

Maine colleges are supplying workers for the knowledge-based economy of tomorrow. We have a big job to fill the large gap of core competencies, skills, and knowledge left by an aging and retiring workforce. All Maine colleges have a role in backfilling the various occupations facing growth and replacement needs.

The Challenge: Not enough educated workers AND A gap between high school preparation and college readiness

Remediation and Graduation Source: Kirst, M. (2004). The high school/college disconnect. Educational Leadership, 62(3),

What Were Doing… Working collaboratively with each other, Maine Readiness Campaign, DOE and others to improve college readiness in Maine Being accountable for college academic progress through the accreditation and assessment process. Communicating about: Who we are and why Maine is the best location for education What courses a high school student needs to be ready for college

Why Invest in Our Future?

As educational attainment increases so do average wages.

Or, another way to look at it…

Future supply of college graduates

What Maine Legislators Can Do… Advertise the superior quality, diversity, and importance of Maines colleges and universities Keep long-term benefits in mind when making short-term budget decisions Invest in higher education at every opportunity

Thank you!