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BOT votes to approve restructuring plan

Posted on Nov. 16, 2009, at 2:20 p.m.

The University of Maine System board of trustees voted Monday to approve Chancellor Richard Pattenaude’s plan to head off an estimated $42.8 million shortfall during the next five years.

The trustees revised the report in response to feedback from public comment sessions that took place on each system campus, according to Pattenaude.

Changes in the new version of the plan included an initial reduction in the strategic investment fund — a pool of money proposed to be set aside for the system to strategically invest in certain areas — from $5.4 million to $1 million for the following fiscal year, a three-year baccalaureate option, increased enrollment in online programs as well as further cost reduction strategies for the system office.

“Every dollar we save … allows us to maintain our work. It allows us to maintain the viability of our campuses to the best of our abilities,” Pattenaude said.

Board chairperson Joe Wishcamper spoke from his Freeport home, due to surgery.

“The next phase is implementation,” Wishcamper said via teleconference, citing the decline of state appropriations and Maine’s shifting demographics as factors contributing to the unsustainable financial future of the system.

“Crisis creates a window of opportunity,” Wishcamper said.

One fast-track measure touted by Pattenaude is the three-year baccalaureate degree option. Providing affordability, efficiency and an increased turnover into the workforce, the three-year option would draw on resources like online courses, summer sessions and the use of other system institutions in order to expedite degree completion. In addition to these measures, Pattenaude expressed the need for technology upgrades and the sharing of faculty members between institutions.

“We need to increase our emphasis on growth and revenue,” Pattenaude said. “We all feel a great sense of urgency. We must move carefully so our margin of error is small.”

Decreases in the disbursement to the strategic investment fund from the original $5.4 million to two disbursements of $1 million this fiscal year and $1.7 million the next reflect current financial conditions. The remaining funding will be phased in during a three-year period.

Speaking Monday afternoon by phone, UMaine President Robert Kennedy said he was pleased with the changes in the report, specifically with the strategic investment fund.

“I was very worried about it, and am still a little bit worried,” Kennedy said.

Pattenaude presented increased online enrollment as an additional fast-track measure. He said online enrollment offers a “democratic approach to higher education,” and that technological capabilities have not been maximized.

Pattenaude highlighted the importance of distance learning and the need for an inter-institutional online portal that would connect the various components of academic, employee and administrative needs of students, faculty and personnel — from parking permits to being able to access a list of students in a class. An interactive electronic portal would unite the features of MaineStreet, FirstClass, WebCT and Blackboard software systems. The portal would cost $20 per students per semester.

“[The portal] plugs into existing data … and brings it to a single accessible screen,” said Pattenaude of his hopes for technological integration on a systemic scale.

“The opportunity to interact electronically expands by using modern technology,” he said. “The institution has to adopt these tools.”

Trustee Charles O’Leary of Orono challenged the reliance on technological interactions when faced with traditional learning environments. He stressed the cultural significance of the University of Maine in towns across the state.

“Traditions are important,” O’Leary said. “In places like Fort Kent and Machias, the university is the only ball game in town.”

Pattenaude explained that, at times, public policy outweighs tradition.

In addition to previous cuts already made and those proposed, the system office has cut over $1 million in their operations and is currently seeking to further reduce costs through an office system study.

The report’s projected milestones will be to focus on campus-level refined missions, with contribution from campus leadership and community. The adopted missions will be implemented in June 2010.

Trustee Victoria Murphy questioned the proposed time frame of the report.

“I just wondered why the time frame is so far out there,” she said in reference of June 11, 2010, the five-year strategic plan’s implementation target date.

Pattenaude responded that the interim period “engages campus level processes” and will force each campus to focus on itself before participating in the overall plan.

Board members voted unanimously to approve the plan after two hours of deliberation and the presentation of changes made due to public feedback.

“We need to be able to show that we are alive and competitive,” said Trustee Marjorie Medd of the system’s future.

William P. Davis contributed to this report.