Plan would eliminate 16 majors, 80 faculty

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? WE’RE KEEPING SPORTS PROGRAMS, WHICH ADD ZERO ACADEMIC VALUE TO THE SCHOOL, but we’re getting rid of actual majors?! No big deal… The art’s can be cut.. No one needs them anyway.. Let’s all get drunk and go to some sports event and be unruly and inappropriate. No one needs culture anyway. We’re from America, we can be as elitist as we please!

But seriously, cutting these majors from UMaine is disastrous. I’m a Business major, and I can see this. I have taken some of the Women’s Studies classes here on campus, and they’re not a joke like some would believe. I studied harder for those classes than some of my Business ones. All of these majors are also often chosen as minors for many other students here on campus. For prospective students, a school that has these programs or one that doesn’t offer it can be a deciding factor in school decision, as many will choose one of these subjects for a concentration.

In the long run, what’s more important to our futures, sports or an education? Why not follow in the steps of Northeastern and Hofstra, and eliminate our football program? It just bothers me that at a University, education is put on a back burner to sports. I know I’m not the only one that feels this way, and I just hope our voices are heard.

That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of. Getting rid of these programs will lose a huge number of students. Foreign languages are a very important part of the world, and just because Maine doesn’t have any diversity doesn’t mean that languages other than english aren’t necessary for the real-world. People that can speak other languages open doors for incredible opportunities, as it is an extremely useful skill. This tactic that is designed to save money is the opposite of an investment… it is a short term lowering of expenses that in the long run will cause the university to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars due to tuition losses, and will cause the overall community of this university to be far less diverse.

I agree that cutting these majors is awful. It’s unfortunate that when budget cuts come, the arts are usually first on the chopping block. It’s also unfortunate that the smaller majors that make UMaine unique are the ones that tend to get shafted. I’ll also be the first to agree that it seems unfair that sports teams seem to be pampered while the rest of us take hits year after year. However, you must remember that the sports teams not only generate a ton of money to the university, but also attract a lot of out-of-state and international students. While the sporting events might not provide the “culture” you’re looking for, they provide the income, from sponsors, alumni, and fans. Also, not all the sports teams are pampered, either. Outside the few major sports (hockey), student-athletes are rarely given scholarships worth making a fuss about. The facilities and equipment are not dazzling, and when new things are built, they are usually directly funded by alumni for those programs. So, while I agree that its a tragedy to cut the smaller programs like these, (and if one of mine were being cut, I’d be pretty pissed, too) you can’t always blame athletics and its drunk and rowdy fans, either.

Well, Laura, that’s easy to say but right or not sports bring benefactors and benefactors bring money. What I think needs to be looked at is some of the deadends the school seems to be spending money on. I know they need to stay relevant but they’ve been in a state of near-constant upgrades for about a decade now, maybe it’s time to pull back and regroup instead of having yet another memorial built or something.

Well, since nobody wants raised fees, this is what you get. Sports is a revenue generator, womens studies is indeed a joke and is agenda driven and the only reason there even is a degree in it is due to political correctness, not a need in the job market for it. As for public administration and languages going away as a degree doesn’t necessarily mean that there won’t be any classes in these subjects, even women’s studies. But they will be scaled back. Perhaps a non-Keynesian economics class would help some students understand that it costs a lot of money to run a university and if it can’t raise revenue it’s going to make cuts in services. That is how it is in the business world, like it or not.

Laura,
I completely agree with you that this is an unfortunate decision that the school is making and do not agree with it. However, as a business major you should recognize that this University is also a business. They have to make ends meet as well and these majors most likely bring in far less income for them than the other majors. They already eliminated the Men’s Soccer team and Women’s Volleyball team last year. The football team and other sports at our University, particularly hockey, are an appealing part of a college experience for many people and it helps in recruiting new and desirable students. You may not see a sporting event as an enjoyable event for a University to come together and watch but a lot of people do. I strongly urge you to attend the informational forum at the Wells Conference Center on March 29 to voice your concerns.

I feel there needs to be another option to go with aside form eliminating some of the core programs at the University of Maine. The people of the committee making the decisions may feel that the University can make do without these, and that they might seem “excessive” or “extra” to what someone “should have” in a rounded education, but here I feel they are completely wrong in their decisions.
When I went down the list of the majors and even entire departments being proposed to be eliminated by the year 2014, I was shocked at both the vast number being removed, and also the ones chosen. It seems to me that the Liberal Arts are clearly being targeted, something I feel we as a student body should not stand for. This is an area of education that enriches a person’s life in a way few other classes can even hope to, and add a sense of richness to the often lifeless and predictable classroom. I feel the culture is being removed from the curriculum, and who’s to say that this might not create a domino effect and spill out onto the campus, into the student body, into the community, and leave us without that well-rounded education we as higher education students come to college seeking?
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. summed up my thoughts on the matter beautifully, “intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education”. I feel in enacting this proposal, we would be removing the aspect of the college classroom experience that breeds character in our students. In most classes, you are lectured, told to memorize things, watching as slides and video, words and values are displayed before you. In most of the classes proposed to be cut, we are given the opportunity to think for yourself, to grow independently, and to challenge yourself on things you might never have thought of before.
There needs to be a different way to work with the budget cut. I for one am afraid to see what happens to the University and its students in the aftermath of these proposed changes.

bottom line is UMaine is a business and the athletic programs bring in money. Womens’ Studies does not, or at least not as much. Language Arts does not, or at least not as much. Theater does not, or at least not as much.

Money is more important to the BoT than your education.

Just remember, you’re in a great place.

I find the hype “Oh no! They are getting rid of majors!” to be highly amusing. If you actually read the report, the following majors are recommended to be scrapped:

-Women’s Studies
-Language
-Music (BA) and Music Performance
-Theater

The following majors would be merged:

-Anthropology and Sociology
-Chemistry and Physics & Astronomy

Everyone currently enrolled in their major gets to finish earn their degree. Furthermore, the University may even continue to provide course work in the above listed programs, as well as offer minors.

While I do not think the University is hurting for money, and I do not think that these majors would need to be eliminated if the administration spent their money wisely / reexamined their current finances, I am a proponent of “cutting the fat”. With all do respect to people who are currently in the majors being eliminated, I feel it is a good thing that future students will have fewer choices.

The programs being eliminated do not offer high enrollment counts, and as such are not drawing in money which the school is requires to fund itself. I also find the education that these programs require to be “questionable”, and I firmly feel that they will not provide students with the fundamentals needed to contribute to society, nor provide realistic chances for occupations which are able to pay off mounting loan debt (especially in this economy) which the average UMaine student faces.

Although you may not like what I have to say, and be offended by it, the fact of the matter is any University needs money to sustain itself. This is not a time to be politically correct, but to be realistic. While you may not feel sports offers academic value (which I also find questionable if you honestly feel that majoring in a program like theater provides “academic” value), but the bottom line is that it does provide money, and a sense of community to the area.

I’m sure administration will offer to reinstate these programs when you get alumni to buy season tickets to watch you take a language test.

This is what happens when a society is bound by a monetary system of economics. The priority is profit, and after that comes human welfare, maybe, so please do not be mad at Kennedy or the Committee, they are simply doing what monetary economics force them to do. Athletes are not to blame either. Every one of us is to blame because we let this out of control absurd monetary economy dictate everything in our lives. We are only as free as our purchasing power allows us to be, and thus, lack of money is now forcing us to these extreme measures.
I recommend bringing our war money home, and after that, I call for the abolition of money forever.

YaY@!

Get rid of the useless majors, keep the sports. I’m just kidding, but…

People like sports.
Sports are a part of education. Don’t discount them so handily.

I don’t see the big deal in cutting fringe programs during a recession. Perhaps the programs on the chopping block aren’t likely to land students employment, not the only reason to keep a program but it is worth thinking about.

On the other hand, the whole state of Maine doesn’t even have a medical school (MD), are we moving in the opposite direction?

I’d rather see the university trim more fat from the administration, but at least they have made some cuts.

“bottom line is UMaine is a business and the athletic programs bring in money. Womens’ Studies does not, or at least not as much. Language Arts does not, or at least not as much”

Who is talking about Language Arts. The programs cited for elimination of the major are LANGUAGES. For those whose monolingualism still needs to be cured, that means French, German, Spanish, and other languages other than English. And how do you know that being multilingual does not provide revenue to those persons? UMaine will lose a lot of students if it has no language programs. And deservedly so. Faculty members are asked to speak to parents, prospective and accepted students. I would no longer recommend this institution to anybody, unless they are looking for an ag & tech place. No masquerading as a liberal arts university.

“bottom line is UMaine is a business and the athletic programs bring in money. Womens’ Studies does not, or at least not as much. Language Arts does not, or at least not as much”

Who is talking about Language Arts? The programs cited for elimination of the major are LANGUAGES. For those whose monolingualism still needs to be cured, that means French, German, Spanish, and other languages other than English. And how do you know that being multilingual does not provide revenue to those persons? UMaine will lose a lot of students if it has no language programs. And deservedly so. Faculty members are asked to speak to parents, prospective and accepted students. I would no longer recommend this institution to anybody, unless they are looking for an ag & tech place. No masquerading as a liberal arts university.

UMaine needs to produce something that generates revenue. Pick a field of economic potential and get some good research going. Do university administrators realize how much money other schools get from pharmaceutical, science, energy and Medecine research- we’re talking millions and millions. Sports fan benefactors may be valid at Harvard or Texas A&M, but U Maine does not have a long list of rich patrons and sports fans. Don’t think sports benafactors is a valid concern. Try energy research for big business.

First,

Coming from someone who went to school and worked as a professor at the University of Maine, I can agree that the UMO is EXTREMELY top heavy when it comes to admin. The UMO has Dean’s supervising Dean’s! But unfortuately that is the way it is in Maine education, not only for higher ed. It’s like that in K-12 school system too. And it’s doubtful it’s ever going to change. We’re in the worst economic times since the great depression and if it hasn’t change yet(i.e. too many administrators), it’s not going to happen. So your ideas about trimming the admin in higher ed. for short because of politics.

Second,

As far as sports are concerned the University of Maine has only 1 sport that is really self-sustaining. We all know what that is, hockey. Hockey basiclly is the reason why there’s basketball, football, soccer, volleyball and all the other sports we lose at. You really didn’t think field hockey or men’s soccer paid for itself did ya? SO even if UMaine decided to cut some smaller sport programs, it wouldn’t save the academia side any money. Plus you have title 9 to deal with. So we’re not just talking about small athletic cuts. We’re talking about both men’s and women’s sports going bye bye.

Third,

It’s just plain and simple economics. If Umaine is paying 5 professors more money than enrollment of that particular academic program. IT’S LOSING MONEY. It has to go. And again, I wish that a Dean, or someone at the top would go bye bye, But it’s not happening. It’s the program that has to go. And truthfully. These particular programs have been losing money at Umaine for years!

To respond to a few comments:

“Well, since nobody wants raised fees, this is what you get. Sports is a revenue generator, womens studies is indeed a joke and is agenda driven and the only reason there even is a degree in it is due to political correctness, not a need in the job market for it.”

Women’s studies does not exist on our campus because of political correctness. It is a valued field that does have currency in the job market– during my job hunt, I have come across positions that have been actively looking for a women’s studies major or minor. And, in certain fields, such as education, having a women’s studies minor/degree can set you apart from the rest of the pack. My women’s studies minor and graduate concentration has only helped me as I’ve navigated the job market.

“It seems to me that the Liberal Arts are clearly being targeted”

All colleges at the University of Maine were asked to cut 20% of their school, which is why it might appear that LA&S is getting the brunt of the cuts.

As some one who is both a supporter of the arts and athletics I can understand why different people would be upset.

However I urge everyone to look at the tremendous cuts that have already been made. The “trimming of the fat” has already been happening for the most part and those in charge of making cuts and finding a way for Umaine to continue to operate have extremely daunting task in front of them.

I don’t think arts and culture will disappear entirely but it will be scaled back.

For those calling for athletics to be cut you do need to realize that Atheltics it self faces huge budget cuts as well.

Good thing that wing nut of a President is leaving because he has been smoking way too much crack cocaine up in his office.

As a former Anthrolopology major I can tell you Sociology has nothing in common with that field so merging the two into one major will produce a generation of poorly trained Anthropologists and Sociologists.

A University like Maine’s should focus on raising the funds necessary to provide quality educational opportunities not just cut willy-nilly a bunch of programs. What happens next time and the time after, and the time after that … we follow the Kennedy model and soon the campus will have 2 professors offering 1 major.

Good Riddance Kennedy, the school will not miss you !!!!!!!!!!

Everyone has made good points. However let’s look at the bigger picture here.
I agree with Laura that sports programs, while generating money ARE NOT academic. And while I understand that SOME of the sports teams funding comes from sponsors and alumni a lot of it comes from the university itself including the scholarships they give to the athletes. There may be a couple athletes that are international, but I know for certain there are no international students that aren’t being given incentive for being here.
As for all the business majors, the rule goes if a product isn’t selling, don’t pull it, spice it up. If umaine doesn’t have the money to sustain it’s programs than it needs to be a little more creative than just ruthlessly cutting away “fat” which is essentially the flavoring of the meat.
And if you think languages are so worthless, check out the federal governments policies on bilingual employees. They receive twice the salary as someone who only speaks English. Furthermore while umaine doesn’t deem culture important the rest of the world does. It’s a tight economy right now and the truth is jobs are competitive. If you have an engineering major that’s great, but if you’re bilingual and an engineering major you just secured your job.
It’s all about money and if the graduates make more money than they’re more willing to give back to the ol’ alma mater. Which is why umaine needs to focus on putting out not only bright, educated students but well-rounded ones as well.
And while this is just a “proposal” right now we all know where this is headed.
Maybe maine needs to condense it’s other schools (ie USM, Famington, Fort Kent, Augusta) until it has the money to sustain it’s main campus, Orono.

Umaine is a business, and businesse know only one rule. The golden rule, where the gold rules. If the business is failing maybe it’s not the products, maybe its the ones selling it.

And food for thought, a lot of other majors not mentioned will be affected, such as English, which is required to have second language so that people studying English have abetter understanding. International Affairs major and even Business Majors also rely on the language department. It’s only matter of time before the university decides on lean meat and cuts away these programs too until the University of Maine is all but vegetarian.

Wow, this sucks so bad.

“All we can do is maintain our focus on our core responsibilities as Maine’s flagship university and find ways to continue providing the top-quality, liberal arts-based education that Maine people and others have depended upon for generations.”

Seriously? Top quality, with no majors for music, women’s studies, languages, theater? Just shoot straight and say “All we can do is make sure UMaine remains a good engineering school. Everything else is expendable.”

Sports does NOT generate NET income. Their costs FAR exceed their revenues. Hockey may come close to breaking even but that’s it. All the rest are in the red. In addition, alumni who give because of sports tend to give to sports so academics are not helped. Instead, we are left with the maintenance and utilities costs for the facilities that were PERHAPS paid for initially by alumni. There are quite a few schools that cut (or never had) football programs and they have not suffered – Duke, Boston U, U of Texas at Arlington, Hofstra to name a few.

I don’t know what type of football you are watching, but Duke definitely has a football team. They are actively expanding their football program. in fact.

Personally, I’m upset that both minors I’ve started are heavy in Public Administration courses. I’m not risking staying in them, so I’m just going to switch to new ones while I can.

I’ll be the hater– I think women’s studies should never be or have become a major. It’s completely useless and impractical. Don’t start listing out all the facts about how many women are abused, etc., because it’s irrelevant.

As far as foreign languages and music/theater are concerned, I think it’s crappy that the Liberal Arts and Sciences department can even call itself that without these majors. However, let’s be real: people who graduate with these majors wonder why they have trouble getting jobs to pay off their debt when the graduate. Maybe it’s because they are also not marketable?

The types of jobs that make money are technical ones. People should stop dreaming about becoming stars on Broadway an start thinking about something realistic for their careers.

Here’s a thought. Why does the University System have a President, a full administration staff and their HUGE salaries at each campus? Do Fort Kent, Machias, and Presque Isle really need all of that administration? Want to clean up the bottom line, how about making the University System Office an actual centralized office and get rid of the top paid officials at all of the satellite sites of the system? That should clear up a few million just in doing that. Did President Kennedy mention anything about taking a pay cut when he resigns from UMaine and takes a cozy position at the Systems Office making 6 figures? It’s easy to cut other peoples’ positions just as long as it’s not your own.

Laura #1
You’re perhaps the first person to state women’s studies classes are hard .And,you lack an understanding of why certain classes /majors are deemed desirable.Not because they are hard. Both sanscrit and quantum mechanics are tough (Actually, I never took Sanscrit) But,they have different uses.
I can’t think of a use for a Womens’ Study grad .Can you? Now,the program may keep people employed ,who would,at best be burdens on the public rolls,and at worst,become footpads and thieves , but that’s another day’s argument

To Malice: I am shocked that anybody would say languages are not marketable. It shows you know nothing about the careers that multilingual people can have, and nothing about what having a minor in a language does to enhance one’s “marketability”. Your remark shows prejudice against languages other than English. It would take too long to list all the ways a language relates to almost everything else in the professional arena, but I can say that not knowing another language means you and others will never know what they’re missing because you cannot walk through the doors to those opportunities.

The humanities, as I heard an alumni say in response to these cuts, are what helps us learn about who we are in the classroom.

And that’s a privilege, not a right.

Corwin says: “I can’t think of a use for a Women’s Studies Grad, can you?” Why, yes I can. Women’s Studies graduates go on to become law and medical school students, nurses, social workers, domestic violence project workers, teachers, professors, counselors..shall I go on? These women AND men are among the brightest, most compassionate human beings I have ever met. They are advocates and activists. Through their studies, they have gained a more complete understanding of how the social construction of gender has influenced every aspect of our contemporary world, as well as the connections between their education, activism, and social change. Our program emphasizes the need for tolerance, respect, and diversity. Ours is an ever-changing world. Future generations will need more than a “one size fits all” education if they ever hope to thrive and/or compete in it.

I realize that this is a very frustrating time for many of us, and sometimes it is easier to lash out at something we know very little about. Now is the time to take that passion and use it constructively. Stand up for what you believe, and let your voices be heard. We are here for you and because of you. This is your University.

By the way, I take my job very seriously as I’m sure all of my co-workers do. That being said, I really don’t consider myself a burden and I know for a fact that I am not a thief.

Speaking sincerely for myself, Angela Hart, Administrative Assistant, Women’s Studies Program.

Corwin says: “I can’t think of a use for a Women’s Studies Grad, can you?” Why, yes I can. Women’s Studies graduates go on to become law and medical school students, nurses, social workers, domestic violence project workers, teachers, professors, counselors..shall I go on? These women AND men are among the brightest, most compassionate human beings I have ever met. They are advocates and activists. Through their studies, they have gained a more complete understanding of how the social construction of gender has influenced every aspect of our contemporary world, as well as the connections between their education, activism, and social change. Our program emphasizes the need for tolerance, respect, and diversity. Ours is an ever-changing world. Future generations will need more than a “one size fits all” education if they ever hope to thrive and/or compete in it.

I realize that this is a very frustrating time for many of us, and sometimes it is easier to lash out at something we know very little about. Now is the time to take that passion and use it constructively. Stand up for what you believe, and let your voices be heard. We are here for you and because of you. This is your University.

By the way, I take my job very seriously as I’m sure all of my co-workers do. That being said, I really don’t consider myself a burden and I know for a fact that I am not a thief.

Speaking sincerely for myself, Angela Hart, Administrative Assistant, Women’s Studies Program.

it’s a useless, never-ending cycle to argue whether one program is more important than another. instead of trying to save a quick buck, i would encourage the university to consider how their decisions would effect not only future and current students, but the state’s future economy and culture. a smaller, less diverse program offering could deplete student population and create a smaller educated workforce pooling into maine’s economy.

Dear Mario,
Perhaps a follow up article about if/when the proposed cuts to majors will be integrated into other colleges in the UMaine system, or if they will be dropped from UMaine’s rolls for good?
Or is it that these decisions affect ALL of the UMaine colleges?

Harry wrote:

As a former Anthrolopology major I can tell you Sociology has nothing in common with that field so merging the two into one major will produce a generation of poorly trained Anthropologists and Sociologists.

- I don’t know about that. I can think of a few things they have in common. It may be like putting apples and oranges together, but they are both still fruit.

Besides that I think you have some seriously flaws in your thought train… where did you come up with this?

As for all the business majors, the rule goes if a product isn’t selling, don’t pull it, spice it up.

Products are shelved all the time if they don’t sell.

good point!

Is that true though?

BU has no football?

Malice wrote:

I’ll be the hater– I think women’s studies should never be or have become a major. It’s completely useless and impractical. Don’t start listing out all the facts about how many women are abused, etc., because it’s irrelevant.

- Well, I agree with you that it isn’t a good major, but I disagree with everything else you wrote. I think it could be a good major but its implementation at UM is seriously flawed. I’d rather see it cut than to continue the way it is.

excellent idea.

most excellent.

How are you going to affect this change?

corwin wrote:

I can’t think of a use for a Womens’ Study grad .Can you?

- Well, maybe they could teach you to write?

Ok, seriously though, are you for real?
Women are not treated equally in any society and it is as important for there to be a women’s studies field as it is there be a black (African American if you prefer) studies field. Women are undervalued and under appreciated, under compensated, and just completely not held as equal in this man’s world.

The field has a lot to offer society, namely, helping women and men to better work with one another, utilize each other’s strengths, overcome each other’s weaknesses, and to teach us all about the history of women in the world, to help us shape our perception of women and what they can do and be. In my experience, unfortunately, this is not what the Women’s studies program at UM accomplishes. Perhaps because it is not taken seriously, but the program also needs better quality professors and leadership to take it to a level that is worth supporting… chicken and egg, I suppose.

By the way, you are a total douche and I’m sure I’m wasting my words on you, but you are precisely the person that a woman’s studies class should enroll. A woman’s viewpoint, on nearly everything, is different and therefore useful. The western world is recognizing that and you are seeing women valued at higher stations, but the shift is far from balanced or complete.

Many women would do good to enroll in women’s studies classes, but I don’t think that the classes offered at this institution are helping many people. Their focus is off base. I don’t understand what their objective is. If you take a women’s studies class here (I have) you might feel as though it is sponsored by the Lifetime channel.

Have you ever noticed how the Lifetime channel will frequently show women in horrible situations, with no real reason, moral, or point?

Check your facts Duke has a football team

Jamie – you are correct, Duke does have football – sorry about not checking on that. But there are quite a few other schools that do not have it which I did not list (google that). I do not believe that many students come to UM because we have football. Certainly varsity sports are part of a total university experience, but a poor school does not have to carry the most expensive ones possible.

I’m glad I am graduating before all of this takes place. Between the crazy smoking ban and the cutting of majors, I would NEVER choose to attend this university if I were just graduating high school. Just another reason that I will never return to the area, and never give a another dime of my money or support to this school.

What happened to you UMaine?

I’ll tell you what happened to UMaine because I managed to hit the tail end when I first came here. UMaine used to be this pretty chill school, the administration let students chill out and they had plenty of good classes. Things like Bumstock didn’t suck, if an under 21 student drank it was not the end of the world. Then something happened, I’ve heard rumors it was due to UMaine being named one of the top “party schools” by MTV or something but I’m not sure.

New administration hit. With them they brought words like “rebranding.” Suddenly we had to become this serious institution, nothing was to be tolerated unless it strictly followed the business principles outlined by the Board of Trustees. They started building new things, especially things that didn’t really need to be built (anyone recall the fiasco of the Union steps?)

And this is the result. It didn’t work, students didn’t surge here because we suddenly went from “typical state university” to “baby Ivy”, because we’ll never be what they had short-sightedly thought we could be. Yes enrollment increases, but it increased every year, oh hey guess what, population increases every year too, funny how that happens. So here we stand, majors are being cut, programs are dying. But by god we have a brand new private college worthy fitness center and several new “memorials” no one visits or notices.

The sports teams generally pay for themselves…or Coca-cola pays for it, very little budget comes out for sports. I am for the abolition of ALL sports at school and yet i know this, do some research then complain. As for revenue we DO have $$ that come from research! How we spend money and on what is the problem.

Unfortunately I do not have the authority to initiate or even propose such a plan. I cannot take credit for this idea because it is one that has been suggested before. I wish the administration would consider such actions and trim the fat at the system office before removing majors and removing faculty postions.

Eliminate the foreign language major just when we’re all hot on globalization? Come on. The University of Maine was not so parochial when I got my M.A. in Foreign Languages there.

And as to finding a job? I worked for thirty years all over the world because I had that major. A lot better for the majority of people than a varsity sports background.

Hey, just don’t do it. Think!

yea, people don’t like music.

The sports teams are just as vital as Academics to this school. The State of Maine, wants to invest in its future, we need a division I school to compete nationally. Division I isn’t just your academics, its your athletics as well… If you don’t have both Maine’s got nothing, and if Maine wants a future, it needs a place of higher learning that will attract the best and brightest from across the country. It is all connected, and to say UMaine does not have a long list of sports fans and patrons? Ever heard of the Alfond Arena? How about the UMaine Ice Hockey Team? They are one of the best programs in the country, with 2 national championships in the 90′s, and several frozen four and national championship appearances in the last 10 years. Maybe no one noticed the Boston Garden, a facility built for over 17,000 people, filled with UMaine Hockey fans just a couple weeks ago?