University of Maine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and Faculty Senate President Amanda Klemmer co-hosted a Presidential Town Hall on March 24 at Wells Conference Center, joined by university leaders to discuss the fiscal year 2026 budget, enrollment trends and the university’s financial outlook. The event also gave attendees a chance to raise concerns about hiring, graduate funding and protections for marginalized students during a Q&A session.
The meeting began around 10:30 a.m., and featured presentations from Ferrini-Mundy, Klemmer, Chief Business Officer Kelly Sparks, Vice President for Academic Affairs Gabe Paquette and Vice President for Innovation and Economic Development Jake Ward. Ferrini-Mundy was the first to speak.
“We started with the question almost a year ago now: What would UMaine look like if we were designing it today? The strategic vision for the university must drive our budget planning but there are other factors,” said Ferrini-Mundy.
Ferrini-Mundy explained that the university continues working to close a long-term budget gap through strategic reinvestment efforts (SRE), while identifying ways to bring in new revenue without compromising its mission. Sparks then outlined the fiscal year 2026 budget plan. She shared that the university built its budget projections around enrollment growth, state appropriations and efforts to reduce expenses.
“We said, what upside potential is there in the overall budget. We were very fortunate with the great success of our deans and provost’s office, particularly around retention,” said Sparks.
Paquette said UMaine’s first-to-second year retention rate climbed to 83% from about 75% in recent years. He credited student success initiatives like research learning programs and early academic alerts.
To meet budget goals, the university will increase tuition by 3% for both in-state and out-of-state students. Residence hall rates at UMaine Orono will also rise by 4.25%. Sparks said UMaine Machias will see higher housing rates as well, to address a deficit.
Additionally, the university’s dining and housing operations are expected to break even this year after several years of financial losses given improvements to dining services and higher residence hall occupancy. Even with signs of financial stability, Sparks pointed to ongoing risks tied to federal funding for research and academic programs.
Ferrini-Mundy then shared that the university is monitoring potential impacts and preparing contingency plans.
“The federal landscape is changing by the day. We’re doing a lot of work with scenario planning to try to get a sense of what this could mean for us,” said Ferrini-Mundy.
The university created several internal teams to manage risks, including a Grant Review Team and a Federal Actions Stakeholder Team. Ferrini-Mundy mentioned that the teams have already reviewed about 95 grant-related inquiries.
During the town hall, Ferrini-Mundy also announced an expansion of the university’s hiring pause to include all positions funded by external grants. She also said UMaine will temporarily pause new financial offers to incoming graduate students while it assesses potential risks.
“We will use the pause period, which we hope will be fairly short, to get as close an analysis as we can,” said Ferrini-Mundy.
Several attendees raised questions about how these decisions will affect students. Undergraduate Student Oren Teal asked what the university is doing to support marginalized students amid compliance with federal policies. Teal referred to a USDA press release issued on March 19 confirming UMaine’s compliance with Title IX requirements for transgender athletes and asked where the university would draw the line on federal demands.
“Our support for students has not wavered. This is about following NCAA rules to remain an NCAA institution,” said Ferrini-Mundy.
Vice President for Student Life Andrea Gifford insisted that the university remains committed to student services, including LGBTQ+ support spaces.
“We did have a name change. But the services that we offer and the opportunities we offer have not changed,” said Gifford, referring to a March 5 announcement that UMaine officially renamed the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to the Office for Community and Connections.
Teal also asked how federal restrictions on grant language would affect climate research and if undergraduate students would still have research opportunities. Ferrini-Mundy explained that faculty and students should expect shifts in how grant proposals are written but said UMaine will continue its research mission.
“There will be ways, there have to be ways, to continue work that has been critical and important here at the University of Maine,” said Ferrini-Mundy.
Vice President Ward added that researchers will need to respond carefully to new federal requirements.
“You write the proposal to get the funding. The more you can be very specific about your science [the better], that’s what we’re seeing in the feedback we’re getting,” said Ward.
Other attendees asked about how the university plans to help students facing anxiety about the job market and student debt. Vice President for Enrollment Management Kevin Coughlin said the university is focused on giving student workers meaningful job experiences that will help them after graduation.
“We want to make sure that we’re continuously evolving so that our student workers can gain experience that is lucrative,” said Coughlin. Similarly, Crisanne Blackie, director of the UMaine Career Center, encouraged students to seek out career-planning support.
“We are happy to meet with any student who has concerns and help them develop their job search or graduate school plans,” said Blackie.
Angela Fileccia, director of the UMaine Counseling Center, also urged students to seek help if they are feeling overwhelmed.
“The best model for helping students is around facts and action,” said Fileccia.
Ferrini-Mundy closed the town hall by reaffirming UMaine’s commitment to students, faculty and staff.
“We are still Maine’s R1 D1 Land, Sea and Space Grant Flagship University. We are a community that, as Robert Dana used to say, is kind, caring and compassionate. We have to continue, I believe, to figure out how to do that,” said Ferrini-Mundy.
The university’s presentation slides and a recording of the town hall are available on the Office of the President’s website.
