[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6687934,"mediaKeyId","3378917-d4f6992cf133831666ba46398156cae8","parentId",3378917,"title","UMS reports systemwide enrollment gains and strong direct‑admit yields; trustees credit retention work","audioSeconds",353,"startMs",10472000,"endMs",10825000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3378917-d4f6992cf133831666ba46398156cae8&start=10472&end=10825","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3378917-d4f6992cf133831666ba46398156cae8/thumbnail_10472000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6687934/Maine/UMS-reports-systemwide-enrollment-gains-and-strong-directadmit-yields-trustees-credit-retention-work","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6687934-387a02b0bf9bfbdd3c847f0278914c63/orig.mp4?Expires=1770743758&Signature=MDSIMx34CKtUghU1tvFYeWal9OTrtdhK56DBliTayBlke8wy4CY0E-6jKo2k2DGuT3kIXYtkGXWW6QmtOYt~34xsaQpjtVMmb81aK5dmH5Wz2Ph6iEIklFrezgHlkpLCrp54YP7xYRQsEIS8kQuBndC8AThTR7FKDcaWVTCAqgZFRPCybg8Iazwjcwtr-i1hq4k5niuI1hBoa-khpvZKAloVnnofIk-cijLu-hMve1tKlSe1h6I3DfAjYp4T3mk6YZk0yeHbFdbZm8q~JI3ye9uWPkF9HmavP2-aNmAzydQNUMf284CvW-OO0ZVNfd4f1sr5xAceqpOiDo8DoMz0Rw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Board of Trustees ME ","date","2025-05-19T16:43:29Z","article","University of Maine System officials told trustees that enrollment is trending upward across the system, with measurable increases in summer and fall applications, matriculations and deposits.

Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs Jeff St. John reported an 8.5% year‑over‑year increase in summer headcount (approximately +827 students) and a 3.5% increase in fall headcount compared with the same point last year. The most important internal metric — active, matriculated students for fall — was reported up by more than 800 students year over year.

Officials credited several initiatives: an adult degree completion emphasis, improved transfer articulation and a direct‑admit program that allows earlier outreach to high‑school and early‑college students. Direct admit, two years into the program, produced year‑over‑year growth of 16.2% in admits and a strong yield of deposits from that cohort; officials said early college and direct‑admit pipelines had materially improved yields at large campuses such as the University of Maine and University of Southern Maine.

Campus highlights presented to trustees included UMA reporting higher summer and fall credit hours and a record number of housing applications; Farmington reported a 10% year‑over‑year increase in deposits as of the March decision date and notable adult degree completion credit‑hour gains; Fort Kent reported 10% increases in matriculations and a 30% rise in out‑of‑state matriculants; and USM reported an 18% increase in May 1 deposits.

Trustees again asked staff to analyze external risks that could reverse the trend, especially potential federal policy changes affecting Pell grants and other benefits that could alter students’ ability to pay. Administration said modeling of federal scenarios is underway and promised to provide updates as proposals crystallize.

Ending: trustees welcomed the growth figures and asked for continued focus on retention, transfer articulation and modeling of potential federal and state policy changes that could affect the enrollment outlook.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","UMS Board of Trustees Meeting - May 19, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Enrollment reports presented to trustees show summer and fall headcount increases systemwide, strong direct‑admit growth and continued transfer gains; trustees asked for caution given federal/state fiscal uncertainties.","taxTitle","University of Maine System UMS Board of Trustees, 2025 Board of Trustees Meeting, School Districts, Maine","taxId",79506,"location","Maine","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6687939,"Trustees hear report on competency‑based education growth; presidents say program reaches nontraditional and adult learners",3894,4326000,8220000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3378917-d4f6992cf133831666ba46398156cae8&start=4326&end=8220","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3378917-d4f6992cf133831666ba46398156cae8/thumbnail_4326000.jpg","/articles/6687939/Maine/Trustees-hear-report-on-competencybased-education-growth-presidents-say-program-reaches-nontraditional-and-adult-learners","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6687939-4ddd4acedd6a4d1b2803a164f8710629/orig.mp4?Expires=1770743758&Signature=lVEgF2l8MQLZJXjK5W3MNPyl6vaT6PwKQ5n20vqamweimoNYHyI-FLew8fAIaWsuNXW-fK8yzp03wcJAN0MXSB5G8AT6-f6McFTHuF-AeDtTz8Ndcd-jIXoRX5xRaW2lhe3P3dZAmxRpw9LAW3aSzpX5-naon~uTW99WF6eJcUcUk0eGYlfS3~8tH4gE2llXQRb~hNmls5HPX8a8mpNfOfe5nQbOsOvDKQw8Swgwy1dd3ybGug91mWNw70wMJojE00oefQxJ0j5ZasPrJTZj-e5lmuzewVZMj4h2AB51DbHz7z5-blgQjuPdvvjE9nptC~uyM1dHxJq8ERuQSnhOfA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Board of Trustees received an extended briefing on competency‑based education (CBE) and system programs — notably the YourPACE competency and online portfolios — that the system says are producing enrollment gains, especially among adult and nontraditional learners.

President Ray Rice of the University of Maine at Presque Isle described the origins of PACE and two student speakers from recent commencement celebrations whose paths illustrated the program’s reach: one who had completed degrees after years away from campus and another who traveled from California to give a graduation address. Rice and Provost Alana Margison reviewed recent enrollment statistics for PACE, including a summer session headcount and plans to add concentrated master’s offerings tied to workforce needs.

The board heard a plenary presentation from Sharla Long, founding president of the Competency‑Based Education Network, who placed the system’s work in a national context. Long said many institutions and employers are shifting to a 'skills‑first' vocabulary; 51 percent of Fortune 500 companies now place less reliance on degrees as a proxy for skills. She stressed that quality frameworks and faculty governance are essential to avoid lower‑quality, checklist approaches and urged competency rubrics and performance‑based assessments that measure applied skills and habits of mind.

Trustees pressed on how CBE can address liberal‑arts outcomes such as critical thinking, empathy and 'learning how to learn.' Faculty trustees and presidents said those learning goals can be measured via clear rubrics and performance tasks — for example, capstone fieldwork where candidates must demonstrate recognition of bias and employ emotional intelligence. Trustee discussion emphasized that CBE need not be an either/or decision and that explicit, shared competency language helps both employers and liberal‑arts programs.

Administrators and trustees discussed implementation timelines and resource needs. President Rice, Provost Margison and others noted that high‑quality CBE program design is labor intensive — one campus said it took about 18 months to move a program live with full faculty involvement — and stressed that scale requires reliable platforms and some automation. CIO Robert Placido and the chancellor’s team have directed technical and administrative work to support scaling.

Trustees asked whether CBE programs show improved licensing outcomes in fields such as nursing. Presenters said CBE is designed to improve 'practice readiness' in addition to minimum licensure outcomes; national nursing bodies are emphasizing competencies to supplement NCLEX pass rates so graduates are practice‑ready on day one.

Ending: trustees encouraged continued systemwide coordination on quality rubrics, state and employer partnerships, and investment in technology and faculty resources to broaden CBE offerings without sacrificing academic standards.","Board discussion highlighted Competency‑Based Education (CBE)/YourPACE growth across campuses, student stories from graduates, and national trends; experts said CBE can co‑exist with liberal arts outcomes when competencies and rubrics are carefully defined.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6687943,"University of Maine System unveils unified course catalog and degree‑planning tool to let students map cross‑campus schedules",842,8428000,9270000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3378917-d4f6992cf133831666ba46398156cae8&start=8428&end=9270","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3378917-d4f6992cf133831666ba46398156cae8/thumbnail_8428000.jpg","/articles/6687943/Maine/University-of-Maine-System-unveils-unified-course-catalog-and-degreeplanning-tool-to-let-students-map-crosscampus-schedules","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6687943-b457ab53b641b04ae7819b6d0f81dcad/orig.mp4?Expires=1770743758&Signature=fcr9NtGW42eeh-dcrrpaUwKQKPmjPeXEL5cammy98l1VL05QGZ4W5jhvPQWd0oLiaytKVFeJVVcPumsbCulRq4WvH9RNOYJqL-r3Uux2quwh8QJUiWoSHozvtGmv8yvSz-t772S79guaUyEUzJzcpODFeNOOCwrTg7WCyMImpt3HOEbxmeXC238QwfMa4QhBPCGGAk-LrWoNDRO-eUW3MdJAYbx-tBNWHWjSUxeMv3iV76UQbPK-E7GozakWXvVgdSbBq0ZrQamXPU6poGfWNHP3Te~ZFGgyBI~rq4RAb1LX8bNroGtddftbLbehXPk3X7nH98ypjUW-eTJLgrEp7w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The University of Maine System demonstrated a new unified course catalog and degree‑planning tool that lets students search courses across campuses, build multi‑term degree plans and forecast future enrollment at the class level.

Chief Information Officer Robert Placido showed trustees a live demonstration of the search and planning tools. The catalog search filters by campus, subject, term and modality and returns real‑time information (including seats available) by querying each campus’s live student system. When students are admitted to a campus that hosts a course, the interface will enable enrollment or add the section to a saved degree plan.

Placido also demonstrated a degree planner designed for advisors and students. The planner displays completed, in‑progress and planned credits; allows students and advisors to create multiple 'what‑if' plans; and supports features such as retakes, transfer credits and scenario modeling. The system will enable campuses and the system office to forecast class‑level demand months in advance, a change trustees said could improve scheduling and staffing decisions.

Trustees and staff discussed the study‑away form that students must submit before enrolling at another campus; administrators said the form is live but a small number of campuses need to adopt the final step. Trustees asked for a visible, student‑facing prompt or button that helps students request the study‑away form from the catalog interface; Placido said the team will add a 'request' button and make the workflow clearer.

Trustees also asked about AI and automation. Placido said that the first priority was collecting clean, reliable data in the unified system; once data is available, AI‑driven scheduling and advising agents could be built on top of it. He said near‑term AI features to suggest schedules or flag registration conflicts could be possible within a year.

The board praised the cross‑campus collaboration that allowed a live demonstration and asked administration to track software issues and student error messages. Trustee Worth suggested including a contact or 'help' button on error pages so students can quickly reach support.

The unified catalog and planner are intended to roll out more broadly to prospective students as a public search tool; until the students are admitted at a receiving campus, the system will show course details and 'what‑if' planning. Trustees were shown that campuses can still enforce local rules such as instructor permissions, prerequisites and reserved seats. The system will work alongside existing study‑away and transfer workflows to maintain compliance with accreditor and registrar requirements.

Ending: trustees asked administration to continue rapid user testing, add clearer student prompts for the study‑away process and return with usage KPIs and early adoption metrics later this year.","System IT and registrars launched a unified catalog search and degree‑planning tool intended to let students search courses across all campuses, build degree plans and forecast enrollments for academic leaders.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6687947,"University of Maine System board adopts FY‑26 operating budget as trustees warn of federal, state funding risks",2714,12300000,15014000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3378917-d4f6992cf133831666ba46398156cae8&start=12300&end=15014","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3378917-d4f6992cf133831666ba46398156cae8/thumbnail_12300000.jpg","/articles/6687947/Maine/University-of-Maine-System-board-adopts-FY26-operating-budget-as-trustees-warn-of-federal-state-funding-risks","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6687947-4e2bfc4aeb6c25eb9333ffc09153717b/orig.mp4?Expires=1770743758&Signature=J2fjL8czdc-ll06BVBJ6GEIY5usz7RwiE-F5TfUUQxSEAgrv5tb~KTOkCAKEqrSUv-oABLiW-ij0JYgxYv6ul-PO763Abqe0vqSkiCUN5Iq7tlch1I5r8R6ymLoncoDFBrJ9nkbZ~5-6qyNr2d1JHW0t6iQH239rcSjo0zd6sq5fY0~RJ1amXyvHQIAzC93yRVKZYpLBmSD0BNmHdqGCh5SNZvs3ReOdinEv4sAH~gPJ9t2IywaFWtNPkTv1iMoO9XngBU7Eoe2gWFc2Mw1QiVoXiizW-xXol08fpgdmzR3o~iJBHdqZPBOHJYA-Hjo2S2mu8tdc3QtNykU7XK-IbQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The University of Maine System Board of Trustees voted to approve the system's FY‑26 operating and capital budget package, including recommended tuition and mandatory fee changes, after an extended budget presentation and discussion about enrollment, cost pressures and uncertainties in federal and state funding.

The board's approval followed a day of reports from presidents and staff highlighting enrollment gains across the system, continued fundraising and capital work, and a forecast showing generally stronger-than-expected financial results heading into the new fiscal year. Chancellor Malloy and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Ryan Lowe presented the budget, summarizing assumptions including a 3 percent in‑state tuition baseline and compensation commitments tied to existing bargaining agreements.

Trustees pressed administration staff on two areas of heightened risk: (1) federal policy changes that could affect Pell and other program funding and therefore student ability to attend college, and (2) uncertainty over the state appropriation and implementation of paid family and medical leave. Trustee Barbara Alexander asked the administration to model potential impacts of pending federal proposals on enrollment and finances; vice chancellor Lowe and the chancellor said the system is monitoring those developments and will produce analyses as proposals and timelines become clearer.

The board also discussed campus-level budget forecasts presented earlier in the meeting. Several universities reported positive enrollment trends and stronger-than-expected auxiliary or non‑tuition revenues; others continue to work on returning to long-term balance. Trustees requested a balanced Farmington budget to be presented in October, reflecting continued campus-level work on the final piece of that campus's multi‑year plan.

In voting to adopt the FY‑26 package, trustees authorized the system office to proceed with the operating and capital plan as presented and to implement the recommended student charges and mandatory fees. The board record shows the motion carried after standard roll‑call procedures.

The trustees emphasized that the FY‑26 resolution is contingent on continued monitoring of federal and state developments and directed administration to provide updates to the board during the summer and at the October meeting if material changes occur.

Votes at a glance: budget and financial items approved at the meeting are summarized below:
- FY‑26 operating and capital budget and recommended student charges — Motion carried; moved by Trustee Kane and seconded by Trustee Martin; roll call affirmation recorded and motion carried.

Context and what happens next: campus presidents and the system office will continue to track enrollment, financial performance and external policy proposals over the summer. Trustees asked for modeling of potential federal policy impacts (including Pell eligibility and other benefit changes) and for continued updates from the chancellor and vice chancellor Lowe if more adverse scenarios materialize.

Ending: trustees scheduled a follow‑up discussion and the next formal budget review in October, when final enrollment and fall census data will be available and when any late legislative actions should be clearer.","Trustees approved the University of Maine System's FY‑26 operating and capital budget on a vote after a multihour discussion of enrollment gains, tuition settings and budget risks tied to federal and state policy changes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

UMS reports systemwide enrollment gains and strong direct‑admit yields; trustees credit retention work

Trustees hear report on competency‑based education growth; presidents say program reaches nontraditional and adult learners

University of Maine System unveils unified course catalog and degree‑planning tool to let students map cross‑campus schedules

University of Maine System board adopts FY‑26 operating budget as trustees warn of federal, state funding risks