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

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.