“This new agreement is a real game-changer,” said CHS Guidance Counselor Mark Pinette. “This is going to significantly reduce the time and money required for our students to obtain a degree once they graduate. What we’re doing here is pretty revolutionary.”
CHS Principal Travis Barnes says this is a “true collaboration between both faculties,” and adds that “kids will never have to get on a bus and drive to UMPI for these classes since every syllabus meets or exceeds what an UMPI student will receive.”
“UMPI chose CHS because of the quality and rigor of our education program,” said Pinette, “and we feel honored.”
The new agreement allows CHS students to enroll in college classes as soon as their freshman year.
“We are looking to expand even more now that this agreement is in place,” said Pinette. “This is truly historic for Caribou High School. UMFK opened the door, and UMPI really paved the way ahead of us.”
“It is in our mission to provide high school students with access to higher education,” said UMPI Provost Ray Rice. “All of the research shows that this is the most effective way to help students succeed in an early college environment. The best opportunity for early success is for students to take college classes in their own school with their own teachers. This agreement helps us fulfill our mission for higher education access. We see that as part of our mission to the state and its citizens.”
Rice sees this agreement as a result of the long-standing positive relationship between UMPI and CHS over the years.
“It really is an honor to work with the Caribou faculty,” said Rice. “They are definitely the first in the area to offer something this comprehensive for their students. All of this came from a five- to six-month long process where we realized there were points of connection we could make from both institutions.”
UMPI offers two math courses for Central Aroostook HS students, and they have similar agreements in place with Houlton and Hodgdon. In addition, they have an agreement with the Maine School of Science and Mathematics that includes a Dual Enrollment AA (Associates in Arts) degree in liberal studies and science. Rice hopes to include a similar option for Caribou students in the future.
“Our agreement with Caribou High School is by far the most comprehensive in the area. I’m really glad we’re working with Caribou and have such an all-encompassing agreement with them as our first partner on this kind of scale. It really reflects the excellent partnering our two institutions have done.“
Three-credit courses at UMPI cost roughly $45 for Caribou High School students. They include AP US History I and II, AP Psychology, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Statistics, and AP Literature and Composition. Classes offered by UMPI to CTC include Criminal Justice, Business/Marketing, and Agriculture.
“If students feel a sense of identification with UMPI,” said Rice, “we’re more than happy to see them come here, but we’re just as happy if they decide to go to another school. One parent told us that they were happy about what we were doing, but that their kid would be attending the University of Maine at Orono for an engineering degree. That’s perfectly fine. I feel that providing high schoolers with access to higher education is our primary mission.“
UMFK also offers dual enrollment via their Rural U program, which focuses on providing rural high school students with an affordable path to college.
“We are very excited to be working with Caribou,” said Scott Voisine, dean of community education at the University of Maine at Fort Kent. “Our Rural U program works with over 70 high schools in the state of Maine and we are currently working with every high school in Aroostook County. Our biggest agreement is with Fort Kent High School. Since the high school is so close to the university, we allow their students to come in and take some of our classes. Through this agreement, a Fort Kent High School student can have an entire year of college finished by the time they graduate high school.”
Based on UMFK’s 2014 fee structure, high school students pay $136.50 per 3-credit, online course and $97.50 per 3-credit, live course. UMFK currently offers three courses to Caribou High School and three to Caribou Regional Tech Center.
