PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Hannaford Supermarkets and the University of Maine System announced a new partnership that will offer significant savings to associates of the grocery retailer who wish to pursue postsecondary education and training through Maine’s public universities, including the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Beginning this summer, qualifying full- and part-time Hannaford associates will receive a 10 percent discount on all undergraduate and graduate courses offered within UMS, including UMPI’s popular YourPace online competency-based degree programs. The offer extends to all universities within the System.
“Postsecondary education is the most proven pathway to upward mobility, enabling learners of all ages and stages to improve their knowledge, skills and earning abilities. With expanded online offerings and other flexible degree and certificate pathways that work for busy adults, relevant higher education and opportunity is more accessible than ever through Maine’s public universities,” Chancellor Dannel Malloy said. “I commend Hannaford Supermarkets for their ongoing investment in their associates and look forward to strengthening our System’s partnership with this iconic Maine-based company for the benefit of their employees and our economy and communities.”
The partnership, which is the first-of-its-kind for UMS, expands Hannaford’s Groceries to Grads education reimbursement program, which offers associates up to $5,250 in tuition funds annually at any accredited college or university, with additional discounts available at partner universities within Hannaford’s network.
“We are thrilled to partner with the University of Maine System on such a meaningful benefit for our associates,” said Julie Libby, vice president of human resources for Hannaford and a graduate of the University of Southern Maine. “We have a steadfast commitment to supporting the career growth and development of our associates, and this partnership only bolsters the opportunities available to them. We thank the University of Maine System for their collaboration, and encourage our associates to take advantage of this outstanding benefit.”
Maine’s public universities are the most affordable in New England, enabling the Hannaford tuition benefit to go even further toward employees’ door-opening degree or certificate programs. When adjusted for inflation, the cost of tuition and fees within UMS has actually decreased over the past five years.
“Affordability, access, and support are at the heart of our efforts here at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, and we couldn’t be more pleased to see this expanded partnership with Hannaford,” UMPI President Ray Rice said. “Both our in-person courses — where the tuition cost is $260 per credit hour — and our online, competency-based offerings through our YourPace degree completion program — where the cost per 8-week session is $1,700 for undergraduate courses and $2,350 for graduate courses — are helping students to take that next important step in their careers and we look forward to seeing many Hannaford employees take advantage of these cost-saving pathways.”
In northern Maine, there are Hannaford grocery stores in Caribou and Houlton, and two newly-opened stores in Fort Kent and Madawaska. While in-person courses may be of interest to those in closer proximity to campus, UMPI’s online and fully asynchronous YourPace classes provide flexibility for Hannaford employees throughout Maine, the rest of New England, and New York.
Introduced in August 2022, the first full year of Hannaford’s Groceries to Grads initiative supported the career growth and development of associates across 78 stores attending more than 50 colleges and universities. Top programs of study for Hannaford associates utilizing the benefit include business/management; finance/accounting; pharmacy/biology; and computer science/information technology/cyber security.
The tuition discount is the most recent development in a long history of partnership between Hannaford and UMS. Since 2020, Hannaford has provided more than $160,000 in funding to initiatives and programs across Maine’s public universities that support student mental health and wellness.
The Groceries to Grads program is one element of the comprehensive benefits offerings available to Hannaford associates, including paid time off, medical coverage, mental and physical wellness programs, associate discounts, paid parental leave, and retirement plans with company match.
For more information about the Groceries to Grads program, as well as career opportunities at Hannaford Supermarkets, visit Hannaford.com/Careers.
