PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The Maine Community College System held its Board of Trustees meeting at Northern Maine Community College for the first time in several years.
All seven campus presidents attended the Wednesday meeting along with several academic deans within the Maine Community College System.
Enrollments have been strong at community colleges across Maine, up 18 percent from fall 2022 to fall 2023. The increase is mostly due to the state’s free college program and the program expansions in fields like nursing, said Dave Daigler, president of the Maine Community College System.
The Education Committee announced three programs will be discontinued at the York County Community College: architectural and engineering design, help desk and user support, and computer science.
In other business, the board of trustees unanimously approved a resolution put forward by the Finance Committee to authorize Northern Maine Community College’s Early Childcare Education project to accept certain grants and gifts.
Policy amendments that were approved by the board included an update to address the increasing number of international diplomas and degree transcripts the Maine Community College System is receiving and recognize the authority of the country the transcripts originate.
The other policy amendment brings the Maine Community College System in line with the Supreme Court decision outlawing affirmative action in college admissions.
Lastly, the board voted to approve the ratified Maine State Employees Association Adjunct Faculty bargaining unit contract for the period of Jan. 1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2024.
