KeyBank supports NMCC educational outreach efforts in Aroostook County

    PRESQUE ISLE — Officials with KeyBank NA and Northern Maine Community College recently marked a five-year commitment on behalf of the financial institution to bolster opportunities for area students to access higher education in Aroostook County.
    Regional leaders with KeyBank recently presented NMCC and NMCC Foundation officials with a $5,000 gift to support distance education technology. The donation represents the fifth and final installment of a $25,000 commitment to NMCC by the financial services company, which is one of Maine’s largest and serves the northernmost part of the state with nine branches in Aroostook County.
    “Northern Maine Community College is a valuable asset to the community and KeyBank is proud to have supported the Campaign for the County’s College with our five-year pledge of $25,000. NMCC offers programs that support Key’s effort to promote financial literacy and Key’s Back-to-Work Initiative. It is important to give back to the community in which we work and live,” said Steve Gagnon, senior vice president and business banking team leader for KeyBank. “We know that our investment in the NMCC instructional technology endowment and the community advancement fund has provided valuable assistance in the delivery of academic programs and ongoing efforts to meet the needs of expanding and new businesses in The County.”
    The five-year KeyBank commitment to NMCC was initially made in 2007 during the “Campaign for the County’s College.” It was designated evenly between the Investing in Innovation Fund, a technology fund to purchase instructional technology for college academic programs, and the College and Community Advancement Fund, which provides an immediate source of funding to allow NMCC to launch new curricula and respond promptly to evolving community needs.
    “The support provided by KeyBank and the many businesses and organizations in the region has been instrumental in our efforts to ensure the high quality educational experience and margin of excellence that students attending NMCC are afforded,” said NMCC Foundation Board Chair Brian Hamel. “The college would simply not be able to invest in much needed equipment during these economic times were it not for the generosity of private contributors.”
    NMCC currently delivers nursing courses using videoconferencing to Houlton and to the St. John Valley. In the past, NMCC has accessed programs, including radiography, from other campuses using videoconferencing that would have otherwise not been offered in Aroostook County.