UMaine officials tout partnership between Orono and Machias campuses
A 15-year trend in dropping enrollment at the University of Maine at Machias has led officials at the University of Maine System to announce a partnership between the struggling Downeast campus and the UMaine system’s flagship campus in Orono.
Enrollment at UMaine Machias has plummeted by 30%, from a 2003 high of 1,371 students down to 964 at the start of the 2016. Meanwhile, UMaine Orono saw a 17% jump in applications for the 2016 and 2017 school year, with over 14,000 prospective students vying for only 2,150 open slots.
In addition to making efficiencies by sharing academic resources and administrative duties, system officials told the Ellsworth American that the partnership’s ultimate goal will be to increase enrollment at the campus.
UMS Chancellor James Page contributed the drop in enrollment at UMaine Machias in part to the lower number of high school graduates in Washington County.
Among the ways the system is planning on enticing prospective students is by offering applicants who were not admitted to the UMaine Orono the ability to attend UMaine Machias for two years before transferring to the Orono campus.
“The trustees are not at all interested in closing the [UMM] campus,” Page told the American. “But the status quo is no good, either.”
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