Colleges predict layoffs, fewer students
Proposed cuts in state aid to Maine's higher education institutions will lead to layoffs and fewer students in coming years, legislators were warned Tuesday.
University of Maine System Chancellor Richard Pattenaude said the seven-campus network will need to eliminate the equivalent of 100 full-time positions as a result of $15 million in cuts it's expected to make this academic year and next, the Kennebec Journal reported. Some teaching jobs inevitably will be axed, leading to the cancellation of at least 100 classes in the spring and 2,000 fewer class seats, he said. Pattenaude, along with Maine Community College System President John Fitzsimmons and Maine Maritime Academy Vice President Richard Ericson, addressed the legislature's Education Committee Tuesday.
Fitzsimmons said Maine's seven community colleges, which face $4.2 million in cuts, could "absorb the hits" this year without major changes, but he predicts the loss of 300 to 500 student spots and at least 25 jobs in fiscal year 2011, the paper reported. Maine Maritime Academy, which eliminated a dozen jobs last year, must cut $660,000 from its two-year budget. Ericson said MMA hasn't determined if further jobs cuts will be needed, according to Capitol News Service.
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