University of Maine System Chancellor James Page and Maine Community College System President Derek Langhauser signed a comprehensive and far reaching transfer agreement on Monday, June 8, that is designed to reduce college costs for Maine students and speed their time to degree completion.

Until now, the transfer process between the UMS and MCCS has been guided by over 150 articulation agreements between specific programs of study. These agreements determine which credits will transfer and whether they will count toward degree requirements.

The new general education block transfer agreement, which is intended to be fully operational by fall of 2016, will enable students to complete up to 35 credits of general education requirements at any of the 14 institutions of the MCCS and UMS and then transfer that block of credits, for full credit, to any of the other institutions within the two systems.

A $2 million gift from the Next Generation Foundation has enabled the Maine Community Foundation to establish an endowed scholarship for adult learners at EMCC and WCCC. The Adult College Completion Fund will provide recipients with annual scholarships of $3,500 which will be awarded through The Foundation for Maine's Community Colleges.

Tim Nickerson worked at the Verso Mill in Bucksport for 31 years. When it closed, he needed to get back into the workforce quickly.

He was not alone.

Some 500 employees were affected by the Verso
closing. In response, EMCC's Business and Industry Division developed a customized, fine woodworking training program for the mill's employees.

Nickerson is now one of 10 former Verso workers enrolled in the program. Many of them had worked in the mill for more than 30 years. Students in the program are earning 14 college credits and industry certifications that will make them attractive to employers like Hinckley Yachts in Trenton, which has been actively involved with the program.

When the training ends in July, Nickerson is optimistic about his job prospects and hopes to find employment as a carpenter with a local boat builder or cabinet maker.

"It's nice to do something different after all these years," he says. "I did the same job for so long. Now, I get to go home and see the results of what I'm doing."

Watch a WCSH6 news story featuring Tim Nickerson and his classmates>>

Brianna Crosby (center) is one of two Maine community college students who will study in Ireland next year as a 2015 George J. Mitchell Peace Scholar. You can hear Brianna talk about her experiences at CMCC and her plans for the future in a recent radio interview interview.

The George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship provides opportunities for students from the Maine Community College System and the University of Maine System to study in Ireland for a semester or a year. The scholarship honors Senator Mitchell for his role brokering the Northern Ireland Peace accord between the governments and people of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

KVCC's Center for Farm to Table Innovation shared this recipe for Lemon Lime Basil Shortbread cookies, featured at the April 2015 Culinary Festival at the Augusta Civic Center.

Low cost. High value. -- In an ongoing examination of college affordability in Maine, the Portland Press Herald in April called community colleges "possibly the best-kept secret about higher education." As the paper observed: "In the face of soaring college tuition, tight household budgets and the specter of graduating with large amounts of student debt, more students are using the famously low-cost community college system as a steppingstone on the way to a four-year degree."

Life science a new degree at CMCC -- This fall CMCC will offer a new associate degree program in life science to provide students with a broad, general survey of scientifically accumulated knowledge focused on life and biological sciences. Students completing the degree will be prepared to enter the workforce as scientific technicians or to transfer into science, technology, engineering, or math majors at four-year colleges and universities.

Gorman Scholarship created -- The Leon A. Gorman Endowed Scholarship fund has been created by the families of Leon and Lisa Gorman to support Maine community college students who exemplify Mr. Gorman's long-standing commitment to community service and academic achievement. The fund was established in honor of Mr. Gorman's 80th birthday by the couple's children.

CMCC student to study at Vassar -- Jessica Staples, a student in CMCC's general studies program, has been accepted to the Exploring Transfer program at Vassar College, a 5-week summer program designed for community college students interested in continuing their education at a competitive four-year college.

Lights, camera, action -- The NMCC library has opened a One Button Studio to provide students, faculty, and community members with all they need to create their own professional videos. The studio was built with a grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation and was the subject of a WAGM news segment in March.

Students learn hospitality skills -- Ten students graduated in February from SMCC's Hospitality Rising Stars Academy, which provided 96 hours of entry-level hospitality training to unemployed and underemployed Mainers. All of the graduates have had job interviews and most have been hired or offered paid internships. The program was funded by the MCCS Maine Quality Centers program.

YCCC preparing more vet techs for Maine -- YCCC's new vet tech program was recently highlighted in a Portland Press Herald article for its role in helping to address a growing workforce need in the state's animal care industry. YCCC began offering classes toward the associate degree in fall 2013.

When a house is much more than a home -- For each of the past 38 years, NMCC and the Presque Isle Kiwanis Club have partnered to build a home for an area family. During the design and construction, the home functions as a hands-on learning lab for students in nearly all of the college's trades programs. Students in the computer aided drafting program prepare the construction plans, and first-year students in the building construction program complete the framing. The house is then turned over to plumbing, heating, and electrical students before the senior residential construction students complete the finish work. When it's all done, the learning lab is turned over to its new owners who are happy to call it home. Read more>>

WCCC students earn the gold -- Four WCCC students won gold medals at the 2015 SkillsUSA Maine State Championships. They will represent Maine at the national championships this month in Louisville, KY. Read more>>

National magazine highlights SMCC composite program -- Composites Manufacturing magazine featured SMCC's composite science program in its April issue saying the college is making a difference in training the next generation of composites professionals.