Posted inMaine, sj-web

UMaine System trustees vote to freeze tuition again

ORONO — The University of Maine System Board of Trustees directed officials Monday to craft the system’s 2016 budget without increasing in-state tuition. That commitment came in spite of the system’s plan to dip into its reserves to the tune of about $9 million to cover a projected budget gap and fund some one-time expenses. A […]

Posted inBusiness, sj-web

University trustees weigh shedding excess properties

BANGOR — The University of Maine System board of trustees will get a glimpse at how efforts to reduce the system’s footprint are proceeding during a two-day regular meeting that starts Sunday at the University of Maine in Orono. When the meeting opens on Sunday afternoon, Sightlines, a facilities consultant, will update system officials on […]

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Posted inBusiness, sj-web

Standard & Poor’s downgrades UMaine’s outlook to ‘negative’

ORONO — Standard & Poor’s is downgrading the University of Maine’s long-term outlook from stable to negative. The Portland Press Herald reports the credit rating agency cites declining enrollment and high turnover among leadership at the system’s seven campuses. The agency says the university system’s credit ratings on outstanding revenue debt and $46.24 million in […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

UMaine warns that stolen laptop had student info

ORONO — The University of Maine is warning of a potential data breach after the theft of a laptop computer and memory card belonging to a faculty member. Officials say the items were stolen from a checked bag on a Seattle-to-Boston flight this month, potentially exposing personal information of 941 students enrolled in physics courses […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

UMaine chancellor explains vision for ‘mission-oriented’ campuses

BANGOR — The University of Maine System won’t do anything as dramatic as shutting down a campus to make itself fiscally sound, but it will change the focus of those institutions and force cooperation. System Chancellor James Page laid out a “rather complex set of high-level directives” aimed at breaking down barriers between the system’s […]

Posted inMaine

Weird Wicked Weird: Bugged by winter? Sounds about right

Right now in refrigerators across Maine, there are old mayonnaise jars filled with hundreds of lady bugs, caught and capped off by well-intentioned people who believe they’re saving the ladies by giving them temporary shelter. There are winter moths flying about and they’re up to no good. There are snow fleas that are not fleas. […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

UMaine administration clarifies Christmas decoration policy

ORONO — An email from a University of Maine supervisor, directing employees to refrain from displaying Christmas or other religious-themed decorations on campus, has sparked outrage on the campus and in the community. The story, first reported by WABI-TV on Wednesday, spread wildly across social media: A Facebook group called Bring Cheer Back to UMaine […]

Posted inMaine, sj-web

Why the UMaine System is cutting so much

AUGUSTA — The ongoing program cuts at the University of Southern Maine, the latest round of which was announced Monday, is part of a much larger initiative by the University of Maine System to eliminate some $90 million in spending it can’t afford over the next five years. UMS Chancellor James Page told the Bangor […]