Two University of Maine Programs Win Excellence Awards
Contact: Charlotte Stratton, New England Board of Higher Education
(617) 357-9620 ext 125
BOSTON– Both the University of Maine’s Frederick HutchinsonCenter and Onward Program have won 2007 New England HigherEducation Excellence Awards, the honors bestowed annually by theinterstate agency, the New England Board of Higher Education(NEBHE).
Commenting on the honorees, NEBHE President and CEO Evan S.Dobelle said: “The Hutchinson Center and UMaine’s Onward programboth illustrate the university’s commitment to college readinessand success for all.”
The Frederick Hutchinson Center, located in Belfast, Maine, was selected to receive the regional Robert J. McKenna Award forProgram Excellence named after the former Rhode Island statesenator, Newport mayor and NEBHE chair.
The center provides residents of Maine’s growing Midcoast areawith opportunities to pursue a college degree, professionaldevelopment and lifelong learning. The center currently servesmore than 20,000 citizens annually with on-site courses anddistance-learning programs, educational outreach initiatives,professional development opportunities, and cultural enrichmentexperiences designed to respond to the learning needs of localcitizens, businesses and public agencies.
The Onward Program was selected to receive NEBHE’s State MeritAward for Maine. For 36 years, the Onward Program has providedacademic skill development and placement into developmental courses inEnglish composition, analytical reading, algebra and biology,zoology or chemistry for students who come from low-incomefamilies. are the first in their families to attend college orface other college readiness challenges that are different fromthose of traditional students. Upon completion of the program,students may transfer to the major of their choice anywhere inthe university.
Former four-term Maine state Sen. Mary R. Cathcart, who chairsNEBHE and works as a senior policy fellow at the University ofMaine’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, described the winningprograms as “The very best examples of higher education reachingout to state residents to ensure they have the opportunity topursue the American Dream.”
Each year, NEBHE presents four regional awards to individuals and organizations that have shown exceptional leadership on behalf of higher education and the advancement of educational opportunity.In addition, the organization presents six “merit awards” tohonor the innovative work of organizations, institutions or individualsin each New England state.
The 2007 New England Higher Education Excellence Awards ceremony willtake place on Friday, March 9, at Boston’s Fairmont Copley Plaza. Additional information about NEBHE’s New England Higher Education Excellence Awards is available online at http://www.nebhe.org/programs-overview/nebhe-excellence-awards/overview/