Maine Policy Scholars present on pressing issues
Four University of Maine System students gave their final presentations Nov. 8 as Maine Policy Scholars.
The scholarship recipients presented their research to four panelists, friends and family, and the broader UMS community.
The Maine Policy Scholars program was established by Peter Cox and supported by many donors. It engages UMS students in the public policy process. Working alongside a faculty adviser, students tackle a real-life policy issue facing Maine.
After conducting extensive research, the scholars produce a final report in the form of a memo to the governor or appropriate policymaker outlining the issue, available data and recommended policy solutions.
Among the four scholars presenting this year was Taylor Cray, a political science and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies double major at UMaine. Cray worked with faculty adviser and political science professor Amy Fried on the project, “Maine: Worth a Lifetime? A Study of Maine’s Aging Population and the Lack of Young People Settling in the State.”
The panelists offered critiques and questions regarding the scholars’ research, but also provided recommendations on how to get their projects enacted into policy solutions.
The Maine Policy Scholars program is managed by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center at UMaine in partnership with the Maine Community Foundation.
More information is on the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center’s website.