Strategic Re-Envisioning Update — September 26

Dear University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias communities,

Thank you to the 186 in-person and online participants who attended the town hall meeting on September 12. I am deeply appreciative of our SRE leadership team and project leaders for their insightful and informative presentations. The questions and comments raised indicate a strong engagement with the work of the strategic re-envisioning process (SRE), and engaging with the question “What would UMaine look like if we were designing it today?” For those who could not attend, the presentation and a recording of the event are available through the SRE website. 

The next opportunity for community engagement will be on October 2, from 2 – 3 p.m., when EVPAA and Provost John Volin, VPFA Kelly Sparks, SRE Project Director Sabrina DeTurk and Associate Project Director James Beaupré will host office hours in 112 Alumni conference room in Alumni Hall and by Zoom. I encourage community members to bring their questions and ideas for informal conversations with this group. Additional office hours will be scheduled later in October and in November.

As we approach the end of September, we are also approaching the end of Phase 2 of the SRE process: Prioritizing and Assessing. The working groups are finalizing their feedback around evaluation criteria and the positive and negative impacts of ideas related to their themes. October marks the beginning of Phase 3: Refining and Executing, where our working groups will connect SRE themes to align with visions of the future university, determine near-term and longer-term emphases, and the university’s multi-year financial strategy. Priority proposals for new initiatives and structural changes will likely begin to emerge from this work within the next months as we develop the FY26 budget. We will also continue to seek ideas and proposals for ongoing stages of SRE; please engage by submitting your ideas.

Drawing on feedback from members of the community, we have decided to add an additional SRE theme focused on enhancing organizational effectiveness through consolidation, elimination, or restructuring recommendations in administrative units and or functions. A Provost’s Fellow and working group will be identified to lead the work in this area; if you are interested in participating, please email Sabrina DeTurk (sabrina.deturk@maine.edu).

Thank you all for engaging in this process – I look forward to continued community discussions as we move into Phase 3.  

Sincerely,

Joan Ferrini-Mundy
President