BANGOR, Maine — Responding to a proposal by the University of Southern Maine Faculty Senate, key members of the UMaine System Board of Trustees have affirmed their commitment to maintaining 3 USM campuses.
USM is trying to close a $16 million budget gap and administrators have proposed cutting a number of academic programs and faculty positions. Last week the school's Faculty Senate suggested closing one of three campuses to save money. But UMaine System spokesman Dan Demeritt says all three campuses have important roles.
"We had some discussions among some leaders on the board and university leadership and we thought it was important to make it clear to the community, to campuses, our students, people considering attending our school, that we're going to have a strong presence in Gorham, Portland and Lewiston-Auburn for the foreseeable future," he says.
The idea of closing a campus has been discussed informally for years, with many noting the difficulties of multiple campuses for students, staff, faculty and administrators.
