Central Maine Newspapers, May 3, 2002

Technical college chief outlines vision of 'community colleges'

AUGUSTA (AP)— The president of the Maine Technical College System has begun a campaign to get $23 million in state funds to cut tuition and increase enrollment.

John Fitzsimmons, president of the seven-school system, said tuition cuts and enrollment increases are part of the final touches of a plan to transform the former vocational schools into a network of community colleges.

He has spent the past two weeks touring the state to speak with college staff and local business groups to describe his vision for bringing the colleges into what he calls a "bold new era." Fitzsimmons is also proposing to change the college system's name to the Maine Community College System, with each campus having the name "community college" rather than "technical college."

"That is a very easy evolution for us and it's very exciting for the state. By changing the name and making the investment, Maine will have what it's been missing—a low-cost entry point that provides broad access to higher education for thousands more Maine people," Fitzsimmons said.

Fitzsimmons said he plans to recommend to the Legislature next January that the state invest between $18.8 and $23.3 million in the system over six years, beginning with $6.3 million in 2004.

Those funds would help cover the costs of boosting enrollment by an additional 4,000 students by the end of the decade, he said. If legislators allocate enough money, he added, the college could reduce tuition costs by nearly 25 percent—from $68 to $52 per credit hour.