Times Record, July 2, 2003

College accessible

Maine's new community college system was launched Tuesday with announcements that its four-year tuition freeze will continue for another two years, that money will be raised to create an endowment fund for annual scholarships, that it will expand both career and liberal studies offerings and increase the number of students who transfer from the two-year colleges to Maine's universities and other four-year colleges.

"We're lowering barriers to higher education ... we're opening the door of college to thousands of Mainers in this and future generations," Gov. John Baldacci said.

At $68 per credit hour or about $2,040 a year for full-time students, more than 10,000 credit students will benefit from the freeze at the system's seven campuses and eight off-campus centers. One of the off-campus centers is the Mid Coast Center for Higher Education on Park Street in Bath, which is shared with the University College at Bath/Brunswick.

College in Maine is now more possible than ever. For more information, call the Bath center at 386-0013 (Community College System) or 442-7736 (University College at Bath/Brunswick). Jump into the future with both feet or start with just one course.