NMCC launches $2 million campaign

 PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – Business and community leaders from throughout Aroostook County joined Northern Maine Community College officials and NMCC Foundation board members last Wednesday to announce a first-ever major gifts campaign for the institution to raise $2 million over the next year to support both student scholarships and instructional technology, as well as to assist the College in new and ongoing efforts to respond promptly to community needs.
     The “Campaign for the County’s College,” named to reflect both the impact of the campus in the region, as well as how the NMCC community mirrors the aspirations of Aroostook and its people, is designed to support the outstanding tradition of teaching and learning for which the campus is known. The campaign also provides an opportunity to invest in positioning the college to meet the community’s education and workforce demands for years to come.
“This is an important moment in the history of our college,” said Timothy Crowley, NMCC president, “and the most significant opportunity our community friends have ever had to truly become engaged in making a difference for students, prospective students, and economic and workforce development initiatives that will present themselves in the coming years.”
In the fall of 2004, NMCC, in partnership with the NMCC Foundation, contracted with the Clements Group, a firm specializing in two-year college fund-raising programs, to conduct a feasibility study to determine potential support for a major gifts campaign. More than 60 individuals representing college faculty and staff, the General Advisory Council, Foundation board of directors, and a significant number of community leaders were interviewed.
Ninety-five percent of the external respondents were favorable toward NMCC, 81 percent were in favor of conducting a major gifts campaign, and 98 percent indicated they would or may personally contribute to a campaign conducted on behalf of NMCC.
“Our efforts brought forward the result that we should move forward with a major gifts campaign,” said Crowley, noting that for the past several months, the college has been working with community leaders from throughout Aroostook County to lay the groundwork for the fund-raising effort.
The president was joined at last week’s announcement by Raynold Gauvin, chair of the NMCC Foundation board.
“This marks a significant movement for this institution,” said Gauvin, “and more specifically for future generations of students who return to NMCC in pursuit of their higher education and career goals. [This major gifts campaign] will impact and engage the entire region.”
Among those involved in the process are three individuals named to lead the campaign. Brian Hamel, a partner in the Presque Isle firm of Thompson-Hamel, LLC; Kris Doody, chief executive officer of Cary Medical Center in Caribou; and Robert Clark, executive director of the Northern Maine Development Commission, were introduced by Crowley as campaign tri-chairs. Together with honorary campaign chair Floyd Harding, a Presque Isle attorney, Hamel, Doody, and Clark will lead the Campaign for the County’s College.
“The positive impact of this institution in this region over the past four decades is immeasurable. Through this major gifts campaign, the people of Aroostook have the wonderful opportunity not only to pay tribute to that legacy,” said Hamel, “but more importantly to support the aspirations of the coming generation of students who will benefit from the opportunity to better their lives through this fine college.
“It is a lofty goal, but one that is achievable and one that we’re very excited about,” he said. “There’s already a groundswell of support from the community, and we’re going to work hard to make sure we reach that goal of $2 million.”
Hamel also detailed the three funds that would be supported with gifts raised through the campaign.
The Accessing Opportunity Fund will allow the College Foundation to provide financial assistance through endowed scholarships and awards to deserving students. The fund will focus on rewarding high academic achievement, retaining at-risk students, encouraging adult learners and assisting part-time students who are currently underserved by traditional financial aid sources.
The Investing in Innovation Fund is a technology endowment fund that will enable the college to meet the budgetary challenge of keeping pace with innovations in industrial tools and machinery, advanced laboratory equipment, and computer technology for trade and technical occupations, nursing and allied health, business technology, and arts and science instruction.
The third fund, the College and Community Advancement Fund, will provide an immediate source of funding, allowing NMCC to launch new curricula and respond promptly to evolving community needs.
Doody, who announced the Campaign for the County’s College theme and publicly unveiled the logo, which features the NMCC image with a silhouette of Aroostook County, spoke about the importance of the institution to the Aroostook County economy.
“NMCC is an invaluable resource in this region when it comes to education, training and economic development,” said Doody, who also serves as president of the Aroostook Partnership for Progress. “The college certainly reflects ‘The County’ and its people. We are very fortunate to have this educational treasure in our backyard.”
In a videotaped message, Harding, who is currently in Florida, told those gathered for the event of his deep admiration for NMCC. The prominent Presque Isle resident, who was one of the original founders of NMCC as a vocational school in 1961, spoke passionately about the life-changing teaching and learning that happens on the campus every day. He ended his comments by encouraging residents of Aroostook County to support the Campaign for the County’s College.
“The gift you give will continue to give for all time. It will continue to be a part of that person,” said Harding. “There are some things in life you are so glad you did and if you contribute to this splendid college, you will get many returns that will have benefited people for generations to come.”
While the Campaign for the County’s College was formally introduced last week, it actually began as an internal campaign some time ago.
To date, $111,394 has been raised by employees, Foundation board members, and General Advisory Council members.
“The Campaign for the County’s College will make it possible for more and more residents of Aroostook to turn to this institution and realize that you can get there from here,” said Gauvin.
For more information, call the Campaign for the County’s College office at 768-2767.