Staff Writer
PRSEQUE ISLE — Officials at the University of Maine at Presque Isle have announced a partnership with the Carleton Project that allows the alternative private school to establish a permanent location in the Presque Isle area.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
UMPI HAS TEAMED UP with the Carleton Project, establishing a classroom at Park Hall that will be used by the Carleton Project to teach students in a non-traditional setting.
Present for the April 3 press conference announcing the collaborative effort are, from left: Joining Zillman at the official unveiling of the site were: UMPI’s Center for University Programs Chair Kim-Anne Perkins; UMPI President Don Zillman; Jennifer Walker, executive director of the Carleton Project; and Carleton Project Board Member Roger Shaw.
The joint venture was made public at an April 3 a press conference held at UMPI’s new learning center, located on the lower level of Park Hall. The Carleton Project provides non-traditional learning opportunities for students who’ve had difficulty in the traditional classroom setting.
“This is a win-win situation. This brings the Carleton Project to a home in Presque Isle. From a campus point of view, it’s a subtle and not-so-subtle chance to do recruiting and provides a closer connection to the community,” said UMPI President Don Zillman.
Discussion on the endeavor got under way last year, said Zillman.
“We first met with representatives of the Carleton Project in August 2008 to discuss plans for a site in Presque Isle,” said Zillman.
“We are pleased to be working with the Carleton Project on this effort to create important educational linkages for local students,” said Zillman. “We believe the positive educational experiences that students with the Carleton Project have on our campus will only help them to make the decision to continue their education and experience success once they get to college.”
This agreement will allow the CP to offer classes to students in the greater Presque Isle area, while providing them with important exposure to the atmosphere of a college campus. Programs are offered for students in grades 9 through 12, providing them an opportunity to obtain a high school diploma in a non-traditional setting. Project officials work individually with students to meet their academic potential and map out a college plan. Most graduates of the program go on to a two- or four-year college.
Joining Zillman at the official unveiling of the site were: Jennifer Walker, executive director of the Carleton Project; UMPI’s Center for University Programs Chair Kim-Anne Perkins; and Carleton Project Board Member Roger Shaw.
“This (Carleton Project) is a private alternative education program that’s entirely privately funded, through donations and grants. We don’t receive any federal funds,” explained Walker.
Walker said the idea came about as the result of discussions on ways to offer the same benefits to Presque Isle students as centers in other locations have done.
“These are students who haven’t thrived in traditional educational programs. We focus on the student’s interests and goals and help them transition from high school to college or university life,” said Walker.
“We’re here to support and work with students who are serious about graduating and reaching their goals for the future,” Walker said. “All of our students feel a strong support network which helps ensure their success. One of our objectives is to work very hard to have these supports and partnerships available for each student and that’s why this partnership with UMPI is so important to us.”
This collaboration brings the total number of CP learning sites to three, with well-established locations already in place in Houlton and Livermore Falls. The original relationship between UMPI and the CP was started in Houlton when the alternative school established a site at UMPI’s Houlton Higher Education Center.
“Based on the success of that partnership,” said Perkins, “it seemed an appropriate endeavor to create an onsite location (for CP) at the University’s campus.”
Talks began last fall to find a location in Presque Isle where the project could establish a classroom. Officials finally settled on a secure, low-traffic space on the ground floor of Park Hall, one of the campus’s dormitories. Also discussed were ways CP students would be able to utilize the campus as part of their learning experiences, including use of the campus library and attendance at cultural events, academic presentations and lectures, and campus-wide activities, such as the upcoming University Day (April 8), a day filled with presentations on UMPI students’ research.
While the partnership offers many advantages to the Carleton Project, Perkins said it also provides some important benefits to the University.
“This collaboration will allow us to be a part of creating the educational continuum,” said Perkins. “It also will ease the transition to college for some of these students and we hope some of them will choose to do their undergraduate studies here. These are students who, through their unique high school experience, have become very invested in their education, so we’d be working with students who have made some mature decisions about coming to college.”
Classes have officially begun at the Park Hall facility. Those attending the press conference were able to tour the new site and view the unveiling of the new sign at the entrance of the classroom space. For CP officials, this is where a bright future for their students in the Presque Isle area begins.
“Being on campus every day, taking advantage of some of the opportunities that UMPI can offer our students and having supportive staff doing the preliminary work with our students to make their transition into college as smooth as possible only further enhances the success of the Carleton Project and our students,” said Shaw.
Shaw said he’s been working in public education all his life and knows how important the proper transition from high school to college is to a student’s success.
“In small schools in particular, we don’t always have the programs that help with that transition for all students. It’s through programs like those offered by the Carleton Project, that assist with that transition, that allows even more students to succeed. By working together, through collaborations like this, we’re able to provide the aid needed to guarantee continued success,” said Shaw, noting the UMPI site will provide the setting that will lead to that success.
“You’re (CP students) the group of people who’ll take the community to the next level,” said Perkins.
Zillman said this was a perfect opportunity for CP students to sample what the University has to offer.
“The wonderful thing about the University, it’s a continual smorgasbord. I encourage participation. Try new things. This (the CP campus site) provides an opportunity to do that,” said Zillman.
For more information about the CP, visit www.carletonproject.com.
