UMFK basic French class to be offered
on NMCC campus
PRESQUE ISLE — With the coming of the World Acadian Congress to the region in 2014, interest is growing on the part of many in Aroostook County to learn or brush up on their basic French communication skills.
Two Aroostook County higher education institutions with a long history of collaboration are coming together to provide such an opportunity to central and southern Aroostook County residents.
As the result of an ongoing dialogue between officials with Northern Maine Community College and the University of Maine at Fort Kent, a course offered by the University, designed to help students who have never studied French to master basic communication skills, will be delivered on the NMCC campus this fall. This will mark the first time that a UMFK course is offered at NMCC.
“We have numerous articulation agreements in place between our institutions and have worked closely with UMFK in the past to ensure a smooth transition for students from our campus to the University and to meet the higher education and training needs of the residents of Aroostook County,” said NMCC President Timothy Crowley. “This latest cooperative venture adds a new element to a positive and highly collaborative relationship. It will be especially beneficial to students on our campus looking to learn a second language, as well as to community members interested in reconnecting with a language they may have lost or learning a language that is quite common in our region and growing in significance with the coming activity.”
The three-credit Elementary French I course, taught by Nicole Boudreau, UMFK assistant professor of French, will be offered on Tuesday afternoons from 1-4 p.m. beginning Aug. 30 and running for 16 weeks on the NMCC campus in Presque Isle. The course strongly emphasizes oral communication, and much of the class time will be spent on interactive tasks and language practice.
For UMFK, providing the French course offering on the NMCC campus is consistent with the university’s mission to preserve and foster an appreciation of the Acadian and Franco-American heritage and culture, while welcoming students of all ethnic and racial heritages. The University believes a diverse student body enriches the learning experience of all.
“I am pleased that UMFK is able to offer French language instruction to NMCC students and members of the community in central Aroostook. While French is spoken widely throughout the St. John Valley, there are many non-French speakers who can better understand our Acadian heritage, pursue international business opportunities, and participate in the international events of the 2014 World Acadian Congress by sharpening their skills in a second language,” said UMFK President Wilson G. Hess. “We’re most pleased to partner with Northern Maine Community College for this project and look forward to future collaborations, as well.”
UMFK and NMCC have been leaders in their respective Maine University and Community College Systems in terms of collaborating to serve the higher education needs of the state. Two years ago, the two Aroostook County institutions signed a comprehensive articulation agreement that provides students who successfully complete NMCC’s associate in arts in liberal studies degree seamless transition into any of the academic programs offered at UMFK. Specifically, it stipulates that NMCC liberal studies graduates will have completed all general education course equivalency requirements at UMFK.
For more information on the Elementary French I course offered by UMFK on the NMCC campus this fall, contact the registrar’s office on either campus (UMFK — 834-7520, NMCC — 768-2787). To register online, go to www.umfk.maine.edu/fall/register.
