NMCC, UMFK officials sign unique transfer agreement

Melissa Lizotte, Special to The Star-Herald, Special to The County
10 years ago

NMCC, UMFK officials sign unique transfer agreement

Graduates of 14 associate degree programs at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle now have a unique opportunity to simplify the path to an advanced degree while potentially reducing overall costs.
Thanks to a new agreement with the University of Maine at Fort Kent, they can go on to earn a bachelor’s degree in business management using credits earned while enrolled at NMCC.
Officials from NMCC and UMFK signed the agreement at NMCC’s Christie Complex on April 22. The partnership allows students who receive associate degrees from NMCC to transfer credits to UMFK into the university’s business management program.
“One of the things we know is that a number of our students have a long-term plan of going into business for themselves,” Dottie Martin, NMCC academic dean, said. “This gives them the opportunity to continue their education in that field of study so that they can be successful entrepreneurs.”
UMFK President Wilson Hess praised the many benefits that the collaborative degree plan gives students. He said that some graduates of technical degree programs do not decide to start their own business until they move further into their careers.
“Sometimes when folks progress through these jobs, they discover they want to advance into management in their business. When you’re successful at your job, sometimes you feel like you have to start over,” Hess said. “Creating that pathway, whether it be for folks who are graduating now or folks that graduated five or 10 years ago is what we should be doing in higher education, not just in Maine, but across the country.”
Computer electronics is one of the many NMCC programs that students can transfer credits from. Jennifer Belanger, a community college student from St. John Plantation, said that a business degree from UMFK could be useful for her and fellow students if they ever wanted to start their own business.
“I could see where it would be useful in my field with computer programming and web design,” Belanger said. “It also helps that the teachers at Fort Kent are going out of their way to help.”
In addition to transferring general education credits, the arrangement will also allow NMCC students to transfer health and upper-level technical credits. Those credits will act as replacements for the required concentration in the bachelor of science in business management degree offered at UMFK.
This will rid the students of much of the entry-level costs associated with the degree and help them earn the degree faster. NMCC President Timothy Crowley is proud of the new partnership with UMFK, calling it an historic deal.
“It gives students management education that they cannot get in a technical program and furthers their education,” Crowley said. “It gives them that path and that’s a very good thing.”
All officials noted that this new program expands upon what NMCC is already doing: preparing students for important jobs for northern Maine’s communities and economy. Giving graduates a chance to become business owners can lead to even more economic development and small business growth in Aroostook County and beyond.