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Dear Colleagues,
As 2023 comes to a close, I am in awe of all we have accomplished together over the past 12 months. And I am grateful to work alongside you.
Despite tremendous headwinds in higher education, the University of Maine System (UMS) continues to positively transform the lives of our students and the future of our state.
This past year, we have improved educational quality and student outcomes, maintained enrollment and nation-leading affordability, increased external funding and research activity, begun to reverse decades of underinvestment in our infrastructure, and launched innovative new programs including adult degree completion initiatives that will advance Mainers’ economic mobility and meet state workforce needs. We also received an overwhelmingly positive report from our accreditor, NECHE, after an extensive multi-year evaluation of our unified accreditation, and for the first time in nearly two decades, our System has a strategic plan that incorporates your input and gives us all a shared roadmap to sustainability and success.
All of this progress is only possible because of you.
Thank you for your hard work and your incredible dedication to delivering on our important mission for Maine. Please know you and your ongoing contributions to our campuses and communities are seen and valued. And they are making a real difference.
In addition to my appreciation and in acknowledgment of the toll that tragedies here at home and around the world are having on the mental health and well-being of so many of us, I want to encourage you to truly take a well-deserved break from your work over the upcoming holiday weekend.
In consultation with your presidents, I have decided to declare Tuesday, Dec. 26 as a UMS Administrative Holiday, allowing for a four-day weekend and hopefully more time for you to rest, reflect, and reconnect with your loved ones and the restorative Maine outdoors.
System HR leaders will be sharing additional information in the coming days about how to record your time.
I recognize that some essential members of our university family will need to keep working throughout the holiday, including those who support public safety, facilities and students who stay on campus. I know you join me in extending our special gratitude to them, and to their families.
Again, thank you. I am excited about what we can achieve in 2024. Until then, my warmest wishes to you and yours this holiday season.
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