Resolve, To Establish a Pilot Program To Provide Greater Cooperation and Coordination between the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System

Sec. 1. Pilot program established. Resolved: That Southern Maine Community College and Kennebec Valley Community College shall develop a pilot program with the University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine at Augusta, respectively, to provide a seamless transition process for students attending the Maine Community College System to earn an associate degree and to transfer their college credits to attend the University of Maine System with the goal of graduating with a baccalaureate degree; and be it further

Sec. 2. Goals. Resolved: That the goals of the pilot program are to develop a model for further collaboration between the participating colleges and universities in the service of student success, retention and degree completion and to provide data for future academic policy for all future student success. To achieve these goals, the participating colleges and universities shall ensure that the pilot program is a student-centered model that:

1. Leads to a seamless pathway between a community college and a university;

2. Supports students in obtaining appropriate information leading to course selection that maximizes the transfer of credits between institutions;

3. Produces a pathway that supports student completion of an associate degree at a participating community college and a baccalaureate degree at a participating university with the minimum number of credits required to graduate from each participating institution;

4. Supports and promotes student success in and between each participating institution; and

5. Leads to higher completion rates for students.

The participating colleges and universities shall ensure that they achieve their goals by designing an evaluation instrument to monitor progress of the pilot program; and be it further

Sec. 3. Report. Resolved: That the Maine Community College System and the University of Maine System shall provide an interim report on the progress of the pilot program no later than January 1, 2010 to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs. Following the completion and graduation of the first participating class of students involved in the pilot program, the Maine Community College System and the University of Maine System shall submit a report with an assessment and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters on the future of the pilot program. The joint standing committee is authorized to submit legislation regarding the report during the legislative session in which the report is submitted.