When a place with which you feel a strong connection receives praise it often invokes a feeling of pride. If UMPI students take a look at this year’s ratings UMPI’s place on the list should definitely invoke those feelings.
Let’s start with the category of “Best Regional College.” This year UMPI was rated number 27 in the north, which includes all of New England. Dr. Ray Rice, provost and current interim president of UMPI, said that UMPI is up 19 places from 2014.
“That’s against both private and public schools,” he said.
Next, UMPI was rated number 15 for public schools (colleges) in the north. Finally, and maybe the most exciting, UMPI was named number seven for the third year in a row for least debt for graduates. In fact, UMPI has not raised its tuition rates for six years, which has never been done by a university system in the country. Rice was very pleased with this year’s results. And he is looking forward to the future.
“I’d love our least debt to be number one,” he said.
Sometimes we may feel that being in northern Maine we are tucked away from the rest of the world. Rice did comment on the fact that since we are located so far north UMPI is not very well known in outside sectors. But that is why this year’s ratings are so encouraging.
“Best Regional Colleges was such a jump,” Rice said.
He also mentioned that these good ratings help to attract people to come to the campus.
In addition, even though it was not on the list of ratings, UMPI was also named in the top 10 safest schools in Maine. This should be especially encouraging to those who are attending classes here as well as to those who are contemplating coming here. It shows that UMPI knows how to take care of its people.
“It’s a reflection of the hard work that the faculty and staff have been doing,” Rice said.
He looks forward to improving the campus. He said that ideas are always welcome. The faculty and staff here really do want to make students’ experiences here the best that they can be.
The fact that UMPI has so many students that are not local is also a testament to the reach of the school. Brandy Smith, a second-semester student from Liberty, Maine, spoke about her UMPI experience so far.
“I really like the small campus,” she said.
She said that she had originally planned to go to Fort Kent, but when she found out about UMPI, she decided to check it out. She was especially happy when she found out that UMPI had a program in Professional Journalism and Communication, her current concentration.
“If I need help, I can get in touch with the professor and get the help I need,” she said. “It’s a pretty great school and I’ve enjoyed my time here so far.”
So the next time you take a walk on campus or even just as you are walking from classroom to classroom, take a moment to appreciate your alma mater. You really do belong to a pretty great university.
