Find Your Perfect Program:
Maine Community College System Receives $10.85 Million Gift
By Catherine Groux
Posted January 25, 2012 04:33 PM
A 2011 CollegeBoard report shows that, as of 2009, about 41.1% of Americans between the ages of 25 and 34 hold an associate's degree or higher. Maine, however, falls below this average, as only 37.5% of young adults in this state hold college credentials. State officials hope this will soon change due to a $10.85 million gift that was recently given to the Maine Community College System (MCCS) and the Good Will-Hinckley agricultural high school, according to a press release.
The gift was given to the schools by the Harold Alfond Foundation and is expected to increase the capacity of Kennebec Valley Community College by 1,500 to 2,000 students through the addition of 600 acres and 13 buildings at Good Will-Hinckley. In this way, MCCS President John Fitzsimmons said the donation "is a gift that will transform the lives of generations of Maine people" by giving them improved access to a college education.
Additionally,
A gift to the Maine Community College System will give more students access to associate's degrees. with the use of Good Will-Hinckley's organic farmland, Kennebec Valley Community College plans to launch the state's first associate's degree program in agricultural sciences.
