After three months of discussion and negotiation, I am pleased to announce that, effective March 1, 2011, UMFK will become Maine’s incubator of an Early College High School program based upon the Gates Foundation model. For five years the University of Maine at Fort Kent and its K-12 partners in the Upper St. John Valley College Community project have been offering collaborative bridging programs for students in rural Maine communities.  This initiative will expand the College Community project partnership to create Maine’s incubator Early College High School.

Please look further in the Communications section of The President’s Desk for an Executive Summary of the project and a narrative explaining Early College High School and its objectives.