HOULTON, Maine — Northern Maine Community College second-year nursing students from southern Aroostook County got some good news this past week when the college announced financial assistance would be offered this fall and next spring for them to complete their final year of the program.
Every two years NMCC selects eight students to attend classes in Houlton at the Houlton Higher Education Center to avoid the commute to Presque Isle. There were six students enrolled last year who are currently halfway through the two-year program to obtain their nursing degree.
However, due to a projected budget deficit at the college for the 2014-15 fiscal year, four positions were cut in May, including the nursing faculty position at the Houlton Higher Education Center. The college immediately began investigating all options to assist the students being served in Houlton.
This meant nursing students from southern Aroostook County must now attend a larger portion of their classes in Presque Isle. Some of the classes will continue to be held in Houlton via the University of Maine at Presque Isle’s teleconference system.
Back in May, those nursing students stated the change would create an economic hardship and jeopardized their ability to finish their education. Some stated the amount of time required to drive to and from Presque Isle would prohibit them from keeping their current jobs.
Thanks to special scholarship dollars for tuition from the Maine Community College System and the Northern Maine Community College Foundation, each of those six nursing students will receive $500 in the fall and again in the spring semester.
“Even though some of the second-year coursework always had to be completed on the Presque Isle campus of NMCC, these students had an expectation that most of their classes could take place in Houlton,” said Dottie Martin, academic dean. “Now that a majority of the course work must be completed in Presque Isle, we understand it will be a hardship for some of the students. We are very happy to be able to help by identifying additional tuition assistance. Any savings can be used to defray travel or other costs.”
Martin and NMCC President Timothy Crowley met with the students in May to hear their concerns, notified them in June about the funding and had a final meeting last month to answer any questions.
“The meetings were productive and informative,” Crowley said. “Our students expressed their concerns in a responsible and respectful way and we reassured them every step would be taken to help them complete their nursing degree. We are grateful to Houlton Regional Hospital for continuing to partner with the NMCC nursing program to provide a portion of the clinical component of this program.”
