Staff Writer
Chancellor of the University of Maine System Richard Pattenaude was guest speaker at the recent Caribou Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s annual business meeting held at the Caribou Inn and Convention Center. The breakfast event was attended by community leaders, city officials and members of the local Chamber of Commerce. The meeting opened with a review of the audited financials for the 2008 year followed by an overview regarding the coming year, presented by CCC&I President Joe Sleeper.
“These are exciting times,” said Sleeper. “We’re developing a joint committee between the city of Caribou’s Community Development Department and the CCC&I’s Economic Development members, focused on seeing what we can bring to Caribou. Additionally we’ve implemented a new Loan Committee, comprised of one representative from all the financial institutions in town, to help us focus more on economic development and lend the strength of the bankers’ vast knowledge related to commercial lending,” he added. “We are grateful for their input and support.”
Shawn Anderson, CCC&I’s treasurer, spoke about the CCC&I’s strategic planning matrix, which he emphasized is in its planning stages.
“This is a living document, “ Anderson said, “we certainly hope to continue working with the city council and our members to define and fine tune this scope of work.” A copy of the strategic matrix is available at the chamber office.
Chancellor Pattenaude, expressed his thoughts on the economic climate across the country.
“Being chancellor is enormously exciting and challenging. These are troubling economic times and perhaps the most difficult time to be a policy maker than any of us will ever experience,” Pattenaude stated. “I’d like to find that guy who keeps saying, ‘may you live in interesting times,’ and smack him upside the head.”
The University of Maine System touches or helps, in some way, every single person in the state of Maine and continues to be the state’s largest single provider of postsecondary education. In 2007-08 there were 44,000 students enrolled statewide in the UMaine System. Last year, the UMaine System awarded over 5,600 degrees (slightly more than half of all the degrees awarded in Maine) and 927 master degrees.
Pattenaude further elaborated on the projected $45 million shortfall the UMaine System is facing during the next four years, and their compensation plans. Titled, “New Challenges, New Directions,” the Chancellor’s outline for achieving long-term financial sustainability is on their Web site at 222.maine.edu.
Dr. Pattenaude was first hired as USM president in 2007, by Patricia Collins, who was the chair of the board of trustees. Both Mr. and Mrs. Collins were in attendance at the Annual Business Breakfast meeting to speak with the Chancellor.
