| Connie Justice, Economic Development Committee |
… as our Town Manager Bill Kerbin, Town Planner Kathy Tombarelli, and members of the Select Board, Planning Board and Economic Development Committee (EDC) learned this week during a thrilling tour of Unity Environmental University’s new digs at Pineland Farms, a visit organized by the EDC. This thriving, pioneering higher educational institution has chosen to settle right here in New Gloucester.
Dr. Melik Khoury, President and CEO of Unity College (and Professor of Sustainable Business Enterprises), and Dr. Erika Latty, President of the Unity College Enterprise and Chief Academic Officer (and Professor of Botany), walked us through the state-of-the-art, cheerful, practical, and attractive facilities of the Unity College Technical Institute for Environmental Professions, in Freedom Hall on the Pineland campus.
We saw gorgeous classrooms outfitted for hybrid flexible (HyFlex) learning with huge wall-mounted screens surrounding desk pods and lecturer podium; “clean” lab space with fixed furniture for microscopes and other sensitive equipment; and customizable labs that accommodate scientific work ranging from testing full-size solar panels to analyzing molecules; an Operational Efficiency center which consolidates and digitizes the college’s administrative functions so learners don’t waste precious time being bounced around departments as they enroll, pay bills, sign up for courses, adjust their majors, and prepare to graduate; and the library, where learners can check out all the equipment, devices, tools, books and media they need to complete their coursework.
The college is fully accredited and has developed a responsive new approach for job-focused higher education. They offer ten different Associate Degree Programs in veterinary medicine, data analytics and software development, renewable energy, sustainability and outdoor recreation. They also work with businesses to develop customized Associate Degrees to meet specific technical needs.
Their costs are transparent at $250 per credit hour with no extra fees, and they help learners through the financial aid process, which can bring down the out-of-pocket cost for a low-income student to $500 per year. All courses run on a two-week term calendar, and learners take one course at a time. This means learners’ lives are not disrupted as they work towards certificates or degrees, change career directions, or gain new skills and knowledge. The college has a student body of 7,500, composed of distant learners and residential students (on the Moose River and Unity campuses), and will reach 10,000 in the next few years.
This is a wonderful resource for our high school graduates seeking job-focused higher education close to home, for businesses wishing to provide development for their staff or looking for new graduates to hire, and for people in mid-career looking for new directions. Do stop by at Pineland or visit Unity College’s website to learn more.
Ed.’s note: I apologize for misspelling Dr. Khoury’s first name in a photo caption. ~ Joanne
