With agreements in place with the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce and Momentum Aroostook to receive tuition discounts and free YourPace sessions, the University of Maine at Presque Isle has helped in the development of a third opportunity for the region’s business community. Starting this fall, Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce members and their employees, as well as members of Momentum Aroostook, will be able to take advantage of a 12 percent tuition discount on master’s level courses that are part of the University of Maine Graduate School of Business MaineMBA beginning in January 2020.
“We are so pleased to have the University of Maine Graduate School of Business expanding upon the incentives being made available to the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce and Momentum Aroostook and providing graduate level course offerings to our local business community,” UMPI President Ray Rice said. “It’s collaborations like this that allow the University of Maine System to best serve the workforce development needs of our region.”
President Rice approached the University of Maine Graduate School of Business about the potential for a discount program and, in advocating for more graduate level educational opportunities for business professionals in northern Maine, served as an influential driver for its approval.
The 12 percent discount is a defining feature of the Workforce Partners Program, which is available to active members of any Maine chamber of commerce. Participants in the Workforce Partners Program will be able to pay less than $12,000 in tuition to complete the MaineMBA.
This discount follows the agreements UMPI put into place earlier this fall with the Central Aroostook Chamber of Commerce and Momentum Aroostook. Members of these organizations and their employees are eligible for a 10 percent discount on an undergraduate course at UMPI. 
These individuals can also take advantage of a free 8-week session in UMPI’s online, competency-based YourPace program, valued at $1,400.
“UMPI is always looking for opportunities to partner with local organizations to offer greater access to affordable education,” President Rice said. “A cornerstone of UMPI’s mission is to support our local economy and collaborate with area business and industry to support workforce development, and all of these discounts help us to do that. We are especially grateful to the University of Maine Graduate School of Business for establishing this new discount and creating greater access to graduate level programming for people here in the County.”
In addition to the new discount, University of Maine Graduate School of Business officials visited UMPI on Tuesday, Oct. 29 for a Business Development Lunch and Learn event. This free lunch and learn featured Dr. Michael Weber, Founding Dean of the University of Maine Graduate School of Business, who shared facts and strategies for Strategic Planning and Workforce Development for Businesses in Aroostook County. His talk covered topics ranging from career building for young professionals to leadership succession planning in an aging workforce. Officials hope to host lunch and learns and other business-focused events for the northern Maine region in the future.
For more information about the Workforce Partners Program, visit https://umaine.edu/business/partners/. To learn more about the University of Maine Graduate School of Business and its offerings, please visit https://umaine.edu/business/mba/ or contact the school at 207-581-1968 or mbs@maine.edu.
