Dear UMPI Community,
As we complete the 2024–2025 academic year, I want to take a moment to share an important update regarding our presence at the Houlton Center.
Over the past year, following the sale of the Center to the Community Living Association (CLA), we’ve been carefully observing how UMPI’s resources there are being used. What we’ve learned is a testament to how much and how rapidly the educational landscape continues to evolve—including in southern Aroostook and the surrounding regions. Increasingly, learners are choosing the flexibility of remote education, with many pursuing their degrees through UMPI’s YourPace competency-based online platform, or using a combination of distance education along with live instruction at our Presque Isle campus.
Although our facilities at the Houlton Center remain equipped for in-person learning and advising, the demand for those services has drastically declined and students are opting to access student support services through Zoom and associated technologies. At the same time, our valued partners—the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Maine Educational Opportunity Center, and Network Maine—continue to benefit from their presence in the space.
In response to these changes, we have begun a thoughtful and gradual transition plan that will support UMPI’s departure from the Houlton Center by December 31, 2025. Our partner organizations will work directly with CLA to coordinate their ongoing needs, and we will continue to monitor resource usage through the Fall 2025 semester in case adjustments are warranted.
While our physical presence in Houlton is changing, our commitment to the learners in this region remains as unwavering as it has always been. We are deeply grateful to the community for the relationships we’ve built over the years and look forward to continuing to support students in the ways that best meet their needs.
Thank you for your understanding and support during this transition.
