During his tenure, UMPI President Raymond Rice has shared many messages with campus and the wider community, from his semi-regular Owl’s Roost ruminations to messages reflecting on national and global events. You can peruse these messages by subject (see links at left–To Campus, To Campus and Community, Owl’s Roost) for a sense of the topics the University has experienced and reflected upon in the last several years. Highlighted here is one message in particular–the Owl’s Roost from September 8, 2025.
A Transformation in Higher Education
September 8, 2025
Every so often, a simple (well, maybe not so simple!) idea becomes something bigger.
Just over five years ago, we asked a bold question: How can we reimagine higher education so that it is more accessible, more equitable, and more responsive to those left behind by traditional systems?
This fall, we are beginning to see the full measure of that answer. A transformation in access, attainment, and affordability is being shaped in meaningful ways by the work undertaken here at UMPI.
According to the most recent analysis of UMPI’s programming, tuition models, and graduate outcomes, our institution has achieved results that are both exceptional and transformative. Specifically, UMPI has:
- Tripled graduate production since 2019
- Reduced the cost of a bachelor’s degree by 68%
- Accelerated time-to-completion by 75% or more
- Generated an average five-year economic impact of $248,000 per student
These outcomes position UMPI not simply as a participant in the national conversation about higher education reform, but as a recognized leader and model for what is possible.
For those of us who work and live these changes every day, these numbers aren’t just metrics. They’re evidence of what happens when you combine innovation with mission—and wrap it in the kind of personalized care and support that defines this university.
More importantly, we know that behind every meaningful statistic is a story. One of our YourPace graduates, now employed full-time as an architectural designer after completing her degree in record time, told a room of policymakers earlier this year:
“UMPI didn’t just give me a degree. It gave me a future I didn’t think was possible.”
Her story reflects what we see daily: that when barriers of cost, geography, and time are removed, students not only succeed, they thrive. This Equity and Success Transformation isn’t just a return on investment—it’s a return on belonging, on possibility, on hope.
With YourPace, students can now earn their degrees for less than $10,200, often in under six months, and with no distinction between in-state and out-of-state tuition. This opens doors for adult learners, working parents, veterans, and anyone who thought college was out of reach. And it positions UMPI as a leading voice in the national conversation on affordability and student success.
More importantly, these transformations aren’t abstract. They’re unfolding in Aroostook County, across Maine, and in every corner of the country and globe where our students live and learn. With nearly 750 additional graduates expected this year alone, regional economies will benefit from $17 million in new economic activity and over $3.75 million in additional tax revenue.
What’s Next: Growth Rooted in Purpose
As we build on this momentum, Fall 2025 brings with it a new suite of programs designed for today’s learners—these are just a selection of those programs:
- MS in Business (including three of eleven planned concentrations)
- BS in Computer Science via YourPace
- BA in Social Work, fully online
- BS in Art Education, in-person and online
- AA & BS in Early Childhood Education, in both YourPace and traditional formats
Each of these programs reflects our dual commitments—to regional workforce needs and national accessibility. We’re not just expanding—we’re aligning growth with purpose.
To support this growth, we are simultaneously investing deeply in infrastructure, marketing, and student support. This included this past summer a $600,000 project to replace furniture and mattresses in our residence halls—essential steps toward making sure students feel at home, and that campus remains a place of warmth, welcome, and wellbeing.
Equally important is how we support students emotionally and mentally—wherever they may be. This fall, we begin our partnership with UWill, a free telehealth counseling service that provides students with 24/7 access to mental health support. Whether a student is living on campus, taking courses on campus in Presque Isle, or completing their degree from home in California, they can speak to a licensed counselor on their schedule, in their preferred modality—phone, video, chat, or text. No waiting lists. No cost. Just the kind of compassionate, immediate support that reflects who we are as a university. Because academic success means little if we aren’t also caring for the whole person.
Our New Roadmap: Strategic Plan 2028
This fall also marks the launch of UMPI’s Strategic Plan 2028, a bold and comprehensive vision designed to carry us into the next chapter of our shared story.
Titled “Our Purpose, Our People, Our Promise,” the plan affirms what we’ve long practiced: that education at UMPI is not merely the transfer of knowledge—it is a sustained act of empowerment. Grounded in our values of access, care, and innovation, the plan outlines four key goals:
- Accessibility – expanding flexible, affordable, and career-aligned pathways
- Institutional Sustainability – building capacity through hiring, equity, and transparency
- Empowerment – fostering belonging, voice, and professional growth
- Connection – deepening partnerships that anchor us locally and elevate us globally
At the heart of the plan is The UMPI Way—a lived culture of generosity, curiosity, and integrity. It challenges us to lead with courage and to design and expand (nationally and globally) an institution where students and employees alike thrive and belong.
This plan isn’t just a document. It’s a promise that calls on each of us to ask not just what we’re doing—but why, for whom, and how well. It reminds us that transformation happens at the intersection of vision and care.
Athletics Spotlight: Owls on the Rise
It has been a remarkable year for UMPI Athletics, one that reflects the same spirit of grit and growth we see across the university.
On the court, field, and trails, our student-athletes have set new standards for excellence. Women’s Basketball star Lexi Ireland became the program’s all-time leading scorer while also joining the 1,000-rebound club—an extraordinary dual achievement that earned her regional recognition. On the Men’s side, our team finished the regular season with a 20–5 record, the best in UMPI history, capped by Coach Kane’s 100th career victory.
Beyond basketball, our Men’s Soccer and Cross Country teams posted some of their strongest results in years, while multiple athletes earned North Atlantic Conference All-Conference honors. And with over 20% of our on-campus students participating in varsity athletics, we are seeing not only competitive success but also the powerful role athletics plays in building leadership, resilience, and connection.
What makes me most proud is not just the wins, but the way our teams embody our UMPI values. From volunteering in local schools to hosting youth clinics, our athletes remind uall of us that NCAA Division III is about more than competition—it’s about community. Their dedication on and off the field strengthens our ties to Aroostook County and affirms athletics as an essential bridge between campus and community.
Looking ahead, our Strategic Plan 2028 calls for continued investment in athletics, including new facilities, expanded programming, and opportunities that enhance both student experience and regional engagement.
Final Thoughts: Writing the Next Chapter, Together
We like to say that at UMPI you should expect the unexpected—and the world is taking note.
This past year alone, our work has been featured in journals such as The Chronicle of Higher Education and cited in national conversations about the future of public higher education. All this attention focuses on our compelling case for what higher education can be: accessible, efficient, high-impact, and student-centered.
Indeed, our students graduate with the least amount of debt from any regional four-year institution not just in the State of Maine, but in all the Northeast. Many YourPace students graduate without incurring any additional debt whatsoever, and many complete in less than six months. The program is now serving learners in every U.S. state and multiple countries abroad. This is not just a Maine story—it’s a national story, written in the margins of rural America, where innovation is often born from necessity and sustained by community.
The work you’ve done—whether advising a student, developing or teaching a course, answering complex questions of those with even more complex lives, helping to keep our physical campus looking beautiful, or simply offering encouragement—has reshaped what’s possible for thousands of individuals.
And we are just getting started.
As we begin a new semester, I invite you to take a moment to recognize how far we’ve come—and to imagine, with courage and curiosity, what comes next. At UMPI, we’re not just chasing change. We’re creating it.
Here’s to a transformative fall, and here’s to all of you who make this place not just a university, but a home for us and the thousands of learners we serve.
Raymond Rice
UMPI President