UMaine System seeks to rebuild enrollments
PORTLAND, Maine—The University of Maine System is trying to rebuild enrollment at its seven campuses through television commercials, radio spots and newspaper ads. It's part of a $2 million initiative that started this fall.
Enrollment has shrunk by about 3,000 students, a drop of nearly 9 percent, in the past decade. The Maine Sunday Telegram ( http://bit.ly/sVYinB) says the decline contrasts with national trends.
The biggest drop has been at the University of Southern Maine, where the number of students is down 18 percent since 2002.
Competition with other colleges, including Maine's community colleges, is part of the reason for the enrollment declines.
To try to rebuild the numbers, the university system has added online programs, eased the transfer process and marketed more aggressively.
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Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://www.pressherald.com
