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V O L . X X I I N O. X X V I N OV E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 6 20 E liot Cutler, CEO of the Maine Center for Professional Graduate Studies, says the ambitious $150 million proposal to create a new graduate center for business, law and public policy is based on two related premises. Many Maine employers can't find workers with the high-level skills that are needed to compete in an increasingly global economy, he says, and the University of Maine System's graduate programs are uniquely positioned to help solve that problem. "e biggest challenge we face in this state is not taxes, it's not energy costs, it's that we don't have the workforce we need to be competitive in the 21 st Century," says Cutler, who was selected to lead the UMaine system's initiative in April 2015. "If you look at the states that are doing well, it's all because their workforce has the skills that are needed in today's world. at's why we've put that [need] front and center of the business plan." e business plan for the new graduate cen- ter received a key preliminary endorsement by the University of Maine System's Board of Trustees on Oct. 23, which unanimously approved a $15 million fundraising effort as the first step in a multi-phase capital campaign to build a $93.6 million, 180,000 square-foot building in Portland. e site would place under one roof the newly merged MBA pro- grams of the University of Maine and University of Southern Maine, the Muskie School, Cutler Institute, Maine Law School, a conference center and an incubator/business accelerator program. Highlights of the 75-page business plan: Strengthen and build upon Maine Law's existing programs that prepare students to fill the grow- ing need for lawyers in rural Maine. Merge the MBA programs at the UMaine and USM and expand their reach to serve Maine businesses, for example, through a high-quality executive education program. e goal is to double MBA enrollments by 2025, to 200 students, includ- ing at least 20 Maine and out-of-state students enrolled in an "experiential and cross-curricular MBA program with close ties to Maine employers." Expand the Muskie School of Public Services' executive education offerings, including greater collaboration with the MBA, Maine Law and Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy programs, to meet demand in fast-emerging fields such as data analytics. e plan also calls for a $45 million endow- ment and stipulates that the Maine Center would be a self-sustaining operation funded by tuition and fees. e $150 million fundraising goal makes it one of the largest fundraising efforts ever con- ducted for a Maine endeavor. In an ambitious timeline, it sets a December 2019 target comple- tion date for fundraising in order to open the new Maine Center building by September 2021. Cutler says the Maine Center already has reached out to the Harold Alfond Foundation, which contributed more than $2 million to help finance the 18-month planning process. Additionally, it will seek major assistance and gifts from national foundations that invest in education reform efforts. Filling the skills gap UMaine System's bold $150M graduate center plan addresses need for high-skill workers B y J a m e s M c C a r t h y L AW F O C U S S O U R C E : The Maine Center for Graduate Professional Studies One roof, three programs C U R R E N T O F F E R I N G S MBA degree Certificates C U R R E N T O F F E R I N G S Certificates Content creation and publishing Master of Public Health degree Master of Policy, Planning and Management degree Consulting C U R R E N T O F F E R I N G S Certificates Content creation and publishing Experiential clinics Internships Juris doctor (J.D.) degree Master of laws (LLM) degree O F F E R I N G S P ROV I D E D B Y : Merged University of Maine and USM MBA programs O F F E R I N G S P ROV I D E D B Y : Muskie School/Cutler Institute O F F E R I N G S P ROV I D E D B Y : Maine Law P O L I C Y L AW B U S I N E S S N E W O F F E R I N G S Expanded certificates Content creation and publishing Consulting Cooperative education Customized education programs Experiential programs Fee for services accelerator Master of science in business degree Professional development Student incubator N E W O F F E R I N G S Cooperative education Customized education program Professional development N E W O F F E R I N G S Customized education programs Professional development Rural practice incubator The Maine Center for Professional Graduate Studies business plan: Transform and grow Maine's economy by bringing together under one roof in Portland the University of Maine System's single merged MBA program, Maine Law, Muskie School of Public Service, Cutler Institute, a conference center and an incubator/accelerator.

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