Zachary Benner

The discussion centered on the university's budget, driven by values and strategic planning. Key points included the strategic values of fostering learner success, creating and innovating for Maine and beyond, and growing in stewarding partnerships. The Board of Trustees' draft declaration of strategic priorities was also a focal point, emphasizing workforce preparedness, increased college completion, and meeting state needs. The budget process involves incremental adjustments to the approved budget, aligning the campus budget process with the state of Maine's budget cycle. The discussion also covered the educational and general budget, tuition fee revenue, state appropriation, services, and indirect cost recovery.

The forum is a spring continuing budget discussion, focusing on transparency and ongoing dialogue about the budget. Key discussion points included a comparison of FY19 and FY20 revenues and expenses, the campus budget process within the state of Maine budget cycle, and the timeline for budget presentations. The discussion also covered the construction of the budget, including fixed and flexible revenues and expenses, tuition and fees, state appropriation, salary and benefits, and investments in scholarships. Additionally, the forum addressed the strategic vision and values driving budget decisions, investments aligned with strategic values, and areas for potential revenue growth.

The session focused on the strategic vision and values process, emphasizing campus engagement in defining strategic vision and values. Discussions included transforming the institution, strategic values, goals, and strategies. The process aims to be accountable with key indicators to track progress. The University of Maine System's R&D plan was shared with the Board of Trustees in March, with a goal to share a draft plan in May. Key strategic values include fostering learner success, creating and innovating for Maine, and growing and stewarding partnerships. The workshop also addressed goals such as ensuring every student has a hands-on research experience.

The town hall meeting included presentations and discussions on several topics: academic collaboration, financial priorities, strategic planning, and unified accreditation. The meeting addressed managing the pandemic, academic program collaborations, and student success initiatives. There was also discussion about documenting collaborations and partnerships with regional schools and ways to improve the university's web presence to showcase these activities.

The presentation includes discussion on the governor's budget, a budget development timeline, campus priorities, and finances within the University of Maine system. It emphasizes the importance of legislative participation and highlights the university's funding compared to other institutions. The discussion also covers tuition, fees, compensation, benefits, and scholarships. Enrollment trends, including out-of-state students and student credit hours, are reviewed, along with cost-related topics such as tuition increases and student debt.