About Many Flags
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“Many Flags/One Campus” is a unique technical and higher education concept for the Midcoast and its Island communities that promotes efficiency by combining into one virtual presence and physical location the programs, degrees, students, faculty, staff, classrooms, labs, technology infrastructure and administrative functions from the following institutions that provide vocational/technical training, associate degrees, baccalaureate degrees and graduate degrees: the Midcoast School of Technology (MCST); Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC); University of Maine Orono – Hutchison Center (UMO-H); the University College at Thomaston (UCT); and a Marine Systems Center of Excellence in cooperation with the Maine Community College System and private marine trade training resources in Maine.
In addition – this robust learning environment will be an exceptional campus location for a high performing regional Midcoast High School, with a focus on integrated applied learning and early college/dual enrollment opportunities.
The Many Flags Fact Sheet
♦ Vision: to create a robust, innovative learning environment that will co-locate on one campus a Regional High School, a Career and Technical Education School and, as feasible, a Higher Education Center made up of the Maine Community College System and the University of Maine System, including an independent Marine Systems Center of Excellence.
♦ Education Model: To the extent possible, the co-located educational institutions will share resources and integrate programs and services provided to students and the community.
♦ Regional High School and Vocational Technical School: It is anticipated that the Regional High School will be linked directly to the Vocational Technical School. They will develop, as much as possible, integrated academic and technical programs to create a new high performing, applied learning high school for the Midcoast.
♦ Early College/Dual Enrollment: The new Regional High School and Vocational Technical School will expand upon early college/dual enrollment opportunities currently in place with the Higher Education providers in the Midcoast. Many Regional High School and Vocational Technical School students will be able to earn several post secondary level credits and/or certificates by the time they graduate from High School.
♦ The Higher Education Center: It is anticipated that the Higher Education Center will be a separate building(s) on the Many Flags campus. It will be well integrated into the campus design and readily accessible to the High School and Vocational Technical school students on the Many Flags campus. The Higher Education Center will initially house a branch of Kennebec Valley Community College, the University College at Thomaston campus (University of Maine System) plus space for UMaine courses and programs sponsored by the University of Maine Hutchinson Center in Belfast. Undergraduate and graduate courses will be offered live and via distance education technologies.
♦ Marine Systems Center of Excellence: It is anticipated that a new center will be established on the Many Flags campus that will provide a wide array of boat building, design, engineering and marine trades courses for high school students, college level students, and workers in the marine trades industry who need advanced and continuing education to perform their jobs. The Marine Systems Center for Excellence will use the facilities and resources of the Many Flags campus and may also have buildings designated specifically for its use. The Marine Systems Center will employ instructors and offer programs from existing boat building and marine systems education providers such as the Community College system, the Landings School, the American Boat and Yacht Commission (ABYC certified courses), and marine system equipment manufacturers.
♦ Enrollment Numbers: We anticipate the following enrollment numbers on the Many Flags Campus:
- Regional High School: 700 -750 students
- Vocational Technical School: an additional 300 high school level students from other sending schools
- Higher Ed Center:
Within 2 years: 750 College level students
Within 5 years: 1500 College level students
♦ Marine Systems Center students: unknown at this time
♦ Adult Education students: unknown at this time
♦ Senior College Students: 450
♦ Campus Size and Location: While a location has not yet been selected, we can make the following assumptions about the campus site:
- Approximately 100 acres of build-able land will be needed
- It must be centrally located within the SAD 5/SAD 50 School Districts
- It must be accessible to all students.
- There will be no student housing on campus. This will be a commuter campus, only
- While the Regional HS, Voc Tech School, Higher Ed Center, and Marine Systems Center will be co-located on one integrated and connected campus with several shared areas, there will also be clear separations between buildings to ensure that High School-aged students are appropriately supervised, and to ensure a separate, supportive college environment for adults studying at the Higher Education Center.
♦ Cost Assumptions – while we do not know how much the Many Flags Campus will cost to design and construct, we can make the following assumptions:
- We anticipate that vast majority of new HS & Voc Tech school construction costs will be covered by state funds.
- Local voters will be made aware of all of the anticipated costs and must approve the expenditure, via referendum, prior to any commitments being made.
- It is anticipated that the Higher Ed Center and Marine Systems Center will be privately funded (donors/foundation/industry sponsors)
- We do not currently anticipate that the Higher Ed Center or the Marine Systems Center will be paid for with any taxpayer dollars.
Project Timetable:
“Originally the Many Flags Steering Committee hoped to make application for new school funding in the Fall of 2007 – however, due to the Statewide School District Consolidation initiative, the Maine Dept of Education has decided to not accept applications for new school funding until Fall 2009 (at the earliest – and possible not till Spring 2010 !!).
For that reason, the Many Flags Steering Committee is pursuing Legislation in the 2nd year of the 123 Legislation to require the State Board of Education, by Dec 31, 2008, to set criteria for selecting an innovative secondary/post second education model – and by 12/31/08 select an underserved area of the state to become the model program for the state – and further, to ensure that funding will be come available to that selected program/community, as soon as new school funding can be made available.
The bill was introduced by Representative Chris Rector of Thomaston and is co-sponsored by Rep Ed Mazurek of Rockland. The proposed bill was approved unanimously by the Legislative Council in Oct 2007 and will be heard in the 2008 legislative session.
We will be posting more information re the legislation, its status, and how you can support
this effort during the legislative session.
Many Flags Steering Committee:
♦ Barbara Woodlee, President, Kennebec Valley Community College
♦ Kathy Moore, Dean of Students, KVCC
♦ Deborah Meehan, Director, Univ College Thomaston
♦ Meg Malmberg, Director, Univ Maine – Belfast Hutchinson Center
♦ Christine LeGore, University of Maine System
♦ Judy Harvey, Superintendent, SAD 50
♦ Al Pfeiffer, Superintendent, SAD 5
♦ Tim Hathorne, Director Mid Coast School of Technology
♦ Rep. Chris Rector
♦ Rep Ed Mazurek
♦ Mike Roberts, Consultant
♦ Alan Hinsey, Project Coordinator
Technical Advisors:
♦ Colleen Quint, Mitchell Institute
♦ Duke Albanese, Great Maine Schools Project
♦ Bob Hastings, Pen Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce
♦ Susan Swanton – Maine Marine Trades Assoc
♦ Glen Shivel, Landings School
♦ Ginny Carroll, Maine Dept of Labor
Letters of Stakeholder Support (on-file):
♦ President Kennedy, University of Maine
♦ President Fitzsimmons, Maine Community College System
♦ Interim Chancellor McTaggart, University of Maine System
♦ Commissioner Gendron, Maine Dept of Education
♦ Commissioner Fortman, Maine Dept of Labor
♦ Tom Hall, City Manager of Rockland, Maine
♦ Val Blastow, City Manager Thomaston, Maine
♦ Bob Hastings, CEO of the Rockland/Thomaston Chamber of Commerce
♦ Jamie Doubleday, Chair of the SAD 50 School Board
♦ Al Pfeiffer, Supt., SAD 5
♦ Susan Swanton Maine Marine Trades Association
♦ Anne Beebe-Center – Chair of the Coastal Counties Workforce Investment Board (and Knox County Commissioner)
♦ The “Many Flags” Steering Committee: Barbara Woodlee, KVCC; Joan Fink; University College at Thomaston; Chris Legore, Chancellors Office; Gary Crocker, Maine Com College System; Jim Patterson, Univ. Maine
