Southern Maine Community College has recently announced a partnership for course availabilities with Windham Adult Education, who is working closely with Gray-New Gloucester Adult Education. This allows students to take college-level courses right in Windham, and potentially Gray, without having to commute to the SMCC campus in South Portland. There are also resources available through the Windham and Gray adult programs to help students with college preparation, testing, and course advising.

Beginning a degree program here at home could be beneficial in more ways than one. After the Legislature created the community college system, the AdvantageU program began, enabling students to get a four-year degree at a much lower cost than if they entered the university system traditionally. AdvantageU allows students in liberal studies programs in the Maine Community College System guaranteed admission to the seven institutions in the University of Maine system beginning in 2007. An added bonus is that all the credits, mostly what would be general education requirements, are all transferable.

In many cases, courses at community colleges are about half the cost of the university system. Reducing costs for the first two years will make the difference for many students to begin and complete higher education. Upon graduation, students could enter the workforce, or enter the university system as third-year students.

In the past two state budget cycles, more funding than ever before has been provided to adult education programs throughout Maine for just this reason. Most significantly, we passed a law called Opportunity Maine that offers tax credits on student loans for graduates who go to school in Maine and then stay in-state to live and work after they've earned their degree. Under the new law, Mainers who earn an associate degree or a bachelor's degree from an accredited Maine junior college, college or university may take advantage of the credit. Employers can also choose to make the loan payments for their employee and take advantage of the credit themselves. The tax credit is limited to what the person actually pays in loan payments or to what would be necessary to pay for an education in the University of Maine System or Maine Community College System, whichever is less.

While SMCC courses have already begun for the fall semester, spring class offerings will be posted on the SMCC Web site in mid-November at HYPERLINK "http://www.smccme.edu" www.smccme.edu. More information is available from Steve McFarland at Windham Adult Ed at 892-1819 and Joan Tremberth at Gray-New Gloucester Adult Ed at 657-2620.

In the meantime, if I can provide any assistance on state higher education initiatives, please feel free to call me at home at 892-6591 or e-mail me at RepMarkBryant@yahoo.com.