Dr. Raymond J. Rice, President of the University of Maine at Presque Isle, addressed the campus community in a message released on May 9. He highlighted the university’s rapid growth and emphasized the importance of maintaining an ethic of care as the institution prepares for its largest-ever graduating class.
Rice said that as commencement approaches, students are arriving from nearby communities and as far away as Bangladesh, while faculty and staff finalize preparations for graduation. He noted that this time marks a significant period in the academic year when “an academic year proves itself indisputably the life-changing human experience we know it truly is.”
Reflecting on recent achievements, Rice pointed out that student enrollment has grown to nearly 4,000 from about 1,100 in 2021. The YourPace program now accounts for more than ten percent of University of Maine System’s headcount and is recognized nationally as a low-cost public competency-based education option. “Five years ago, UMPI was a small rural campus that the System summarized on its annual budget presentation slides; today…the question on the table is, in part, what UMPI has shown to be possible,” Rice said.
He stressed that influence should not be viewed as an end goal but rather as a byproduct of relationships built within the institution: “Influence is what an institution acquires; it is not what an institution is for.” Rice explained his philosophy by referencing feminist political theory scholar Joan Tronto’s idea that care should be seen not just as sentiment but practice—a disciplined attention to responsibility for others.
Rice acknowledged current challenges facing higher education such as volatile federal policy landscapes and uneven public trust. He urged faculty and staff to continue practicing patience and empathy with students who face diverse personal circumstances: “Our growth means we now serve people we would not have reached five years ago…They deserve, and the moment requires, our best practice of care.” Looking ahead to commencement ceremonies, he concluded by encouraging reflection on meaningful relationships formed throughout the year: “The numbers, the influence, the national attention — these are consequences…not their purpose.”
