WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senators Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) today announced that the U.S. Department of Education has awarded $299,815 in funding to the Central Maine Community College (CMCC) in Auburn to help students wishing to pursue higher education. The “Delivering on the Promise Project” will provide comprehensive retention and transfer services to students in CMCC’s Associate in Arts degree program who wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree at the college. The Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) grant will benefit 1,300 students participating in the program.
“This funding will help create a sense of community and an opportunity for engagement for students who wish to pursue higher education,” said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. “It is projected to increase first year student retention at CMMC by 15 percent and increase the rate of transfer to a four year program by 75 percent.”
The goal of SIP is to provide grants to eligible institutions of higher educations enabling them to improve their academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability in turn increasing their self-sufficiency and strengthening their capacity to make a significant contribution to the higher education resources of the Nation.