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By VALERIE TUCKER
Correspondent 01/17/2008

The University of Maine at Farmington expects to change that starting this summer, when it will launch a Master of Science in Education degree program, the first master's-level program ever at the university.

"This program will offer teachers in this region of Maine new opportunities for excellence in education and professional growth," said Theodora J. Kalikow, UMF president.

UMF will accept applications until March 15 for the first class of 22 students, who will begin taking courses this summer, provided the program receives accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Accreditation is expected in March.

UMF officials say they pushed for the master's program after years of hearing local teachers and educators say they needed something closer to home. Public and private schools increasingly push teachers to do more with continuing education, including earning master's degrees.

Local educators said they wanted to study with their peers, but the only choices for master's degree in education were to earn degrees online or deal with the extra time and expense of lengthy commutes to the University of Maine at Orono or to the University of Southern Maine, in Portland and Gorham.

"I surveyed 44 superintendents in western and central Maine and they said they'd much rather be supporting a degree program in our region instead of sending their money out of state," said Pamela Wilson, UMF's Outreach Education coordinator. "Many of their teachers graduated from UMF and did their practice teaching locally, so we are targeting our own teachers who live and work in the area."

UMF's announcement was hailed by local superintendents and teachers.

Thomas Ward, superintendent of School Administrative District 21, is a member of UMF's graduate council. His rural district, which includes Peru, Canton, Dixfield and Carthage, doesn't require teachers to earn master's degrees. Still, he said, 15 teachers in SAD 21 are doing so and 15 more are considering it.

"I want to congratulate the University of Maine at Farmington for the unbelievable number of hours they put into developing the program," Ward said.

SAD 58, which includes the towns of Phillips, Eustis, Avon, Kingfield and Strong, has offered $5,000 in bonus money to teachers when they complete an accredited master's degree program. Husband and wife Stephan and Christina Mitman teach at SAD 58. They chose to study for their master's degrees online, as fit better into their personal and professional lives.

In addition to teaching, Stephan Mitman is a volunteer firefighter and serves on the local planning board. The couple also have two children at Strong Elementary School and they run a small maple-syrup operation that will be in full swing next month.

They enrolled in the Walden University master's program, which offers online courses only. Stephan Mitman is specializing in integrating technology in the classroom; Christina Mitman specializes in elementary school literacy. They typically study online, after their children go to bed.

"The complete degree program, including books, is $11,000 for each of us, and that's a bargain," Christina Mitman said.

UMF officials believe they will be able to compete in terms of convenience and cost once their master's program gets going. Teachers can take UMF classes during summers, on some weeknights and on Saturdays over the course of three academic years.

The campus will host information sessions from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 31 and from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 6 in the Olsen Student Center. Application and program information also can be found at http://mas ters.farmington.edu.

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