EMCC will have presence in PHEC

    BANGOR — The Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative’s (PVAEC) Regional Council has approved an agreement with Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC) to occupy space in the college’s Penquis Higher Education Center in Dover-Foxcroft.

    PVAEC and EMCC have been meeting and planning for over a year to forge a partnership to address the education and training needs of individuals in Piscataquis County. The new relationship will enable the two educational providers to share resources and create a space that supports students’ transition from adult education to post-secondary education, according to a press release from EMCC.
    The partnership offers one-stop access for educational services to foster higher attainment of post-secondary degrees in Piscataquis County.
    “We are very excited to see this partnership come to fruition after many months of patient and thoughtful planning,” says PVAEC director Thelma Regan. “I am confident that sharing space and resources at the Penquis Higher Education Center will enable PVAEC students to transition seamlessly to post-secondary offerings by EMCC.” 
    The Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative is a collaborative formed in 2005 that combines four school districts:  MSAD 4 (Guilford), MSAD 41 (Milo), MSAD 46  (Dexter) and MSAD 68  (Dover-Foxcroft). It offers adult education programs in business and skills training, college transitions, HISET diploma and high school completion, literacy, and personal enrichment.
    EMCC’s Penquis Higher Education Center, established in 2000, offers interactive television, online and onsite courses that lead to the attainment of post-secondary certificates and degrees. Students at the center enjoy personalized services such as registration, financial aid advising and application, academic and career counseling, admissions testing, and full service library access.
    “Having Piscataquis Valley Adult Education Cooperative physically move to our center will allow their students to take advantage of the college’s resources, enabling them to more easily adapt and transition to post-secondary education,” says Lawrence Barrett, Ed.D., president of Eastern Maine Community College. “This supportive environment will help lead to a higher attainment of post-secondary certifications and degrees in Piscataquis County, which is critical to securing a job with a livable wage.”
    PVAEC will begin offering its college transitions program, as well as a few daytime classes, at the Higher Education Center in the coming spring semester. The partnership will officially begin on July 1.
    Eastern Maine Community College is a two-year college that provides the highest quality post-secondary technical, career and transfer education and serves as a dynamic community and economic development resource. In addition to its Bangor campus, the college has three off-campus higher education centers in Dover-Foxcroft, Ellsworth, and East Millinocket.