Kristie Freeman got her first taste of Southern Maine Community College’s Midcoast Campus while attending an Open House three years ago. She will graduate next month with a degree in nursing and big plans for the future.
Kristie says the Open House opened her eyes to all SMCC had to offer with its location, its small class sizes and its affordability. During her time here, SMCC has also opened her mind to all the possibilities that await her in the future.
After graduation, she plans to become a registered nurse and also earn a bachelor’s degree online through the University of Maine at Fort Kent. Our transfer agreement with UMFK will make for a simple and seamless transfer process.
“Coming to SMCC has been so much more than simply earning a degree,” Kristie says. “It’s planning your future.”
SMCC’s Midcoast Campus at Brunswick Landing has come a long way since we opened our doors in the fall of 2011. Back then, we had 79 students, a single building and a limited selection of courses.
Today, we have about 600 students, four buildings, state-of-theart equipment, a residence hall and hundreds of classes to choose from. Our course selections range from business, human services and composites manufacturing to nursing, computer science and art.
Each fall and spring, we hold Open Houses for prospective and accepted students, families and anybody who has an interest in SMCC. This spring’s Open House is from 4-6 p.m. Thursday, May 4. To learn more and to register, visit our website at www.smccme.edu/openhouse.
Open Houses give you the opportunity to tour our campus, meet faculty and staff, learn about academic programs and have your questions answered about financial aid, student life and admissions.
Prospective students will be particularly impressed with the L.L.Bean Learning Commons and Health Science Center, Kristie says. The building, which opened in fall of 2015, has tech-infused learning space, a library, advising offices, quiet study rooms, a café, and modern laboratories and classrooms for our Nursing and Health Sciences students.
Beyond that, the campus offers students plenty of opportunities for campus and community involvement. In her case, Kristie earned a Professional Leadership Certificate through all her community and campus activities that not only allowed to give back to her hometown community, but also to learn valuable leadership skills.
Because of SMCC, Kristie has a bright future ahead for herself and her daughter. Now 33, Kristie says coming to SMCC has changed her life. And with the recent passing of her husband due to heart complications, her education is more important now than ever.
“It’s been a big commitment,” she says. “But it’s all for a purpose.”
By Ron Cantor is the president of Southern Maine Community College.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less