Colleagues -
Together we've reached the end of a semester unlike any before it in the University of Maine System's history.
Before I speak to that, however, I want to respond to the several inquiries I received this week asking for more time to review and provide input through our online survey on the UMS substantive change application to NECHE for unified accreditation. Several of you wrote to me this week about the importance of keeping your focus on our students as the semester drew to a close, which would leave you little time to review the unified accreditation draft online before Sunday, which is Mother's Day. We have confirmed with NECHE that we can extend our online input period through the end of the day, Friday, May 15 and still have enough time to submit our application in time for consideration in June. Please review the application at this link and look for an update to the Process and Timeline page where you'll find additional information about our drafting committees.
Now, back to you. Congratulations to all of you for bringing this historic semester to a successful conclusion.
How am I measuring our success?
First, by just the sheer numbers of what you accomplished. You played a part in moving more than 210,000 credit hours from more than 7,000 course sections from face-to-face to online and other remote modalities in the time span of just two weeks. You engaged with our students in more than 26,000,000 Blackboard interactions and just over 250,000 Kaltura video sessions. And some 400,000 Zoom sessions transpired, carrying on coursework and the university's business operations through the pandemic. The numbers speak for themselves.
Second, by the fact that 98.5 percent of the students who started the semester with one of our universities this year remained with us through the pandemic transition, compared to 98.4 percent at the same time last year with regular face-to-face instruction. We did even better with credit hour retention: our students remained enrolled in 97.1 percent of the credit hours they began the current semester with, compared with 96 percent credit hour retention last year at this time.
Third, and most importantly, by one final number: 4,588. That's how many students persevered through a final semester in the midst of a global pandemic to complete their requirements for a UMS degree, which will be celebrated through virtual commencement ceremonies or coordinated online recognition celebrations through this week and the weekend. Many of our universities are also making plans for in-person celebrations in the future.
I know you join with me in saluting the success of our students and the achievements. And I, in turn, thank you -- your work, your perseverance made these celebrations possible. You have my deepest gratitude and appreciation.
Already we're looking ahead.
Earlier this afternoon I convened a conference call to which every college and university president in Maine -- publics and privates alike -- was invited. Most joined our discussion. In many states, institutions of higher education are coming together to work with state authorities to develop standards for safely opening in the fall. Connecticut released a plan for this purpose just yesterday. I'm happy to report that Maine's entire higher education community agreed that we should quickly convene a working group of presidents and System heads to develop a common framework that we can propose to the Governor and use to guide all of our efforts to safely reopen next fall.
Just like completing this semester, it will require work and planning unlike any we've ever done before. But based on what we accomplished together to bring this semester to its successful conclusion, I'm confident we can do it again next fall.
I look forward to continuing to work with you to serve our students and the State of Maine.
