AUBURN – His title is college system president, but in many ways, John Fitzsimmons is more the comptroller of currency.

“We are a knowledge-based economy,” said Fitzsimmons to a crowd gathered Wednesday for the monthly Chamber of Commerce meeting at Martindale Country Club. “Knowledge is the currency we need to protect our future.”

Fitzsimmons has been the president of the community college system – formerly the technical college system – since 1990. During that time, he has seen the system evolve from one that focused on technical and occupational training to one that now encompasses traditional college students pursuing liberal arts degrees.

And the system does it by stretching a buck. For the past six years, the community college system has held its tuition rate steady at $68 per college credit compared with the $132-$170 per credit rate at the University of Maine system campuses.

“We do our best to keep tuition affordable,” said Fitzsimmons, acknowledging that the ability to pay is often a determining factor when students consider whether to pursue higher education.

The percentage of students who graduate high school and go on to higher learning in Maine is only 55 percent, one of the lowest in the country. Gov. John Baldacci has set a goal of increasing that rate to 70 percent by 2010.

Fitzsimmons thinks that’s an achievable goal. The community college system has seen enrollment rise by 20 percent over the past two years, bringing the number of matriculated students to slightly more than 10,000. Of those, about 65 percent are pursuing career tracks while 35 percent are enrolled in a liberal arts program.

And a recent agreement among the community college system and the University of Southern Maine and the University of Maine at Orono has made it easy for community college students to seek four-year degrees.

For students who achieve the necessary grade-point average, they can automatically transfer to USM or UMO without applying or taking additional tests.

“It’s absolutely seamless,” said Fitzsimmons, who predicts the agreement will help increase the number of students who go on to the university from its current level of 1,700 to 3,000.

Overall, Fitzsimmons wants to see the number of community college students increase from 10,000 to 15,000 over the next few years. Education is key to Maine’s emerging economy, and the community college system is well positioned to offer that instruction to students of every interest, age and background, he said.

He also encouraged the business community to support employees who are interested in going back to school, whether through the community college system, the university system or adult education options.

“These are the people who will carry us into the future,” he said. “We need to invest in that work force.”