Like most people who work and live in the Twin Cities, we greatly value having the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College in our community. As the second largest metropolitan area in Maine, we not only deserve, but need a four-year higher educational presence for our citizens and employers.

Many of us, however, have wondered aloud if LAC is in the right location and offering the right mix of programs to best meet the needs of our community.

That is about to change.

For the past couple of years, Lewiston and Auburn leaders, employers and legislators have been working with USM to develop a new vision for Lewiston-Auburn College. A few weeks ago, that vision was unveiled and it is truly exciting.

The new vision marries together three elements:

1. Moving the LAC campus from the outskirts of Lewison to the city’s downtown;

2. Tailoring academic offerings to the specific needs of the Androscoggin region; and

3. Placing into statute that there will forever be a strong public university presence in Lewiston/Auburn.

Let’s dissect these three elements, starting with USM’s desire to move LAC to downtown Lewiston.

Although an attractive space, LAC’s current location on Westminster Street in Lewiston is not a desirable one for a university. It is not convenient for people to access and is invisible to the community.

Moving the campus to downtown Lewiston will have numerous benefits. First, it will make LAC programs and offerings more accessible to employers, health care facilities and organizations, as well as employees, life-long residents and recent newcomers living downtown.

It will bring LAC closer to Lewiston High School and Edward Little, facilitating expanded opportunities like Early College for our children.

It will make LAC’s wonderful and important Franco-American Collection available to a wider audience, and make LAC’s Occupational Therapy Clinic more accessible to residents who need their services.

Finally, a downtown presence will enable LAC to work more closely with existing and future business and nonprofit partners, developing programs that best meet their needs, their employees’ needs and their prospective employees’ needs — and that brings us to element two of the vision: Tailoring academic offerings to the specific needs of the Twin Cities and the entire Androscoggin region.

USM is currently working on a new academic plan for LAC that will place a strong emphasis on health care delivery. This will expand upon and complement programs already offered there in occupational therapy, nursing, social and behavioral sciences, and natural and applied sciences.

At the same, the USM will continue its partnership with the University of Maine at Augusta to offer a wide cross section of programs at LAC, including in business, computer information systems, and cyber security. USM will also continue to provide space for LAC’s Senior College, so that lifelong learning opportunities are available to community residents over the age of 50.

The third element of the vision is to ensure that LAC’s presence in the Twin Cities is strong and enduring. Sitting on USM’s Board of Visitors, we know firsthand of USM’s firm and unwavering commitment to LAC. Indeed, there are intentionally several members of USM’s BOV who live and work here.

To further solidify this commitment, we are pleased that USM has been working with Sen. Nate Libby on a bill that would make LAC’s presence here a permanent one. That bill will be considered by the Legislature in its upcoming session.

The new LAC vision of relocation, new academic offerings and a permanent presence has already been well received by the USM’s Board of Visitors, LAC faculty and staff, and the LAC Community Advisory Board, an important group of community, business and organizational leaders from our community.

Now the vision is being shared with the University of Maine System’s Board of Trustees, making sure they have all the information they need to move USM forward. We are hopeful for their affirmation and approval in the coming weeks.

Even with all this support, it will take about three years to enact the new vision fully. But once it happens, we are supremely confident that the people, employers and employees of Androscoggin County will be far better served.

And that is great news for all of us.

Rebecca Swanson Conrad is principal of RSC Consulting and is former president of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Clif Greim is president of Harriman Associates in Auburn.

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