LEWISTON – Beginning July 7, Joan Macri will be the associate director of Learning Works at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College.

The long title means she’s expanding the Early College program around Androscoggin County and beyond, offering it to seven high schools: Lewiston, Edward Little in Auburn, Poland, Lisbon, Oak Hill in Wales, Leavitt in Turner and Buckfield.

Early College is a program that allows high school upperclassmen to take college courses while still in high school, allowing them to earn college experience and credits.

As planned, Macri will go from school to school, meeting with students and parents. She’ll coordinate Early College paperwork among high schools, Central Maine Community College and Lewiston-Auburn College, where the bulk of students are expected to take Early College classes.

The program also allows high school students to take Early College courses at Bates and online through the University of Maine in Orono. The colleges and the state waive tuition, so students only pay for activity fees and books.

Macri said she’s seen what Early College has done for Lewiston high students. “I always felt badly that other area schools weren’t able to do as much as Lewiston because they didn’t have a position like mine here,” she said.

She said she’s excited about expanding the program. Early College “is transformative for students,” particularly for her target population: B and C students, and boys, she said. “Most kids would go to college if they thought they’d be successful. A lot of students think, ‘I can’t do it.’ The concept is still there that college means Bates, it’s expensive and hard.”

Those barriers are broken when high school students get into a college classroom and have success, she said. Grades earned by Lewiston high-schoolers in recent years have been mostly A’s and B’s, Macri said.

Macri started exploring expanding the program throughout Androscoggin County about a year ago. The program will be funded through a private grant by a foundation that wants to remain anonymous.

Macri’s new boss will be Jan Phillips, interim associate dean for outreach at L-A College. Phillips called Macri “a phenomenon” and said she’s right for the job.

“She’s a visionary, incredibly passionate about helping young people,” Phillips said. Macri brings “wonderful experience” in what she’s done at Lewiston to boost aspirations in other schools.

The overall goal, Phillips said, is to have more Androscoggin County people go to college.

According to the 2000 Census, 16 percent of adults in Androscoggin County have four-year degrees. Statewide, 25 percent of Maine adults have four-year degrees, and in New England 34 percent have four-year degrees.