University College at Rumford/Mexico Center is the distance education arm of all seven University of Maine system campuses.  More than 600 courses were offered during the most recent semester and more than 30, fully-accredited degrees, ranging from a two-year to a master’s degree, plus 22 undergraduate and graduate certificates.  The professional staff at the College Center provides one-stop services to students including assistance with applications, financial aid, and advising.   

Courses are delivered in a variety of ways, including 20 face-to-face undergraduate classes taught by professional faculty members.  Video-conference, online, and interactive television are the other three modalities, and a number of courses, called hybrid or blended courses, use two or more delivery methods.  The Center also proctors university exams from all over the country, organizes the logistics of distance learning, and is open more than 48 hours a week.  It hosts a variety of community services, including meetings of the Pennacook Art council. 

As the Center looks to the future in a new location yet to be determined, more community involvement will follow as it moves from being a place where students gather to a place where people gather to work, study, learn, and collaborate together.  Visit the Center at 13 Brown Street, Mexico, or online at http://learn.maine.edu/rumford-mexico/. 

Why we support the River Valley Chamber:

The Chamber is important to the Center because it provides staff training and a community forum. Many of our students have connections with the Chamber, and we depend on our membership to give us information about the businesses within the River Valley communities. As the Center looks to the future, our vision includes becoming a magnet for student/community use as a problem solving space wherein structured learning experiences will connect people together in a welcoming, technologically well-provisioned place. We fully expect that our relationship with the Chamber will strengthen and grow.