Bangor Savings Bank Event
Panel discussion with other university presidents
Oct. 23, 2006
Robert A. Kennedy, President, University of Maine
Topic Areas
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Brand new Student Innovation Center
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A unique resource that will bring together, under one roof, the
educational and other programming that will encourage entrepreneurial
thinking and fuel creative activity.
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Building on existing strength, and historic success in areas related
to innovation and entrepreneurship, the Student Innovation Center will
be a centerpiece of the University of Maine of the future.
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It will be home to UMaine's Innovation Engineering curriculum, which
provides an academic foundation for students to use in developing their
ideas as products or services.
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The first course in that program was team-taught by a biological
engineer, a music teacher and an English professor. That, in itself, is
innovative!
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The Innovation Engineering curriculum and the Innovation Center have
already begun to foster the kinds of interactions and collaborations
that will ultimately fuel success in this area.
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We also plan to create a living-learning community, in a residence
hall adjacent to the Student Innovation Center, so that student who have
the innovator's mind-set and spirit can continue to feed off each
other's creative energy in a residential setting. It will also allow for
more and different kinds of academic programming to be offered.
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At last week's ribbon-cutting, world-famous inventor Doug Hall,
himself a UMaine graduate, talked about what this facility will mean to
those who wish to follow in his footsteps, and he promised to provide
personal mentoring and other support, to make this the best facility and
program of its kind anywhere.
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And Commissioner Jack Cashman also spoke, underlining the critical
point at the base of this initiative – that entrepreneurs are the people
who will create the economy of the future, and that the Student
Innovation Center will provide the means for the University of Maine to
help develop those creative and energetic leaders for tomorrow's Maine.
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Spinoff Businesses
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In the last few years, Maine has ranked high in University-related
spin-offs. Maine is fourth in the nation for spin-off businesses
created, per state investment in university research. That is almost
completely because of the University of Maine. An a direct result of
output from our R&D faculty and grad students, our partnerships with
Maine companies, and our attractiveness to out-of-state companies.
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We are averaging 2-3 businesses per year, directly from our R&D
investments, 22 since 2000. When you take into consideration students
who graduate and start companies, such as graduates of our New Media
program, that number grows substantially.
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These businesses come from all parts of the UMaine academic
enterprise.
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There are the high-tech, science-based business like Prof. Brian
Frederick's Stillwater Science Instruments, which has earned significant
venture capital funding and is on its way to great success.
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There's Zeomatrix, a chemistry spin-off working on the use of zeolites
in environmental applications, such as the remediation of odors in
agriculture and landfill situations.
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There's Maine Secure Composite, grown from UMaine's Advanced
Engineered Wood Composites Center, which is working on the development
of secure composite containers for shipping.
- Then you have examples like businesses under development by music
professor Stuart Marrs, using high-end video and DVD production
capabilities to stretch the existing boundaries of teaching percussion
techniques through video.
- And Doug Marchio, who runs UMaine's computer store and is developing
his idea of commercializing software that computer retailers can use to
track and manage inventory better.
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One that we can all appreciate is YoBon, Inc., which just received
Maine Technology Institute funding to produce and test market YoBon
Berry Bites, an incredible dessert treat created by a student group in
UMaine's Dept. of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Blueberry frozen
yogurt coated in dark chocolate, Yo Bon Berry Bites taste every bit as
good as they sound.
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Don't take my word for it, though – earlier this year, that student
group won first place in a national student food product development
competition, competing against the giant schools from around the U.S. in
food science.
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Advanced Manufacturing Center
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Created by a voter-approved bond several years ago, the Advanced
Manufacturing Center is a vivid example of a way for a university to
apply its particular expertise to helping a state become stronger.
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An engineering and support service provider, the Advanced
Manufacturing Center is truly dedicated to economic development in
Maine. In short, it exists to help Maine's manufacturing businesses
solve their problems and become more efficient and profitable.
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It also supports the UMaine research enterprise, thereby proving a
"ripple effect" benefit as it improves other processes that also affect
our economy
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AMC, as we call it, literally assists hundreds of Maine businesses
each year. This was an incredibly wise investment by the people of
Maine, and it pays off every day in terms of increased productivity and
economic output
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Brain Drain
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This is a critical problem, to be sure, for Maine and other states. It
involves a complex series of issues, including those related to
education and economic forces.
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Some are out of our control; others are not. What we can do at UMaine,
and what we are doing, is to be flexible and responsive to the state's
needs. We have a unique responsibility to develop the well-educated,
highly skilled people who can take leadership roles in the business,
government and education sectors across Maine.
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A great example of how this can work is the new Graduate School of
Biomedical Sciences. The first group of 12 students is hard at work in
rigorous UMaine Ph.D. programs as part of this new school. It's a
collaborative effort, involving seven statewide partners – three of
which are higher education institutions: UMaine, USM and the University
of New England.
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This program was developed to address a critical need in Maine – the
need to increase high-level research and development in biomedical
fields. We have more than our share of health concerns in Maine, and the
idea here is to collaborate, to share expertise and resources, and to
advance scientific frontiers while training the bright young scientists
who can lead the way to a bright future, not only in research but also
through developing the spin-off businesses in biotech fields that can
really boost Maine's economy.
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And, talk about a reverse brain drain! Nine of the 12 students in this
group have Maine roots, and several of them returned to Maine
because of this program.
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There is evidence that we are on a generally good track. This
statistic often surprises people: if a Maine native graduates from
UMaine, there is about an 80 percent chance he or she will take a first
job in Maine. That is pretty impressive, and it's good news.
- We are seeing a
significant increase in the interest of out-of-state students in
attending UMaine. This year's new class has 55 percent more out-of-state
students than the class that started just two years ago. By the way,
in-state enrollment is also increasing.
- But this does indicate that people are getting the word that UMaine
combines great quality and value. This increase is good for our
university community, because it broadens the university experience for
all students, and it also brings more bright young people into Maine. As
all of us know, this is a hard place to leave. So I am hopeful that more
of these students will stay here after graduation, displacing some of
the "brain drain" problem to other states.
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The increased, and I daresay unparalleled, level of collaboration
among Maine's higher education institutions is critically important to
helping us find ways to keep more and more of Maine's best and brightest
in the state. We are headed in the right direction, and education is a
key. Investment in Maine's public universities is
exactly the right way to approach this concern. Stronger universities
will have the strong programs that will create opportunities for our
graduates to find their way right here in Maine. We continue to have a
robust program working with Maine companies - hundreds from throughout
the state. They range from large companies such as SAPPI, to brand new
start-ups like Saltwater Marketing.
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Economic Data Points
- All according to most recent available figures:
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UMaine creates over $600 million in statewide economic activity, most
of it in the Bangor region.
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UMaine is one of the 10 largest employers in Maine, and one of the two
largest in our part of the state.
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For every dollar invested by the state in UMaine research, our faculty
members and others bring in more than $5, almost every penny from out of
state – amounting to about $50 million each year – over $300 million in
the last six years.
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External research grants and contracts support over 700 jobs a years
at UMaine alone.
- UMaine has more patents and patents pending than all of the other research institutions in Maine combined – Over 50 U.S., a greater amount
of foreign patents. We now file about 10 new applications per year. They
covers areas including biotech, composites, bioproducts, sensors and
software.
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