Starting this winter, SMCC will become one of four state-run regional weatherization training centers, offering combined online and hands-on training for national and state certifications in weatherization and energy auditing. With different courses for professionals, job-seekers, and homeowners, the courses are endorsed and sponsored by EfficiencyMaine and MaineHousing (learn more at smccME.edu/cstudies). The college also got a $70,000 grant through the US Department of Energy to expand its instructor-training in solar photovoltaics, purchase new equipment to use in training programs, and get certification for its solar curriculum. And in the spring, Waindle reports, "we'll be opening a center on campus that's dedicated to sustainability . . . there's a lot of work to be done on energy efficiency. Everything from trying to focus on renewable energy resources, to lowering our waste stream and our carbon impact."
Meanwhile, a bit farther north, the SMCC Midcoast Campus will open at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station in the fall of 2011. The campus represents a "new model of higher education," Waindle says, one that focuses on high-demand and -growth fields of study. In partnership with the University of Maine, the Midcoast campus will offer "Maine's first comprehensive and truly seamless education path" — the ability to grant associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees in engineering.
Deirdre Fulton can be reached at dfulton@phx.com.
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