The lowest enrollment in recent memory is forcing Maine’s public universities to close a $5 million gap in their current budget and setting them up for an “exceedingly worrisome” financial picture next year, according to the University of Maine System’s lead trustee. Closing the gap means that universities across the system will be forced to keep some vacant teaching positions open, dig into relief and reserve funds, and develop more targeted marketing to drive up the number of transfer students in the spring.
