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As rural America is lagging behind in median income and population growth, but forging ahead in aging population, Momentum Aroostook and Husson believe that education is the all-in-one solution.
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\u201cWe saw this partnership as a way to help emerging leaders take their careers to the next level and to encourage young professionals to stay in Aroostook County,\u201d said Jennifer Flynn<\/a>, director of Husson\u2019s Northern Maine campus. \u201cThis is especially important in rural areas where the demographic is aging and the population is shrinking.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the 2008 financial crisis that led to the Great Recession, many things have changed for the better or worse. Population grew, the job market expanded, and cities became bigger. Meanwhile, rural America was pushed aside. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis<\/a>, between 2008 and 2017, while metropolitan areas make up 98.5 percent of all job growth, micropolitan and rural areas together only make up 1.5 percent. Also, while metropolitan areas make up 98.7 percent of all population growth, micropolitan and rural areas only make up 1.4 percent. Along with jobs and people moving to cities, the remaining community became older. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 1 in 5<\/a> older Americans live in rural areas. And Aroostook County, Maine, is almost a micro version of this national problem. According to the U.S. Census Bureau<\/a>, not only did the population decrease from 71,873 in 2010 to 67,111 in 2018, but the number of employers also decreased from 6,032 in 2012 to 1,957 in 2016, which is the most recent data provided by the Bureau. Also, out of its 67,111 residents, the biggest age group, making up 17 percent, is from 60 to 69, which is in the ballpark of average retirement age in the country. With more than four college campuses in the county, college population seemed to be the only path to recovery from a lagging economy and aging population. However, census showed that many graduates have taken their diploma somewhere else, most likely to bigger cities. From 2013 to 2017, among the county\u2019s residents, while 87.6 percent graduated from high school or higher, only 18.5 percent graduated with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Fortunately, hope for recovery doesn\u2019t seem too bleak for Aroostook County for its universities and community are responding. As a community group comprised mostly of students in their 20s and mid-30s, Momentum Aroostook works together with young people of the county to promote betterment in all areas of life, such as career, education and community life. \u201cAssisting young professionals in pursuing educational opportunities that allow them to professionally develop and build their careers, all the while staying right here in Aroostook County, is an integral part of Momentum Aroostook’s mission,\u201d said Ginger Kieffer, chair of Momentum Aroostook. For a Momentum Aroostook member who successfully enrolled in Husson, they will receive an immediate 10-percent tuition discount for any of the university\u2019s non-capped undergraduate and graduate degree programs, meaning the programs do not have a defined class size. Some of the non-capped programs are Husson\u2019s MBA program, which is the largest business program in Maine, and undergraduate programs in accounting, business administration, software development, business and professional studies. Also, as an added incentive, the application fee will be waived for Momentum Aroostook members who opt to follow Husson\u2019s admissions procedures to become a continuing education undergraduate or graduate student, meaning an adult who take education programs, such as occupational certificates or college degrees, to continue further in their education. In partnership with Husson, the tuition discount went into effect from mid-October for all types of programs at Husson, ranging from their accelerated seven-week class sessions to winter and summer break sessions to traditional semester sessions. \u201cEducational partnerships such as this one with Husson allow us to better serve young professionals and, in the grander scheme of things, boost our economy,\u201d said Kieffer. For both Husson and Momentum Aroostook, it\u2019s not their first time partnering with other sectors in the community to help ease their students\u2019 financial burdens.
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The problem<\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe agreement <\/strong>
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nCommunity and schools in partnership<\/strong>
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