Imagine waking up each morning knowing every task in our workday now takes three to five times longer. Many of us would pull the covers over our heads (at best) or give up (at worst). But this is the reality facing staff members at Maine’s community colleges — and they haven’t given up.

A new software was rolled out across every corner of our institutions, promising greater efficiency and flexibility. So far, it’s delivered neither. From enrolling students in classes to cutting financial aid checks or helping students transfer, every process has become more complex and time-consuming.

That our colleges are still upright isn’t a miracle; it’s a testament to the commitment and professionalism of staff members on our seven campuses who are working against the fiercest headwinds many of us have ever seen.

We, the faculty, see them developing creative workarounds, manually inputting piles of data, calculating GPAs by hand and taking a share of their work home on the weekends. We’ve heard stories of selflessness — staff hand-delivering financial aid checks on weekends and staying late into the night to ensure students aren’t harmed by a system failing them.

While faculty have not been immune to the upheaval, we have not felt it the way Registrar, Financial Aid, Advising, Admissions and other offices have. In a world with few constants, they have been the steadfast leadership we need. We see them. We hear them. We support them. And we know this should be said more: We thank them.

Shari Ward, president
On behalf of the Community College Faculty Association
Masardis