Policy Consensus E-News — May 2005
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In this issue:
- Task Force to Work Collaboratively on Future of Higher Education in Maine
- New Mexico Forest Plan Calls for Interagency Cooperation
- Virginia Solutions Launches Two Pilot Projects
Maine Senator Spearheads Collaborative
Planning Process for Higher Education
 Maine Senator Libby Mitchell |
After months of heated exchange between trustees, faculty, students, community members, and Maine legislators about the future of the University of Maine-Augusta (UMA), State Sen. Libby Mitchell approached Governor John Baldacci about seeking a collaborative solution.
At issue was the trustee’s announcement last September of a major overhaul of university operations, including a plan to merge UMA and the University of Southern Maine (USM).
“The university adopted, in secret, a top-down plan that called for the merger,” Mitchell explained. “But people most affected by the plan had not been consulted about it. They felt they had no voice or say in the matter, and felt disrespected by the process.”
Governor Baldacci agreed that the contentious public hearings were not working. At Mitchell’s request, he signed an Executive Order creating a Task Force that will work collaboratively on a long-range plan for higher education in Maine’s Kennebec Valley. The Task Force, which has until Dec. 1 to make its recommendations, includes two members of the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System; a designee of the chancellor; the presidents of USM, UMA, and the Kennebec Valley Community College; the Commissioner of Education; a member of the UMA faculty; a member of the Augusta business community; a member of the Augusta City Council; a student; and a member of UMA’s Board of Visitors.
New Mexico Forest Plan Calls for Interagency Collaboration
 New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson |
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has signed a comprehensive ecological restoration plan that promotes extensive inter-agency collaboration and a new role for the state as a convener of forest and watershed health planning processes.
New Mexico’s Forest and Watershed Health Plan was spearheaded by the Forestry Division of the state’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. The division began by convening a broadly representative stakeholder group, and held town hall meetings and direct outreach to garner public input.
The plan “lays the foundation for more efficient cooperation among local, state, federal, and tribal governments, landowners, and communities,” Richardson said in a May 4 news release. “It also outlines a new leadership role for the state that will establish an integrated ecological restoration strategy to guide all of New Mexico to our goal of healthy landscapes.”
According to New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Secretary Joanna Prukop, implementation of the newly adopted plan will begin in 2005 through a state-led, joint effort among the many partners and stakeholders involved.
Virginia Solutions Launches Two Pilot Projects
The
University of Virginia’s Institute for Environmental Negotiation
(IEN) is beginning two pilot projects to launch their Virginia Solutions
initiative. The projects include a riparian easement program in Fauquier
County, and a wastewater treatment dialogue on Virginia’s popular
Eastern Shore.
The pilots are aimed at establishing the Virginia Solutions framework and demonstrating its potential for engaging diverse stakeholder groups to address and resolve community issues throughout the Commonwealth.
The Virginia Solutions program draws on knowledge and lessons from other states and from members of the Community Solutions Partnership – a national network of similar programs, hosted by NPCC, which seeks to create mechanisms for ongoing collaboration among government, nonprofits, businesses and communities in tackling complex public problems.
A $17,000 grant from the Laura J. Musser Fund will fund the two pilot projects and help launch the Virginia Solutions program.
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