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While the University of Maine is facing financial challenges that will lead to teacher and staff layoffs in 2026-27, the university’s athletic department is crowing about its unbridled expansion.
Having invested hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions to upgrade athletic facilities, hiring an athletic director and several coaches at enormous salaries (far exceeding what most professors earn), and embracing the advent of “NIL” (athletes may earn money from their “name, image and likeness”), UMaine recently established a “Student-Athlete Experience Fund.” As the BDN reported, the university says the fund means that student-athletes will receive top-notch college athletic experiences while ensuring the state’s lone Division 1 institution remains competitive in an era where college athletes are making hefty NIL money.
Recent BDN articles announced a $500,000 gift to the fund from a graduate, and that UMaine hockey ticket prices will increase as much as 40% next year.
I believe this is a case of misplaced priorities. While all students deserve quality facilities, I think it’s unrealistic to believe that UMaine will keep pace with larger Division 1 schools that have sizable endowments and more affluent graduates.
Ice hockey, a sport where UMaine has excelled, is a case in point. The Black Bears were picked to rank 7th in Division 1 at the start of the season and finished 25th. That’s nothing to be ashamed of and the team remains exciting to watch. There are, however, many schools in more accessible parts of the country with greater resources at their disposal.
UMaine’s primary focus should remain on academic excellence and the total student experience.
Eric Buch
Belfast
