Unity College to open environmental professions institute

UNITY, Maine (AP) — Unity College is planning to open an environmental professions institute in the fall.

The college, located in Maine, is launching a new Technical Institute for Environmental Professions at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, separate from its main campus in Unity. The institute will offer students classes in environmental science specifically tailored to environmental careers, the Portland Press Herald reported.

The objective will be to provide classes for people who are looking for special skills rather than a bachelor’s degree, while also catering the curriculum toward ushering people into the workforce, said Melik Khoury, president of Unity College.

Khoury said that Unity has been planning the institute for six years. The college's priority is to extend the reach beyond its campus in rural Maine, he said.

The New Gloucester program will focus on drawing in more students that don't live on campus. To be more accessible for commuters, the southern Maine location was a deliberate choice, Khoury said.

Also the location will draw in people "who might already have a job or a degree or need to finish a (two-year) associate’s degree or are looking for a certificate or a credential,” he said.

The main campus in Unity, alongside the new institute, is said to open in-person in the fall. Distanced learning, which pre-dates the pandemic, will continue at the school, the newspaper said.