Debbie Gilmer | President
Syntiro
11 South Road Readfield, ME 04355
Cell phone: (207) 852-0992
Office: (207) 685-3171
"What we do matters. Really, deeply matters. But how we do it matters even more." Dave Hingsburger
"What we do matters. Really, deeply matters. But how we do it matters even more." Dave Hingsburger
Good morning Debbie,I have drafted a letter to send to the Maine senators and am working on that with Mary. I will be in touch before I send anything out!SamColleagues,We are most grateful for your support! Our community is small, but mighty! Should you be so inclined, it would be great if you contacted our delegation about the impact of the loss of GEAR UP in Maine.What we know at the moment is that the competition was questionable, at best. Eleven state grants were supposed to be funded according to the RFP. Only four were (WV, VA, PA and OH). Our scores put us well within the funding range (we were #6). The GU legislation requires 33% of the awards go to states, 33% to partnerships and 33% are at the discretion of the Secretary. State awards represented less than 20% of the funding awarded.It wasn't just the state competition that was amiss. There were close to 200 partnership applications and 52 of them had perfect scores! The tie-breaker that was used is questionable at best (they ran the FRL figures and, evidently, selected those with the highest rates). 27 partnership grants were funded. Imagine a perfect score and no funding!That's what we know at the moment and we are learning more (much distressing) each day. Again, thank you for your support. If you have any thoughts of what we might or should be pursuing, please reach out to me ([log in to unmask] or 852-0992).I have attached the project's abstract for your information.With much respect and gratitude,DebbieDebbie Gilmer | PresidentSyntiro11 South Road Readfield, ME 04355Cell phone: (207) 852-0992Office: (207) 685-3171"What we do matters. Really, deeply matters. But how we do it matters even more." Dave Hingsburger
Your work is valuable and makes a difference, and you are some of the best people to work with. We will keep our fingers crossed for changes and help in any way we can!pronouns: she/herToll Free: 1.888.237.1667207.778.7429 (w) 207.712.2930 (c)252 Main Street, Farmington, ME 04938University of Maine at FarmingtonMary SinclairStudent Services Coordinator, Upward BoundMary et al.,So very sorry to hear this news, please let us know what we can do to support your effort.Sincerely,RustyRusty R. BrownAcademic CoordinatorTRiO Upward Bound ProgramsUniversity of Maine301 Chadbourne HallOffice:207-581-3714Fax: 581-2710Due to the coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic, UMaine faculty and staff may be working from remote locations. We will monitor phone messages daily and respond to urgent inquiries as soon as possible. We recommend using email to communicate with the college during this time.""All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talent"John F. KennedyThe University of Maine Farmington and Syntiro are extremely disappointed to share that we have learned that our "GEAR UP Maine RISE" application was not selected for funding. There appears to be a number of inconsistencies from past competitions that we and other states have questions about. We will continue to engage the US Department of Education to better understand their review of our proposal and exhaust all avenues of appeal. We will let you know if we need your assistance during this process.We remain committed to the critically important GEAR UP mission and will work to seek alternative strategies to address the overwhelming needs in Maine's economically challenged rural areas.A no cost extension for the 2014-2021 GEAR UP program was previously approved by US ED through 9/24/2022 and our work on the Supplemental Award to study the Class of 2020 for five years will both continue.For more information please contact Laurie Gardner, UMF ([log in to unmask]) or Debbie Gilmer, Syntiro ([log in to unmask]).----Samantha ProsserTRIO Upward Bound CoordinatorMaine Educational Opportunity Association (MEEOA) PresidentUniversity of Southern Maine37 College AveGorham, ME 04038Phone: 207-780-5828Fax: 207-228-8259
Pronouns: she, her, hers
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