University of Southern Maine President Glenn Cummings is seeking approval from system officials to open a two-year international high school on campus as soon as the fall of 2016.

The school would initially enroll 50 students, house them in their own dorm at Anderson Hall on the Gorham campus and have them take existing entry-level courses alongside traditional USM students.

“We’ve had good feedback,” Cummings said Thursday. “I feel there is a market there.”

Cummings began talking about the idea of adding a high school to the USM campus as early as February, when he was a finalist for the USM presidency. His focus has been on rebuilding the university, which has had years of deep program and staffing cuts because of financial shortfalls.

The total costs to the international high school students would be $32,500 a year, which includes $10,000 in tuition and fees, $9,400 in room and board, and $6,800 in fees paid directly to a USM partner, the Council on International Education Exchange, or CIEE.

Portland-based CIEE, which already operates a high school placement program for international students, would help recruit students and provide support services, such as a one-week orientation program. Scholarships from USM would not be available, and the university expects to break even on the program.

Cummings will present his plan for International Early College at USM to the academic and student affairs committee of the University of Maine System’s board of trustees on Monday. The committee will forward its recommendation to the full board of trustees, who will vote on the proposal at their November meeting.

“For international high school students in their junior and senior year who are academically advanced, the ability to take post-secondary courses provides them with a perceived advantage,” Cummings wrote in the proposal. “A U.S.-based education is valued in many different countries for the perspective that the students gain, the opportunities available to the students while abroad, and the students’ language proficiency that is strengthened through studies and extracurricular activities.”

Upon graduation, the students would have a high school diploma and two years of transferable college credit. To enter the program, international students would need to be proficient in English and meet academic standards.

There are several hurdles before the school could open, including approval for a high school accreditation, consulting with the Maine Department of Education and approval from federal agencies on visa issues for students. Many high schools in Maine already allow international students, including Thornton Academy in Saco, which has dedicated dorms and support services for a large international student population.

The students would not be considered university students and would not be allowed to participate in NCAA intercollegiate athletics or any intermural contact sport and would not be permitted to drive while they are in the United States.

USM would need to hire five new employees for the school: a program director and four house managers.

Noel K. Gallagher can be reached at 791-6387 or at:

ngallagher@pressherald.com

Twitter: noelinmaine