University of Southern Maine professor Lydia Savage’s statement in Saturday’s Portland Press Herald (“University committee votes to cut three USM programs”) goes right to the heart of the situation the University of Maine System faces as it cuts programs and staff.

“The question is, why don’t we invest in them instead of eliminating them? The system needs to make a decision about what kind of university they want in the population center of the state,” Savage is quoted as saying.

As Savage clearly articulates, the issues here are much larger and more important than closing a $15 million deficit or balancing a budget.

Greater Portland is Maine’s hub, both economically and culturally. And nationally renowned, of course, as a destination for cutting-edge cuisine.

For a variety of reasons – not a few of them geographic – its pre-eminence is likely increase in the years to come.

As a Portland native who has watched the city’s remarkable progress with both pride and interest, the importance of Portland’s continuing success to the state at large is obvious.

The “Portland Factor” should have a significant impact on the decisions being made about USM today as well as the plans for the USM of tomorrow.

The University of Maine System cannot cut its way to success. Portland deserves a first-class university as vibrant as the city itself. Investment, vision and leadership are demanded.

Brian Carter

Marlborough, Mass.

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