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A new partnership between ɫ����Ƶ and Bangor Savings Bank was highlighted by various media outlets following a press conference on the Portland Campus, where the collaboration was announced on July 9, 2015.

The new two-year program will utilize the College of Graduate and Professional Studies’ expertise to teach workplace competencies to Bangor Savings Bank employees. WCSH-6 aired segments from the press conference, quoting President Ripich’s stated resolve to “work together to cultivate potential leaders and lay the groundwork for their success here in Maine.”

Mainebiz, too, announced the collaboration. Its article states that Ripich believes the ultimate goal of the Essential Workplace Competencies Program is to “combine education and business to benefit the community.”

Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN) also reported news of the new program, providing background information that it is “funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as part of an initiative to develop what's known as ‘competency-based’ education, which is more focused on skill-building than on abstract learning.”