Welcome by James Ortiz, President, Southern Maine Community College

James Ortiz says it's been a tough June, mostly because of the weather, but the theme of the conference, he says, is relevant to SMCC. A good portion of the budget at the school, he says, is due to the location of the school. Because of the ocean the school is under a constant state of repair. A few years ago they had to tear down the old pier and build a new one based on the original 1850 pier. However, when the school went to get an Army Corps permit, the school was told that the pier was a foot too low, and that since the ocean had risen a foot, the pier had to be raised. It cost an additional 10,000 dollars! Mr. Ortiz closes by welcoming us to the school.