BERNARD OSHER FOUNDATION One Ferry Building Suite 255 San Francisco California 94111 Telephone (415) 861-5587 Board Of Directors Barbra Usher Chaiman Bernard Osher Founder Treasurer Mary Bitterman President David Agger Cook Robert Friend John Gallo Laura Lauder John Prilzker January 16,2015 Governor Paul LePage Of?ce of the Governor #1 State House Station Augusta, Maine 04333-0001 Dear Governor LePage: I write concerning the ?forced? resignation of Maine Community College System President John Fitzsimmons. While I acknowledge your many powers as governor, including appointment of the Maine Community College System trustees, the threat that you issued to them if they did not remove Fitzsimmons ?rom his post -- ?they?re certainly going to feel the wra appeared more vindictive than constructive. Those of us committed to Maine have been greatly impressed with President Fitzsimmons? leadership of the System. The Osher Foundation supported his initiative to upgrade the Maine Technical Colleges into a hill??edged community college system with grants totaling $8 million. The people of Maine bene?ted greatly from itzsimmons? determined approach and ?'om the professional and respectful relationship he enjoyed with Governors King and Baldacci. In 2007, President itzsimm0ns approached us for additiOnal funding for scholarships. We provided an outright grant of $1 .5 million and pledged an additional $1.5 million if the System raised $1.5 million ?om other sources. We further promised a ?topping oft? grant of $5 00,000 should the MC CS match be accomplished within a 12-month period, thereby making possible an augmentation of $5 million to the System?s scholarship pool. Despite growing difficulties both in the Maine and national economies, an unperturbed John Fitzsimmons criss-crossed the State in search of matching commitments with a sense of urgency. Within 10 months of the challenge, he had completed the required fundraising and thereby enriched the MCCS scholarship mm with the $500,000 Iagm?appe. His more recent creation of the Foundation for MCCS, whose trustees include some of Maine?s most admired citizens, has brought an additional $26 million to the System for support of scholarships, new academic programs, and state-of-the-art instructional equipment and technology. Our foundation supports more than 250 colleges and universities in the U.S., including endowed scholarship funds at every public institution of higher education and nearly every private institution in the State of Maine (including your alma maters, Husson University and the University of Maine). Of the many chancellors and presidents with whom we deal, John itzsimmons has always been a star, consistently demonstrating high performance and wrse stewardship. We greatly regret his resignation and the intemperate manner in which it was achieved. Cc: Robert Clark, Chair, Maine Community College System Board of Trustees The Honorable John R. McKernan, In, Chair of the Board, MCCS Foundation Lisa Gonnan, Vice Chair of the Board, MCCS Foundation Elaine Rosen, Member of the Board, MCCS Foundation! Samuel W. Collins, Chair, University of Maine System Board of Trustees James Page, Chancellor, University of Maine System William J. Brennan, Maine Maritime Academy Clayton Spencer, President, Bates College Barry Mills, President, Bowdoin College David Green, President, Colby College Robert A. Clark, President, Husson University Don Tuski, Maine College of Art Laurie Lachance, President, Thomas College Danielle Ripich, President, University of New England Stephen Mulkey, President, Unity College The Honorable Susan Collins, US. Senator The Honorable Angus King, US. Senator The Honorable Chellie Pingree, Member, US. House of Representatives The Honorable Bruce Poliquin, Member, US. House of Representatives The Honorable Mike Thibodeau, President, Maine State Senate The Honorable Mark W. Eves, Speaker, Maine House of Representatives Peter and Paula Lander, Founders, The Lunder Foundation Gregory W. Powell, Chair, The Harold Alfond Foundation Jerome F. Goldberg, Chair, The Sam L. Cohen Foundation