University of New England

Ben Chretien, UNE vice president for business and finance, retires after 35 years

BIDDEFORD, Maine - The University of New England bid farewell to Ben Chretien,  vice president for business and finance, on November 28, 2007 in ceremonies held in his honor on the Biddeford campus and at the Cumberland Club in Portland.

Chretien officially retired from his role as Dec. 31, 2007, after 35 years of dedicated service to the University, students, staff and faculty.
 
While he looks forward to relaxing, spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren, playing golf and a bit of accounting, he says he will miss his staff. He worked with many of them for 15-30 years, and has fond memories of their work together. He recalls every name and special stories of times they shared.

In looking back over the years, Chretien also remembered many other people he worked with closely including five University presidents, several bankers, trustees and faculty. The Franciscan fathers hold a special place in his heart. He said, “The dedication to the institution is pervasive and a testimony to the values instilled by the Franciscans who set the standard for involvement with, and commitment to, faculty, staff and students.” 

Change
The University today is a very different place than it was when Chretien joined St. Francis College in 1972 as the accountant/office manager. He recalled that the cost of tuition and fees in 1972 was $4,300, and the pay rate for staff was approximately $1.25 per hour. He reflected on how far the University has come, from the days when he knew every employee at St. Francis and the computer was the size of his entire desk, to seeing the University of New England become a premier educational institution. The University’s growth and expansion is something that Chretien knows about first-hand having participated in both. His focus has always been strong fiscal management and working hard to keep the University financially stable – allowing for its phenomenal growth.

In 1978 St. Francis College became the University of New England and established the College of Osteopathic Medicine in collaboration with New England Foundation for Osteopathic Medicine. Chretien said, “It was exciting to develop a medical school from the ground up.” In the first year, the University of New England had 24 medical students and approximately 380 St. Francis College undergraduates. The Physical Therapy program began in 1979 followed the next year by the Occupational Therapy and Nursing programs.

By 1993 the University had outgrown its classroom and lab capacity with 750 undergraduates and a medical school, which initiated a capital campaign, resulting in the Alfond Science Center that was completed in 1995. A merger with Westbrook College in 1996 brought a second campus that provided housing, and classroom and lab space.

Today, the University has 53 buildings on two campuses, Biddeford and in Portland on the Westbrook College Campus, with four more buildings scheduled for completion by the fall of 2009. With approximately 4,000 students and more than 660 part-time and full-time staff and faculty, the University of New England is set clearly on a path of growth. Helped all along the way by an extraordinary individual – Ben Chretien.

(Press release issued Jan. 8, 2007)