Case Study | The College That Dreams are Made of

Complex government negotiations? Our broad expertise—including specialized nonlegal services—helped more people become part of the community.

Two years ago, a group of concerned parents in the state of Maine had a vision – of creating a quality post-secondary education program for developmentally disabled young adults like their children. They asked Bernstein Shur Government Solutions (BSGS) to help them make it happen.

Aiming high
BSGS public policy strategists Larry Benoit and Kay Rand became key advocates for STRIVE U, as the program came to be known. They understood right away that the developmentally disabled often had limited options in life once they reached adulthood. Why not create a college to meet their needs, too?

The first step was to find the right educational partner. We approached the University of Southern Maine and were given the go-ahead by USM President Dr. Richard Pattenaude to form a project team. Working together, we crafted a Memorandum of Agreement. We mediated the limits of USM’s responsibilities as a STRIVE U partner. In partnership with STRIVE U’s Planning Advisory Committee, we helped design the program itself as it came to be launched on the USM campus.

But how to pay for it?
The second step was to secure financing. At a time when the state of Maine thought it had no funds available, Bernstein Shur Government Solutions was able to approach key contacts in the Department of Health and Human Services – and Governor John Baldacci – to negotiate a matching Medicaid grant. The result? STRIVE U got the funding it needed.

A singular success story
Today, the parents’ dream of helping developmentally disabled young adults is a reality. STRIVE U is a unique, two-year residential program. It gives students with disabilities the chance to attend real college classes and develop skills for independent adult living. There’s no other program like it in America.

Before STRIVE U, the alternatives for the developmentally disabled typically included living with family members or becoming wards of the state for life. In addition to the obvious value of graduating adults who become productive members of society, STRIVE U represents a considerable cost savings for Maine and Medicaid – as much as $40,000 a year for every graduating student.

A helping hand
According to STRIVE U Executive Director Peter Brown, the program exists in large part due to the efforts of Bernstein Shur Government Solutions. Our strategists knew how to navigate government bureaucracy and work side by side with parents and other supporters to ensure that the project came to fruition.

To this day, BSGS continues to support STRIVE U’s fundraising efforts. We are now working to help the program acquire permanent housing facilities in Portland and exploring the possibility of opening a second STRIVE U site.

Bernstein Shur Government Solutions web site