PORTLAND — Gov. Paul LePage called on Kaplan University graduates Saturday to follow a piece of advice he once received.

“If it is to be, it is up to me,” LePage said.

The governor was the featured speaker at the commencement of 365 graduates who earned associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration, accounting, paralegal studies, early-childhood development, criminal justice and nursing, among other fields.

Graduates and their families and friends packed the Merrill Auditorium.

LePage also offered seven other “little pieces of advice” to graduates: Be honest, humble, respectful, focused, be yourself and persevere.

“I hope you stay in Maine because we need you to move the economy,” LePage said.

Kaplan University, headquartered in Chicago, has campuses and learning centers in Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, Maryland and Maine, including campuses in Lewiston and South Portland.

Kaplan University of Maine President Christopher Quinn announced Saturday the university would open a third campus, in Augusta, this fall. The university has nearly 50,000 online and campus-based students.


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