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Dannel Malloy will continue to lead Maine’s public universities for at least another year.
The University of Maine system’s board of trustees approved a one-year contract extension for Chancellor Malloy during a special public meeting Wednesday. In 2024, the board approved a two-year contract extension for him.
Board Chair Roger Katz praised Malloy for guiding the university system through unprecedented demographic, financial and political challenges since taking helm of its seven campuses.
“The Board believes continuity is critically important at this time as the System continues to transform lives, deliver an unmatched return on investment to students and taxpayers, strengthen sectors and communities, and ensure a seamless transition to its next leader in 2028,” Katz, a former Republican state senator from Augusta, said in a statement.
The trustees touted Malloy’s leadership as key to the UMaine System earning collective accreditation through the New England Commission of Higher Education. Rather than having each of the seven campuses seek accreditation individually, the system is accredited collectively, which the trustees said allows better sharing of resources, faculty and services. It also is expected to save the university system hundreds of thousands of dollars over a decade.
The flagship campus in Orono also was awarded a Carnegie R1 designation, placing the school in the top 146 highest-performing research universities in the country.
Additionally, the board of trustees credited Malloy’s efforts for leading to eight straight semesters of enrollment growth despite demographic challenges presented by the state’s aging population, pointing to work to improve retention and expand pathways for high school and community college students to enroll at the system’s campuses.
Under Malloy, the system also approved its first balanced budget without tapping into reserves.
Malloy said Thursday that he was “grateful” and “deeply honored” by the trustees’ decision to keep him on for another year.
“Maine’s public universities have never been more important to the state’s people, economy and communities. I look forward to building on our incredible momentum to ensure a stronger, more sustainable future for Maine and its remarkable public university system,” he said in a statement.
His contract now runs through June 30, 2028. By then, he will be the second-longest serving leader within the UMaine System.
Malloy was named chancellor of Maine’s public university system in 2019. He previously served as governor of Connecticut, mayor of Stamford and as a federal prosecutor.
