Umaine faculty, students want consequences for Malloy

AGUSTA, Maine — Many faculty members and students say the resignation of an incoming administrator isn’t enough to satisfy concerns about the leadership of the University of Maine System.

Faculty at University of Maine at Augusta and two other public universities previously cast no-confidence votes in UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy over the hiring of Michael Laliberte to lead the Augusta campus and job cuts on the Farmington campus.

Trustees took no action Monday on Malloy’s contract, which is set to expire on June 30, at a two-day meeting this week.

Professors, staff members and students attended the trustee meeting, and some who spoke during the public comment period called for consequences against Malloy, the Kennebec Journal reported.

“Chancellor Malloy once said to me, ‘Nothing lasts forever,’ but I would say to him: ‘Nothing lasts forever. It’s time for you to resign,’ ” said Paul Johnson, a professor at the University of Southern Maine, one of the campuses where a faculty senate adopted a no-confidence vote.

Faculty are angry because Malloy failed to alert a search committee to earlier no-confidence votes in the candidate who was ultimately picked to serve as president on the Augusta campus. They were also angry over the handling of workforce reductions in Farmington. The incoming Augusta president, Michael Laliberte, agreed to give up the position and was given a buyout by trustees.

Malloy, a former Democratic governor of Connecticut, has apologized for the handling of the job search.