UMaine System extends Chancellor Dannel Malloy’s contract

Dannel Malloy will continue to lead the University of Maine System through at least 2027.

The system’s board of trustees agreed to extend Malloy’s contract another two years beyond its current term, which ends June 30, 2025, according to a spokesperson.

The trustees met Monday in Fort Kent, where they also approved a balanced $648.6 million operating budget and the first systemwide strategic plan since 2004. That budget includes a 3 percent tuition hike for in-state students, as well as increases to mandatory fees and room and board.

“Under the leadership of Chancellor Malloy and his strong team of presidents and staff, Maine’s public universities have improved educational quality and student outcomes, increased philanthropy and partnerships, and launched innovative new programming to meet the evolving needs of the state’s learners and economy,” Trish Riley, chair of the board of trustees, said Monday. “Extending the Chancellor’s contract ensures he can continue to move this important work forward and deliver on the real potential of these investments and initiatives to strengthen our System and serve our state.”

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 UMaine System also has seen a 32 percent increase in high school students earning free college credits and a 22 percent increase in graduate enrollment. At the same time, the UMaine System has seen declining enrollment in recent years, mirroring a national trend and coming as more Maine students take advantage of a free tuition initiative geared toward high schoolers who graduated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The flagship campus in Orono was awarded a Carnegie R1 designation , placing the school in the top 146 highest-performing research universities in the country.

“While we continue to face many challenges, I am proud of the progress Maine’s public universities are making together and excited for our System’s future,” Malloy said. “Leading the state’s largest education and economic development enterprise is an honor and a responsibility. Never has the University of Maine System mattered more, and never have we had a greater impact on the prosperity of Maine and its people. Guided by our shared strategic plan and in collaboration with our Board, terrific university presidents, faculty, staff and many external partners, I look forward to continuing our critical work to add value and bring opportunity through public higher education and research to all of Maine and beyond.”

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.

Last week, Malloy was named to the Spain-based International Commission against the Death Penalty .