Maine Augusta’s Presidential Search Do-Over

“The University of Maine at Augusta is set to begin its second presidential search in less than a year. The previous effort failed after officials withheld information about the selected candidate, ultimately leaving the position open and prompting fierce criticism of system leadership.

Now the University of Maine system, of which UMA is a part, will reboot the search—with some tweaks to the process and a chancellor in the hot seat for admitted missteps in the last search.

Faculty members argue that the changes are little more than window dressing, suggesting it’s not the processes that are the problem but rather the system officials who withheld information about Michael Laliberte, the candidate who was tapped to be UM Augusta’s next president. Laliberte had twice been the subject of no-confidence votes in his former post as president of the State University of New York at Delhi—a detail the search committee leadership failed to disclose…”

“Armand Alacbay, chief of staff and senior vice president of strategy for the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, said that a presidential search falls within the board’s authority, and it is uncommon for trustees to cede that power to constituent groups, such as faculty members.

Though Alacbay said trustees should “own the search,” he noted that they must consult with various campus groups—including faculty—for input. In this case, he said it makes sense that faculty are wary of the search process, after system leadership refused to share certain candidate details…”

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