During a June 16 meeting of the Maine Legislature’s Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, University of Maine System (UMS) Board of Trustees chair Trish Riley announced system chancellor Dannel Malloy’s contract had been extended until July 11. The announcement, which Riley said had been arrived at based on a mutual agreement is not consistent with UMS policy.
The board’s policy manual requires that it conduct an annual review of the chancellor’s performance each May, with a more comprehensive review conducted in the third and fourth years of a chancellor’s tenure.
Malloy is currently in the final year of a three-year contract, scheduled to expire on June 30. With the extension, Malloy’s contract will now run through July 11, when the board is next scheduled to meet.
The board’s comprehensive review of Malloy has been ongoing since May 24, 2021, when the board voted to authorize the chancellor review team to negotiate an extension of Malloy’s contract.
According to the board’s policy manual, an external reviewer must conduct a comprehensive review of the chancellor and report back to the review group. The reviewer and the review group must work together to determine how to evaluate the chancellor’s performance.
The policy also states that, at minimum, the review include a self-assessment statement from the chancellor and feedback from all board members, university system presidents, senior staff and any other party deemed appropriate.
The external reviewer must then prepare a draft report, to be finalized after discussion with the review group, and subsequently be presented to the full board of trustees.
The Board of Trustees did not vote to approve the agreement for a short-term extension, the Bangor Daily News confirmed.
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