The College of Maine System didn’t comply with its personal insurance policies in approving a short-term extension of Chancellor Dannel Malloy’s contract, when the system’s lead trustee and Malloy arrived at a “mutual settlement” to increase the contract till not less than July 11.
The short-term extension got here regardless of a number of statements from a college system spokesperson over the previous month that the total board of trustees would convene in a public session to take motion on Malloy’s contract, and although the chancellor’s contract and system coverage lay out a selected course of for a contract extension that doesn’t present for a board chair’s unilateral motion.
Malloy’s future has been a subject of hypothesis in latest weeks following the bungled seek for a brand new president of the College of Maine at Augusta that might find yourself costing the system almost $700,000 over three years. School from three of the system’s seven universities have forged votes of no confidence in Malloy’s management because the search, with college on the 4 others writing letters of help.
Trish Riley, the newly appointed chair of the board of trustees, mentioned Thursday throughout a two-hour session with Maine lawmakers that the system had prolonged Malloy’s three-year contract previous its June 30 finish date. The complete board of trustees is predicted to find out Malloy’s future at its subsequent scheduled assembly, which is ready for July 11.
At his $350,000 wage, Malloy will earn greater than $10,000 throughout the 11-day extension.
Riley didn’t reply to a name searching for touch upon the extension.
College system spokesperson Margaret Nagle mentioned Riley and Malloy had reached a “mutual settlement” counting on authorized recommendation beneath which “the chancellor can proceed in his duties beneath the phrases of his present contract till the board takes closing motion on a brand new contract, which is anticipated on the July 11 Board assembly.”
Nagle confirmed that no board vote occurred to approve that settlement.
The Bangor Each day Information has requested for weeks when the board was anticipated to take motion on Malloy’s contract, given its June 30 expiration and the dearth of a scheduled board assembly earlier than that date.
Every time, Nagle mentioned the total board must take any motion on Malloy’s contract and that the motion would occur in a public assembly.
However no such assembly has occurred.
On Monday, prematurely of a gathering of the system board’s government committee, Nagle informed the BDN the total board “would wish to convene to behave on Chancellor Malloy’s contract.
“At present, no particular assembly of the UMS Board of Trustees has been scheduled,” she mentioned. “If the board schedules a particular assembly, there shall be public notification.”
Equally, on June 3, Nagle mentioned a particular assembly of the Board of Trustees would have to be scheduled to behave on Malloy’s contract and that no such assembly had been scheduled.
And on Could 23, following the final assembly of the total system board, Nagle mentioned the board must act on the chancellor’s contract and that the board will “schedule motion on the Chancellor’s contract extension/renewal.”
The college system’s course of to increase the chancellor’s contract, which is specified by its coverage guide, has already been underway for greater than a yr.
Trustees voted at their Could 24, 2021, assembly to authorize the board’s chancellor assessment committee to begin negotiating an extension of Malloy’s contract.
No provision within the chancellor’s contract permits a short-term extension by the chair of the board of trustees.
Earlier than any contract extension, the college system requires a complete, outdoors assessment of the chancellor that trustees are to judge forward of his reappointment or dismissal.
Trustees reviewed that analysis for the primary time in an government session at their final assembly, which occurred Could 22 and 23.
Malloy’s contract states that he’s topic to the system’s handbook and insurance policies for non-represented college and salaried workers. No language within the handbook states the chair of the board of trustees has the authority to increase the chancellor’s contract.
Additional, no provision within the board’s coverage guide provides the board chair the ability to unilaterally approve an extension to the chancellor’s contract.
Nagle mentioned the short-term extension occurred to accommodate latest board turnover. With newly chosen board officers taking their positions, a brand new chancellor assessment committee additionally needed to be fashioned, she mentioned.
“There was no vote or motion taken by the Board of Trustees or the Chancellor Assessment Committee with reference to this mutual settlement,” Nagle mentioned Thursday of the short-term extension. “The chancellor’s contract is ready to run out on June 30. This short-term resolution means he can proceed to serve in his present capability till the common Board assembly.”
The complete board of trustees will meet on July 11 on the College of Maine for its first assembly of the brand new fiscal yr, which begins July 1.
