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An internal review found that the University of Maine system violated its own policies in a recent failed presidential search at the University of Maine at Augusta, Maine Public Radio reported.
System chancellor Dannel Malloy ordered the review after it was revealed that he and the chair of the search committee had withheld information from the committee, namely, that Michael Laliberte, the candidate for the UMA presidency, had been the subject of two no-confidence votes at his previous job.
Laliberte withdrew his candidacy, but only after faculty at several campuses voted no confidence in Malloy.
According to a draft copy of the review, the employee background and screening policy “was not followed” in the search for the UMA president.
While “negative information” about a candidate is not automatic grounds for disqualification, the policy states, “An individualized decision about suitability for employment, transfer, or promotion will be made by the hiring or employing department in consultation with the University of Maine System Human Resources Office based on relevant job-related considerations and the nature of the information.”
The report recommends that going forward, HR staff should be included in the search process. It also calls for making the candidates’ names and backgrounds public in the final stages of the search and requiring candidates for provost and president to declare whether they have ever been the subject of a no-confidence vote.
