Former UMA presidential candidate has been paid more than $370K under settlement

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The former incoming president of the University of Maine at Augusta who withdrew amid faculty complaints in 2022 is still collecting about $20,000 a month from the state university system.

Under terms of a settlement, Michael Laliberte has collected $372,083 from the University of Maine System as of April 24 without ever working a single day, the Kennebec Journal reported.

Laliberte was set to start as UMA president when news surfaced of no-confidence votes during his time as president of State University of New York at Delhi. That led to no-confidence votes in UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy after he acknowledged he’d been aware of Laliberte’s no-confidence votes but declined to share the information with the search committee.

Laliberte ultimately opted to withdraw from the position.

He received a lump sum of $235,000 in June 2022 and started to receive $20,000 monthly payments if he’s unable to find a comparable job and can offer proof that he’s trying to find work. University system officials said Laliberte’s documentation of his efforts to secure work are not public record and available for review by the newspaper.

Malloy overcame the no-confidence votes to earn a two-year contract extension this week. University officials hired Jennifer Cushman in May 2023 to serve as president of the Augusta campus.