UMS official seeks to extend UMPI president’s assignment

BANGOR – University of Maine System Chancellor Richard L. Pattenaude announced Monday that he will recommend to the system’s board of trustees that the appointment of University of Maine at Presque Isle President Donald N. Zillman be extended.

Zillman has been serving a fixed-length appointment as UMPI’s president since September 2006, and that appointment expires on Aug. 31, 2008. If trustees approve Pattenaude’s recommendation, Zillman will be given an additional two-year appointment, according to a press release from UMS. After that, he will be eligible for renewal and extension of his appointment after his annual review.

The board is expected to act on the recommendation at its May 19 meeting at UMPI.

Pattenaude said in a written statement that under Zillman’s leadership over the past two years, “UMPI has experienced a remarkable revitalization of the university.”

Zillman also serves as the Edward S. Godfrey Professor of Law at the Maine School of Law in Portland.

Zillman said he was “excited about the prospect of continuing the fine work we’ve been doing here at the University of Maine at Presque Isle and the opportunity to see some important projects through, such as our wind power project and our efforts through Project Compass to better serve our Native American student population.”

He added that if the board approves his appointment, he hopes to remain at UMPI for “a good, long time.”