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The president of the Maine Community College System will step down next year.
David Daigler informed the board of trustees of his decision during a Wednesday meeting at Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor, the system said Thursday.
He will remain at his post, which he’s held since 2019, until the end of the 2026-27 academic year.
“It’s the right time for the system, the state, and me personally,” Daigler said, noting that the state will have new leadership in Augusta next year.
“It has been my greatest privilege to work alongside the outstanding people at Maine’s community colleges to make these colleges, our communities, and the entire state a more prosperous, kind, and supportive place for all,” Daigler said in a statement. “The power of education to transform the lives of those striving to improve and become more informed and engaged citizens cannot be underestimated.”
Under his leadership, the community college system avoided layoffs and permanent cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. He oversaw a growth in enrollment and helped make permanent Gov. Janet Mills’ two years of free community college for recent high school graduates. It’s also now easier for community college students to transfer into the University of Maine System to continue their education.
His administration consistently delivered balanced budgets and at the same time grew employee wages 32%, according to the system.
“David has been a tremendous leader in a consequential and difficult period, deftly handling the pressures of the pandemic, political turmoil, and dramatic swings in economic factors in Maine resulting from the pandemic,” said Peter DelGreco, the chair of the system’s board of trustees. “The board could rely on his outstanding stewardship and his ability to advance a bold vision that expanded and grew the system to better serve students and the state, delivered in an authentic, personable way that invited collaboration and enthusiasm. He will be sorely missed.”
The search for Daigler’s replacement is underway.