Faculty members are concerned about the leadership at the University of Maine and how it is navigating financial obstacles and strategic planning.

The UMaine Faculty Senate sent a letter addressed to President Joan Ferrini Mundy, System Chancellor Dannel Malloy and the system’s board of trustees last week, outlining their grievances.

The eight-page letter, dated April 3, was first reported by the Bangor Daily News on Wednesday.

“The faculty of the University of Maine are growing increasingly concerned with the lack of clear direction and strategic plan for the University,” the letter begins. “Most faculty feel that their concerns rise above any individual issues and the pressures of the dire financial situation, but rather, embody a more serious issue of disconnect between administrative leadership and the faculty.”

The letter cites a wide range of concerns, from recent turnover in leadership positions to a perceived lack of transparency in strategic and financial planning.

Data from a survey of 314 faculty members, shared in the letter’s appendix, shows that faculty broadly have little faith in the school’s fiscal leadership or vision for the institution’s future. The majority of respondents rated their confidence in both categories as either a one or a two on a five-point scale. Most also indicated they have low morale.

“The poll results were strikingly negative, confirming our worst expectations,” the letter reads.

The letter ends with a series of requests, including that the president provide initial comments on the letter at an April 15 faculty senate meeting, and that the chancellor and board of trustees provide a written response by May 13.

It also requests the president unveil a formal plan to transition “critical interim roles to permanent and sustainable” ones, to begin meeting with faculty senate leaders monthly in September to go over a shared governance agreement, and to “establish a proactive communication program” that incorporates faculty feedback ahead of key decisions being made.

Ferrini-Mundy, the president, said in a statement Wednesday that she looks forward to partnering productively with faculty leaders to address their concerns and strengthen the university.

“There is so much work to do to position the University of Maine for a changing future, and we must do it together,” she said.

The letter comes shortly after the university revealed its proposed budget for next year, which includes $5.6 million in permanent budget cuts and $5.7 million in one-time cuts, around a 4% tuition increase across the board, and some staff layoffs to make up an $18 million deficit. Late last year, leaders asked every department to find 7% in cuts to make up for the expected gap, which it has attributed to declining enrollment, inflation, federal funding cuts and deferred maintenance costs.

The university has also been involved in an ongoing strategic re-envisioning process since May 2024. Some faculty have voiced concerns about that effort’s lengthening timeline and a feeling of decreasing transparency.

In the letter, the senate faculty described those shortcomings as leadership “failing to find a sustainable approach towards resolving long-standing deficits and failing to show strategic vision.”

University of Maine System spokesperson Samantha Warren said the university and the system’s board of trustees, “value shared governance, take our faculty’s feedback seriously, and recognize that unprecedented disruption in higher education and financial constraints are creating understandable uncertainty and concern for many in our community.”

Warren called Ferrini-Mundy “among the most consequential and visionary leaders” the university has had, and shared a list of accomplishments under her presidency, including achieving R1 research status, supporting the state’s workforce and securing historic investments.

The letter from the faculty senate also acknowledges a number of recent accomplishments, as well as external factors that have posed challenges for the university, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.