University of Maine Athletic Director Steve Abbott announced on Tuesday his plans to end his tenure at UMaine after three years. Abbott plans to rejoin United States Sen. Susan Collins later this fall as her Chief of Staff, a position he held previously from 1997-2009.
“Leaving is a very hard decision, and it’s something I do with mixed emotions,” Abbott said. “I’m very excited to go work for Sen. Collins, but I’m sad to leave, too.”
Abbott signed a 6-month contract extension in June that officially ends in December. At the time of the extension, Abbott and UMaine Pres. Paul Ferguson had agreed that the timing was not conducive for conducting a search for a new athletic director given the ongoing renovation of the Memorial Gym and Field House, the negotiations with Global Spectrum to secure the new Cross Insurance Center in Bangor as the men’s and women’s basketball teams’ home court, and the pending apparel contract with New Balance.
Abbott, 50, said Sen. Collins’ senior position in the Senate and his dedication to public service were the main factors in his decision. No formal date has been set for his departure, only that it will occur sometime this fall.
The Orono native said he has no plans to return to a similar position at a university in the future, but hasn’t ruled it out completely. Abbott described being athletic director as a “varied job,” but one that will be very attractive to potential candidates despite some of the financial challenges at UMaine.
“The job is attractive for a number of reasons. […] It’s a great university, and we have terrific people here,” Abbott said. “We’ve got an institution with a great reputation, a very engaged faculty. It’s very much a student-focused institution. We’re the only Division-I program in the state so in terms of the attention – the media attention that we get is unbelievable compared to most of our peers.
“One of the biggest challenges we have is with our financial situation,” Abbott continued. “With state institutions all across the country, there is increasing pressure on budgets. So that’s hard for those of us who work in athletics to try and live within our means and [try] to make sure that we’re making expenditures that are consistent with the priorities of the university.”
Abbott listed hiring and firing coaches, approving schedules, approving spending priorities, fundraising and public relations strategies as the main responsibilities of an athletic director. He fired former All-American and women’s basketball coach Cindy Blodgett one day into his tenure in 2011 after she went 24-94 in four seasons at the helm, and 12-year men’s ice hockey coach Tim Whitehead in April after the Black Bears’ consistent decline the last few seasons.
During Abbott’s tenure, UMaine completed a $5.5 million renovation of Alfond Arena, added the $500,000 Paul J. Mitchell Batting Pavilion, began the $15 million renovation to the Memorial Gym and Field House — including a $5 million naming gift from New Balance for the renovation, UMaine’s largest corporate gift in history — and announced this week that the $65 million Cross Insurance Center will host the majority of home games for both basketball teams beginning this season.
In a statement released by the university on Tuesday, Pres. Ferguson said he “look[s] forward to continuing our working relationship in [Abbott’s] new role with Sen. Collins.”
When asked about what that relationship might entail, Abbott said, “Sen. Collins is a great advocate for higher education and she’s been a great advocate for this campus. When I worked for Sen. Collins before, I had the opportunity to work with a number of great faculty people and administrators here on campus who have dealings with the federal government. I also want to support the university in that role as well.
“I really, firmly believe that the future of this institution is critically important to the future of the state of Maine,” he continued. “In my new job, I want to continue to support this campus and do all we can because I really believe it’s important to this state.”
Pres. Ferguson echoed those statements via email, saying he looks forward to maintaining the relationship that “normally exists” to “advance the mission of the University of Maine.”
“Pres. Ferguson has been a great partner for me and for everyone in the Athletics Department and I’ve truly enjoyed working with him,” Abbott said.
“He’s been very supportive of me personally. He’s been very supportive of what we’ve tried to do here in the Athletics Department. We think that athletics tells a great story for the University of Maine and it’s a chance for us to really put a good face on for the university — to let everyone know what a terrific place this is and he’s been helping us do that every step of the way.”
Abbott said there are “many parallels” between being a Chief of Staff and an athletic director, listing things like managing staff, setting the priorities and the vision for the operation and public relations strategy as similarities.
In addition to being the senior Maine Senator’s Chief of Staff for 12 years, Abbott also managed her campaign during her re-elections in 2002 and 2008. Collins holds six offices in Maine and one in Washington, D.C. She is up for possible re-election this coming year.
Abbott, who lives in Portland with his family, said he will be based primarily out of Collins’ office there but plans to spend “quite a bit” of time in D.C., especially when the Senate is in session.
“I am delighted that Steve Abbott will be returning to my office as Chief of Staff this fall,” Collins said in a statement. “Steve’s commitment to public service and his knowledge of Maine are extraordinary, and I am very pleased that he once again will be putting his exceptional talents toward the goal of helping me better serve the people of Maine.”
A national search for Abbott’s replacement has already begun. Abbott said he will work with Ferguson during the transition, including finalizing the currently vacant UMaine apparel contract within the coming weeks. Pres. Ferguson said there are no current plans to hire an interim athletic director, and someone will only be brought on in that capacity if the “position [becomes] vacant earlier than expected.”
Abbott graduated from Orono High School in 1981 before moving on to Harvard College and eventually the University of Massachusetts. He earned a degree from the University of Maine School of Law in 1991.
“It’s the people that are in this community,” Abbott said when asked what he will remember most about his time at UMaine. “I love the people on campus: the student-athletes, the students in general, the faculty, the coaches, the staff and the people around town. That’s why I’ve loved this place my whole life, it’s why I wanted to come back and it’s definitely where my fondest memories are.”