Derek Langhauser to leave MCCS to serve as Governor’s Legal Counsel, Vice President/CFO to serve as MCCS President
AUGUSTA, ME — The Maine Community College System Board of Trustees today announced that Derek P. Langhauser, who has served Maine’s community colleges for the past 24 years, the last four as President, will conclude his service with the System on January 21, 2019. He is leaving to serve as Chief Legal Counsel to the Governor.
The Board also announced that the System’s Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, David J. Daigler, who has been with MCCS for over 19 years, will succeed Langhauser and serve as President for an initial two-year term.
During Langhauser’s tenure as President, MCCS has undertaken ambitious efforts to increase student success, strengthen and expand academic programs, and develop new and innovative workforce training initiatives. The System revised over 100 of its 300 program options; MCCS became one of the first in the nation to participate as a System in the national Achieving the Dream network of colleges dedicated to raising student success rates; and it launched statewide initiatives in short-term training, regional delivery, micro-credentials, math pathways, and public awareness. During his tenure, MCCS received important increases in state appropriations and a bond from a referendum that won all 16 counties with 65% of the popular vote. In addition, the Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges raised $15 million in private funds to support the innovative work underway across the System.
Before being named President in 2015, Langhauser served for 20 years as MCCS General Counsel, work that included disability accommodations, free speech, due process, contract review, safety procedures, regulatory compliance, and non-discrimination. For his efforts, he received the nation’s highest honors for a college attorney, serving as both a president and fellow of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and being elected to the Council of the American Law Institute.
“Derek has been a true joy to work with these past four years, and the Maine Community College System Board of Trustees and I are very sad to see him go. However, the law is his passion, and he has an amazing opportunity that will serve him and the people of the State of Maine very well,” stated Jean Ginn Marvin, Chair of the MCCS Board of Trustees.
Ginn Marvin continued: “Fortunately, from day one in his tenure, Derek built a strong and cohesive team with a specific succession plan. I am delighted to continue my work with our new President David Daigler. David is very capable and experienced. He is committed to continuing the progress we are enjoying in areas of student success and workforce development, and the community colleges will continue to grow and prosper under his leadership.”
In his role as Chief Financial Officer, Daigler has overseen finances and operations for the seven-college system for the past 15 years. As Vice President since 2015, he has been instrumental in helping to transition the delivery of community college education to make it more available and accessible to Maine’s working age adults. A graduate of John Carroll University, he holds a Master of Science in finance from Boston College. Daigler is 60 and a resident of Portland.
In announcing that he would be leaving MCCS, Langhauser said: “It has been a real privilege to work on behalf of so many Maine people who work so hard to benefit from a community college education, and it has been a real pleasure to work for so long with so many talented faculty, staff, and administrators. The excellent reputation of the community colleges is very well deserved. Value, efficiency, relevance and responsiveness: we are the best investment of its kind in Maine. I am extremely proud to have long been a part of this important institution and its important work.”