Former UMaine President Lloyd Elliott Passes
Lloyd Elliott, University of Maine President from 1958–65, died Jan. 1 at the age of 94.
After leaving UMaine, Elliott served as president of George Washington University from 1965 until his retirement in 1988. He then became the president of the National Geographic Education Foundation.
“Lloyd Elliott was a nationally recognized educational leader,” says University of Maine President Paul W. Ferguson. “At UMaine, he championed educational access, the humanities and science, improved the campus infrastructure, and understood the importance of UMaine research to help the state. Lloyd Elliott continued the development of UMaine on a firm path to becoming the flagship university of Maine that it is today. We have deep gratitude for his service, and our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Elliott came to UMaine from Cornell University, where he had served as executive assistant to the president. During his University of Maine administration, Elliott was known for his commitment to expanding student capacity on campus and obtaining enhanced funding from the Maine legislature for faculty and staff.
The transformation of the campus landscape during his presidency included construction of six new classroom buildings, six dormitories, two dining halls and Hauck Auditorium. Among other benchmarks: the deployment of closed-circuit television to expand statewide access to classes and the acquisition of Darling Marine Center.
Elliott was instrumental in bringing President John F. Kennedy to the university in October 1963 — 33 days before his assassination in Dallas — to receive an honorary degree.
UMaine historian David C. Smith in his book, The First Century: A History of the University of Maine, 1865–1965, characterized Elliott as “a whirlwind in his years at Orono. The campus was literally no longer recognizable to one who has been there in the thirties.” That much-changed campus landscape was celebrated in UMaine’s centennial year, 1965.
Elliott received an honorary degree from UMaine in 1969.
Elliott was a West Virginia native who earned his undergraduate degree from Glendale State College, a master’s from the University of West Virginia and a Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Colorado.