AUGUSTA (AP) – The longtime president of the University of Southern Maine was selected Monday as the new chancellor of the University of Maine System.

System trustees voted unanimously for Richard Pattenaude after a search committee presented its assessment of Pattenaude and the other finalists.

“All three finalists would make an excellent chancellor,” said Meg Weston, chairwoman of the search committee as well as the Board of Trustees. “In the end, the board concluded that Dr. Pattenaude has the best combination of leadership and academic experience.”

The candidates vying for the $200,000-a-year post recently visited campuses from Portland to Presque Isle for formal interviews. In the end, it came down to Pattenaude and Warren Fox, executive director of the Office of Higher Education, Policy & Planning for the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The third candidate, James Applegate, vice president for Academic Affairs at the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, withdrew his name from consideration Monday morning before the trustees convened.

Pattenaude, who has served 16 years at USM, is expected to begin his new duties July 1, succeeding Terrence MacTaggart, who returned to the job he once held on a one-year assignment following the resignation of Joseph Westphal.

“Leaving will not be easy but I’m honored by the opportunity to work for the people of Maine on a broader scale,” said Pattenaude, who will continue to serve as USM’s president for the remainder of the current academic year.

Gov. John Baldacci praised Pattenaude’s appointment.

“He has been a tremendous asset to the system for many years and I look forward to working with him in this new capacity,” Baldacci said.

Westphal, whose tenure included a controversial reorganization of the system, came to the chancellorship from the Pentagon, where he served as an assistant secretary and acting secretary of the Army. He left the office on June 30.

The chancellor oversees a system with an annual budget of nearly $600 million and more than 34,000 students on seven campuses, along with additional satellites and outreach centers scattered across the state.