ORONO — Steve Abbott this week will announce his departure from the University of Maine, where he serves as athletic director, to rejoin the staff of Sen. Susan Collins.

Abbott, who in June agreed to remain in that position through December, is expected to announce this week that he is rejoining Collins’ staff and will leave UMaine later this fall. He served as Collins’ chief of staff for 12 years before he left to run in the 2010 Republican primary for governor. He finished third in that race.

Abbott, 50, informed America East Conference directors of athletics of his decision via an email Tuesday morning, according to a league source who saw the email.

Last month, Abbott began his fourth year heading UMaine athletics. The Orono native was hired on an interim basis in September 2010 after Blake James left to take the senior associate AD position at the University of Miami.

Former UMaine President Robert Kennedy awarded Abbott a two-year appointment in March of 2011 and Abbott later agreed to an extension through June 30, 2013. This summer, UMaine announced Abbott would stay on through December.

The university revealed Abbott’s six-month extension in June and Abbott said the timing was not conducive for conducting a search for his replacement. Now, UMaine President Paul Ferguson will have to find someone to direct the athletics department in the interim until a nationwide search can be conducted.

UMaine athletics looks to rebound from a lackluster overall performance during 2012-2013. Black Bear teams posted win-loss record of 110-183-15 with its most prominent programs — men’s hockey, football, men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, field hockey, women’s soccer, softball and women’s hockey.

During the last decade, only 2007-08 was worse, when those teams were 79-183-10.

Abbott will depart having played a role in some notable changes in the athletics department during his tenure.

In 2011, one day after the announcement of his initial two-year contract, Abbott fired women’s basketball coach and Clinton native Cindy Blodgett. The former All-America player for the Black Bears coached her team to a 24-94 record in four seasons.

In April, Abbott fired men’s ice hockey coach Tim Whitehead after a 12-year stay in Orono. UMaine had enjoyed only sporadic on-ice success in recent years and attendance at home games was declining.

Although he arrived well into the planning and fundraising process, Abbott also has been at the forefront of UMaine’s proposed $15 million renovation of the field house and Memorial Gymnasium buildings on campus. He was instrumental in a key element of the fundraising for those projects when he negotiated a $5 million donation from the New Balance athletic footwear company.

Throughout his tenure, Abbott has maintained a home in Portland with his wife Amy and children Hannah and Henry.

This summer, Abbott has been trying to broker a deal with Global Spectrum, the company that is operating the new Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, to play many of UMaine’s home basketball contests in the facility. He recently said final details are being worked out on such an arrangement.

Abbott put his career in politics on hold after a failed run for governor of Maine in 2010. Before that, he served as Collins’ chief of staff from 1997 through 2009. He managed her Washington office and oversaw her six offices in Maine, supervising a staff of more than 50 people.

Abbott also served as Collins’ campaign manager during her successful re-election campaigns in 2002 and 2008.

Abbott is a 1981 graduate of Orono High School, where he was a member of six state championship teams in football and basketball. He earned a history degree from Harvard College in 1985 and captained the Crimson football team as a senior.

He later studied sport management at the University of Massachusetts before earning a degree from the University of Maine School of Law in 1991.

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