The University of Maine at Presque Isle announced on Tuesday that the institution has received the largest single donation in its history: a generous $2.16 million gift from the estate of the late Donald and Linda Zillman, UMPI’s 10th president and first lady.
“Don and Linda have shown such incredible generosity to UMPI over the years—in the time they spent involved in activities and the daily life of campus, the expertise they shared through countless projects, and the support they have given to enhance faculty research and campus infrastructure,” UMPI President Ray Rice said. “This new gift came as such a surprise to us but reaffirms their incredible legacy of giving and their unwavering faith in our institution’s bright future.”
Donald N. Zillman and Linda G. Zillman were longtime UMPI benefactors—including this latest gift, they have given more than $3 million to the institution in the last 15 years.
“Linda and Don Zillman believed deeply in the power of Maine’s public universities to expand opportunity and enrich communities across the state,” University of Maine System Chancellor Dannel Malloy said. “Their extraordinary generosity to the University of Maine at Presque Isle reflects their incredible affection for this special institution and a recognition of its essential role in improving educational attainment and cultural access in Aroostook County. Even after their passing, the Zillmans continue to have a transformative impact on UMPI, our System and the state, inspiring us to honor their remarkable legacy by elevating excellence in academics, the arts and community engagement for generations to come. We are so grateful for their generosity.”
Members of the campus community gathered on Tuesday for the surprise announcement, shared by President Rice and Jim Munch, executor of the Zillman estate. The event included a tribute to the Zillmans and a discussion of the possibilities leadership is considering in how to utilize their generous gift—including scholarships, art-related activities and building improvements. Plans are also in the works to create a memorial for the Zillmans on the campus grounds.
“Don and Linda were dear friends, and while I am deeply saddened that they’re no longer here with us, I am enormously pleased to join in this announcement on their behalf and share the news of their incredible gift to UMPI,” Munch said. “UMPI was a very special place for Don and Linda–it was in many ways dear to them and I know they both viewed the gift we announce today as a way for them to help UMPI grow and continue to achieve great things.”
Donald Zillman, who served as UMPI president from 2006-2012, held leadership positions on multiple campuses within the University of Maine System, including Dean of the University of Maine School of Law from 1991-1998, Interim Provost and Academic Vice President at the University of Maine from 1999-2000 and Interim President of the University of Maine at Fort Kent from 2001-2002. In 2012, he returned full time to academic pursuits and his wide-ranging writing projects. During his time at UMPI, he led several major campus initiatives, including more than $4 million in renovations to UMPI’s major classroom buildings, Pullen and Folsom Halls; the establishment of several renewable energy systems on campus; the addition of a state-of-the-art GIS laboratory; and the establishment of a scholarship fund for new students.
Linda Zillman, a trained art historian, was involved in UMPI’s Reed Art Gallery activities, serving as an integral part of one of the university’s most prestigious acquisitions–153 original Andy Warhol photographs gifted in 2008 by the Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program. Together, the Zillmans established the Zillman Family Professorship in 2013 through a designated fund at the Maine Community Foundation. As UMPI’s first rotating professorship, it allows faculty to conduct in-depth research over a two-year period. They also provided the very first gift to the Zillman Family Greenhouse—expanding the institution’s capacity for on-campus agricultural research. The building has served as an important agricultural research space since 2019.
Donald Zillman passed away July 27, 2023 and Linda Zillman passed away Sept. 4, 2025.
“The Zillmans arrived on campus shortly after I graduated from UMPI in 2006,” Craig Cormier, executive director of university advancement, said. “Don and Linda were precisely what the UMPI community needed. In interactions with them over the years, they both took the time to get to know UMPI alumni, regardless of when they graduated, demonstrating a genuine care for our community–a care that continues today by making this transformational gift to our institution.”