The University of Maine System (UMS) is considering whether to change the name of UMaine’s George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions and the George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship program associated with former U.S. Maine Sen. George J. Mitchell, after he was mentioned more than 300 times in the Epstein files. Following a wave of international criticism, Mitchell resigned as honorary chair of the Mitchell Institute on Feb. 5. After UMS shared it would consider potential name changes, representatives at University College Cork (UCC), partnered with UMaine through the Mitchell peace scholarship program, confirmed they are currently discussing a name change. Several UCC students offered their thoughts on the situation as well.
UMaine’s George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship program is run through UMaine’s Office of International Programs and Office of Major Scholarships. The scholarship connects UMaine and UCC by funding a student from each institution to study full-time at the partner university.
In a statement to the Maine Campus, Samantha Warren, UMaine’s Chief External and Government Affairs Officer, said the system will carefully review all current and emerging information to make decisions that reflect its core values and best serve both students and the state of Maine. She emphasized that UMS “strongly condemns sexual violence and exploitation.”
Joe Leogue, a communications officer from UCC’s media relations office, also offered a statement regarding potential program name changes on behalf of UCC.
“The University of Maine and University College Cork are currently in discussions in relation to the George J Mitchell Peace Scholarship. A decision on the future of the scholarship will be made shortly and a fuller statement will be issued at that point,” said Leogue.
While UMaine’s internal conversations continue, most UCC students contacted by the Maine Campus said they were not familiar with the peace scholarship and had not seen widespread discussion of a possible name change on campus.
Alex Stradnic, a graduate student at UCC, said they had not previously looked into Mitchell’s background. Stradnic described Mitchell as “credited” for helping broker the Good Friday Agreement in Ireland, but added that “if he’s in the files though it’s probably not a great idea to keep his name.”
Nika Kersytė, a third-year world languages student at UCC, said she had not heard about the scholarship controversy and that her friends on campus had not discussed it either. Despite this, she said it would be better to change the name to a more neutral one that does not cause harm and is less likely to be harmful in the future.
Another UCC student, a second-year international business with languages student who asked to remain unnamed, also expressed that the scholarship’s name should be changed.
“While George Mitchell’s role in the Northern Ireland peace process is historically significant and widely respected, the recent association of his name with the Epstein files raises serious ethical concerns” said the student.
The student pointed out that in the Irish context, where “issues of exploitation and institutional accountability” carry particular weight, continuing to attach a student scholarship to a figure publicly linked with such a scandal may feel inappropriate.
They added that renaming the scholarship “would not erase Mitchell’s role in the peace process, but it would allow the program to stand independently of ongoing controversy.” The student said that even if the university ultimately chose to keep the name, transparency and student representation, such as involvement from the UCC Students’ Union, would be important.
Postgraduate English literature student Francis Wierzbicka said he believes the scholarship’s name “without a doubt” should be changed.
“Potential victims are still alive to witness this scholarship being used to effectively praise George Mitchell,” said Wierzbicka.
Wierzbicka also suggested that both universities have an ethical obligation to address concerns.
“Any institutions or organizations associated with his name have a moral responsibility to separate themselves from him and the Epstein scandal. For certain students, the lack of name change may prevent them from pursuing this scholarship on ethical grounds.”
He suggested that UCC should “at least” acknowledge the issue publicly, especially because other organizations have moved to distance themselves from Mitchell.
“It’s frankly disappointing that there has been no comment so far,” said Wierzbicka. “I hope that there is something happening behind the scenes that we’re not aware of, and that there will be some effort made to alter the scholarship in a way that will support victims and benefit students.”
He added that the UCC Students’ Union should play a role in informing students about developments around the peace exchange program and in giving them a voice.
The UCC Student Union did not respond to a request for comment. This story is currently developing, and more updates regarding pending program name changes will be provided as they become available.
