The University of Maine System board of trustees voted Monday to rebrand campus programs bearing the name of former U.S. Sen. George J. Mitchell, who is referenced hundreds of times in publicly released documents regarding disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

A task force established by the University of Maine had unanimously agreed that campus institutions affiliated with Mitchell should be renamed. That includes the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions and the George J. Mitchell Peace Scholarship, which supports students who study abroad in Ireland.

The board voted 9-5 with one abstention to accept the task force’s recommendation.

The center will be temporarily renamed the University of Maine Center for Sustainability Solutions, while the scholarship is to be temporarily called the University of Maine Peace Scholarship. The university plans to form a group to decide what the institutions’ new permanent names will be.

A spokesperson for the University of Maine System noted Monday that updating institutional websites, signage and other materials may take several months.

Mitchell, 93, represented Maine in the U.S. Senate as a Democrat from 1980 to 1995. He has denied allegations that he was connected to or aware of Epstein’s criminal activity and said he regrets ever having known the convicted sex offender.

He resigned in February as honorary chair of the scholarship organization, and its leaders said at the time that they thought it was an appropriate moment to begin conversations about renaming the award.

While “no findings of wrongdoing” by Mitchell have been made, the UMaine task force agreed that continued use of his name in campus programs “would compromise the public trust and reflect adversely upon the university and its reputation.”

A spokesperson for Mitchell was not immediately available to provide comment Monday afternoon.

Ahead of the vote, Donna Loring, a trustee who voted against the measure, said she was concerned about the “message” it could send.

“Senator Mitchell is exemplary as far as what he’s done internationally, and I think by removing his name, that also sends a message,” Loring said. “I think that all of his good work — and he’s done lots of good work — should not be diminished, should not be disappeared, because of unproven accusations.”

“I’m not saying this is not true,” Loring later added. “What I’m saying is there’s no due process here, there’s no trial, and it goes against everything that I believe in.”

Other trustees who voted against the measure also said they were troubled by the lack of due process coupled with Mitchell’s denial of the allegations.

Emily Cain, a trustee who voted for the removal, said it was a difficult decision, but the board’s task is to weigh the impact on the university’s reputation.

“I will never stop being a fan of George Mitchell’s work, ever,” Cain said. “The work he did is undeniable for peace in the world — Northern Ireland especially — for climate, as a leader. … But I also think the reality of right now is we’re not able to just talk about the work.”

Matthew Webber, one of the board’s student members, said the position of the student body is clear.

“The students feel that him getting recognized in this way, put on a pedestal, is an injustice of what they feel is almost entirely a wrong,” Webber said. “Almost all the students of the university are in agreement of that, so to rename, I believe, is in the best interest of us as well.”

Roger Katz, chair of the board, said the situation is “a huge tragedy,” but the university needs to “listen to our students” in this scenario.

“I think all we need to do is listen to our students to realize that conclusion is correct; that there is reputational damage,” Katz said. “Whether that’s fair or not, we could talk all day about that.”