While the University of Massachusetts has been dealt a blow with financial setbacks in recent years due to the effects from the 2008 financial crisis, it continues to progress and position itself for a bright future.
That’s what Chancellor Robert Holub said during an address on Friday. Speaking at the seventh annual Faculty Convocation – an event that honors a select few UMass faculty members with outstanding achievement awards – Holub noted that the school has advanced and continues to do so on a number of fronts related to spikes in revenue, ongoing construction projects and initiatives set to raise the school’s stature.
“I believe we are on the road to success at UMass Amherst,” Holub told the faculty, student and community attendees at the event. “We continue to plan for the future.”
Holub said that the University is poised to emerge stronger fiscally after having weathered the effects and fallout of the 2008 recession. He explained that since 2008, the school has accumulated $16 million in new revenue and is expected to net $22 million in new revenue by the end of this year.
“We have controlled what we can control… and have worked effectively during my term as chancellor,” Holub said during a portion of his address.
The school has also increased the number of out-of-state attendees and has set up a five-year master’s degree program – which can be attributed to some of the increased revenues.
According to Holub, UMass has fund-raised more successfully than it has in its history – with the school receiving its first two eight-figure contributions during his tenure as chancellor.
“The last two years have been the most successful years in fundraising in the campus’s history,” said Holub.
The University, he noted, has also seen a jump in SAT scores among incoming freshmen over the past few years, with this school year’s incoming class having the highest collective scores in the university’s history. The retention rate among students has also risen by about 5 percentage points over the past three years, in addition to an increase in the number of ALANA, or African, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American attendees to the University, which has risen by 4 percentage points over the last five years.
But even with the increase in students, the school has restructured some of its seminars and general education programs, Holub said. The school has initiated a new, expanded orientation program for incoming students and the new iCon initiative which explores new interdisciplinary ways to teach science.
“Despite the difficult challenges posed by the economy,” Holub said, “we are expanding the academic opportunities for our students.”
The school has also increased its flagship standing statewide – having opened offices in Boston to reach out to members of the greater UMass community in that area of the state. The school’s football team will also play at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro beginning next year when it joins the Mid-Atlantic, and will play a game against the University of New Hampshire there this year. The UMass basketball and hockey teams, he noted, will also play in the eastern tier of the state, with games slated to occur for the teams this year at the T.D. Garden and Fenway Park, respectively.
“Our presence in intercollegiate athletics… contributes to our overall strategy of being, and being recognized as, the state’s flagship,” said Holub.
The chancellor also lauded the school’s jump in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings and praised the increase in research at the University.
But, Holub noted, UMass still has not reached all of its goals. The school, though, can continue to advance and raise its stature, he said.
“During my tenure, we have made great and significant advantages,” said Holub. “If we keep our eyes on the goal and don’t become distracted … we shall surely achieve the preeminence we deserve.”
Holub, who has been the chancellor at UMass since August 2008, will depart the school by the end of next July. The announcement of his departure came amid reports that a committee charged with evaluating his performance had given him a negative review. A search for the school’s next chancellor began last week with the appointment of a search committee.
At Friday’s ceremony, six faculty members were honored with the 2011 Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity. Those honored included Julie Caswell, a professor of resource economics; Lori Clarke, a professor of computer science; Peter Gizzi, a professor of English; Joseph Goldstein; a distinguished a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering; Marla Miller, a professor of history; and Thomas Russell, a distinguished professor of polymer science and engineering.
William Perkins can be reached at [email protected].
