Chancellor Jo Ann Gora has named an Interim Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. As of September 14, Professor Arthur MacEwan from the Economics Department will fill the position. Gora expressed her faith in the new provost and vice chancellor by stating, ” The campus will continue moving ahead strongly on the academic side under his leadership. I look forward to working closely with him.”

The General Education program, which has been under construction for the past few years, here at UMB is one of the first pieces of business awaiting the Interim Vice Chancellor. In addition he will lead the search for a new dean of the graduate school. Other issues facing review include campus-wide space utilization, the working relationships of our many centers and institutes here on campus to the departments and programs offered, as well as support for research and doctoral work here.

“I’m happy to have the role where I can help the University develop. There are a lot of issues that need to be taken up in the coming year. I find it very exciting and a little daunting!,” exclaimed the newly named interim provost.

Professor MacEwan has been a member of the UMass Boston faculty in the Economics Department for 26 years. For five of those years, from 1977-79, and again from 1983-86, he served as chair of the department. Since 1975, he has worn many hats here at the University. MacEwan is and has been very active in the Faculty Staff Union, holding various positions. Since 1990, he has been the vice president of the union, and since 1991 he has also been working as grievance officer. He has also served as acting president of the union twice, once in the spring of 1992 and again in the fall of 1997.

Before coming to work at UMass, MacEwan received his doctorate from Harvard, and taught there for seven years. While at Harvard, he was also a recipient of the Wells Prize in Economics, and served as a research associate at the Harvard Center for International Affairs. He worked in Pakistan for two years working at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics.

MacEwan is the author of four books, co-editor of three more, and has also published many professional papers in his discipline. His other accomplishments include fellowships from the German Marshall Fund and the Social Science Research Council.

MacEwan is expected to serve as interim provost through next summer, while the university conducts a national search for a permanent provost to replace Dr. Charles Cnudde, who resigned in August.