Chancellor Jo Ann Gora intends to unveil aspects of the university’s strategic plan for the next several years at the Board of Trustees meeting on February 4.
The UMass president’s office had asked each of the five chancellors from the UMass system to present to the Board of Trustees their plans for their campuses for the next few years.
According to Gora’s administration officials, Gora will be highlighting major goals and emphasizing the three R’s: retention, research, and reputation. The three R’s were first introduced in Gora’s convocation speech before a faculty/staff breakfast at the start of the academic year.
In turn, all of the university’s vice chancellors and deans have been asked to come up with initiatives to improve the three areas.
Each of the colleges and offices of the vice chancellor have an agenda and are developing different research programs. Chancellor Gora and senior staff are integrating the plans for the presentation. A draft could not be obtained at this time, with officials citing the fluidity of the document up to the meeting with the Board of Trustees.
“It’s an ongoing process. Plans get revised as more information comes in,” said Peter Langer, associate provost for academic affairs.
Under the first R, retention, improvements are being made in curricular and co-curricular activities, since both lead to connection and integration on campus, according to Langer.
“That’s one reason why we’ve been trying to beef up Student Services,” Langer said. Student Services falls under the purview of Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs J. Keith Motley, who was hired last summer from Northeastern University, where he was widely known for improving freshmen retention rates. Motley has already gone to work by starting up a student think tank and expanding orientation programs and Opening Week festivities, among other things.
Student housing, a controversial issue in the community, is in the exploratory phase, and moving under the radar. “We have not closed the door on residential housing on campus,” Langer said.
Ground would probably have been broken by now if in early May Governor Mitt Romney had not stopped a nearly four million dollar bond sale, the majority of which would have gone towards dorms. Administration and Finance Secretary Eric Kriss had called the bond “fiscally unsound.” In response, then-UMass President William Bulger withdrew dorms from the bond plan. But Governor Romney would be “responsive” to housing if it is part of the university’s strategic plan, according to Gora at a September Faculty Council meeting. The Board of Trustees continues to show support for the project, she said. Despite university officials stressing that UMass Boston will remain a predominantly commuter institution, opposition from community associations remains fierce.
On another front, former Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance David MacKenzie raised several eyebrows by pulling out early retirement papers at the last minute to take the top post at the UMass Building Authority. As Vice Chancellor of A & F, MacKenzie presided over the Campus Center project and is familiar with the student housing initiative.
“I don’t think it really impacts it one way or the other,” he said, adding that the UMass Building Authority, independent of the university, was supportive of getting dorms under former head Joe Brady.
The Building Authority will continue to be supportive, he said, but added, “I haven’t really discussed the issue with Chancellor Gora since I’ve taken over.”
MacKenzie is currently functioning as the interim head and has no legal status, since he must first be appointed by the 11-member board on the Building Authority, which is appointed by the governor. Five of them are trustees of the university.
Retention remains “critical to the future” of the campus, according to Gora. In her convocation speech to the faculty, she noted, “In the last five years, our enrollment has gone from 13,481 to 12,719.
“During that same period, approximately 20 percent of continuing students did not enroll the following fall and have not graduated or returned later to graduate. We must aggressively stem these losses and their devastating impact on graduation rates and our bottom line. It is one thing to suffer financial losses because of cutbacks in state support. It’s quite another to lose literally millions of dollars every year because of a loss of already enrolled students.”
Two major areas are being developed under the second R: research. One area is public policy research, where the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, with Dr. Edmund Beard at the helm, comes in, says Langer.
Science and technology is the other area, with plans to add a Center for Environment, Health, Science and Technology. “That’s to serve as a place for interdisciplinary work in the environment,” Langer said. “We have our strengths in environmental science, and we’re developing greater strengths in the area. The provost has developed partnerships with the Dana Farber Institute to look at health disparity research.”
In addition, Chemistry Chair Dr. Stuart Licht is working on ways to turn hydrogen into a fuel source that’s easier to obtain, according to a front-page article in the University Reporter. Other strategies include launching a campaign for state-matching funds, facilities and equipment, and turning the castle-like pump house across the street from the Clark Athletic Center into a “BEST Park,” a top-flight science facility. The pump house is currently in the hands of the Boston Sewer and Water Commission.
Chief information officer Martyne Hallgren is working to focus the university’s IT plan so that it can operate as one university, and not six colleges, through expanding computer services and developing web portals.
Reputation, the third R, remains important as well. When community and business people think of UMass Boston, university administration officials want them to think of positive teaching, research, and service, such as collaborations with Boston Public Schools with regards to teacher training, as well as working with South Boston neighborhood groups to provide expertise in dealing with its drug problems. Langer also cited the university’s work with the Dorchester Board of Trade to market Dorchester businesses.
“In addition to people saying, ‘Yes, UMass Boston is a place where students can go to get a great education,’ we also want them to think of UMass Boston as a place that’s contributed into the community,” Langer said.
A university-wide memo is expected to be sent out later this month with the basic outline and structure of the strategic plan.