Chancellor Search Committee To Meet Soon
With the formation of a committee to find a new UMass Boston chancellor, the search is readying to get underway as committee members envision meeting within the next two weeks to plan for the national search, according to a UMass spokesperson.
The committee will probably create a timetable at that first meeting and pick a consulting firm to aid with the hunt, said Robert Connolly, spokesperson at the UMass President’s Office, as well as decide on an ad to be put in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Candidates are expected to be interviewed in January and February, with recommendations to UMass President Jack Wilson and the UMass Board of Trustees coming as early as March.
President’s Office Picks New Digs
After seven years on the 26th floor of One Beacon Street, the UMass President’s Office is moving down a few floors and a few blocks into downtown Boston, to the 12th floor of 225 Franklin Street.
“We found a location that will suit all of our needs,” said UMass spokesperson Robert Connolly.
The President’s Office was looking to find new space because the sub-lease at Beacon Street was going to be up as of April 2005. UMass officials projected that the move would save the university a quarter of a million dollars, due to the rental costs of staying at One Beacon.
Several floors up, the Franklin Street office will also house an alumni club similar to ones at Harvard University or Boston University. The club is to be self-sustaining through membership dues. An estimated 200,000 UMass alumni live in Massachusetts.
GoraWatch: Parade Perk But No Honeymoon
One of the perks of being president of Indiana’s Ball State University, and one that Jo Ann Gora probably didn’t get when she was chancellor at UMass Boston, appears to be headlining a parade.
The Muncie Star Press reported that this past Saturday Ball State University held its Homecoming parade in downtown Muncie, Indiana.
“Early in the parade, university president Jo Ann Gora rode in a red convertible while her husband, Roy Budd, followed in a car marked ‘chief advocate,'” according to the Star Press.
But it’s not all fun and games for the former chancellor.
In a recent Connection magazine article, “Why New Presidents Can’t Sleep,” Gora offered some insight into what it means to become a leader of a university.
“President’s expecting honeymoons should dust off their wedding albums; it is a word, and a concept, disappearing from our lives,” she said. “The first thing new presidents are asked, even before arriving on campus, is, ‘What is your plan?’ Effective leaders should be very careful about talking about any ‘plan’ until they have demonstrated respect for the new community by taking the time to learn firsthand about its opportunities and challenges.”
Wilson Inducted Into Hall of Fame
UMass President Jack Wilson was one of six to be inducted this week into the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) Hall of Fame and called an “outstanding pioneer in distance education,” according to press release from the USDLA.
Wilson created and headed up UMassOnline, and was vice president of academic affairs before becoming president last March. “Dr. Jack Wilson’s contributions to the distance learning industry represent continued best practices and excellence over many years. Dr. Wilson’s commitment, service and dedication is well respected throughout the entire distance learning industry,” said Dr. John G. Flores, executive director of USDLA, a non-profit with the aim of promoting development and application of distance learning.
The current head of UMassOnline, David Gray, noted in the press release that “Jack Wilson is one of the true pioneers in the field of distance learning. Early on, Jack grasped the power that the Web had to transform learning and to create new educational opportunities for people who couldn’t participate otherwise. Jack led UMassOnline through a period of unprecedented growth and we are fortunate to have his continued support as President.”