In report to trustees, President Meehan says quality and affordability “have never been more important”
BOSTON – Although the course of the coronavirus crisis may be difficult to predict, University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan today said that students and their families can count on the campuses of the UMass system being “on duty” this fall.
“UMass will be there to provide affordable, top-quality higher education -- because quality and affordability have never been more important to the Commonwealth and its citizens,” Meehan said as the UMass Board of Trustees held its first-ever virtual meeting.
Meehan said UMass will shape its academic plans for the fall semester as events unfold, noting: “Our chancellors and campuses have demonstrated that they are driven to serve and can rise to any challenge.”
Like many colleges and universities across the nation, UMass pivoted in March as the pandemic intensified, shifting to an all-remote learning model in a matter of days.
Meehan noted that as the largest university in New England, with 75,000 students spread across five campuses, the challenge that UMass faced at the time was not a small one, but that the conversion was accomplished and that students are now completing their spring semesters, with an estimated 18,000 students expected to receive degrees this spring. The University’s two decades of experience in the field of online education with its award-winning UMassOnline program helped to smooth the transition, officials have said.
Meehan praised the efforts of the campus chancellors and their teams and said the University’s leadership team would look to the guidance offered by state, local and federal officials in making decisions about what learning model would be appropriate for the fall semester.
While the Board meeting was held via Zoom, it was open to the public with the meeting address noted on the public posting and on the meeting agenda.
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