President lauds opportunity to 'help shape the future of public higher education'
BOSTON — UMass President Marty Meehan has been appointed to a three-year term on The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Board of Directors, the association announced at its 132nd Annual Meeting Monday. Meehan will serve as a Board Member-at-Large until November 2022.
The Board of Directors provides oversight and direction for APLU’s work and sets membership and governing policies for the association. Board members work to make public institutions of higher education more effective in delivering quality and affordable higher education while advancing cutting-edge research and robust community and economic engagement.
“We’re so pleased to have Marty Meehan join the APLU Board of Directors,” said APLU President Peter McPherson. “The Board of Directors plays a key role in shaping APLU’s work to advance the education, research, and engagement missions of public higher education. As a former member of Congress and chancellor of UMass Lowell and current president of the University of Massachusetts, Marty brings uniquely broad and deep experience to the Board. We’re looking forward to having him at the table helping to provide a national direction.”
“I’m honored to join the APLU’s Board of Directors and to help shape the future of public higher education in this country and beyond,” said President Meehan. “As someone whose own life was transformed by a public university, I look forward to supporting the APLU’s efforts to bolster research, drive engagement and enhance social and economic impact at public institutions — and to ensure that high-quality public higher education remains affordable and accessible for students of all backgrounds.”
President Meehan has served on the board of several prominent organizations, including the New England Council, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. He has also served on the Lowell General Hospital Board of Governors, Suffolk University Board of Trustees and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
He assumed leadership of the UMass system in 2015 after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives for 14 years and serving as chancellor of UMass Lowell for 8 years.
About the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
APLU is a research, policy and advocacy organization dedicated to strengthening and advancing the work of public universities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. With a membership of 242 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems and affiliated organizations, APLU's agenda is built on the three pillars of increasing degree completion and academic success, advancing scientific research, and expanding engagement. Annually, member campuses enroll 4.9 million undergraduates and 1.3 million graduate students, award 1.3 million degrees, employ 1.3 million faculty and staff, and conduct $44.9 billion in university-based research.
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