Seeking successor to Chancellor MacCormack
BOSTON -- Nov. 3, 2011:UMass President Robert L. Caret and the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees today established a 19-person search committee that will conduct a national search for a new Chancellor for the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth campus.
The search committee will be chaired by Maria D. Furman, a UMass Trustee and UMass Dartmouth graduate, and includes UMass Dartmouth students, faculty and graduates, as well as members of the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees. Also serving on the committee is J. Keith Motley, Chancellor of UMass Boston.
The University is seeking a successor to Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack, who has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2011-2012 academic year. Chancellor MacCormack has led UMass Dartmouth since 2001, and previously held senior administrative positions at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
"Chancellor MacCormack's leadership is not going to be easy to replace," said President Caret. "But we have a strong, diverse search committee that includes members with sound judgment, and passion and knowledge about UMass Dartmouth, its mission and the South Coast region. The selection of a permanent Chancellor is of critical importance to both the campus and to the University as a whole. I am expecting this Committee to help identify candidates who will carry on Dartmouth's tradition of innovation and academic excellence."
President Caret lauded Chancellor MacCormack for her work over the last decade, and said hers has been a tenure marked by enrollment growth, civic involvement and thoughtful expansion.
"UMass Dartmouth is an integral part of the UMass system that under Jean's leadership has seen unprecedented growth over the past decade -- expanded enrollment, development of the South Coast Innovation Triangle and the founding of the state's first public law school. We want our next Chancellor to advance these initiatives and further the campus's contributions to the economic, social and cultural future of the South Coast region and the Commonwealth," President Caret said.
James J. Karam, chairman of the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees, also praised MacCormack's service and dedication to both the University and the region, and promised a search that will be diligent and comprehensive.
"We will hold an open and inclusive search and are confident that we will find the right leader for a campus that has provided an outstanding education to so many of our citizens and will continue to be a beacon of excellence and opportunity for generations to come," Karam said.
Karam said he was pleased that Furman has stepped forward to lead the committee, noting: "Maria brings a particular understanding of the campus and the South Coast as a result of her deep roots in the area, and this and many other attributes make her the right person to guide this committee and aid us in our quest to find the right person to lead UMass Dartmouth and this important region into the future."
Furman, who chaired the most recent UMass Dartmouth Chancellor review, said: "We look forward to reaching out to candidates who will build upon the strong academic programs and diversity that exists at UMass Dartmouth and anticipate a successful leadership search."
The role of the search committee is to develop a pool of candidates and to ultimately direct a small number of finalist candidates to President Caret, who will then make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees, which has the final responsibility for selecting a new Chancellor.
The committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting at 8 a.m., November 18, in the Board of Trustees Conference Room, Foster Administration Building, UMass Dartmouth.
The members of the Search Committee are:
Chair: Trustee Maria D. Furman, UMass Dartmouth Class of 1976, Retired Managing Director and Bond Portfolio Manager of Standish Mellon Asset Management
Members:
- Daniel E. Bogan, UMass Dartmouth Class of 1959, Chairman and CEO, Borden Remington Corporation, and former member of the UMass Board of Trustees
- David J. Gray, Senior Vice President for Administration, Finance and Technology, and Treasurer to the Board
- Professor Stephen Hegedus, Ph.D, School of Education, Public Policy and Civic Engagement, and Director of the James J. Kaput Center for Research and Innovation in STEM Education
- Robert S. Karam, UMass Dartmouth Class of 1967, President, Karam Financial Group, and former chairman of the UMass Board of Trustees
- Trustee Ruben King-Shaw, Jr., Chairman and CEO, Mansa Equity Partners Inc.
- Professor Susan Krumholz, Ph.D., College of Arts and Sciences, Sociology, and Director of the Crime and Justice Studies Program
- Judith Lima, UMass Dartmouth Class of 1987, President, UMass Dartmouth Alumni Association
- Joseph Mello, Student, Undergraduate Student Government Association President, UMass Dartmouth
- Matthew A. Morrissey, UMass Dartmouth Class of 1996, Executive Director, New Bedford Economic Development Council, former UMass Trustee
- Chancellor J. Keith Motley, Ph.D., Chancellor, University of Massachusetts Boston
- Juli L. Parker, Ph.D., Women's Studies, Director of the Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality
- Professor Richard J. Peltz-Steele, J.D., University of Massachusetts School of Law-Dartmouth
- Trustee R. Norman Peters, Partner, Peters and Sowyrda
- Katherine Rego, Graduate Student, Biomedical Engineering, UMass Dartmouth
- Professor Gail E. Russell, Ed.D., UMass Amherst Class of 1968, Graduate Program Director, College of Nursing, UMass Dartmouth
- Professor Frank F. Sousa, Ph.D., College of Arts and Sciences, Portuguese Studies, and Director of the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture
- Trustee Henry M. Thomas, III, President, Urban League of Springfield, Inc.
- Dean Adrian Tio, College of Visual and Performing Arts, UMass Dartmouth
The University of Massachusetts is a five-campus system, with campuses in Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell and Worcester. The University's flagship campus is located in Amherst and Worcester is home to the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The University of Massachusetts is the largest university in New England, with more than 69,000 students enrolled and graduating more than 13,000 students each year.
Contact: Robert P. Connolly, 617-287-7073