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Three Bay State Colleges Get New Leadership
New University Heads Focus on Raising Funds and Building Bridges
When Harvard University appointed Drew Gilpin Faust as its first female president, much of the media commentary focused on Faust's task to "restore trust" within the faculty and "soothe" a campus ripped apart by battles ignited by Faust's predecessor, Lawrence H. Summers. Yet very little was said about Faust's challenges in improving and transforming the vaunted institution she was appointed to lead. Usually, issues of fundamental institutional changes accompany the choice of a new college president. Such was certainly the case with the recent appointments of new leaders at the University of Massachusetts- Lowell and Lesley University in Cambridge.
Joseph Moore, formerly president of Empire State College in New York, assumed the presidency at Lesley this summer. At UMass-Lowell, Congressman Marty Meehan, a Lowell native and graduate of the college, was installed this summer as the new chancellor. Both of them can look forward to running institutions with major changes in the offing.
In Lesley's immediate future is a consolidation of its educational goals. The college went coed in 2005 and now has almost 300 full-time male students. The university has been a pioneer in online and distance learning, supplementing its online graduate degree programs with faculty members who travel to teach all over the country. The university now has sites in 23 states, as well as a facility in Israel with 500 students. But as Donald Perrin, chair of Lesley's board of trustees, explains, there are other pressing issues for the incoming president. "Facilities is one," says Perrin. "We will need to find a couple of hundred dorm rooms. Not right away, but in the next few years."
In addition, Lesley is moving its Art Institute of Boston (AIB) to a new site in Cambridge. Perrin believes this will enhance the synergy between the college and its art school. Such changes entail large capital investments, and this demand weighs heavily on the shoulders of university presidents. Perrin acknowledges that Lesley's new president will have to spend "a substantial amount of time" fundraising to help the university's endowment grow.
It is no different over in Lowell. "The biggest issue we face is securing the proper level of resources," says David MacKenzie, who was interim chancellor before Meehan's arrival. "Increasing our donated support will be Congressman Meehan's greatest challenge."
UMass-Lowell's strengths are the applied sciences and technology. "We have embarked on some very ambitious programs," says MacKenzie. "They are also very expensive." UMass-Lowell wants to position itself as a leader in nanotechnology and biomanufacturing, a direction that Meehan has already encouraged by steering federal dollars to the university's scientific programs. As chancellor, Meehan will be expected to significantly raise the endowment of the college. His prowess at raising funds for political campaigns was an important factor in his choice as the new chancellor.
Both institutions feel strongly that their academic priorities are well thought out. Lesley is confident that the integration of AIB has added diversity within its academic program. The university was one of the first to offer a program in expressive therapy and has built an international reputation among art therapists, who can now also study for a doctorate at the university.
But there are some issues on the horizon that might become unexpected challenges for the new university heads. Demographics is one: Starting next year and projected for the coming 10 years, there will be a dip in the traditional college-age population. Universities will face increasing competition for qualified students. This may not be a problem over at Harvard Yard. Nonetheless, even Faust is sure to encounter challenges that go well beyond mending fences-or ivy-covered walls, as the case may be.
