March 2001 University Reporter

by Anne Marie Kent

2 women at breakfast Held on a sunny Valentine's Day in the Ryan Lounge, with its spectacular view of Dorchester Bay, this spring's staff breakfast marked the first combined classified and professional staff breakfast at UMass Boston. Jokingly dubbed "the Spring 2001 Love-In" by Interim Chancellor MacKenzie, the event proved to be a great success.
Joanie Donahue of the CAS Dean's Office said, "It's the biggest turnout I've seen, it's very upbeat. It's good to see everyone together."

Unity was the theme of the day. Interim Chancellor MacKenzie announced his primary goal of bringing the campus together, not just at special events like this but in the work of the university, healing divisions and rallying everyone around the primary work of the institution: shaping students' lives. Recalling the recent success of the presidential debate, MacKenzie said, "The debate was one event, but in reality, every day we have shared work that is crucial to our campus mission."

MacKenzie also cited his goal of improving relations between UMass Boston and its neighbors by engaging them in dialogue regarding campus projects such as the new campus center. In addition, he announced the creation of the Community/External Relations Council, chaired by Vice Chancellor Ed O'Malley, which is bringing together members of the university community who interact with external constituencies.

Noting both community and campus interest in the new campus center, MacKenzie said that the detailed plans and drawings were completed last fall along with all the necessary permits. The project went out to bid in November; bids were received in the first week of January. The cost estimate of $52 million for the project was off by 25 percent. MacKenzie reported that Michael Luck, vice chancellor for institutional advancement, has already begun developing naming opportunities for donors who may want to be associated with this prominent new building. MacKenzie said that the center may someday "become a gateway to the Harbor Islands National Park, a noteworthy addition to the Boston landscape."

MacKenzie also announced progress in the area of administrative computing: new student admission systems will be coming on line this summer; the new payroll system will be in effect in spring 2002; and the new financial system will be in place by the summer of 2002. Advances in administrative computing, according to MacKenzie, "will revolutionize how we do business on campus" and "allow us to generate reports and summaries that were impossible in the old system." He added, "These developments are related to another goal of mine, and that is to use technology to make the campus more efficient, to provide better service, and save time and money."

Of his interim appointment as chancellor, MacKenzie said, " I can tell you, it's not an easy job, but I think it's a great honor and very rewarding. This is an institution that accomplishes wonderful things in terms of research, teaching, and in the community." MacKenzie added that the search committee for a permanent chancellor had selected four out-of-state finalists for the position of Chancellor. President Bulger and the Board of Trustees are expected to select one of them for the permanent chancellorship.

MacKenzie ended by asking staff for their advice on how to make the campus run more efficiently, mainly because the passage of Question 4 means level budget allocations for UMass Boston. In the foreseeable future, the campus must operate with limited funds.

Closing his remarks, MacKenzie invited questions from the audience. None came, but the gesture was met with applause. Ray Forget of Biology remarked, "The chancellor seems very accessible. That's great."

Image: Martha Kelly, Administration and Finance, and Victoria Lapidoh, Academic Affairs, seated on the left, were among the many classified and professional staff who enjoyed the staff breakfast. (Photo by Harry Brett)

Working Together: Combined Staff Breakfast Celebrates Unity

by Anne Marie Kent

Image: Martha Kelly, Administration and Finance, and Victoria Lapidoh, Academic Affairs, seated on the left, were among the many classified and professional staff who enjoyed the staff breakfast. (Photo by Harry Brett)