Chancellor Gora Hosts Trustees Meeting; Members Reiterate Support for Salary Increases

By Anne-Marie Kent

On February 12, the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees met publicly on the Boston campus. First on the agenda was a presentation by Chancellor Gora, who spotlighted the achievements of UMass Boston over the past eighteen months and outlined key goals to improve service to students and the Commonwealth.

At the breakfast meeting she hosted at the University Club, Gora covered topics including infrastructure improvements, enhanced academic and co-curricular programming, economic development activities, public policy research, and the growth and success of the Honors Program. Gora also presented trustees with a new publication outlining UMass Boston's many community outreach efforts.

Later in the day, at the open meeting held in the Chancellor's Conference Room, the trustees began by passing a resolution recognizing the crucial importance of university faculty and staff. Trustee Robert McCarthy read the resolution, which expressed disappointment that negotiated salary increases have not been funded. "The board reiterates its support for the negotiated salary increases for university employees and pledges to work with President Bulger, the unions, and their members in an effort to fund these increases," read McCarthy. "The members of the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees and President Bulger, working in conjunction with the system's employees and unions, strongly advocate the maximum level of state appropriation funding feasible in the current fiscal environment. We are mindful of the Commonwealth's significant fiscal constraints but also recognize that a healthy and well-funded University of Massachusetts is critically important to economic recovery and growth." The statement was loudly applauded by the overflow crowd.

Speaking eloquently on behalf of all UMass employees, UMass Boston's Tom Goodkind stressed the importance of employee morale to the university's future. Goodkind added that if the university is to be successful in preventing a rumored 20 percent cut to its state funding, administration and labor must work together. He said, "You will need our help to block this devastation. But without a genuine effort on your part to resolve this contract funding crisis, no such alliance will be possible. Any campaign to save UMass"and one is sorely needed"must be a campaign that also addresses the contract funding crisis as an essential component."

In her remarks to the board, student trustee Heather Dawood echoed the theme of faculty and staff appreciation. She spoke of her own positive experiences as a student, particularly with UMass Boston faculty. She said, "They possess a sense of loyalty and commitment to provide a quality education to students who might not otherwise have access to their wisdom….We must financially support the expertise and dedication of our faculty and staff." She also spoke of her intention to galvanize students to work in cooperation with faculty, staff, and administration to lobby against budget cuts.

Board Chair Grace Fey and President Bulger both shared news of recent fundraising successes, including a $2 million gift to UMass Amherst from Trustee Robert Mahoney, his brother, and their wives"all alumni"and a $1 million gift designated by FleetBoston Financial Chairman Terrence Murray to support honors programs on the Amherst campus. "One is a gift from alumni saying ‘thank you' for all that UMass has done for them and all it can do for future students and the other represents leadership from the Massachusetts corporate community. It's a powerful endorsement of the university," said President Bulger.

On the topic of labor issues, President Bulger said, "I want to thank each member of our faculty and staff for the efforts they have made and have been making over the past two years. In many ways, our faculty and staff have been sailing against the wind of a terrible fiscal crisis that has denied them the full reward for their contribution to the university and to the Commonwealth, and yet they have persevered. They have made headway because they view their work as a calling, much much more than simply a job. "

Image: Chancellor Jo Ann Gora and UMass trustee Dr. Timothy Babineau chat during the trustee breakfast held at the University Club. (Photo by Harry Brett)

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