Motley to Serve as Interim Chancellor at UMass Boston

University of Massachusetts President Jack M. Wilson today announced that he is appointing Dr. J. Keith Motley interim Chancellor of UMass Boston.

"Keith Motley brings vision, experience, energy and enthusiasm to this position. I know that Dr. Motley will provide strong leadership during this transitional period," President Wilson said, adding: "I have great confidence in Keith Motley, and I am very pleased to make this appointment."

Dr. Motley will become interim Chancellor when current UMass Boston Chancellor Jo Ann M. Gora steps down on August 1 to become president of Ball State University. Dr. Motley has served as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at UMass Boston since joining the university a year ago. Dr. Motley served in a number of administrative positions at Northeastern University before coming to UMass Boston.

Dr. Motley said he was pleased to accept the position, noting: "It is an honor to be appointed interim Chancellor of UMass Boston. It is an equal privilege to be the first person of color to lead this great campus, which is the most diverse public university in New England. I have dedicated my career to serving students in higher education, so this chance to advance the urban mission of UMass Boston is a personally rewarding opportunity. I appreciate the expression of confidence that I have received from President Wilson and look forward to working with the president, with the trustees and with all the other members of the UMass community."

Dr. Motley added: "Having served as the vice chancellor for student affairs during the past year, I foresee a smooth transition where we keep our focus on the very important work going on at UMass Boston. This entire campus is working to increase research funding, better serve every student and enhance its reputation locally and nationally. Working together, we will complete our strategic plan and our accreditation self-study for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges."

President Wilson announced the appointment at the UMass Boston Campus Center, where he and Dr. Motley were joined by members of the Motley family and members of the UMass Boston community. Said President Wilson: "During the weeks leading up to this appointment, I have made many visits to the Boston campus and had hundreds of telephone and email communications with members of the UMass Boston community. What shines through all of those communications is the UMass Boston commitment -- a passionate commitment to serve our students, our community and our Commonwealth. It is clear that Keith Motley shares that commitment and brings an abundance of passion to this task."

President Wilson added: "The land-grant university mission comes to life in a particularly vivid way at UMass Boston, and it is a mission of bringing higher education to the people, and in so doing, touching and enriching countless lives. UMass Boston will continue to develop its academic and research excellence, while still remaining mindful of its urban-mission roots. I look forward to working with the UMass Boston community in the months and years that lie ahead."

President Wilson said Interim Chancellor Motley will work with Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Paul Fonteyn as they lead the campus through the upcoming accreditation process and continue to make progress on research and curriculum development.

Dr. Motley, 48, arrived at UMass Boston a year ago and has been credited with revitalizing student affairs services on the campus. He played a key role in the recent opening of the UMass Boston Campus Center and co-chaired the campus center opening and gala, which raised $524,000 for student scholarships.

Dr. Motley held a variety of student-service positions at Northeastern University, including dean of student services, associate dean/director of the John D. O'Bryant African-American Institute, and assistant dean/director of the office of minority student affairs. Dr. Motley is the founder of the Roxbury Preparatory Charter School and chairs the school's board of trustees and also serves as chairman of the board of trustees of Newbury College in Brookline. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Northeastern University and a doctorate from Boston College.

President Wilson will appoint a search committee in September, and that panel will conduct a national search for a permanent chancellor for the Boston campus.

Established in 1964, UMass Boston offers undergraduate and graduate study in more than 150 fields to approximately 12,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Part of the five-campus University of Massachusetts system, UMass Boston is located three miles from downtown Boston on a peninsula in Boston Harbor, near the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum and the Massachusetts State Archives and Museum.