A rewarding week

Yesterday, the University of Massachusetts Boston welcomed University of Massachusetts system President Robert Caret as he wrapped up his four-day bus tour of the five campuses. The goal of the visit was to hear from business and civic leaders what the University of Massachusetts Boston does to improve its surrounding communities – and how we can work even harder to serve our city, our commonwealth, and the nation.

President Caret braved the overcast weather to take a tour of Boston Harbor on the M/V Columbia Point, where he learned about our ocean research and explored ideas for enhancing our use of the harbor. He mingled with entrepreneurs at our Venture Development Center who explained that our university has provided them with opportunities and support to succeed that they couldn’t find elsewhere. And he met community leaders at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 103 in the evening, where he discovered our strong ties with our friends and neighbors in Dorchester, South Boston, Quincy, and beyond.

The visit was a success, and President Caret left campus impressed with our innovative thinking, our dedication to our students and to our communities, and our vision for the future. I’d like to thank everyone who helped us show him what makes our university special, and invite you to tune in to WUMB 91.9FM Sunday evening at 7 to listen to our Professor Rachel Rubin interview President Caret on Commonwealth Journal.

Also yesterday, we observed our yearly tradition of celebrating our alumni athletes at the 9th annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony for outstanding student-athletes who made Boston State College and University of Massachusetts Boston history.

Steven Burns, John Douglas, Alfreda Harris, Paul Murphy, Raymond O’Malley, Dan Rea, and Joshua Stolp are now lifelong members of the Hall of Fame; you’ll see plaques commemorating their athletic careers in the Clark Athletic Center. Judy Keyes, director of our Financial Aid Office was the winner of this year’s Shining Beacon Award, and Peter Berlandi was honored with the Distinguished Alumnus Award. I am happy to congratulate our honorees.

I hope I’ll see many of you at Open House tomorrow as we welcome thousands of prospective students and their families to campus from 8:30 a.m. until noon. I have heard time and time again from Open House attendees that the friendliness, helpfulness, and welcoming spirit of our current students, faculty, staff, and administration members on that day truly helps our university stand out. Thank you to all of you who have volunteered to help make the day a success.