2021 2021: UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Search Committee named

Board of Trustees invites diverse group of students, faculty, staff and community leaders to assist in identifying strong candidates to lead the South Coast’s national research university

DARTMOUTH - The University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees voted today to launch a search for a new permanent chancellor for UMass Dartmouth by creating a 19-member search committee.

The Search Committee includes UMass Dartmouth faculty, students, alumni and staff, along with highly respected community representatives and members of the UMass Board of Trustees. UMass Trustee and South Coast business leader Stephen Karam will chair the committee and BayCoast Bank President Nick Christ will serve as vice chair.

As with all chancellor searches at the University of Massachusetts, the committee will seek input from elected officials, community leaders, students, faculty, and unit/non-unit employees. A pool of candidates will be developed to submit to President Meehan, who will then make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. Due to ongoing health and safety concerns, the process will be conducted in a virtual format.

"Identifying excellent leadership for UMass Dartmouth is especially critical at this moment as the higher education industry faces serious disruptions that have been exacerbated by the pandemic,” Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Manning said. “We look forward to the results of the committee’s work.”

"Our committee will work with diligence, focus and transparency in identifying candidates with the background to lead UMass Dartmouth,” Trustee Karam said. “Universities are highly complex organizations that demand a special set of skills to effectively manage. With the diverse perspectives of our members, I am confident that we will attract an excellent pool of candidates and ultimately assist President Meehan in identifying the right person to lead UMass Dartmouth through a new era of growth.”

“As an anchor institution of the South Coast, UMass Dartmouth is critical to the future prosperity of the region,” Nick Christ said. “I commend the Board of Trustees and President Meehan for bringing together a committee rich in diverse perspectives and strong in its commitment to doing what is right for our university and region.”  

“UMass Dartmouth has faced significant leadership instability over the past several years so it is crucial that we identify a permanent chancellor with a track record of success and a deep commitment to UMass values," President Meehan said. "I am thankful to Steve Karam, Nick Christ, and each member for their willingness to serve. These are individuals who care deeply about UMass Dartmouth as an engine of social mobility for its students and as an economic catalyst for the region and Commonwealth.”

UMass Dartmouth, the only public research university in the state south of Boston, is designated as a doctoral level research institution by the national Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and ranked as a national university by U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges.

The campus is also home to UMass Law School, the only public law school in the Commonwealth.

Former Chancellor Robert Johnson stepped down last June after three years to become president of Western New England University in Springfield.

UMass is currently led by interim Chancellor Mark Fuller, who served nine years as Dean at UMass Amherst's Isenberg School of Management, followed by three years as Vice Chancellor for Advancement at UMass Amherst.

"UMass Dartmouth is an exceptional institution that offers innovative programs and a rewarding undergraduate experience at an affordable, highly competitive value,” Fuller said. “Anyone would be proud to lead this campus community. I have certainly enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to serve as interim chancellor.”

The members of the Search Committee are:

• Chair: Trustee Stephen Karam, President, Karam Financial Group
• Vice Chair: Nick Christ, President & CEO, BayCoast Bank
• Michael Bushell, President, St. Anne’s Hospital     
• Lisa Calise, Senior Vice President for Administration & Finance, Treasurer, UMass President’s Office
• Ismael Carreras, PhD, Chief Data Strategist and Director, UMass President’s Office
• Julie Chen, PhD, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, UMass Lowell; University-designee to Massachusetts Life Science Center
• Dean Pauline Entin, PhD, Arts & Sciences, UMass Dartmouth
• Attorney Pamela Gauvin, Partner Markey & Gauvin, LLP; Trustee, Bristol Community College
• Anna Klobucka, PhD, Professor, Portuguese UMass Dartmouth
• Barbara Kroncke, Executive Director, UMass Building Authority
• Student Trustee Narcisse Kunda, UMass Dartmouth
• Chancellor Jacquie Moloney, EdD, UMass Lowell
• Ziddi Msangi, MFA, Associate Professor Art & Design, UMass Dartmouth
• Grant O'Rielly, PhD, Associate Professor, Physics, UMass Dartmouth
• Doug Roscoe, PhD, Professor, Political Science, UMass Dartmouth
• Trustee Julie Ramos Gagliardi, First Vice President, BayCoast Bank
• Trustee Steve Tolman, President, Massachusetts AFL-CIO
• Dean Jean VanderGheynst, PhD, Engineering, UMass Dartmouth             
• Marcellette G. Williams, Past Chancellor, UMass Amherst & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and International Relations, Emerita, UMass President’s Office