tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post1546999730024635432..comments2023-10-17T22:56:42.784-04:00Comments on Only in The Republic of Amherst: Negotiating a minefieldLarry Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-58939788002190142782011-06-01T02:11:40.123-04:002011-06-01T02:11:40.123-04:00Perhaps the Globe Spotlight team should shine a li...<i>Perhaps the Globe Spotlight team should shine a light on those "unnamed sources" who leaked the story.</i><br /><br />Perhaps Ed already knows who these sources are, and why the Globe might not want to do this...<br /><br />Folks, there is a LOT more going on here than it appears, this is much more complicated than you might think and actually is fairly interesting.<br /><br />It su**s that I have to keep my mouth shut....Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-2729584545736117302011-05-31T13:23:41.357-04:002011-05-31T13:23:41.357-04:00Great news on the $57M! "Go UMass!"
Fun...Great news on the $57M! "Go UMass!"<br /><br />Fundraising gets measured July-to-June. If this year closes with a similar high-water mark, then I guess we can eliminate fundraising as a factor in the system's discomfort.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-84432716909428467242011-05-31T06:57:59.140-04:002011-05-31T06:57:59.140-04:00Last year UMass/Amherst raised a record $57.2 mill...Last year UMass/Amherst raised a record $57.2 million.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-45975641785662961102011-05-31T06:24:58.360-04:002011-05-31T06:24:58.360-04:00Faculty support (or lack thereof), aborted Medical...Faculty support (or lack thereof), aborted Medical School consulting project, and diversity quota were noted as reasons by Dave MB, and these make good fodder. How about fundraising?<br /><br />Shaking hands, slapping backs and picking pockets is one of a Chancellor's very top prerequisite skills. Do we know how well Holub has managed with this important metric? I believe that during interim Chancellor Cole's year (2007-08), UMass announced they were readying a huge Alumni campaign ($350 MM?); this either never launched or never found traction. Yes, Holub's arrival coincided with the 2008 financial crash - but as with our President Obama, there is only so long that one can get by blaming the economy and blaming one's predecessor. Sooner or later, one must perform, and deliver.<br /><br />Remember, after being challenged by Lombardi and ousting him, system President Jack Wilson directed a search that ensured five final candidates none of whom had previous experience as a Chancellor. Holub did not and does not have the experience wresting $$ from Alumni.<br /><br />After three years in office, what are this new Chancellor's results with fundraising?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-9635643269264185462011-05-30T19:37:00.610-04:002011-05-30T19:37:00.610-04:00The chamber of commerce and town officials will be...The chamber of commerce and town officials will be happy to hear you consider them "easy".Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-88151629613229840212011-05-30T19:29:12.991-04:002011-05-30T19:29:12.991-04:00The faculty union survey surely does not affect th...The faculty union survey surely does not affect the trustees and the president's review. But, it does explain why there is not an outpouring of support. <br /><br />Connecting to the chamber of commerce, Town of Amherst, and friends at other universities (see editorial) is the easy part. Connecting to faculty, students, staff on the ground in Amherst is the hard part.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-5187127372891676092011-05-30T08:49:01.450-04:002011-05-30T08:49:01.450-04:00And little did Mr. Bulger know that Jack Wilson wo...And little did Mr. Bulger know that Jack Wilson would soon replace him. Sometimes the cream rises to the top--even in Massachusetts politics.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-41548717957338348932011-05-30T08:32:43.170-04:002011-05-30T08:32:43.170-04:00Well, the current president of UMass was picked by...Well, the current president of UMass was picked by him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-1505560863254536742011-05-30T07:59:25.908-04:002011-05-30T07:59:25.908-04:00Yeah, even worse; he was President of the entire s...Yeah, even worse; he was President of the entire system. Yikes!Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-34084689129798198182011-05-30T07:45:18.972-04:002011-05-30T07:45:18.972-04:00"Then we should bring back Billy Bulger, eh? ..."Then we should bring back Billy Bulger, eh? He certainly had people skills.<br /><br />Why would you bring him back? He was never chancelor?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-7338080947687105602011-05-29T22:05:25.921-04:002011-05-29T22:05:25.921-04:00Yeah, a good journalist should always ask (at leas...Yeah, a good journalist should always ask (at least in the back of their own mind) why are these people giving me this? What do they have to gain?<br /><br />Perhaps the Globe Spotlight team should shine a light on those "unnamed sources" who leaked the story.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-27238031249221266752011-05-29T21:53:24.222-04:002011-05-29T21:53:24.222-04:00One more thing -- leaking an attack article to the...One more thing -- leaking an attack article to the state's newspaper is <i>not</i> the way a big-league public university fires someone. The crappy way this was handled is going to make it harder to get a good successor to Holub.DaveMBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-43899018317624720372011-05-29T21:50:59.117-04:002011-05-29T21:50:59.117-04:00The Globe article gave three reasons for Holub'...The Globe article gave three reasons for Holub's being canned (from what I hear, the firing is a done deal despite the lack of public follow-up last week):<br /><br />1) the faculty hate him<br />2) he tried to explore a new med school in Worcester<br />3) UMA is getting fewer black undergrads<br /><br />I have trouble believing that the trustees or the president's office really care about (1) or (3). (The new president might care about (3) but is not likely in the loop yet.) That leaves (2) -- along with faculty toes he seems to have stepped on some more dangerous ones.<br /><br />Larry, some of your commenters (along with most of the Globe's) seem to be taking the mention of (3) in the article much too seriously. It is true that Deval Patrick is black and that Amherst is a very liberal town. Neither of those two facts, I think, are particularly relevant to this decision-making process. UMass-Worcester and Tufts being offended, and the president's office perceiving insubordination, are much more likely theories.DaveMBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-9456458626851298152011-05-29T21:36:57.787-04:002011-05-29T21:36:57.787-04:00Then we should bring back Billy Bulger, eh? He cer...Then we should bring back Billy Bulger, eh? He certainly had people skills.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-3773559700115720562011-05-29T21:01:51.834-04:002011-05-29T21:01:51.834-04:00Holub has absolutely no people skills. He comes of...Holub has absolutely no people skills. He comes off as arrogant and self-absorbed. He's the wrong person for the job for an institution that needs to make more friends not lose them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-5727803004490045972011-05-29T17:09:37.859-04:002011-05-29T17:09:37.859-04:00Oh...well, in that case: "Off with his head!&...Oh...well, in that case: "Off with his head!"Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-41932362373625359272011-05-29T17:06:44.644-04:002011-05-29T17:06:44.644-04:00Larry, your link to the top 20 universities places...Larry, your link to the top 20 universities places UMass 19th in "reputation". They are 56th overall.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-68300266893923655022011-05-29T14:49:40.620-04:002011-05-29T14:49:40.620-04:00The Amherst mob after another trophy?The Amherst mob after another trophy?Protect our Ponziville!noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-8542532349087638062011-05-29T12:44:58.651-04:002011-05-29T12:44:58.651-04:00I was a little quick on the publish button last we...I was a little quick on the publish button last week to praise the venerable Boston Globe.<br /><br />Indeed as one of my Anons pointed out, nobody--especially the AP--follow up on it; which tells you something, as the media still travels in packs.<br /><br />And I had forgotten that silly Front Page story they did in December about in-state student application being down slightly, even though UMass/Amherst turned away the highest number of potential students in history.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-77391199003281703522011-05-29T12:05:18.645-04:002011-05-29T12:05:18.645-04:00I, for one, read the Globe daily online. And we d...I, for one, read the Globe daily online. And we do not hate the University (I and my whole family are alumni.)<br /><br />However, many of us do not like the "noblesse oblige" attitude of previous and current University administrators. Change traffic patterns to better suit the University? Sure. Offer the students everything on campus from food to clothing, but make sure they drink to excess off campus ... not friendly neighbor behavior.<br /><br />No, I think the Chancellor has more political problems than we know, and if he has been doing a good job, I'm sorry that he's on his way out. I think it's a great idea to explore having a medical school here in Western Mass. Lord knows, we need something to jump start the economy out here. And a law school would be just too darned competitive with WNEC.<br /><br />So the question remains -- why the flap about a measly $60,000 study?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-13110405763081710062011-05-29T11:37:13.661-04:002011-05-29T11:37:13.661-04:00Hi Larry
First, I agree with you.
Second, I am a...Hi Larry<br /><br />First, I agree with you.<br /><br />Second, I am a UMass faculty union member, who rated Chancellor Holub "excellent" in the survey.<br /><br />Third, I don't think the Boston Globe should be conducting our chancellor's evaluation. (Who reads the Globe out here any way?)<br /><br />I hope that President Wilson and the Trustees will "fail" the evaluation process, give Dr. Holub another year, and do the process again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-41044854804965374242011-05-29T11:09:04.103-04:002011-05-29T11:09:04.103-04:00Larry, I am closer to this than you are to the CN-...Larry, I am closer to this than you are to the CN-Charter School -- and I have had to largely stay out of it for reasons that would be clear were you to know everything that is going on.<br /><br />It is almost identical to when I saw the marriage of a couple of my friends break up -- you want to sit both of them down and tell them what they need to stop doing and what the other is misunderstanding but you can't. <br /><br />However, I will say this -- when you have as many students who hate that university as you do, word gets back to legislators. And it has...Ednoreply@blogger.com