UMass appoints 1st minority leader Motley tapped as interim chancellor
By Jessica T. Lee, Globe Correspondent | July 13, 2004
University of Massachusetts president, Jack M. Wilson, appointed J. Keith Motley as interim chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Boston yesterday, giving the campus its first minority leader.
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Motley, now vice chancellor for student affairs at UMass-Boston, will take over when chancellor Jo Ann M. Gora leaves Aug. 1 to become president of Ball State University in Indiana.
At an emotionally charged news conference yesterday, Motley spent several minutes wiping tears from his eyes before thanking Wilson and discussing his plans for UMass-Boston, which include focusing on what he called the ''three R's -- research, retention, and reputation."
''I'm honored to walk in your footsteps," Motley said to the departing Gora, ''but I want you all to know that I'm a size 16."
Motley, who is African-American, was hired by UMass-Boston in 2003 after a 25-year tenure at Northeastern University, where he was dean of student services. While at Northeastern, Motley founded the well-regarded Roxbury Preparatory Charter School.
Wilson will appoint a search committee for a permanent chancellor in September. While he did not name Motley as a candidate for the job, he said Motley would be welcome in the national search.
During her three-year tenure, Gora championed proposals to create a more traditional campus at UMass-Boston, embracing a plan to build dormitories at the commuter school. Amid criticism from campus neighbors, however, Governor Mitt Romney blocked the dorm plan last spring.
When questioned about whether UMass will again pursue dormitories, both Motley and Wilson emphasized the need to consult the community before any decisions are made.
''Over 1,600 students live up and down the Red Line who go to this institution who live in this community. . . . The bottom line is that I'm going to ask that question of the community, and we'll work together to come up with an answer," Motley said.
Critics of Gora's plans for the campus took heart at Motley's appointment. Ann Withorn, a professor of social policy at the College of Public and Community Service, praised the choice as ''a restatement of the commitment to the urban mission and the people of Boston."
Yesterday's press conference was disrupted frequently by union activists clad in matching purple shirts who repeatedly called on Wilson and Motley to fund the raises of the school's maintenance and clerical workers.
Jessica T. Lee can be reached at
jtlee@globe.com.
© Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
Iota Bro. Dr. J. Keith Motley named interim chancellor of UMASS at Boston
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