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President Wilson's letter to the UMass-Lowell community regarding chancellor search

Dear Friends and Colleagues:    

After more than four decades of distinguished service to the University, including 25 years as leader of the Lowell campus, Chancellor William T. Hogan is retiring. I have the highest regard and greatest respect for the Chancellor and wish him well as he steps away from the University he has served so well and moves into a new phase of life.

As I told the press earlier this week, I believe it is fair to describe Chancellor Hogan as the inventor of UMass-Lowell. Under Chancellor Hogan's leadership, UMass-Lowell has achieved distinction in so many areas: in the quality of instruction, in the scope and excellence of its research, and in the length and breadth of its public service, the latter reflecting the Chancellor's acute sense of commitment to Lowell and the Merrimack Valley.

For the past quarter century, UMass-Lowell has had a leader who has given his all, and it is with that perspective in mind and with deep appreciation that we now begin the task of identifying and selecting a successor to Chancellor Hogan.

It is my intention to appoint an interim Chancellor who will lead the campus after Chancellor Hogan steps down on July 3. I intend to select an interim Chancellor who will keep the campus moving forward, someone who can build on the great sense of momentum that now exists in so many key areas: in the classroom, in the research arena and with respect to the capital projects that the campus needs to move forward. I am confident that I will be able to select, in the near future, an interim Chancellor who will be able to lead the campus through a successful transition.

Working in concert with the campus, the community, our Board of Trustees and other key constituencies, we will form a Search Committee and launch a major national search aimed at selecting the very best new leader for UMass-Lowell.

Our search process will be open and comprehensive. We want to hear as many voices as possible, firmly believing that a careful, inclusive, multi-dimensional process will yield the optimal result - a new Chancellor who can build on the progress of the past and lead UMass-Lowell to new heights.

We will be seeking your thoughts and guidance in a number of ways: in an upcoming series of meetings on campus, through the meetings of the Search Committee, through campus visits and via email, at umlsearch@umassp.edu . We are committed to keeping the campus community informed as the process unfolds, and our communication will come in a number of forms, including the establishment of a special web site.

I look forward to working with you throughout this process and thank you for all that you do to create an educational community that serves the Commonwealth and its citizens in a manner that is consistent with the highest ideals of the land-grant tradition.

Jack M. Wilson
President

5/5/06

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