[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13234]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       JEAN MacCORMACK MOVES TO THE NEXT PHASE OF A GREAT CAREER

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                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 8, 2011

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, many of us in Southeastern 
Massachusetts--and indeed in Massachusetts as a whole--had very mixed 
emotions on learning of the decision by University of Massachusetts 
Dartmouth Chancellor Jean MacCormack to retire. She will be greatly 
missed, and we cannot help but express our deep regret that she will be 
moving on from the position from which she has shown such extraordinary 
leadership educationally, economically and culturally. But given how 
hard Jean MacCormack has worked, how dedicated she has been to her 
students, to the faculty, and to the region of which that institution 
is such an important part, no one can begrudge her the decision to take 
a pause and move to different work.
  I say different work, Mr. Speaker, because no one who knows the 
energy, passion for helping others and improving the world around her, 
and great gift for friendship that Jean MacCormack possesses doubts 
that she will soon be doing something else of great value. But this is 
an appropriate time to note the wide range of very important 
contributions she has made to our region.
  As the Member of the House proud to represent what has been for many 
years the leading fishing community in the United States, New Bedford, 
and its surrounding towns, I have derived enormous strength from the 
work that has been done at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to 
support the fishing industry with first-rate research, and Jean 
MacCormack has been an essential factor in that effort.
  Under her leadership, UMass Dartmouth has become a very important 
source of research and leadership for economic development in dealing 
with our ocean resources in general and UMass Dartmouth has played a 
very essential role in promoting the economic development of our region 
both with regard to some specific industries, including textiles and 
cranberries, in addition to fishing, and in general.
  Many people talk about the important synergies that come from making 
sure that first-rate academic work is coordinated with economic 
development. Jean MacCormack has done as much as anyone I know to make 
that a reality. And I was very proud to be one of those who worked 
under her leadership to create the first public law school in the 
history of Massachusetts, with the merger of Southern New England Law 
School into the University of Massachusetts system, headquartered at 
the Dartmouth branch.
  Mr. Speaker, Jean MacCormack was to me not just a great educational 
leader, but a great friend. No one could be in her presence without 
being made to feel valuable and to be entertained and instructed at the 
same time. I join with the population of Southeastern Massachusetts in 
thanking her for a job very well done and in wishing her well as we 
watch her move on to her next work.
  And Mr. Speaker, as an indication of the impact Jean MacCormack has 
had, I ask that the excellent article from the New Bedford Standard 
Times about her career be printed here.

        UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Stepping Down After This Year

                            (By Steve Urbon)

       Dartmouth.--Expressing deep concern for the future of 
     public higher education in America, Jean F. MacCormack 
     Tuesday announced she will retire at the end of this academic 
     year as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts 
     Dartmouth.
       MacCormack, 64, notified the campus at the annual faculty/
     staff convocation breakfast and in a campus-wide email.
       Noting the shrinking financial support for state-run 
     colleges and universities, MacCormack, both in her address 
     and in an interview, lamented the dwindling public support 
     and today's increasing hostility toward the public sector. 
     ``They're angry at the government and it spills over,'' she 
     said.
       But she did not say that was the reason for her retirement; 
     rather, she cited the wish to pursue other interests after 
     three decades of working ``24/7'' in college administration. 
     And despite the fact she has come under criticism 
     politically, she said politics had no bearing on her 
     decision.
       Citing the 1862 Morrill Act signed by President Lincoln 
     establishing land-grant colleges, MacCormack said: ``We 
     simply cannot allow the debate to be dominated by negative 
     voices and allow the spirit and intent of the Morrill Act to 
     be hijacked. We cannot accept the new dogmas of the stormy 
     present to prevail. Too much is at stake for our nation and 
     our democracy.''
       She said in her address that she sees no obvious strategy. 
     ``I would love to tell you that I see a clear pathway for 
     improvement on the national issues, but instead I think those 
     possibilities are only slowly emerging from the name-calling 
     and the rancor. What I am quite certain about is that we must 
     find our voice in this national debate and become strong 
     advocates for not abandoning our nation's longstanding 
     commitment to the clear mission of public higher education.''
       New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang, who has conducted hardball 
     negotiations with MacCormack and the university over land at 
     Fort Taber to expand SMAST, was effusive in his praise for 
     the chancellor.
       ``She's left a very long-lasting, positive legacy for the 
     university,'' Lang said. ``She's left a tremendous amount of 
     momentum in key areas that the next chancellor will need to 
     build on.
       ``I regard her as a friend. We don't agree on every issue 
     and we never, never will. But I enjoyed working with her. 
     It's in the interest of everyone in this region that our 
     university be extremely successful, innovative and a true 
     partner,'' Lang said.
       During her tenure, which began in 1999 when she arrived 
     from UMass Boston, the campus expanded greatly, including a 
     visual and performing arts campus in downtown New Bedford, 
     the state's first public law school in Dartmouth, the 
     Charlton College of Business, vastly increased on-campus 
     housing, establishment of the School of Public Policy and 
     Education, and the Advanced Technology Manufacturing Center, 
     among others.
       In her letter of resignation to UMass President Robert L. 
     Caret, MacCormack listed several pieces of unfinished 
     business that she hopes to complete. They include expansion 
     of the School of Marine Science and Technology in New 
     Bedford, the Bio-Manufacturing Center in Fall River, securing 
     American Bar Association accreditation for the law school, 
     finishing the renovation of the Claire T. Carney Library, and 
     ``re-engineering enrollment and retention strategies to 
     address a changing marketplace.''
       MacCormack expressed frustration at the difficulty in 
     getting enrollment up to 10,000 from 6,000. That's important, 
     she said, because the campus had a 10-1 student-teacher ratio 
     when it could support 16-1. With growth, she said, comes 
     fiscal stability because students pay fees and tuition, which 
     supports programs and development.
       It also offsets steadily declining state support, down 
     below 20 percent of the budget from as much as 78 percent two 
     decades ago.
       And yet, she said, public higher education accounts for 80 
     percent of enrollment and does--in theory, at least--offer as 
     good an education as private schools, although perhaps 
     without the connections a student can make at Harvard, for 
     example.
       MacCormack touted her efforts to connect UMass Dartmouth 
     with the community, and said she will remain in SouthCoast to 
     perhaps write a book and take up community-related interests. 
     But she will retire, not return to teaching, to give herself 
     a breather after 30 years in administrative jobs that 
     required all of her time.
       ``UMass Dartmouth is already a model of a university whose 
     teaching and discovery is fully engaged in the life of its 
     community. I am sure that this campus will be attractive to 
     higher education leaders who strive to be entrepreneurial and 
     bold,'' she said in her address.
       Margaret ``MarDee'' Xifaras, a local attorney and former 
     chairman of the Southern New England School of Law, which was 
     absorbed by UMass, said she doubts MacCormack will slow down 
     all that much.
       ``Neither one of us is constitutionally capable of doing 
     that,'' she said.
       MacCormack's pending retirement did not strike her as much 
     of as surprise, she said. ``She always had a sort of a long-
     term plan that obviously would include retiring, but she was 
     anxious to get things done, and she'll make sure certain 
     things are well under way.''
       For merging the law school, Xifaras said, she will be 
     ``eternally grateful'' to the chancellor. ``She was a 
     critical moving force,'' she said.
       ``Now its time for her to step back from a lifetime of 
     commitment to education. She will be missed.''
       Fall River developer James Karam, chairman of the UMass 
     Board of Trustees, said, ``Jean has always understood that 
     educational opportunity was vital to our area and has worked 
     tirelessly to make sure that education of the highest quality 
     was available to all of our citizens.''
       He added that MacCormack ``has worked to transform our 
     lives and in the process has transformed our region. She has 
     championed the SouthCoast and has our undying gratitude.''

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