UMass Amherst Alumni Association

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Welcome Chancellor Robert C. Holub

The UMass Amherst community warmly welcomes Chancellor Robert C. Holub, as he officially assumes his position as chancellor this month. Chancellor Holub received a unanimous vote of approval by the Board of Trustees on May 5 and, shortly thereafter, visited the Amherst campus with UMass President Jack M. Wilson to meet with campus constituents.

Prior to accepting this post, Chancellor Holub was the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Tennessee’s flagship campus in Knoxville for the past two years. He has noted that his goal will be to move UMass Amherst to a higher level of achievement so that it competes successfully with the top public educational institutions across the country.

Alumni Association President Kathleen Mitchell '79 was a member of the Chancellor Search Committee. "The Alumni Association is very excited to welcome Chancellor Holub. He brings strong leadership skills from his experiences at esteemed institutions of public higher education. UMass Amherst is poised and ready to greet him and our alumni are eager to support him in the mission to promote our beloved alma mater."

Ernest May, professor and secretary of the Faculty Senate, offers these sentiments: "The Faculty is convinced that our incoming Chancellor, Robert Holub, will provide truly inspiring leadership for UMass Amherst over the next decade.  Most of his academic life has been spent at outstanding public flagship campuses, so the terms 'public' and 'highest quality' are synonymous to him.  In Massachusetts, bringing these two concepts to their fullest realization at UMass Amherst is a challenge, and to meet that challenge Chancellor Holub will need the fullest possible participation of all the constituencies: faculty, students, parents, legislators and friends—but especially, he will need alumni support at levels commensurate with a Madison or a Berkeley. The supporting structure for a massive upsurge has been built over the last 5 years.  We are at the ‘tipping point.’  Together we can!  Go UMASS!  Go Bob Holub!"

UMass President Jack M. Wilson submitted the nomination for Chancellor Holub for this critical leadership position. "Chancellor Holub brings an exceptional combination of strengths—noted scholarship, strong administrative skills, and visionary and strategic leadership—to the UMass Amherst flagship campus,” said President Wilson. “Throughout his distinguished career at major public research universities, including 27 years at the University of California at Berkeley and most recently at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, he has demonstrated a passion for public higher education and a commitment to academic excellence and access. I hope UMass Amherst alumni will join me in warmly welcoming the new Chancellor to the University as we all work together to guide our flagship campus to newer and greater levels of achievement. It is truly an exciting time for UMass Amherst."

Learn more about Chancellor Robert C. Holub