2008 Woodie Awards
Final chancellor candidate visits campus
Katie Huston, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: News
"I don't come in and say, 'I think we need more nanotechnology,'" he said. "Very seldom does a campus work well if the central leadership dictates what is going to happen."
Instead, he would rely on faculty initiative, creativity and enthusiasm.
"I think my job, quite frankly, is to enable faculty," he said.
To raise the profile of the university, Holub also said it is important for UMass to attract top-notch students, and to ensure high retention rates through support programs.
"We want students that are going to be high-achieving, ambitious students," he said, adding that outstanding students come from "all segments of the population."
"I don't see overall excellence as being in conflict with issues of diversity and issues of access. There are too many examples I know of where the two go hand-in-hand," he said.
To attract the best students, UMass needs active recruiting programs, especially targeting rural and inner-city areas, he said.
"Campuses have to make themselves attractive to a diverse population, and sometimes that isn't easy," he said. "You can't just hang out your shingle and say, 'Come on in.' You have to go where you're going to find that diverse population."
Holub also responded to student concerns about affordability. He is not against raising fees, he said, but believes it's important to make sure money gets back to students in the form of financial aid.
"You have to look at what your financial aid structure is, because you don't want to exclude students who have promise, and certainly you don't want to exclude students who have been disadvantaged and can't perform," he said.
Holub said that he would need to learn more about UMass's situation before presuming to know the answers to several questions posed.
"I want to try to meet a lot of the faculty and the staff and the students, because I don't know this campus," he said. In Tennessee, he invites every new faculty member to a small group luncheon, holds regular meetings with the student government, and eats into the dining halls once a month to hear about student experiences and feelings.
Instead, he would rely on faculty initiative, creativity and enthusiasm.
"I think my job, quite frankly, is to enable faculty," he said.
To raise the profile of the university, Holub also said it is important for UMass to attract top-notch students, and to ensure high retention rates through support programs.
"We want students that are going to be high-achieving, ambitious students," he said, adding that outstanding students come from "all segments of the population."
"I don't see overall excellence as being in conflict with issues of diversity and issues of access. There are too many examples I know of where the two go hand-in-hand," he said.
To attract the best students, UMass needs active recruiting programs, especially targeting rural and inner-city areas, he said.
"Campuses have to make themselves attractive to a diverse population, and sometimes that isn't easy," he said. "You can't just hang out your shingle and say, 'Come on in.' You have to go where you're going to find that diverse population."
Holub also responded to student concerns about affordability. He is not against raising fees, he said, but believes it's important to make sure money gets back to students in the form of financial aid.
"You have to look at what your financial aid structure is, because you don't want to exclude students who have promise, and certainly you don't want to exclude students who have been disadvantaged and can't perform," he said.
Holub said that he would need to learn more about UMass's situation before presuming to know the answers to several questions posed.
"I want to try to meet a lot of the faculty and the staff and the students, because I don't know this campus," he said. In Tennessee, he invites every new faculty member to a small group luncheon, holds regular meetings with the student government, and eats into the dining halls once a month to hear about student experiences and feelings.
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