2008 Woodie Awards
Dr. Robert C. Holub introduced as new Chancellor
S.P. Sullivan, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 5/6/08 Section: News
When asked what he thought was the primary issue facing the University, Holub was undecided.
"It's difficult for me to say precisely because I haven't been on campus and I haven't spoken with enough people to see what I'm going to have to do," he said. "I can say that in the next year, the most important thing for me will be to put together a good team. There are a number of people in interim positions; I'll need to find people for permanent positions."
Holub said he was unfamiliar with security issues that have arisen in the past after sporting events, but spoke of the importance of preserving student safety.
"Safety on campus of course is a rather large issue, and relates to more than winning championships. It relates to a lot of rather tragic events that have happened on other campuses during the last year or so, and it's something I think leaders of all campuses have to take very seriously," he said.
Addressing concerns that improving UMass as a research institution would take focus away from its undergraduate programs, Holub said he was confident that the two could coexist, and in fact compliment each other.
"I don't think there's an antagonism between great teaching and research," he said. "More often than not, I think that the people that are doing pioneering and cutting-edge work in their fields are better teachers," he said, "because they're very excited about the research and very excited about communicating it to students."
President Wilson said later that "one of the things that impressed me about [Holub] is that when he was at Berkeley he actually increased the contact between senior faculty and undergraduates."
"He facilitated all these undergraduate programs to get students in contact with faculty and into undergraduate research," said Wilson.
Holub said that affordability is another important issue for the University to address in order to improve the quality of the education it provides.
"It's difficult for me to say precisely because I haven't been on campus and I haven't spoken with enough people to see what I'm going to have to do," he said. "I can say that in the next year, the most important thing for me will be to put together a good team. There are a number of people in interim positions; I'll need to find people for permanent positions."
Holub said he was unfamiliar with security issues that have arisen in the past after sporting events, but spoke of the importance of preserving student safety.
"Safety on campus of course is a rather large issue, and relates to more than winning championships. It relates to a lot of rather tragic events that have happened on other campuses during the last year or so, and it's something I think leaders of all campuses have to take very seriously," he said.
Addressing concerns that improving UMass as a research institution would take focus away from its undergraduate programs, Holub said he was confident that the two could coexist, and in fact compliment each other.
"I don't think there's an antagonism between great teaching and research," he said. "More often than not, I think that the people that are doing pioneering and cutting-edge work in their fields are better teachers," he said, "because they're very excited about the research and very excited about communicating it to students."
President Wilson said later that "one of the things that impressed me about [Holub] is that when he was at Berkeley he actually increased the contact between senior faculty and undergraduates."
"He facilitated all these undergraduate programs to get students in contact with faculty and into undergraduate research," said Wilson.
Holub said that affordability is another important issue for the University to address in order to improve the quality of the education it provides.
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