Patrick backs UMass chief on university reassignments

Governor Deval Patrick said yesterday he supported University of Massachusetts president Jack M. Wilson's right to reassign top university leaders, making his first public comments on a reorganization plan that has sparked outrage among faculty members on the Amherst and Boston campuses.

"I respect the president's authority to make personnel decisions," Patrick said.

He acknowledged that professors were angry they were given no say in the reorganization, which would result in the retirement of popular UMass-Amherst chancellor John Lombardi at the end of the next school year. Last week, the Amherst faculty resoundingly passed a vote of no confidence in Wilson's leadership, and the Boston faculty may consider a similar measure next week.

But Patrick said he supported Wilson's right to restructure the university leadership.

"I understand that there's some feeling on at least the UMass- Amherst campus that president Wilson didn't consult broadly enough in advance," he said. "But in terms of his authority to make those calls, I respect that."

A spokesman said Wilson welcomed the governor's comments as a sign of support, but added that he would continue to discuss his reasons for the reorganization with faculty and administrators. Wilson has said the appointments will help the five-campus system achieve greater unity and prominence.

"We appreciate the governor's comments," said spokesman Robert Connolly. "Governor Patrick and president Wilson share the same goal of a university of excellence and national prominence."

Wilson and Patrick worked closely earlier this year to shape the governor's plan to invest $1 billion in a biotechnology initiative, which will include the creation of a stem cell bank at the UMass Medical School in Worcester.

Under Wilson's restructuring plan, which goes before the UMass board of trustees June 21, UMass-Boston chancellor Michael Collins will move to the medical school to serve as interim chancellor and will be replaced in Boston by J. Keith Motley, the system's vice president for business, marketing, and public affairs.

Wilson also proposed combining the positions of UMass president and the chancellor of UMass-Amherst, but has since said he would not assume the merged post himself.

Patrick told the Associated Press yesterday that he believed the posts should remain separate.

"I don't think that the president ever viewed the dual duties as president and interim chancellor as a permanent solution, and I certainly wouldn't," the governor said.

"UMass-Amherst needs its own chancellor who's going to pay attention to its unique challenges and is going to work cooperatively with the president, and I think that is where Jack Wilson is coming down and where he's been all along," Patrick said.

Faculty members are also upset that Wilson met with university trustees to discuss the restructuring proposal at a dinner at the UMass Club in Boston on May 3.

The members say the meeting violated the state's open meeting law, but school officials have said the meeting was proper.

Wilson said in a meeting Tuesday with UMass-Boston faculty members that he regretted attending the dinner.