UMass Shake-up: Boston's new Chancellor

Boston’s major public university made history yesterday by appointing the first black chancellor to a UMass campus. J. Keith Motley was appointed by UMass President Jack Wilson to the post, as part of a flurry of announcements yesterday that sent the current chancellor, Michael Collins, to the UMass Medical School in Worcester, where he will direct health-sciences initiatives for the university. Well known as an inspirational and charismatic leader, the exiting Chancellor’s new appointment likely reflects the state’s larger commitment to bringing bioscience research to Massachuetts.

Motley had previously served as interim chancellor for UMB before the appointment of Collins to the post. In fact, Motley was runner-up for the position when Collins was hired in 2005, leading to some controversy around the passing over of a black candidate.

At that time, Motley was instead appointed Vice President for Business and Public Affairs for the general UMass system.

Born in Pittsburgh, Motley has put down Boston roots: he holds a bachelor’s and master’s from Northeastern, and received his doctorate in education from Boston College. He achieved renown for establishing the Roxbury Preparatory Charter School before coming to UMB.

Among the challenges Motley will surely face as Chancellor are the predominance of Amherst campus in the UMass system, the continuing decline of the campus’s physical plant, and controversy over UMB’s mission in relation to the larger community