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Linda Silka, founding director of UMass Lowell’s Center for Family, Work and Community (CFWC), has been a leading advocate for university-community engagement and community-based research.
Her accomplishments were highlighted and celebrated in a recent farewell event. Silka is taking a position with the University of Maine, where she will be on the faculty of the School of Economics and direct the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center.
Robert Forrant, historian and professor in the Department of Regional Economic and Social Development, is the new director of CFWC. Forrant brings to the role several decades of success in building university-community partnerships to solve problems and address common concerns through innovative research.
After 30 years as a professor and 17 directing CFWC, Silka has a multitude of achievements and initiatives to celebrate. Many colleagues, former students, community leaders and research collaborators joined in honoring her.
In opening remarks, Chancellor Marty Meehan said, “Linda Silka understands the vital role of the university in the community and has been successful in writing more than $15 million in grants. As just one example, Lowell holds a national reputation in community policing. … Linda, people are empowered because of your work.”
Several colleagues, former students and community leaders spoke of the significance of Silka’s leadership and support. Among them was Milagro Grullon, manager of community relations and health improvement for the city of Lawrence, who recounted her anxiety when she called the university for assistance on a grant proposal.
“Dr. Silka answered her own phone and then was positive and enthusiastic, saying, ‘Oh, this is great’ and ‘This will be wonderful,’” said Grullon. “I could feel myself just relaxing because of the peace and confidence that she transmitted to me about collaborative work. Dr. Silka, thank you for being a teacher to us and connecting us to your leadership.”
John Wooding, former provost and chair of RESD, emceed the event program. He said, “Linda Silka’s heart and passion for community engagement, for reshaping and rethinking the mission of the university and for bringing students into direct experience of diverse communities has made a significant contribution not only to this campus, but to what our ideas of a university should be. Her work in communicating with students over the past 30 years has been transformative.”
In response to the speakers, Silka referred to the song “Lucky” by Jason Mraz.
“That’s the way I feel: lucky to have had the opportunity to work with so many wonderful people on terrific projects that provided great opportunities to learn," she said. "Over and over again, wonderful opportunities emerged for us to work together and I feel very, very lucky.”
Silka is a social and community psychologist and has been a professor in the interdisciplinary Department of Regional Economic and Social Development since its inception. She received the University of Massachusetts President’s Award for Outstanding Professional Service and has been nationally recognized for her capacity-building work with refugee and immigrant communities.
