05/02/2015
Lowell Sun
By Rick Sobey
LOWELL -- When UMass Lowell junior Alicia Restrepo enrolled in Chancellor Marty Meehan's Congress course last year, she started to have second thoughts.
"When I first started, I was like, 'Oh my goodness, it's the chancellor!' I was sort of intimidated. But it was actually totally different from what I expected," the 20-year-old from Boston said on Friday.
"He wasn't intimidating," she added. "He was easy to talk to and listened to you. He associates with you. He's cool."
Her sentiment of Meehan was affirmed by others across campus on the day the chancellor was named the president of the University of Massachusetts system.
Many said they were happy for Meehan taking the next step up the ladder in the state, adding that it was an exciting day for the university.
Lala Ervin, who's graduating this month, said Meehan did a tremendous job over the years of creating a dialogue between students and the administration. He regularly hosted open forums where he fielded questions from students.
"Having those forums showed that he cares about the students," said Ervin, 22, of Boston. "He actually listens and wants to hear what you have to say about the campus. Then he can tell you if they're planning on changing that issue or why they can't.
"I met him a few times around campus, and I'm really excited for him," she added.
Restrepo emphasized that Meehan has always looked out for students. It's too bad that they won't see him on campus anymore, she said, but at the same time, Restrepo hopes that Meehan can now make an even more significant impact on the campus.
"He would sometimes say, 'I want to change this. I want to change that.' Hopefully he's able to make those changes, like renovating more buildings, as president," she said.
UMass Student Trustee Philip Geoffroy, of Chelmsford, who's graduating this month from UMass Lowell, said it was one of the greatest honors of his life to vote for Meehan on Friday.
"To me, he has been a mentor and a friend, but more importantly he has been an incredible Chancellor," Geoffroy wrote on Facebook. "He is hands down the most impressive public servant I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and I cannot wait to see what he achieves as President. It is a proud day for UMass."
Politicians from the state and federal level also praised Meehan's selection as president. U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas called him an "agent of change wherever he goes," from congressman on Capitol Hill all the way to chancellor on University Avenue.
"Marty Meehan's value to the University of Massachusetts system, and to the education and economic development of the commonwealth as a whole, is evident. His extraordinary record of success certainly shows that he will bring the same skills, leadership and enthusiasm to the role of UMass President," Tsongas said in a statement.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo stressed that Meehan has helped turn UMass Lowell into a global research institution and a university offering "education that is relevant to the needs of Massachusetts."
"UMass is coming to be known as one of the best public universities in the nation and I believe Marty will advance this standing," he said in a statement. "I congratulate him on his appointment and look forward to working together."
Meehan enjoyed a private gathering with his executive cabinet and staff at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center on Friday afternoon. He said it was the perfect spot to get together, overlooking the "best urban landscape anywhere in New England."
"I have a lot of mixed feelings about leaving Lowell," Meehan said. "It's been the biggest honor and privilege of my life to serve at my alma mater and help elevate UMass Lowell in every metric you measure in a university, so I've enjoyed it over my eight years here.
"I've invested a significant part of my life in the economic development and redevelopment of Lowell," he added. "I'm emotional about the city I grew up in, the city that my grandparents emigrated to from Ireland. I'm proud of what we collaboratively accomplished here, so it's an emotional moment for me.
"I love Lowell. It's the reason I took the job to begin with. Now it's an opportunity to expand what we've done in Lowell to the other campuses, so I'm excited about that."