The Globe: UMass Amherst Chancellor Robert Holub on the way out
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AMHERST - A committee that's taking a close look at the job performance of UMass Amherst Chancellor Robert Holub is recommending that his contract not be renewed, according to a report in The Boston Globe today.
The Globe cites a series of gaffs by Holub "that critics say reflect a politically tone-deaf leadership style, the latest example being a thwarted plan to open a medical school in Springfield." The Globe used several people connected with UMass as anonymous sources in its report.
Holub is due to meet this week with UMass President Jack Wilson and trustees to negotiate the terms of his departure, according to the Globe. Holub's three-year contract expires July 31.
Holub would not directly comment on his status, but defended his record with the Globe.
"In my view, things are all going in the right direction,'' he said. "I have every academic indicator on my side. I have so much of a stake in things that are going on here. So much of what I started, I want to see them through.''
Comprised of trustees, alumni and faculty, the evaluation committee has eyed Holub's performance for the past two months. Comments on his brief tenure were taken from students, professors, senior administrators, community and political leaders, donors and staff, the Globe reports.
The committee heard repeated tales of Holub's struggle to communicate and build relationships with key members of the faculty, legislators and trustees.
The Globe also reported that Holub did not take criticism well, and that he had an apparent "cavalier attitude toward the goal of increasing diversity on campus," according two people who know about the results of his performance review.
The number of African-American undergraduates enrolled at the flagship campus has dropped 24 percent during his tenure, the Globe states.
Stay tuned to GazetteNET.com and check out Monday's print edition of the Gazette for more on this breaking story.
