AMHERST — Thomas W. Cole Jr., who came out of retirement to lead the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus as its chancellor for the 2007-2008 academic year and established Founders Day, died last week.

An Atlanta resident at the time of his death on April 14, Cole, 81, was unanimously appointed to the interim role by trustees following the resignation of John V. Lombardi, and remained in the position until Robert C. Holub was hired.

Cole is credited with keeping new construction projects and new faculty hires on track during his tenure, playing a mediator role that kept the Amherst campus in its flagship role in the UMass system, and creating the first Founders Day on April 29, 2008, coming 145 years after the university’s founding.

Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy said in a statement that, though he didn’t know Cole, he is saddened by his passing and has heard fond memories of him.

“It is truly remarkable to hear about the impact he had on our campus and the many people’s lives he touched in only a year,” Subbaswamy said.

Cole, who had retired in 2002 as president of Clark Atlanta University, said at the time he was drawn to UMass due to its academic quality and special nature.

“I know a lot of great people, alumni, current people on staff, that make a very positive statement about the kind of quality produced here,” Cole said during his first visit. “This is a university I've always heard a lot of really good things about.”

During his year on the job, Cole met with protesters who took over the Whitmore Administration Building demanding lower student fees, more funding to promote diversity and reduced police dorm patrols. He also advocated for creation of the Business Improvement District for downtown Amherst, calling the downtown an asset for attracting students, recruiting faculty and staff. and getting alumni to return. 

Cole was the first president of Clark Atlanta, the only private historically Black college classified as a doctoral or research-intensive institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Cole was an assistant professor of chemistry at Atlanta University and later provost and vice president for academic affairs, and held visiting professorships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

He also served as the eighth president of West Virginia State University from 1982 to 1986. The Cole Complex on its campus is named for him.

Cole leaves his wife, Brenda Hill Cole, a retired judge.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.]]>