Daily News

Meehan Praises Baker, Legislature for Backing UMass funding

BOSTON — UMass President Marty Meehan today praised Governor Baker and the Legislature for approving funding that he said would allow the university “to build on its current surge of progress and success.”

“The support we are receiving from Governor Charlie Baker and from the House and Senate will help to fuel our progress and success — and will have a real impact on the Commonwealth’s future,” President Meehan said.

A $158 million supplemental budget approved by the Legislature yesterday and signed by the Governor today includes $10.9 million for UMass. The funding, which relates to labor contracts, will be used for workforce purposes and will also fund $7 million in student scholarships, in addition to aiding the University’s overall pursuit of quality and excellence.

Meehan praised Baker, House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg for their vision and leadership, saying: “I am grateful to our state leaders for their commitment to UMass and to the cause of high-quality public higher education — a cause that is so critical to the Commonwealth and its citizens and will remain so for generations to come.”

The Legislature’s action comes at a time when UMass is enjoying successes on many fronts, with its endowment, enrollment and research-output reaching record levels, and having been named one of the World’s Most Innovative Universities. Additionally, UMass has been named the No. 1 public university in New England, one of the best 20 public universities in the nation and among the Top 100 in the world, according to the 2015 Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings.