OTR: UMass President shares strategy for facing higher education challenges

IT’S SUNDAY, JULY 7TH. UMASS PRESIDENT MARTY MEEHAN IS OUR GUEST. LET’S GO ON THE RECORD. AFTER A SPRING PROTEST ON CAMPUS. WHAT CAN UMASS AMHERST STUDENTS EXPECT WHEN THEY RETURN THIS FALL? WHAT’S BEEN LEARNED AND WHAT’S THE PATH FORWARD? LOTS TO DISCUSS. SO LET’S GO ON THE RECORD FROM WCVB CHANNEL 5 THE INSIDE WORD FROM WASHINGTON TO BEACON HILL. TODAY’S NEWSMAKERS ARE GOING ON THE RECORD. WELCOME TO OTR. I’M SHARMAN SACCHETTI. ED HARDING IS OFF THIS SUNDAY AND JOINING ME HERE AT THE TABLE IS THE PRESIDENT OF UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS, MARTY MEEHAN. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THIS HOLIDAY WEEKEND. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND. ALL RIGHT. LET’S START WITH IT WAS AN UGLY END TO THE SPRING SEMESTER FOR MANY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, INCLUDING UMASS AMHERST. MORE THAN 100 ARRESTS, INCLUDING STUDENTS WHEN A PRO-PALESTINIAN ENCAMPMENT WAS TAKEN DOWN BY POLICE, FACULTY AND STUDENTS CALLED FOR THE OUSTER OF CHANCELLOR JAVIER RAMIREZ AFTER JUST A FEW MONTHS ON THE JOB. DO YOU APPROVE OF HOW THE SITUATION WAS ADDRESSED? WELL, I SUPPORT HIM. LET ME FIRST OF ALL SAY THAT THE ISSUE WASN’T PROTESTING. UM HARVEY RAMIREZ FELT STRONGLY THAT STUDENTS HAVE A RIGHT TO PROTEST. IT WAS JUST A FORTIFIED ENCAMPMENTS, AND HE HAD SEEN WHAT HAPPENED IN COLUMBIA, WHAT HAD HAPPENED IN EMERSON, AND WHAT HE SAID TO THE STUDENTS IS, YOU HAVE TO TAKE DOWN THE CAMPUS. IT’S A MATTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY. SOMEBODY’S GOING TO GET HURT. WE CAN’T HAVE STUDENTS LIVING OUT HERE. AND IT’S AND IT AMHERST. THERE’S A LOT OF SPACE THERE. IF HE LET ENCAMPMENTS GO, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN REAL PROBLEMS. AND AND A STUDENT COULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT. AND, YOU KNOW, IF, IF, IF A STUDENT IF THERE WAS A FIRE IN A HUGE ENCAMPMENT AND THEY HAD 200 OR 300 STUDENTS THERE, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO CALL A PARENT. IF A STUDENT HAD BEEN INJURED OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO IT WAS STRICTLY AN ISSUE OF STUDENT SAFETY. NOW, YOU BROUGHT UP A NUMBER OF ISSUES. LOOK, IN THE LAST SIX WEEKS, THERE HAVE PROBABLY BEEN 15 VOTES OF NO CONFIDENCE THAT FACULTY OR STUDENTS HAVE HAD ON UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS. IT’S PART OF THE TIMES AND THAT’S HAPPENED OVER THE LAST 5 TO 10 YEARS. BUT WHAT HARVEY HAS DONE, AND I SUPPORT HIM WHOLEHEARTEDLY. HE’S CALLED FOR A TASK FORCE TO LOOK AT, UH, PROTESTS ON CAMPUS, TO LOOK AT WHAT THE RULES ARE, TO HAVE A DIALOG ABOUT IT. HE BROUGHT IN FACULTY, STUDENTS, STAFF, AS WELL AS LEADERSHIP, AND HE ALSO BROUGHT IN RALPH MARTIN, THE FORMER DISTRICT ATTORNEY, IN WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF CALLING? THE PURPOSE IS TO LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED AND WHO COULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY. WHAT WOULD WE HAVE DONE? DOES IT MAKE SENSE NOT TO LET STUDENTS HAVE ENCAMPMENTS? I THINK THE ANSWER TO THAT IS PRETTY CLEAR THAT YOU CAN’T HAVE A SITUATION WHERE PEOPLE ARE BRINGING IN WOOD AND BUILDING, UH, LITTLE RESIDENCES AND BRINGING IN TENTS AND LIVING IN THE OUTSIDE. THAT’S JUST TOO DANGEROUS FOR STUDENTS. THE OTHER THING IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER ABOUT THIS IS THERE’S A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT STUDENTS THAT WE ALL HAVE. AND THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS WE HAVE PALESTINIAN STUDENTS. WE HAVE TO PROTECT. WE HAVE ISRAELI STUDENTS, WE HAVE TO PROTECT JEWISH STUDENTS. WE HAVE HAVE TO PROTECT. SO THAT HAS TO BE FIRST AND FOREMOST. I DO WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THAT BECAUSE THERE IS, YOU KNOW, ANTI-SEMITISM HAS BEEN RISING ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES AT UMASS AND BEYOND, AND IT’S BECOME A POLARIZING ISSUE. ANTI-MUSLIM BEHAVIOR AS WELL. WHAT STEPS ARE YOU TAKING AS UMASS PRESIDENT TO FIGHT THIS? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I’M WEARING MY PIN THAT ROBERT KRAFT HAS STARTED A FOUNDATION ON IT. AND IT’S NOT ONLY IS THERE ANTI-SEMITISM ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES, IT’S THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. AND THAT’S A MAJOR ISSUE IN ANTI-HATE. SO WHAT WE DO IS TRY TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO ALLOW STUDENTS TO EXPRESS THEIR OPINION TO ALLOW THEM FREE DEBATE, TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS, TO PROTEST, BUT TO MAKE SURE WE KEEP THEM SAFE. AND THAT’S PART OF THE REASON WHY HARVEY DECIDED WE CAN’T HAVE ENCAMPMENTS ON THE ON THE CAMPUS. WE CAN HAVE PROTESTS AND WE’LL CONTINUE TO HAVE A DIALOG. THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY IS IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE A DIALOG ON THIS ISSUE. AND AS I LOOK, I MEAN, I HOPE THIS PEACE IN IN GAZA AND I HOPE THAT THAT THE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST THAT WOULD HELP US OBVIOUSLY A LOT. BUT THIS IS A COMPLICATED ISSUE. WELL, WHAT HAPPENS IN THE FALL NOW BECAUSE, YOU KNOW WHAT, IF MORE PROTESTS CROP UP IN THE FALL? WELL, THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY HARVEY HAS A TASK FORCE. THEY’RE LOOKING AT ALL THE VARIOUS ISSUES SO THAT STUDENTS WILL KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE ADMINISTRATION IF IF THEY DO A ADMINISTRATION WILL DO B, HOW DO WE ACCOMMODATE STUDENTS IN THEIR INTERESTS, THEIR LEGITIMATE INTERESTS, TO SPEAK OUT AND WHAT THEY BELIEVE ABOUT? SO THEY’RE GOING TO COME UP WITH SOME IDEAS. RALPH MARTIN, WHO SPENT A DECADE AT NOT JUST IN THE AS THE DA, BUT DECADE AS A GENERAL COUNSEL AT NORTH EASTON. HE’S GOING TO COME IN AS AN INDEPENDENT ARBITER AND GIVE ADVICE ABOUT HOW THEY CAN MOVE FORWARD. SO WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS MAKE SURE WE CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE STUDENTS CAN SPEAK OUT AND SPEAK OUT ABOUT THEIR BELIEFS AND PROTEST, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, KEEP THEM ALL SAFE. THAT’S FIRST AND FOREMOST TO KEEP THEM SAFE. ALL RIGHT. AS PRESIDENT OF UMASS, AS A FORMER MEMBER OF CONGRESS, YOU KNOW, PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN. SO I HAVE TO ASK YOU, WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN HERE. WILL DEMOCRATS STICK WITH JOE BIDEN AFTER THAT DISASTROUS DEBATE PERFORMANCE? WELL, IT CERTAINLY WAS A PAINFUL DEBATE TO TO WATCH. AND I’VE KNOWN JOE BIDEN. I SERVED 14 YEARS IN THE CONGRESS. WE WORKED ON ALL KINDS OF ISSUES, PARTICULARLY THOSE ISSUES INVOLVING THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AND EITHER THE SENATE OR THE HOUSE. I LIKE JOE BIDEN, A LOT. UM, I THINK THAT IT’S GOING TO BE UP TO, YOU KNOW, HE’S WON THE, UH, ALL THE DELEGATES. IT’S GOING TO BE UP TO JOE BIDEN AND HIS WIFE. AND THEN WITH DEMOCRATIC LEADERS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE RIGHT THING TO DO IS. AND AND I’M GOING TO LET THAT PROCESS HAPPEN. DO YOU THINK HE SHOULD STEP DOWN FROM THE TICKET? I THINK THAT’S A DECISION HE OUGHT TO MAKE WITH HIS WITH HIS WIFE AND AND WITH THE LEADERSHIP OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY. AND TO LOOK AT WHAT’S IN THE LONG TERM INTEREST OF THE COUNTRY. AND I THINK THAT THAT’S UP TO THEM TO MAKE MAKE THAT DECISION. I’M SURE THEY WILL BE. THAT’S THE BIG QUESTION, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THAT DEBATE SORT OF LAID BARE WHAT THE SOME OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AT LEAST FEARED ABOUT JOE BIDEN AND SO THE QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, DO YOU DO YOU SEE MORE DEMOCRATS AMPING THIS UP? DO YOU HEAR THE CALLS GROWING LOUDER AND LOUDER? WELL, YOU KNOW, I’M RUNNING UMASS. SO I’M, YOU KNOW, BUT I READ THE PAPERS AND I TALK TO SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES. I THINK THERE’S OBVIOUSLY A CONCERN THAT DEMOCRATS ACROSS THE COUNTRY HAVE BECAUSE IT AFFECTS, YOU KNOW, WHO WINS THE HOUSE AND WHO WINS THE SENATE. SO I THINK THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DO A LOT OF SOUL SEARCHING, SEARCHING AND THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO CONDUCT SOME POLLS AND THEN FIGURE OUT AND TALK TO THE PRESIDENT ABOUT IT. AND I’M SURE THAT THEY’LL BE DOING THAT IN THE COMING WEEKS. ALL RIGHT. LET’S GO BACK TO SCHOOL. NOW. THE COST OF COLLEGE CONTINUES TO INCREASE. FAMILIES ARE FACING ENORMOUS FINANCIAL CHALLENGES TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE. I KNOW YOU’RE THE PRESIDENT OF UMASS, BUT IS COLLEGE STILL WORTH THE PRICE? WELL, IT IS, AND THE DATA IS OVERWHELMING THAT COLLEGE IS WORTH THE PRICE. THE AVERAGE PERSON DATA SHOWS US THAT GETS A COLLEGE DEGREE RATHER THAN A HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE, WILL MAKE $1.2 MILLION IN THEIR CAREER. SO IT IS. IT CLEARLY IS WORTH IT. BUT THE COST OF HIGHER EDUCATION HAS BEEN GROWING. I MEAN, WE HAVE ALL OF THESE PLACES IN MASSACHUSETTS THAT THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE GONE OVER $90,000 A YEAR. AND THERE’S A RACE, YOU SEE, TO $100,000 A YEAR, AND KIDS ARE GRADUATING WITH ALL THIS DEBT. AND THAT’S AN ISSUE. AND THAT’S WE’RE TRYING AT UMASS TO PUT MORE MONEY. SINCE I BECAME PRESIDENT, I’VE PUT 73% MORE MONEY INTO NEED BASED FINANCIAL AID. WHEN I ARRIVED, IT WAS AT ABOUT $250 MILLION. TODAY WE PUT $407 MILLION INTO NEED BASED FINANCIAL AID. SO THE STICKER PRICE ISN’T THE PRICE THAT YOU PAY. IF YOU GO TO UMASS, DEPENDING UPON YOUR YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. THE OTHER THING I’D TELL YOU IS EARLY COLLEGE IS SOMETHING THAT CAN REALLY HELP. WE HAVE EXPANDED OUR EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAM AND STARTED WITH AT UMASS WITH 280 STUDENTS. WE’LL BE OVER 1000 STUDENTS. UH, NEXT YEAR IN OUR EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAM. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? IT MEANS A KID IN BOSTON OR A STUDENT IN A GATEWAY CITY GETS AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET SOME COLLEGE CREDIT IN HIGH SCHOOL AND GET CREDIT WITH WITH UMASS FACULTY AND TEACHERS AT THEIR HIGH SCHOOL GET CREDIT THAT WILL, THAT WILL THEY’LL BE ABLE TO USE IT, GIVES THEM CONFIDENCE THAT THEY CAN GO TO COLLEGE IN MANY INSTANCES, BUT ALSO SAVES THEM MONEY. UH, WE HAD $1 MILLION THAT WAS SAVED FOR STUDENTS WHO DECIDED TO GO TO COLLEGE AFTER TAKING EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAMS. THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT HAS BROAD SUPPORT AT THE STATE HOUSE. UH, SENATE PRESIDENT SPILKA SUPPORTS THIS. SPEAKER RON MARIANO SUPPORTS THIS, AND I SEE THIS AS A GREAT VEHICLE FOR MASSACHUSETTS TO TAKE A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN REDUCING THE COST OF HIGHER EDUCATION. BUT ALSO MAKING SURE THAT THAT STUDENTS EVERYWHERE IN THE COMMONWEALTH HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO COLLEGE AND REALIZE THAT THEY CAN GET THROUGH COLLEGE. ALL RIGHT. AND SO RECENTLY, EASTERN NAZARENE COLLEGE IN QUINCY ANNOUNCED IT WAS CLOSING AFTER MORE THAN 100 YEARS. DO YOU THINK WE’RE GOING TO BE SEEING A LOT MORE OF THIS IN NEW ENGLAND? I THINK WE ARE. AND I’VE SAID SO ON THIS PROGRAM ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION. THERE’S A DEMOGRAPHIC ISSUE IN IN NOT JUST IN MASSACHUSETTS AND NEW ENGLAND, NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE COUNTRY, IN THAT THE NUMBER OF COLLEGE STUDENTS THAT ARE GRADUATING FROM HIGH SCHOOL IS COMING DOWN. IT’S GOING TO COME DOWN AT A FASTER PACE. THAT’S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY YOU SEE, UH, SO MANY COLLEGES IN NEW ENGLAND THAT HAVE CLOSED THE NON-ELITE PRIVATES ARE IN TROUBLE. THEY’RE DISCOUNTING, UH, PROBABLY TOO MUCH. EVENTUALLY IT’S GOING TO AFFECT THE THE PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES, AND I CAN TELL YOU WE’RE FOCUSED LIKE A LASER BEAM AT UMASS ON MAKING SURE WE KEEP OUR NATIONAL RANKINGS UP. MAKE SURE OUR REPUTATION IS UP SO WE WON’T HAVE THE PROBLEM OF ENROLLMENT GOING DOWN. WE’RE THE ONLY SECTOR OF PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION IN MASSACHUSETTS. IF YOU LOOK AT THE LAST TEN YEARS WHERE ENROLLMENT HAS GONE UP RATHER THAN DOWN, IT’S A BIG CHALLENGE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION. ALL RIGHT. MORE WITH MA