Former Clark Univ. Pres. Honored for Innovations in Worcester

January 7, 2011 by PaulM Posted in Education, History, Lowell 1 Comment

Former Clark University President Richard P. Traina was honored recently with a leadership award in recognition of the bold, creative initiatives he championed at Clark that led to significant improvements on campus and in the community. Read the Worcester Telegram & Gazette article from Dec. 31, 2010, about Mr Traina and his accomplishments.

I obtained this link via the e-newsletter of the International Town and Gown Association.

One Response to Former Clark Univ. Pres. Honored for Innovations in Worcester

  1. Bob Forrant says:

    I love what Clark U has done in its immediate neighbor and great that it is being recognized.

    Among other things, it invested considerable time, effort and money into buying up neighborhood properties, restoring them and then making them available at very reasonable interest rates to faculty and staff. This helped stabilize the neighborhood. It also helped to purchase business blocks with its nearby community development corporation. Upper floor apts. were rented to students and street level stores returned to the neighborhood. Finally, the administration made a commitment that any child living in the neighborhood with the grades could attend Clark virtually for free!

    UMass Lowell could do all of these things if it wanted to – working with the Coalition for a Better Acre and other city organizations it could play an even more vital role than it already does in improving the city’s economy and educational and economic opportunities for young people. We needed new academic buildings – no doubt. And, the d’town hotel purchase has pumped some life into what had been a moribund blot on the downtown landscape.

    Next step, Chancellor Meehan, should be an equally powerful commitment down Broadway from South Campus and down Merrimack from North to do what Clark did. There are many exciting models out there for how to make this happen and numerous interested staff and faculty who’d love to work on such an effort with our campus neighbors. The longer UML and MCC ignore what’s happening around them as jobs and economic opportunity dry up for Lowell’s young people the worse the problems will likely get and application will certainly fall. Enlightened self-interest alone cries out for a neighborhood action plan from UMass Lowell!

    A neighborhood is a terrible thing to waste.