Board of Higher Education Unanimously Approves Dr. Richard M. Freeland as

Nomination forwarded to Education Secretary Paul. Reville for final consideration

BOSTON – At a special meeting held earlier today, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education voted unanimously to recommend Dr. Richard M. Freeland as the next Commissioner of Higher Education. The decision followed a public meeting and interview with Dr. Freeland, which provided an opportunity for the full Board to ask questions and get a sense of his vision for higher education in the Commonwealth.

The Commissioner Search Task Force presented a unanimous recommendation to the Board of Higher Education at their meeting on Nov. 21 to consider Dr. Freeland for the position. Today’s interview and vote by the Board was the next step in the process. With the vote, the Board forwards the recommendation to Education Secretary Paul Reville, who, as part of the Governor’s reorganization of education in the Commonwealth, has the final authority in appointing Commissioners at the three education departments – Early Education and Care, Elementary and Secondary Education, and Higher Education.

“There is no doubt among the Board of Higher Education that Dr. Freeland has superior qualifications and a demonstrated record of sustained, outstanding experience in both public and private higher education in the Commonwealth,” said Frederick W. Clark, Jr., Chair of the Board of Higher Education. “He has a vision for higher education which is consistent with the Governor’s Readiness Project and with our own shared understanding of the opportunities – and challenges – which lie ahead for Massachusetts and the hundreds of thousands of students attending our many fine higher education institutions.”

“We are confident that Richard’s unique blend of higher education leadership within both public and private higher education, his success in engaging interest at all educational levels and within each segment, and his keen understanding of the challenges of an urban environment in advancing the interests of students in obtaining college access and success, make him a superb candidate for Commissioner of Higher Education,” added Chair Clark. “In addition, Richard is a strong advocate for higher education as an industry, and the important role it plays in addressing the employment needs of business and industry, and the economy as a whole.”

Dr. Freeland is President Emeritus and University Professor at Northeastern University. He was President of Northeastern from 1996 to 2006. Under his leadership, the college was transformed into a nationally selective residential university, and its ranking on the US News list of “Best National Universities” rose from 162 to 98, a repositioning that the Boston Business Journal called “one of the most dramatic since US News began ranking in 1983.”

Freeland has spent his entire academic career in higher education. As Assistant to the President of the University of Massachusetts in 1970, he focused on the development of a new campus in Boston. For the next twenty-two years, he was associated with UMass Boston, serving as Assistant to the Chancellor, Director of Educational Planning, founding Dean of the College of Professional Studies, and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Between 1992 and 1996, Freeland was Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the City University of New York, the country’s largest urban system of public higher education.

Secretary Reville will consider the recommendation and make a final decision over the coming weeks.

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