Good morning UMass Dartmouth!

There are a few times each year when the campus community gathers for a common purpose. One of those times is this Friday at 4 p.m. in the Main Auditorium, when we will come together to celebrate the life and work of our friend and colleague Jim Kaput, who passed away all too suddenly this summer.

As many of us know, Jim was an inspiration throughout his 36 years as a math professor on this campus. His work in helping us re-think the way math is taught is well-known around the world, from the classrooms of Fall River to the policy-making agencies of Washington to the academic halls of Europe. In my own conversations with Jim, I witnessed a man wholly dedicated to the principle that education, particularly high-level math education, is a powerful economic and social equalizer.

Our university, our community, is fortunate to have faculty members driven by the same principles that Jim embodied. We are especially fortunate that Jim’s work and his ideals will carry on, indeed be expanded by his colleagues in the Math Education Research Group: Maria Blanton, Gary Davis, and Steve Hegedus. In their own ways, these three individuals, have brought great distinction to our campus in a relatively short time and have had a tremendous impact on students from kindergarten through college by bringing educational innovations into public school classrooms.

Jim’s passing reminds us that it is too rare that we express our thanks for the work of our colleagues. On Friday, we all will have an opportunity to recognize Jim’s work, thank his family for sharing him with us for more than three decades, and to reflect on the important and exciting work that remains to be done.

Whether you personally knew Jim or not; whether you are faculty, staff, or student; you are welcome to attend this celebration of an exemplary UMass Dartmouth professor.

Examining our service to the community

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the annual meeting of the Campus Compact in Washington. The Compact is a 950-campus coalition devoted to making higher education institutions engines of civic renewal.

As the Massachusetts co-chair of the Compact, I came home with a renewed belief that our own campus must re-double its own effort to directly affect the lives of people throughout this region. We have been a model of civic engagement over the years, but every so often we must ask ourselves whether we are doing enough and whether we are doing the right things in the right ways.

In Washington, we heard from Sen. John Kerry, former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, Corporation for National and Community Service CEO David Eisner, higher education leaders, and students, who delivered compelling and inspirational calls for us all to do more, and that this moment in history requires that we do more.

We have some wonderful people right here on our own campus thinking about these issues every day. On Wednesday, in the Faculty Resource Center (Group 1, Room 371,) Community Service Director Deirdre Healy and Economics Professor David Berger will discuss the intersection of service with research and teaching.

This is a conversation that we, as an intellectual community, need to expand upon. There is a growing expectation that, as a public university, we provide meaningful service to our region and our Commonwealth. Legislation pending at the State House would require us to build service into our curriculum. At a recent conference, Connect institutions (UMass Dartmouth, Bridgewater State College, Bristol Community College, Massasoit Community College and Cape Cod Community College) heard from business, civic and political leaders about how higher education can address their needs.

So what do you think about our role in serving the community? Is it a burden or an opportunity? Are we taking the right steps to marshal campus energy to serve the community? How does service enhance learning? I look forward to reading your responses.

Sincerely,

Jean F. MacCormack
Chancellor
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth