Lombardi: Success tied to money, performance

by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff

Chancellor John Lombardi greets Minuteman Marching Band director George N. Parks after a performance by band members at the Community Breakfast. (Stan Sherer photo)

f the large crowd that attended last week's annual Community Breakfast was there to check out the new chancellor, they didn't go home disappointed. Casting aside the usual platitudes about town-gown relations, the campus's new leader used his first major public appearance to preach the higher education gospel according to John Lombardi.

     The crowd of 250 community members, business leaders, government officials and Five College faculty and staff listened intently as Lombardi hammered home three key points in his trademark, rapid-fire delivery:

     Remember that money matters.

     Performance counts.

     Time is the enemy.

     Building on those catch-phrases, Lombardi reiterated the need for the campus to focus on teaching and research as its core activities. To excel in those areas, he said, the University needs to dramatically increase its fund-raising efforts.

     "The state loves us but not enough. We at the university have to take personal responsibility for raising money," he said. "We're a generation behind on fund-raising. A generation behind."

     Citing the fund-raising success of the other Five College members, Lombardi said development efforts are crucial because "in the end, no good ideas can succeed without money. My job is to find money."

     "We have to do what our competitors do," he said. "If you don't ask for money, guess what? They don't give it to you."

     But, he added, "it's not enough to be rich if you can't do well."

     Not only does the University need "constant, continuous and relentless improvement," he said, the campus needs to measure its forward movement. Lombardi said the campus is developing benchmarks and a list of peer institutions to help assess its progress. "This university is in competition with the outside world for success," he said.

     And the greatest barrier in that battle is time, Lombardi added. "Every day we don't move forward is a day lost."

     While campus plans for the future can project 15 to 20 years ahead, the chancellor said the institution must also "pay attention to the life cycle of students. For a student, one year is 25 percent of the game."

     Lombardi said downside of competition is that the institution will be aggressive in its pursuits and "that's not always charming."

     Appealing for the audience's support, Lombardi closed his remarks by thumping the podium and cheering "Go UMass Amherst!"

     Other speakers included Larry Archey, president of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, which co-sponsored the breakfast with the University.

     Archey, who is director of campus planning at Hampshire College, lightheartedly said his school's athletic department is ready with advice for UMass teams and new athletic director Ian McCaw. Hampshire (which fields no intercollegiate teams) is "undefeated since 1970," joked Archey.

     Archey went to praise the various players - educational institutions, the business community, local officials and municipal emergency personnel - who are part of ever-expanding partnerships that contribute to the quality of life in the area.

     Uniting at the breakfast at the dawn of a new academic year reinforces the sense of partnership, said Archey, adding that it's also "important to go back and reflect hard on ways to overcome fiscal challenges" facing the community.

     Joann Finck of the Hampshire Community United Way said her organization, like the University and the chamber of commerce, "strengthens and supports the local community."

     Finck praised the campus's support last year for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Employee Charitable Campaign (COMECC), raising 68 percent more than the next highest agency.

     "The best part is that the majority of that money stayed in the community." she said.

     "Now more than ever, that's critical."

     Finck said this year's HCUW goal is $1.86 million.

     As is traditional in recent years, Minuteman Marching Band director George Parks, honorary chair of the campus COMECC effort, had the last word. Accompanied by a contingent of band members, Parks told the crowd that "it's cool to be part of a winning program" like the campus's COMECC drive, which has led all state agencies for three straight years. "It's great to work on something positive."

     Among those attending the breakfast were state representatives Ellen Story (D-Amherst), Steve Kulik (D-Worthington) and Nancy Flavin (D-Easthampton), selectmen from Amherst, Hadley and Shutesbury, Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins, Hampshire College president Greg Prince and Five College coordinator Lorna Peterson.