| FleetBoston's Terrence Murray designates $1m for honors college
Designated by Murray to support honors programs on the Amherst campus, the gift is eligible for a $500,000 match under a state program designed to promote private support for the University. Proceeds from the $1.5 million Terrence Murray Commonwealth College Honors Professorship endowment fund will be awarded on a competitive basis to outstanding faculty within the 2,000-student Commonwealth College. The faculty will use the funding to develop innovative courses and programs. "The honors program opens the door of opportunity to UMass students to achieve the highest level of intellectual growth. By attracting some of the brightest students in the state, the Commonwealth College benefits the entire University. The key to the success of the honors program is top-notch faculty,'' said Murray, who received an honorary degree from the campus last May. "Terrence Murray's life has been distinguished by hard work and the pursuit of excellence,'' President William M. Bulger said. "With this generous gift, he gives the hardest working, most academically ambitious students, a great opportunity to pursue excellence on our flagship campus. "Terry Murray has been an exemplary leader in the business community as long as I have known him, and today he sets another example. The Terrence Murray Commonwealth College Professorship is a compelling statement of belief in the University faculty's ability to provide our students with outstanding education.'' "UMass Amherst is delighted and grateful for the Terrence Murray Commonwealth College Honors Professorship,'' Chancellor John V. Lombardi said. "Thanks to the creative vision of Mr. Murray, our Commonwealth College will have the opportunity to engage a wide range of faculty in enhancing the curriculum and engaging in the intellectual development of our students. The campus' academic life is greatly enriched by Mr. Murray's vision and we are grateful to President Bulger for persuading Mr. Murray to make this remarkable investment in our campus.'' Commonwealth College, which opened in 1999, is the hub of the University's systemwide honors programs and has built a national reputation for engaging undergraduates in meaningful research. Incoming freshmen are considered for admission to the College if they have a combined Scholastic Aptitude Test score of at least 1300, rank in the top 10 percent of their class, and have a weighted grade point average of 3.5 in their academic coursework. Commonwealth College dean Linda Slakey said, "The establishment of the Murray Professorship is wonderful news for Commonwealth College. The college has succeeded in attracting some of the very best students in Massachusetts and the Northeast, and indeed from farther afield as well. Thanks to Mr. Murray's generous gift, we will always be able to support faculty as they work on cutting edge ideas that deeply engage our undergraduate students." Murray,
63, is also a director of FleetBoston Financial Corporation, which
he joined in 1962 after graduating from Harvard College, where he
received a B.A. Under Murray, the company has grown from a small
Rhode Island bank to a $187 billion financial institutionranking
in the top 10 nationally. |
