for
the Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts
May
18, 2001
|
Propriety concerns derail honorary degree for Gill by Daniel J. Fitzgibbons, Chronicle staff
 iting
the Board of Higher Education's oversight of some aspects of the University
system and possible perceptions of a conflict of interest, an honorary
degree for Chancellor of Higher Education Judith I. Gill has been
put on hold, campus officials announced late last week.A 1972 alumna, Gill was one of five individuals who was scheduled to be awarded an honorary doctorate at the Undergraduate Commencement ceremony on May 27. However, those plans changed last week when Chancellor David K. Scott issued a short statement: "The Board of Trustees, President William M. Bulger, and I regret that we are unable at this time to award an honorary doctorate to Dr. Judith Gill, as we had earlier decided to do. Through this degree award, we wished to acknowledge Dr. Gill's more than 30 years of accomplishment in higher education, both nationally and in the Commonwealth. "Dr. Gill, a distinguished alumna of the University, is also the Chancellor of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and the Board has some regulatory authority over the UMass system. Because of this relationship, the award of an honorary doctorate to Chancellor Gill, upon further reflection, could be seen by some as a possible conflict of interest. "In order to avoid even the slightest perception of impropriety, the University and Chancellor Gill have mutually agreed that it is inadvisable to offer the honorary degree at this time. We deeply appreciate Chancellor Gill's commitment to the Commonwealth's institutions of higher education and we look forward to continuing our important work together to enhance the quality of, and the access to, these institutions." |
