Lombardi, Bulger give joint talk

By Sarah R. Buchholz, Chronicle staff

hancellor John Lombardi and President William Bulger spoke about the Univeristy's role as the economic engine in the commonwealth at a gathering hosted by the Technology Enterprise Council in Springfield Dec. 3. The event was co-hosted by the Regional Technology Alliance.

      The pair answered questions from the audience and expounded on the impact better resources for the Amherst campus might have on its ability to contribute to technology-based businesses in the region.

      "How much money do we need?" Lombardi said, repeating one of the written questions. "Well, just tons of it.

     "The thing that distinguishes great research institutions from other universities is they've got more money."

     Lombardi said "talent drives the University" and that while the campus has outstanding faculty, it doesn't have enough of them. Getting more talent on the Amherst campus requires funds not only for salaries but also for infrastructure, he said. If the Amherst campus lacks appropriate lab equipment, he explained, prospective faculty will go elsewhere. To have a great university requires competing for top quality people, he said.

      "We play from strength," Lombardi said of areas in which the campus might enhance technology in the region. "We play to where the market's growing." The National Institutes of Health budget has been increasing, and Lombardi said he hopes that the University can provide basic science and Bay State Hospital can provide a clinical environment that in collaboration will carve out a niche that makes an attractive recipient for NIH funds.

      "The University has been winning its fair share," Bulger said of grant money. He noted that the University stands third, behind Harvard and MIT, in the acquisition of such funds.

      Bulger also said he believed he and Lombardi made a good fund-raising team.

     "You do the serious work, and I'll entertain," he quipped to Lombardi.

      Of his own attitude toward acquiring the resources the University needs to partner effectively with local industry, Lombardi said, "If there's a nickel on the table, and you haven't asked for it, you're not doing your job."