Marty Meehan

A week after the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees approved a three percent tuition hike, UMass President Marty Meehan says the university is looking to cut costs and increase efficiency.

As students are increasingly stressed about their finances, debt-free college is all the rage. Politicians are using the concept as an attractive campaign platform, but critics say it makes more sense in theory than in practice.

Marty Meehan will be formally installed as the 27th President of the University of Massachusetts on Thursday. The former congressman and University of Massachusetts Lowell Chancellor will present his vision for the university’s future during his inauguration ceremony at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate.

Wednesday was former Congressman Marty Meehan’s first day on the job as president of the University of Massachusetts. He's the system's 27th president, but its first graduate to lead the university. Meehan spent his first day meeting with students.

The University of Massachusetts has selected its next president: former congressman Marty Meehan. Meehan will become the first UMass graduate to lead the system, and he’ll face a unique set of challenges.

And then there were two. The University of Massachusetts is one step closer to choosing its next president, as a presidential search committee has named two finalists: UMass-Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan and Harvard business professor John Quelch.