UMass Lowell Chancellor Receives Award Named for Tech Pioneer
06/11/2019
Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – Before an audience of more than 200 technology and civic leaders at Boston’s Seaport Hotel, the Massachusetts High Technology Council honored University of Massachusetts Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney with its Ray Stata Leadership and Innovation Award at its 2019 Annual Meeting this week.
Moloney, a national leader in innovation in higher education, was appointed chancellor by the UMass Board of Trustees in 2015 and is the first woman to lead the university since its founding in 1894. An early proponent of integrating entrepreneurial lessons and opportunities throughout campus life, she was a pioneer in web-based learning and continuing education.
The Stata Award was created by the council in 2017 and is awarded to a technology leader who is active in Massachusetts and exhibits the key leadership qualities and commitment to philanthropy and civic engagement possessed and demonstrated by Massachusetts technology pioneer Ray Stata, the founder of Analog Devices and a co-founder of the High Tech Council.
“It is an honor to be presented with the Ray Stata Leadership and Innovation Award. At UMass Lowell, we work every day to find ways to partner with industry. These collaborations provide hands-on learning opportunities for our students through co-ops and internships and enhance our faculty’s research efforts. I know Ray Stata was an early and vocal champion of this united approach to lift up the Commonwealth and I am thankful to him and the Massachusetts High Technology Council for their continued advocacy and friendship,” said Moloney, noting that inaugural Stata Award winner and outgoing council Chairman Aron Ain, CEO of Kronos Inc., is one of the university’s closest industry partners.
Ain said he has seen firsthand what a “great leader” Moloney is, noting how many graduates of the university his company has hired. “I tell everyone who will listen UMass Lowell is a blessing to Kronos and a blessing to the Commonwealth.”
In May, UMass Lowell launched is Preferred Partner Program to further strengthen ties with the more than 1,000 companies and organizations the university works with for co-ops, research, workforce, education, job fairs and more.
Jerry Colella, CEO of MKS Instruments, presented Moloney with the Stata Award.
“If you want to see amazing examples of innovation, walk the UMass Lowell campus and see the Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center where the University and leading corporations such as Raytheon partner on major breakthrough initiatives,” Colella said. “Sit in on the presentations at the [student entrepreneurial competition] DifferenceMaker or the River Hawk Venture Fund where small businesses and young entrepreneurs are given a chance to grow and prosper under the watchful eye of the university.”
“I could list countless more examples,” he added, “but the common denominator is Jacquie’s drive for innovation, advancement, and her leadership.”
For the last two years, UMass Lowell has been ranked in the top 10 among the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts by Boston Globe Magazine and the Commonwealth Institute and in 2017, Moloney was recognized as one of seven prominent “Women Who Mean Business” by the Boston Business Journal.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu