Barry Mills, who served as Bowdoin’s fourteenth president from 2001 to 2015, has been named deputy chancellor and chief operating officer of the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Boston, where he will oversee the academic and research program and campus operations, and will work with Chancellor J. Keith Motley on developing and refining long-term strategy for the campus.

“When I left Bowdoin, I spoke often about finding the next challenge and about my interest in public higher education,” said Mills. “In retirement, I have done some consulting for UMass and the challenge of public higher education has become even more interesting and compelling to me—the mission is central to the common good. So, when UMass approached me about getting involved with UMass Boston, I agreed to take this on to make an impact at a public urban research university.”

UMass Boston, with approximately 14,000 undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students, is known for conducting research in public health, education, and the environment. UMass Boston faculty researchers played a significant role in planning and executing the cleanup of Boston Harbor and are now working to eliminate racially-based health disparities. UMass Boston has a major cancer-research partnership with the Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. The university attracts students from throughout the nation and 150 countries.

Read more about the Mills appointment at the UMass website.