Marty Meehan, the first undergraduate alumnus to lead the five-campus University of Massachusetts system, has served as president since 2015, following 8 years as Chancellor of UMass Lowell. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2007.
With an abiding belief in public higher education’s power to transform lives, President Meehan has called the University of Massachusetts “the most important institution in Massachusetts in the critical areas of social mobility and economic growth.” Under his leadership, the university’s enrollment has grown to 75,000 students, institutional financial aid has grown to more than $350 million per year, and the research enterprise has reached $684 million in annual investment.
Representing the 5th Congressional District in the U.S. House, President Meehan served on the House Armed Services and Judiciary committees and established a national reputation for his legislative leadership. He earned recognition for efforts to protect the public from the health risks of tobacco and pass the 2002 bi-partisan campaign reform law, known as the McCain-Feingold Bill in the Senate and the Shays-Meehan Bill in the House.
Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, President Meehan was one of seven children in a family where the importance of education was emphasized. A first-generation college student, he attended Lowell public schools and graduated cum laude from UMass Lowell in 1978 with a degree in education and political science. He earned a master’s degree in public administration from Suffolk University in 1981 and a juris doctor from Suffolk University Law School in 1986.