University of Massachusets Athletics
Goodhue Named Interim A.D.; Search Committee Formed
February 05, 2015 | General
Robert M. Goodhue, University of Massachusetts Foundation chief operating officer and general counsel, will serve as interim director during the search. John Kennedy, vice chancellor for university relations, will chair the search committee.
Associate Chancellor Susan Pearson, who led two previous AD searches and has served as an informal advisor on athletic matters to three chancellors, will serve as interim deputy athletic director during the search.
Subbaswamy said, "We are most fortunate to have Bob Goodhue, a skilled and caring champion of UMass Amherst, ready to guide the department through this transition. A double alumnus, Bob has a lifelong commitment to the university and a most impressive record of service. I am delighted that he has agreed to take on yet another role for the good of the athletic department and the university."
Goodhue, who has served the university in a variety of volunteer and professional capacities, said, "I am humbled to have the honor even for a short time to lead this department filled with great student-athletes, coaches and staff. I am a lifelong Minuteman and will devote all my energies to ensuring that the department is running smoothly when the new permanent director comes aboard. I thank Chancellor Subbaswamy for his confidence in me and wish John and Sue McCutcheon and their family nothing but the best as they head to the Golden West. Go UMass!"
The search committee will screen candidates for the post and make recommendations to the chancellor. The other members are James Julian, executive vice president of the UMass system; Enku Gelaye, vice chancellor for student affairs and campus life; Chris Crooker, assistant vice chancellor for development; Christine McCormick, dean of the College of Education; Joan Hopkins, associate athletic director of academic support services and interim senior women's administrator; Rebecca Spencer, faculty athletic representative to the NCAA and a member of the Faculty Senate's Athletic Council; Carla Tagliente, field hockey coach; student-athlete football quarterback Blake Frohnapfel; student-athlete tennis player Chanel Glasper; and alumni John Kennedy, Jim Hunt and Rodney Byrd.
As a volunteer, Goodhue was general counsel to the UMass Amherst Alumni Association and served as its vice president and president. He was the driving force behind the University of Massachusetts Club in Boston, and with head coach Mark Whipple he founded Friends of UMass Football in 2002. He has served on the UMass Amherst Athletic Council and the UMass Amherst Athletic Hall of Fame Committee since 1999.
In 1999 he assumed the professional role of special assistant to the president for alumni affairs at the university. In 2003 he was appointed executive director of alumni affairs and in 2006 became executive director of corporate relations. Also that year he moved to the UMass Foundation and became its legal counsel. Goodhue, a founder and managing partner of the law firm of Goodhue and Goodhue, is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UMass Amherst with a B.A. in government and a master's in sports studies. He holds a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.
"As we strive to build on our past success, the Commonwealth's flagship campus needs dynamic and visionary leadership for its athletic program," Subbaswamy said. "Our new athletic director should possess the skills and knowledge to sustain and grow a program that exemplifies integrity, enhances the academic careers of our student-athletes, instills pride among our alumni and enjoys the support of the campus community and UMass fans all across the country."