UMassOnline Gets New Interim CEO
The University of Massachusetts has appointed a new interim CEO of its Internet learning division, UMassOnline.
John Cunningham was appointed to the position by UMass President Robert L. Caret and has held a variety of faculty and leadership positions at the university for more than 25 years. He's also serving as vice president for academic affairs, student affairs and international relations for the UMass system.
Cunningham will report to Caret in his new role and is replacing former UMassOnline CEO Ken Udas who recently joined the private higher education sector.
According to Caret, Cunningham's main priority will be to complete a process of operational reviews of UMassOnline to fine tune the unit's plan to be competitive in the changing marketplace.
Cunningham has been a member of the faculty at UMass Amherst since 1986. Since that time, he has been the principal investigator on three U.S. Department of Agriculture education grants and served as deputy provost at UMass Amherst for more than a decade. In addition, he oversaw the Division of Continuing and Professional Education and the University Without Walls, units which, according to UMass, have substantial online portfolios delivered through UMassOnline.
"John is an ideal fit for this transitional role while we conduct a national search for a permanent CEO," Caret said. "He has both a broad and deep understanding of the UMass system. He brings a strong faculty perspective as well as a proven understanding of executive leadership responsibilities and demands at the university. And he was innovating successful online learning solutions long before many anticipated their broad use in higher education today."
Cunningham holds a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences from the University of Maryland and undergraduate and master's degrees in biology from Purdue University. He serves as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition and is a fellow of the college. In 2007, he was appointed by Gov. Deval Patrick to serve on the Massachusetts Public Health Council.
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