Announcement
Boston, MA —
Media Contact
Nicole Sullivan, 617-824-8540, nicole_sullivan [at] emerson.edu (nicole_sullivan[at]emerson[dot]edu)
Emerson College today announced it will honor former Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston and community leader Keith Motley with the Emerson College President’s Award for Civic Leadership, which recognizes outstanding individuals who have demonstrated civic leadership that has advanced the common good. The award will be presented to Motley at a ceremony to be held at the Emerson Paramount Center (555 Washington Street, Boston) on Wednesday, September 13, 2017.
The eighth Chancellor of UMASS Boston, Motley successfully launched a highly ambitious master plan and strategic planning initiative that enhanced the institution’s standing in research while remaining true to its teaching origins, oversaw a significant increase in enrollment and graduates, and increased the institution’s reputation as a source of knowledge and public service.
Motley’s personal dedication to community service has improved the lives of many individuals and made a positive impact on society. He is Founder of the Roxbury Preparatory Charter School and Chair Emeritus of the School’s Board of Trustees; Founder and Education Chair of Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts, Inc., and the Paul Robeson Institute for Positive Self-Development; and serves on several civic-focused boards, including Carney Hospital (as Chair of the Board of Trustees), Freedom House, the Boston Foundation, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, and the Newbury College Board of Trustees. Additionally, he has served on boards for numerous higher education organizations including Chair of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and service on the boards of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the American Council on Education (ACE).
“Keith embodies the qualities that this award celebrates. We are very much looking forward to honoring him this fall and recognizing his contributions to higher education, as well as his community-minded actions and generosity that continue to inspire individuals, communities, and institutions,” said Emerson College President Lee Pelton.
Established in 2015, in collaboration with Emerson’s Elma Lewis Center for Civic Engagement, Learning, and Research, past recipients of the President’s Award for Civic Leadership include Drs. and Pastors Gloria White-Hammond and Ray Hammond and journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones.
About the College
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city’s Theatre District, Emerson College educates individuals who will solve problems and change the world through engaged leadership in communication and the arts, a mission informed by liberal learning. The College has 3,780 undergraduates and 670 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 90 student organizations and performance groups. Emerson is known for its experiential learning programs in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, the Netherlands, London, China, and the Czech Republic as well as its new Global Portals, with the first opening last fall in Paris. The College has an active network of 51,000 alumni who hold leadership positions in communication and the arts. For more information, visit Emerson.edu.
For more information contact
Michelle Gaseau
