Towson University President Robert L. Caret is a leading candidate to become the next president of the University of Massachusetts system, according to published reports in Boston.
Caret and the departing chancellor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Phillip Clay, are among the candidates who will sit for a second round of interviews Jan. 13, the Boston Globe reported. The UMass board of trustees could announce its selection after a special session the same day, a spokesman for the system said. The spokesman said he could not confirm or deny Caret's candidacy.
Asked about the UMass search, Caret responded with a statement: "After 16 years in two successful presidencies, I am contacted by institutions and firms inquiring about my interest in a search they are conducting. On occasion, I may have conversations with them; however, I am extremely pleased with the work we are doing and the successes we've achieved at Towson University."
Caret became Towson's 12th president in 2003 and is often credited with making the university a more ambitious and selective institution. He has been a rumored candidate for the presidencies of several other universities and was a finalist to take the top job at Temple University in 2006.
After earning a doctorate in organic chemistry, he has spent most of his career at Towson, though he left to serve as president of San Jose State University from 1995 to 2003.
The Massachusetts system consists of five universities and about 65,000 students. Caret was one of 14 candidates who participated in the first round of interviews to replace departing President Jack Wilson, according to the Globe report.