University of Massachusetts President William Bulger resigned in early August amidst massive budget cuts to the UMass system and political pressure surrounding his fugitive brother, alleged mobster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, even after support from Boston University Chancellor John Silber.
Bulger sought support from Silber, who BU spokesman Kevin Carleton called a longtime friend and political ally of Bulger’s, several times in the months leading up to the embattled UMass president’s resignation, Carleton said. BU’s chancellor also supported Bulger and gave advice to the chairman of the UMass Board of Trustees.
‘It’s quite natural that Bulger would have spoken to him,’ Carleton said.
Bulger also received support from dozens of academic and political leaders throughout the state, including numerous officials in the UMass system. But both Gov. Mitt Romney and Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly, however, called for Bulger’s resignation amidst rumors that he was withholding information about his brother.
UMass trustees supported Bulger throughout nearly four months of mounting controversy, but finally accepted his resignation, which will go into effect Sept. 1, on Aug. 7.
In a statement made to UMass trustees following his resignation, Bulger said his decision was made to protect the university from further ‘calculated political assaults’ which he said threatened the university’s five-campus existence as well as the office of the president.
‘These assaults … come at a time when the University of Massachusetts is struggling to cope with the effects of painful budget cuts,’ Bulger said in the statement. ‘Although we have met the challenges and are up to the task of meeting more, I increasingly believe that the university and its Board of Trustees should not be subject to further assault. I hope that the step I take will be helpful in our effort to provide a measure of protection for the university.’
The political assaults to which Bulger referred were undoubtedly linked to his relationship to his brother, commonly known as Whitey.
Whitey was a leader of South Boston’s infamous Winter Hill Gang, which has been linked to dozens of murders, money laundering and drug trafficking. Before disappearing in 1995, Bulger was indicted on 21 counts of murder and today remains on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.
Since Whitey’s disappearance, Bulger has faced increasing questioning regarding his brother’s whereabouts and, at the request of Romney and Reilly, Bulger was subpoenaed in June before a United States House of Representatives committee investigating FBI relations with mob informants. He testified that he knew nothing about his brother’s whereabouts.
While Bulger has been placed in a brighter spotlight lately, according to UMass Boston Professor of political science Paul Wantanabe, the recent onslaught of questions facing Bulger was motivated primarily by Romney’s political agenda, and not because of any changes in Whitey’s case.
‘From my perspective, by personalizing the whole issue of public higher education as Billy Bulger’s incompetence versus Romney and the legislature’s failure to address public education, Romney has avoided dealing with the real issues,’ he said. ‘Now that Bulger has resigned, the question is, ‘Will the governor now address the state of higher public education, the funding, the lack of support and the impact [the UMass system] has on the 130,000 students that rely upon that system for their economic future.’
Wantanabe also suggested that, similar to Romney, Reilly’s support of Bulger’s resignation was also politically motivated.
‘There are two reasons why Reilly might’ve supported Billy’s resignation,’ Wantanabe said. ‘The personal one is that [Reilly] has been involved in trying to bring Whitey Bulger to justice and that from [Reilly’s] point of view, William Bulger has not been helpful in bringing about that end. The political explanation is that Reilly might have further political aspirations and that he felt there was some political advantage to go after President Bulger at a vulnerable point.’
While neither Romney nor Reilly suggested their actions were taken for political reasons, both released statements following Bulger’s departure expressing their hope for the UMass system’s future.
‘I am excited about the future of the university,’ Romney said in a statement following the resignation. ‘The search for a new president is a positive step forward for reform and the best possible outcome for the university system and its students.’
The search for a replacement for Bulger is now underway. The committee is headed by UMass alumni John F. Welch, Jr. and John F. Smith, Jr. along with Northeastern University President Richard M. Freeland. The committee expects to appoint an interim president to fill Bulger’s place upon his departure.