<p>it is absolutely essential that the citizens of the commonwealth have access to a top-notch, high quality education which is public and therefore accessible to its citizens, regardless of income. if only the wealthy can obtain a top caliber education, then we are all the worse off for it. </p>
<p>we absolutely need to protect umass amherst as the jewel of the public university system. to share the resources of umass amherst with the rest of the system is to dismantle excellence, and the reputation of the system as a whole will diminish if the flagship campus is not strong.</p>
<p>for example, the UC system gets a lot of national interest because of the superior reputation of its best schools. so, too, will the other umass schools benefit from the increasing strength of its flagship campus. when umass amherst shines, the light will fall on all the other schools in the system.</p>
<p>chancellor lombardi understood this and fought to make umass amherst a place of excellence. hopefully, his legacy will remain after his departure. if it does not, then we will surrender a top notch educational opportunity which has been of great value to the citizens of massachusetts.</p>