against them: a lack of interest in technological education among college-bound students and a lack of preparedness for the rigors of such an education. Concerned about the decline in the technological work force in the United States, Carney would like to see a renewed emphasis on technology similar to the post-Sputnik clarion call for science and engineering education that spurred him on to graduate school. Universities must play a leading role in such an undertaking, he says. “We’ve got to start getting more young people interested in science and mathematics, and I think that’s got to be a top priority for our country,” Carney says. “The United States is in an educational crisis, and too many high school students can’t even think of going to a university like UMR because they’ve made the wrong choices in high school. Schools like UMR and WPI have to take a proactive role in interacting with the elementary and high schools to stress the importance of technological education.” Carney is certain that UMR is headed in the right direction,
but he believes the campus needs additional support if it is to enter the ranks of the world’s great technological universities. That support must come from increased private donations, additional research funding and growth in the student body. He doesn’t claim to have all the answers, but - working to build consensus, just as he did at WPI for nearly a decade - he will be quick to solicit the ideas of everyone else on the team. One of Carney’s biggest supporters is his wife of 41 years, Pat Carney. “I think Jack’s going to be great in this job,” she says. “I think he has a fantastic personality and he’s a fabulous problem-solver. Plus, he’s just a very nice person.” And ever the consensus seeker, he’s unafraid to solicit the advice of his closest confidant. When asked over dinner about leaders who have influenced him, Carney defers to his wife. “Who are my heroes, Pat?” “Ted Williams,” she says, without missing a beat. Carney shakes his head, grinning. “Enough about baseball,” he says.
Left: C hancellor J a c k Carney w ith his w ife Pat Carney on a Cape Cod beach. Right (from left to right): daughter Catherine Carney, s o n -in -la w Jam es Pogozelski, grandson Leo Pogozelski, w ife Pat Carney, granddaughter Cate Goering, J a c k Carney, grandson A n d re w Goering, s o n -in -la w B radley Goering and daughter Anna Goering.
A family guy Jack Carney's ability to balance work and family life impressed many of his colleagues at WPI. "Jack always balanced a very heavy workload here but always found time to spend with his family," says Laurie Smith, an assistant to Carney when he was WPI provost. "He was very busy," adds Kent J. Rissmiller, an associate professor of social science and policy studies at WPI, "but he would walk home to lunch with his wife many days - not every day, but most days." So who are the people in this family Carney holds so dear? Here's a snapshot: Patricia (Pat) Carney, Jack's wife of 41 years. Also a native of Carney's hometown of Lowell, Mass., she holds a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in library science. Throughout Carney's academic career, Pat has pursued her own career path, working in a 14
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variety of libraries, including Meharry Medical College in Nashville, the Holden (Mass.) Public Library and University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. Daughter Anna Goering of Southborough, Mass., who graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt University in molecular biology and French, then earned master's degrees in French literature and environmental engineering from Cornell University. She and her husband, Bradley Goering, have two children, Andrew, 5, and Cate, 3. Daughter Catherine Carney of Cambridge, Mass., who majored in computer science and art at Northwestern University and is now a software analyst. She and her husband, James Pogozelski, have one son, Leo, 9 months.