Sudden Resignation by UMass Board Chair

Robert Manning, chair of the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees, resigned from the board Wednesday amid reports that he was frustrated with what he viewed as political interference by Gov. Deval Patrick, who appointed him, The Boston Globe reported. The governor recently expressed concerns about the search for a new system president; soon afterward, a leading candidate for the position, Martin T. Meehan, chancellor of the UMass campus at Lowell, withdrew from consideration.