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Dr. Patricia A. Goler
Patricia A.(Ann) Goler, PhD, was the first African American woman with a PhD. hired in the state college system in Massachusetts. Dr. Goler came to Lowell State College (now UMass Lowell) in 1957 in the Social Sciences department (later the History Department) and eventually became Dean of Liberal Arts. The Goler Fellows Program at UMass Lowell is named in her honor. She was born on April 29, 1929 in Boston, MA, to Clarence and Gertrude (nee Thomas) Goler and died in 1994. In addition to her work at Lowell State College, Dr. Goler was the Chairwoman of the Boston Archdiocese's Commission on Human Rights 1971-1976 and former member of the Archdiocesan Board of Education. She was involved with the process of supporting the Archdiocese in desegregating Boston's parochial schools.

Involvement with the The Catholic Church and the Desegregation of Boston's Public & Parochial Schools
As the head of the archdiocese's Commission on Human Rights, Dr. Golen was a major influence on Cardinal Medeiros' decision to support desegregation. According to the New England Journal of Public Policy, Volume 4 Issue 2 article, "The Catholic Church and the Desegregation of Boston 's Public Schools" by James E. Glinski:

"After Judge W. Arthur Garrity's desegregation ruling in June 1974, Boston was a city marked by a struggle between citizens who supported the desegregation of Boston's public schools and those who did not. The struggle involved all of the city's institutions and their leaders, including the archdiocese of Boston. In a city that was 70 percent Catholic, it was expected that the church would play an influential role in the effort to implement the court's order. However, the church was facing many problems of its own at that time, including an enrollment crisis in its own schools, a multimillion-dollar debt, and an adjustment to a new archbishop, Humberto Cardinal Medeiros, who had been appointed in 1970 following the death of Richard Cardinal Cushing. These problems combined to make it difficult for the church to fulfill expectations that it play a major role in Boston's attempt to desegregate its schools. This article examines the desegregation policy developed by the church and assesses its effect on the implementation of court-ordered school desegregation in Boston.

Judge Garrity's order to implement the first phase of the court's desegregation plan at the beginning of the 1974-75 school year created an enormous dilemma for an archdiocese struggling to keep its schools open but at the same time attempting to remain true to its teachings on social justice and to its cardinal's support for integration. Consistent with his consensus style of leadership and in anticipation of the court order, Cardinal Medeiros made a decision earlier in 1974 to shut the doors of parochial schools to refugees from the busing plan only after extensive consultation with his advisers.

Although the cardinal received input from several church officials, it appears that the major influence on his decision to support the desegregation order by not allowing open enrollment came from Patricia Goler, head of the archdiocese's Commission on Human Rights. Goler had a long history of involvement in the church's work in the inner city and was highly respected by church officials as deeply and unselfishly committed to minority 69 New England Journal of Public Policy rights. She and state Superior Court Judge David Nelson served as the liaison between the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and other inner city organizations, such as Freedom House, and the cardinal. Goler pressured Cardinal Medeiros to testify at the State House in April 1974. 15 It was clear that the cardinal's decision to support racially balanced schools was also the result of his personal convictions and his commitment to following the law even though he might have had doubts about the specifics.

... When Brother Bartholomew Varden, the archdiocesan school superintendent, began receiving calls in December 1973 and January 1974 from distraught pastors warning that people were "lining up" to enroll their children in the parish school for the upcoming school year, the Board of Education decided that it had to make a policy decision soon. 18 Taking into consideration the personal beliefs of Cardinal Medeiros, the strong pressure from Goler and other representatives of the city's minority community, and the views expressed by Vatican II and the National Conference of Bishops, the board decided at its January 25, 1974, meeting not to allow the schools of the archdiocese to become havens for those trying to escape school desegregation.

Dr. Patricia A. Goler Fellows Endowed Scholarship Fund
Dr. Patricia A. Goler Fellows Endowed Scholarship Fund (also known as the Goler Fellows Program) at UMass Lowell is named for Dr. Patricia A. Goler, the distinguished educator, historian and civil rights leader, who served the UMass Lowell community for thirty years and the Commonwealth even longer. Students admitted to UMass Lowell through the Goler Program represent the next class of leaders. The Goler Fellows Program supports qualified students throughout Massachusetts who are seeking to secure their future through higher education.

Each year this program provides a structured plan of studies for first-year students who are the first in their families to attend college and/or whose family earnings are less than 150% of the statewide poverty level. Eligible students must have earned a high school grade point average of at least 2.5 and a minimum combined SAT (reading and math) score of 850.provides  to incoming freshman students who are first-generation college students, have financial need and are U.S. citizens. Recipients must have a high school GPA of 2.5 or higher and a minimum combined SAT (reading and math) score of 850.