Amid economic bust, a boom at UMass

Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a nonpartisan research group, says UMass's role as a catalyst is often overlooked, but its research and graduates, most of whom stay in the state, create "a very powerful combination'' for the state's economy. "One of the keys,'' he added, "is they've recognized that they have to master their own future, and steer their own course.''