UMass President brings bus tour to Worcester, Mass.

(NECN: Brendan Monahan, Worcester, MA) - He's not a politician, but new UMass President Robert Caret is on a campaign.

He brought his education tour to Worcester Wednesday

“High-paced, well attended and the way you'd expect,” said Caret. “People have been receptive to the message that education needs more support.”

Caret took the job this summer after serving as President of Towson University. He toured Worcester’s new North high school, which Superintendent Dr. Melinda Boone says has a very strong relationship with the UMass Medical School.

“They address career choices, types of courses, examine data around how students are doing,” said Boone.

The med school has 1,200 students and thousands of staffers. It works with city schools in everything from internships to lab work.

“Very successful program,” said Caret. “One third of students in the school are part of the pipeline for medical fields, a high number are going to college and that's what we like.”

The President plans to release annual report cards on student feedback and how each UMass campus is competing against peer schools

President Caret says he can already see how much the medical school contributes to the local economy and hopes he can help add to it.

Caret says the cost of a UMass, average $25,000 a year for Bay State residents, is a popular topic of debate. He intends to work with the state to make a UMass education as affordable as possible.

“That's a lot of money and society's not helping,” said Caret. “Kids are graduating 30,000 dollars in debt after four years of school.”