Diversity and Community at UMass Amherst
It’s a priority at UMass Amherst to foster a diverse community of faculty, staff, and students. Our diversity support programs help achieve this goal, but we also have a long history of bringing students of color and under-represented populations to campus through enriching academic programs. As a result, we can boast a community of student scholars who excel in the fields of accounting and management, who are the next generation of mechanical and civil engineers and our future mathematicians and computer science gurus, and who lead and strengthen the field of nursing.
Consider the programs below as you plan your college career, and visit the websites or contact the appropriate school or college for more information.
Isenberg School of Management: Diversity in Management Education Services (DiMES)
The Isenberg School of Management sponsors Diversity in Management Education Services (DiMES). Their goal is to introduce more students of color to Isenberg’s educational programs and to promote diversity within the school’s community. With a multicultural community, Isenberg students learn in an environment that truly mirrors today’s business professions and therefore gain an edge in their careers. To recruit students, counselors from the program visit high schools and college fairs throughout New England. DiMES also works closely with Isenberg undergraduate advising and other campus support programs to provide academic advising, tutoring services, and other forms of support once a student enrolls at UMass Amherst. On a national level, DiMES also works closely with the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, the National Association of Black Accountants, and INROADS.
More on the Isenberg School of Management
College of Engineering: Multicultural Engineering Program (MEP)
The Multicultural Engineering Program at UMass Amherst works to recruit students of color and to make sure they’re successful in the engineering field of their choice. MEP recruits traditionally under-represented minority students (those of African American, Native American, Hispanic, and Cape Verdean descendent with U.S. citizenship or permanent U.S. residence) through visits to high schools in Massachusetts and college fairs nationwide, and by hosting an annual career day for high school students. To support students once they enroll in the UMass Amherst College of Engineering, they provide academic advising, tutoring, mentoring, and financial aid counseling. They also work with students to find research, co-operative education, and internship opportunities during their college years, and jobs upon graduation.
Find out more at the Multicultural Engineering Program section of the College of Engineering‘s website.
School of Nursing: Embracing the Challenge
With Massachusetts and much of the nation facing a growing shortage of registered nurses, the School of Nursing at UMass Amherst has launched a federally funded effort to recruit more students of color and disadvantaged students to the field. The goal of Embracing the Challenge is to increase by 20 percent the number of students of color or students from disadvantaged backgrounds enrolling in nursing programs at the local community colleges and UMass Amherst. Simultaneously the program aims to raise the percentage of juniors and seniors from these populations in the School of Nursing from 15 percent to 25 percent of the school’s total enrollment. They will reach out to prospective students through such activities as mentoring and tutoring programs in math and science, nursing clubs for middle school students, and social and information sessions for high schoolers. The school will also offer workshops aimed at enhancing multicultural communication and support skills for faculty, staff, and students within the school of nursing in order to break down stereotypes and promote a deeper appreciation for cultural and ethnic differences.
School of Nursing website
Louis S. Stokes Program (LSAMP)
Students with interests in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (aka STEM disciplines) and who are from under-represented populations, will find support through the Northeastern Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program (LSAMP). Supported by the National Science Foundation, the LSAMP program works with other universities in New England to double the amount of students from under-represented populations who enroll in these areas of study, and to support them through graduation. Their activities include pre-college and college academic preparation, research opportunities, and graduate school support. Each university that participates in the alliance organizes activities on their own campus and participates in alliance-wide programs as well.
If you're interested in a STEM discipline and would like more information on this program, contact the school or college that houses your major of choice (the College of Engineering, the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the College of Natural Resources and the Environment, or the School of Public Health and Health Sciences). You‘ll find their phone numbers on the Contact Us page.
The Women of Color Leadership Network
Women of color on the UMass Amherst campus will find a welcoming and empowering home away from home with the Women of Color Leadership Network (WOCLN). This is the place for African American, Latina, Asian American, Native American, Middle Eastern American, Multiracial, and Multicultural women to create connections, find their voice, prepare for life and work beyond college, and just kick back. The WOCLN provides advocacy, coaching, mentoring, internships, and a wide range of workshops and events, all with the aim of strengthening self-identity as well as community. You might participate in their extensive leadership training, their workshops on health, career development, and cultural identity, their art events, or come by to learn about yoga and meditation. It’s a unique resource, and a little bit of an oasis, in the midst of a complex and active campus.
For more information call (413) 545-1671 or email wocln@stuaf.umass.edu.
National Science Foundation (NSF) Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Project
If you have a penchant for math, science, technology, or engineering and you dream of going to graduate school, UMass Amherst participates in a program that may help. UMass Amherst leads a consortium of colleges and universities that assists under-represented students seeking advanced degrees the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. We recognize the need for a highly skilled diverse work force but see a lack of students of color who apply for positions in STEM graduate programs. UMass Amherst is at the forefront of the charge to assist students of color with graduate studies and postdoctoral fellows. Through the AGEP project, UMass Amherst recruits undergraduates and sponsors such projects as the Summer Programs for Undergraduate Research (SPUR). When participating students are accepted into Ph.D. programs in the STEM disciplines, the program offers financial support and mentoring to ensure that their graduate studies are rewarding. In addition, they encourage students to consider careers as professors when they finish their degrees.
You can find out more about the program and dream about your future at the Northeast AGEP website.
