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Welcome to the 2010-11 Academic Year

September 8, 2010

Welcome to the start of the 2010-11 academic year! If you were away for the summer, we're glad you are back. For those of you here for the first time, welcome to UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship institution. UMass Amherst is a big part of the reason that the Town of Amherst has been hailed as the best college town in North America.

In May, when students departed after commencement, my wife, Sabine, and I remarked how desolate the campus is when the full complement of students and faculty is not here. So we're delighted that the new semester is beginning and that the campus is full and vibrant again.

Many of us have been here over the summer: faculty doing research and teaching; students involved in various summer activities; and administrators and staff preparing for the fall term and keeping the campus beautiful and in good repair.

We have a lot to report about successes at UMass Amherst and a great deal to look forward to this year:

• Last spring we graduated a record number of undergraduates, over 4,800, which is more than any other institution of higher education in the state.
• We had a record number of applications last year and are welcoming to campus this fall the largest class in our history. We have over 350 more out-of-state and international students in the class of 2014 than last year, and also a greater number of Massachusetts residents. The class of 2014 also has a greater grade point average in high school than any previous class.
• We will also welcome to campus 40 new tenure track faculty members, who will join a most distinguished group, which has the 8th highest percentage of underrepresented faculty among the nation's very high research activity universities.
• We ranked 4th in New England in funding from the National Science Foundation, just behind Harvard and ahead of Yale University.
• We continue to be a highly regarded university in rankings of the US News and World Report. Our faculty profile and academic reputation were number one among public institutions in New England once again.
• Last year we broke campus records in research awards and in fundraising.

This term we are looking forward to a number of exciting occurrences:

• The faculty first-year seminar program that was piloted last year will have more than 40 sections and 500 enrolled students this fall.
• Starting this fall, students interested in pursuing a science major at UMass Amherst will be able to choose a completely new, enhanced science education program. The "Integrated Concentration in Science Program," or iCons, will integrate multiple science disciplines in each course on four themes: renewable energy, biomedicine, climate change, and clean water. iCons is believed to be the first program of its kind in the nation.
• In a few days "Just a Rumor," a new work by nationally acclaimed artist Anna Schuleit, will be painted on the concrete façade of the Fine Arts Center. The three-story-high, upside-down portrait of a face can be viewed right-side-up on the surface of the adjacent campus pond.

• Our Minutemen football team will play against Michigan on Sept. 18 in Ann Arbor, and will participate in an historic first on Oct. 23, when they compete against New Hampshire in the "Colonial Clash," the first college game ever played at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. (Information about the "Colonial Clash" is provided at the end of this email.)
• We are gearing up to launch our statewide campaign to realize our role as the Commonwealth's flagship campus. Our Boston office is open and doing business; I will personally travel around the state to talk about our campus with prospective students, their parents, legislators, business people, and local politicians. Besides football in Gillette Stadium, we will be playing basketball in Boston's TD Garden and in the MassMutual Center in Springfield, and our new digital TV coverage with CBS 3 Now ensures exposure of 100 home games in all sports across the state and the region. Finally, we will expand our efforts to attract students from community colleges and high schools with first-generation and low-income students across the Commonwealth.

We are excited about our accomplishments and eagerly anticipate successes in the coming months, but we are still concerned about our budget situation. After a very anxious June, we had some good news in August: we will be receiving additional funds from federal stimulus dollars for the current fiscal year. We are grateful to the governor and to our legislature for their support. We must also recognize, however, that the funding we will likely receive this year is over $30 million less than what we received last year, and next year will likely be just as difficult for us due to the structural deficit in the state's budget and the absence of further stimulus dollars.

Despite these challenges, the pioneer spirit is alive and well in the Pioneer Valley, and with the support of the campus community, alumni, and friends, we expect 2010-11 to be a great year. I am pleased that we have attracted so many accomplished students to Amherst, thrilled about the outstanding faculty we have recruited, and thankful that after the long, hot summer, the semester has finally begun and the campus has returned to its normal frenetic activity. In the coming months, I hope you will all cheer on our Minutemen and Minutewomen, take advantage of cultural activities, and participate in the life of this wonderful campus.

Here's to a productive and enjoyable semester – and Go UMass!

Chancellor Robert C. Holub

 

The Colonial Clash: UMass and UNH, Oct. 23 at Gillette Stadium For all the latest event, ticket and bus information, click here: www.umassathletics.com/sports/m-footbl/colonialclash.html