News and Announcements

UMass Amherst Commencement to Honor Exceptional Student Leadership and Achievement

The University of Massachusetts Amherst will again honor the exemplary achievement, initiative and leadership of its most talented and accomplished undergraduates during Undergraduate Commencement.

Thirteen graduating seniors have been named 21st Century Leaders and will be honored for far-ranging achievement, initiative and social awareness. Twelve of those being recognized are members of Commonwealth Honors College. This year’s 21st Century Scholars are:

• Hannah "Rivka" Dolberg Barrett of Lexington, a psychology major with a research interest in the stereotyping and the social and personal consequence of hearing loss who will attend Australian National University in Canberra as a Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar.

• Daniel K. Burke, a double major in accounting and psychology from Sandwich who, as a Big Brother/Big Sister volunteer, ensured that the family with whom he had worked was provided for after they lost their home and possessions in last October’s snow emergency.

• Maheen Chaudhry, a double major in biology and psychology from Hadley, whose research projects included quality of life issues for people with Huntington’s disease and early indicators of Alzheimer’s disease.

• Caitlin R. Ellis, a double major in legal studies and political science from Billerica, who served as an intern and later as office manager for the Massachusetts Appeals Court and who will attend Suffolk University Law School under a Trustees Merit Scholarship.

• Andrew Erwin of Mansfield, a mechanical engineering major, runner and resident assistant who, as a first-year student, was part of a team that modified a Faraday flashlight so that it could charge a battery and be attached to a user’s shoe to recharge an electronic device with energy generated by walking.

• Tara A. Mahendrarajah, a microbiology major from Framingham whose research focused on plant-degrading bacteria and applications in biofuels development. She also received a Goldwater Scholarship for Excellence in Education, the nation’s most prestigious award for undergraduates in the sciences.

• John I. Mange, Jr. of North Andover, a music major with concentrations in trumpet performance, music education and music theory who was the founding president of the campus’s chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Music Fraternity and who received 2010 Presser Award for outstanding achievement in music.

• Michael McDonough, a finance major from Woburn who received the Isenberg School of Management’s 2012 Faculty Award for Excellence in Finance and is a co-founder of the Isenberg Advancement Program, created to foster community within the school.

• Yevin Roh of Dorchester, a public health sciences major, sociology minor and resident assistant who is the outgoing president of the Student Government Association and who was a major contributor to the Code of Student Conduct’s hate crime and hate speech policy.

• Erica Rothschild of Riverdale, New York,, who pursued a degree in social justice education and conflict resolution through the Bachelor’s Degree with Individual Concentration program. Her volunteer initiatives spanned political and cultural causes, and she will work with the Jewish Service Corps next year.

• Christopher M. Roy, a microbiology major from Berlin, New Hampshire, whose Marine Corps service included deployment in Iraq. He helped form Bacteriotix, a small biotech startup, whose goal is to identify and develop novel antimicrobials active against bacterial pathogens, which led to his team winning the $30,000 Isenberg School of Management’s Innovation Challenge.

• Jose Enrique Torres-Cooban of Marietta, Georgia, who majored in civil and environmental engineering and minored in geology after receiving a bachelor’s degree in music from New York University and completing the first year of a master’s degree program at the New England Conservatory of Music, and who has been deeply involved in Engineers Without Borders.

• Chia-Ying Wu, a dual major in music and psychology from Taiwan and gifted violinist who combined her interests in music and psychology in the campus’s developmental disability and human services program.

In addition, six graduating seniors will be recognized for their leadership and executive ability as Jack Welch Scholars. They are:

• Daniel K. Burke, also a 21st Century Leader Award winner, whose studies have taken him to Ireland, Italy, Brazil, Australia, Hong Kong and Cuba, and who has led the Isenberg School of Management Undergraduate Leadership Council and Commonwealth Honors College’s Student Advisory Board.

• Kevin Cunningham, a chemical engineering major from Braintree who has conducted materials engineering research at UMass Amherst, MIT and Harvard and who, as a brother in Pi Kappa Phi, helped build wheelchair ramps in the Amherst area.

• Rebecca F. Guihan of Melrose, a civil and environmental engineering major whose independent research honors thesis evaluated the quality of the Climate Forecast System model and its usefulness in systems operational planning, and who, elected to the board of the Society of Women Engineers, created a mentoring program for first-year and transfer women students.

• Nicholas Jacek, a computer systems engineering major from Tyngsboro, whose senior thesis on vehicular networks and collision-warning systems helped to develop an adaptive algorithm for driver-reaction time.

• Laura Surdek of West Roxbury, an operations and information management major who served as fundraising co-chair for the Isenberg School of Management’s Honors Council and as vice president of corporate liaisons for the campus chapter of the operations management association APICS.

• Patrick Witz, a double major in accounting and economics from East Longmeadow, who was a lead financial analyst for the Minutemen Equity Fund, helping to manage the student-run portion of the UMass endowment.

The student speaker at the Undergraduate Commencement will be graduating senior Isaac Himmelman of Santa Monica, California, a political science major with a minor in Judaic and Near Eastern studies. An enthusiastic boxer and pianist, Himmelman’s passion for performance led to his involvement with the Daniel Pearl Foundation, where he helped coordinate the organization’s second annual world-music festival.

Legendary Television Newsman Ted Koppel Will Speak, Receive Honorary Degree at Commencement

Ted Koppel, one of the nation’s most highly respected and honored television journalists, will be the featured speaker at Undergraduate Commencement.

Koppel’s legendary work on ABC News’ “Nightline” defined modern television journalism by conducting the first live interviews on a daily basis with newsmakers across the globe, beginning with the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979. As anchor and managing editor, his reporting touched on every major news story for 25 years, making him the longest-serving news anchor in network history. Currently, he is a special correspondent with “Rock Center with Brian Williams” on NBC.

UMass Amherst Chancellor Robert Holub said Koppel is an excellent choice to inspire graduates. “Ted Koppel worked his way to the pinnacle of his profession and has reported on some of the most important events in the last half century. Throughout it all, he has been a calm and reasoned reporter of facts and an insightful observer of human behavior during the most stressful periods of our collective history. He has earned the trust of his colleagues and the respect of his audience with his extraordinary professionalism and skill.”

Koppel’s broadcasting career spans half a century, and he has been honored with every major professional recognition. He left “Nightline” in November 2005 and was named managing editor of the Discovery Channel, anchoring and producing long-form programming that examined major global events. In addition to his “Rock Center” role, he currently contributes to NPR’s “Talk of the Nation.”

He began his broadcasting career as an NBC news page and then took a job at WMCA Radio, New York. In 1963, Koppel joined ABC Radio News as a correspondent for its daily Flair Reports program, where one of his first assignments was to cover the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Koppel moved to television in 1966 when reporting on the Vietnam War. During his 42 years at ABC News, Koppel also worked as anchor of “The ABC Saturday Night News,” chief diplomatic correspondent, Vietnam War correspondent and Hong Kong bureau chief. He has also had a major reporting role in every presidential campaign since 1964.

Koppel’s broadcasting honors include the Edward R. Murrow Lifetime Achievement Award, 41 Emmy Awards, eight George Foster Peabody Awards, 10 duPont-Columbia Awards, 10 Overseas Press Club Awards, two George Polk Awards and two Sigma Delta Chi Awards, the highest honor bestowed for public service by the Society of Professional Journalists. Among his other tributes are the first Gold Baton in the history of the duPont-Columbia Awards for “Nightline’s” weeklong series originating from South Africa, the Gabriel Personal Achievement Award from the National Catholic Association of Broadcasters and Communicators and selection as a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Republic of France. He has received more than 20 honorary degrees from universities in the United States.

A native of Lancashire, England, Koppel moved to the United States with his parents when he was 13 years old and became a U.S. citizen in 1963. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Syracuse University and a master’s degree in mass communications research and political science from Stanford University.

Koppel is married to Grace Anne Dorney of New York City. They live in Maryland, and have four children and seven grandchildren.

Sign Up for Senior Portrait Sessions

Sign up now for cap and gown portraits to be taken April 24-26 when GradImages® will be offering free cap and gown portrait sittings at UMass Amherst.

• Each portrait sitting is efficient and takes less than 15 minuntes and will result in multiple image choices
• Free proofs of all images will be e-mailed and mailed to you, so there is no need to make your purchasing decision on that day
• You have nothing to lose!  There is no obligation to purchase these photographs
• Our staff will have complete commencement regalia on site for you to use.
• Wear a nice shirt/blouse.  Even though the provided gown will cover most of your clothes, the top part of the shirt is noticeable.  Men, wear a dress shirt and bring a tie.
• Be prepared to look your best.

Portrait sessions will take place in Memorial Hall from 10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on:
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012

Schedule your appointment online.

Parents, Stay Informed!

Sign up for the Office of Parent Services Mailing List and keep up with what's happening on campus as your student prepares to graduate from UMass Amherst.The parent mailing list is a bimontly email news to families about timely issues, campus happenings, and important upcoming dates for students and tips for families.

The Office of Parent Services is dedicated to helping families with their transition to the university. The office is here to answer questions, provide timely information and updates, and assist parents and guardians with questions or concerns. Their helpful, knowledgeable staff responds to your phone call or email and is a place to contact when you don't know where to go.