Talking Points

21st Century Leaders, Welch Scholars to be recognized at Commencement

The exemplary achievement, initiative and leadership of some of the university’s most talented and accomplished graduating seniors will be recognized during Undergraduate Commencement on May 10 beginning at 5 p.m. at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
 
Eleven graduating seniors have been named 21st Century Leaders and will be honored for far-ranging achievement, initiative and social awareness. Ten of those being recognized are members of Commonwealth Honors College.

  • Zachary Robert Bemis, a Civil Engineering major with a minor in Geology, is from Southborough.

Senior Caroline Conena honored at State House

Senior Caroline Conena of East Sandwich was honored May 2 at the State House as one of “29 Who Shine,” a group of outstanding students from each of the community colleges, state universities and UMass campuses.

A double major in Public Health and Business Management, Conena is graduating with a 4.0 GPA. As a peer mentor, she provided crucial academic support to first-year students. As an Commonwealth Honors College peer ambassador, she met with Massachusetts high school students to acquaint them with the colleges programs and opportunities.

For two years, Conena has interned at

Honorary degrees, awards to be presented at Commencement ceremonies

Undergraduate Commencement on Friday, May 10 will feature a keynote address by Kenneth I. Chenault, chairman and CEO of American Express. He will speak to 5,500 graduating seniors at McGuirk Alumni Stadium where friends, family and alumni will gather to take part in a full day’s schedule of commencement observances. The ceremony runs from 5-6:30 p.m.
 
Chenault will also receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at the ceremony.

Outstanding teaching, research and outreach honored

The highest standards in teaching, research, outreach and invention among members of the faculty were recognized April 29 at the UMass Honors dinner held as part of Founders Week.

Four faculty members and two graduate students have been chosen to receive the Distinguished Teaching Award, the highest honor awarded on campus for excellence in teaching and learning.

The tenure system faculty winners are Christian Appy, History, Elizabeth Connor, Biology, and Robert Nakosteen, Operations and Information Management.

Center for Research on Families announces student award winners

The Center for Research on Families recently awarded $39,200 in funding to 11 undergraduate and graduate students with an interest in researching issues related to the family.
 
Now in its fourth year, CRF’s Student Awards Program supports student research, training and conference travel and provides opportunities for students to work with faculty on research projects. Awardees engage with the center by attending two roundtable events to present their research.
 
The CRF Family Research Graduate Student Fellowship provided $10,000 to three doctoral students for one year to work with a faculty

UMassGives raises $83,947 in online gifts in just 36 hours

The campus’s first-ever fundraising campaign driven by social media was a resounding success this week, raising $83,947 during a 36-hour event that included 1,533 online gifts as the campus kicked off its 150th birthday celebration.

Sarah Sligo, executive director of Annual Giving, said, “Our alumni and friends, faculty and staff really rose to the challenge with this campaign. So many made it clear that UMass gives so much to the Commonwealth and beyond, and they wanted to give something back.

First land animals kept fishlike jaws for millions of years, says biologist

Scientists studying how early land vertebrates evolved from fishes long thought that the animals developed legs for moving around on land well before their feeding systems and dietary habits changed enough to let them eat a land-based diet, but strong evidence was lacking. Now, for the first time fossil jaw measurements by Philip Anderson, a senior research fellow in Biology, and others have tested and statistically confirmed this lag.
 
“This pattern had been hypothesized previously, but not really tested. Now we've done that,” Anderson says.

Three teams share $55,250 in Innovation Challenge prizes

The Innovation Challenge final business plan competition has awarded $55,250 to three competing teams. Fetch Rewards won the top prize of $30,000. VideoConversation won a total of $15,000 at the event while Crowd Solar received $10,000.
 
Since 2005, the UMass Innovation Challenge has provided more than $500,000 in awards to 65 different student-led teams. It is designed to help current students and young alumni who have innovative business ideas to develop business plans and move products closer to market. This year’s final round competition was held April 17.
 
The top winner, Fetch Rewards

150-pound birthday cake cut as campus celebrates Founders Day

Thousands of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends attended festivities marking Founders Day celebration on April 29 on the 150th anniversary of the signing of the campus charter. Among the highlights was the ceremonial cutting of a 150-pound birthday cake created in the shape of the iconic Old Chapel.
 
It was on April 29, 1863 that Gov. John Andrews signed the charter to form Massachusetts Agricultural College, creating the first Board of Trustees for what would become Massachusetts State College in 1931 and the University of Massachusetts in 1947.
 
Befitting the occasion,

House approves $34 billion state budget for fiscal 2014

The state House of Representatives approved a $34 billion fiscal 2014 state budget on April 24.
 
The measure, which passed 127-29, adds nearly $135 million to the spending plan proposed by the House Ways and Means Committee and includes $39 million in new funding for the UMass system.
 
Currently, the state provides 43 percent of the cost to educate a student with students providing 57 percent. The university has proposed, under the leadership of President Robert Caret, that funding to reach the 50-50 formula could be phased in over a two-year period given the state’s fiscal challenges.

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