UMass Amherst’s mission is rooted in the land-grant purpose of research, education, and service to society—we are all here to serve the common good. Engagement through research, creative activities, teaching, and/or service is one way faculty fulfill our mission to create a positive impact on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the nation, and the world. The resources and information offered on this webpage will connect you to best practices on a range of topics and to resources and people at UMass Amherst to help you: whether that is sharing your work, conducting outreach, translating your science, or engaging the public, businesses, industries, government, and communities directly in your work.
Communicating Your Work
Outreach & Engagement
UMass Amherst Professor of Economics, Emeriti Lee Badgett's advice for professors who want to engage the public:
- Follow scholarly rules: your expert engagement emanates from your peer-reviewed articles, books, and grants.
- Play with the players: identify key activists, decision-makers, community leaders, think tanks, and policymakers and join their teams, events, and boards. Participate in the fields where you want to have an impact.
- Reach diverse audiences and make your message accessible: meet people where they are, through op-eds, trade publications, public talks, twitter, and social media. Don’t use jargon and don’t pontificate. Tell a story.
- Build a broad professional network that includes non-academics: Cultivate media contacts, journalists, lawmakers, activists, businesspeople. They spread your message and get you access.
Be sure it counts in your Annual Faculty Review!
Here are guidelines for faculty to document their engagement activities on the Annual Faculty Review submissions. These guidelines were developed by the Public Engagement and Outreach Council , the governing body within the Faculty Senate which discusses and advises on policy, community, and public engagement. They can show you how different forms of engagement can be documented as service, teaching, and/or research activity.
Additional Engagement Resources
Program Contact
Director of Faculty Development & Senior Lecturer