Dean Reeves Welcomes New Graduates During WUGS 2026

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Image of Goodell Lawn, where a row of resource offices have tables set up. A large crowd of new students interact with staff members stationed behind the tables.
Image of Graduate School Dean Katherine Reeves delivering remarks to new students in the Fine Arts Center auditorium.

Nearly 500 new graduate students joined us for this year’s fall orientation event, Welcome to UMass Graduate School (also known as WUGS)! The annual program invites all newly admitted master’s and doctoral students to join Graduate School staff, as well as key faculty and support offices, for a day designed to set them up for success as they begin their UMass experience. This year’s event also marked a new chapter for the Graduate School, as attendees welcomed our new Dean, Katherine Reeves, who delivered her first official remarks in the role.

Chancellor Reyes also joined Dean Reeves in the morning for a brief but impactful welcome to new students. The Chancellor spoke about the wide constellation of services and support available to graduate students (something we featured in an earlier article this semester). Reyes went on to invite graduate students to raise their hands when they need support and to remain open to asking questions throughout their experience.

Image of Chancellor Reyes delivering remarks to new students in the Fine Arts Center auditorium. Students have their hands raised.

Wilmore Webley, Senior Vice Provost for Equity & Inclusion, reiterated this idea in the remarks that followed. Webley spoke about the many individuals graduate students will meet throughout their experience and encouraged students to take full advantage of their time at UMass through discovery, community-building, and personal development. He concluded his remarks by inviting Graduate School team members onstage for a short presentation on Graduate School 101.

Guests from our partner support offices, including University Health Services, the Office of Global Affairs, and Library Services, then took the stage to share information about their teams and available resources. Ken Reade, our speaker from OGA and Executive Director of Immigration Services, spoke about current challenges facing international education and invited domestic graduate students to give a round of applause to their international peers.

Afterward, a small panel of current graduate students took the stage for a Graduate Student Experience panel focused on sharing actionable and grounded advice. The panel, moderated by Heidi Bauer-Clapp, Director of the Office of Grants & Fellowships, included:

  1. Julia Giguere (Master's student, Design - Department of Architecture)​

  2. Gabriel Mesole (PhD student, Civil Engineering)    ​

  3. Larri Miller (PhD student, Communication) ​

  4. Shakira Nyiratuza (Master's student, Environmental Conservation)​

  5. Dinda Rolobessy (Master's student, Public Policy & Administration) 

Image of current graduate students paneling during WUGS 2026.
Image of the Campus Center auditorium filled with new graduate students attending WUGS.

Students were invited to attend departmental welcome lunches or explore on-campus dining options during the early part of the afternoon. Additional programming took place in the Campus Center, offering graduate students a menu of breakout sessions. Topics for this year included:

  1. Adjusting to Life in Amherst (featuring representatives from UMass Downtown, the Graduate Employee Organization, and Graduate Student Government)
  2. Managing Your Mentoring Relationships: Working Effectively with Your Faculty Research Advisor
  3. Cultivating Strong Relationships in Graduate School
  4. First-Year Strategies: Setting Goals and Supporting Well-being
  5. The Art of Introducing Yourself
  6. Launching Your Master's Career Journey (featuring career development staff representatives from CNS, Manning CICS, and SBS)
  7. You Need a Five Year Plan
  8. Students of Color in Academia

As programs wrapped up in the Campus Center, representatives from Graduate Student Government joined us for an inside look at their organization and the ways current graduate students can get involved in their advocacy.

As is tradition, WUGS concluded with our communal welcome dinner for new students. More than 20 different offices joined us for a concurrent Resource Fair, where administrators, faculty, staff, and, of course, new students made connections over dinner.

Wide image of Goodell Lawn filled with new graduate students interacting with resource offices tabling.

Stay tuned for more information regarding our 2027 program, and thank you to everyone who attended this year! It's official: Welcome to UMass Amherst.

Article posted in News for Prospective students and Current students