Accelerating our impact

Since its founding, UMass Amherst has been an engine of educational opportunity, economic growth, and social impact in the commonwealth. It provides a high-quality, affordable education to students from all walks of life, advances crucial knowledge across disciplines, and maintains a commitment to serving the common good.  

Building on an exciting upward trajectory over the past 15 years—in which it has risen dramatically in national and international rankings—the university recently launched the most ambitious fundraising campaign in its 161-year history, Accelerate: The Campaign for UMass Amherst.   

“This campaign will enable our faculty and students to ask the boldest questions, lean into the most pressing challenges, and expand the frontiers of knowledge through pioneering research, innovation, and scholarship,” says Chancellor Javier Reyes. “Building upon a sustained legacy of excellence, we will fuel the future of UMass Amherst’s leadership across the commonwealth and beyond.”   

In a world searching for solutions to seemingly intractable problems, the university’s pursuit of academic excellence, broad access to education, and discoveries of value to society is more important than ever before. Accelerate, an undertaking led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation, will strengthen the university’s capacity to meet the needs of this moment. 

Raising the Bar for Future Generations

UMass Amherst’s mission is rooted in the idea that students should have the support to rise as high as their ambitions and drive will take them. Currently, 46.3 percent of the undergraduate student body receives some form of need-based financial aid. The campaign will increase the number of students who can take advantage of a UMass education regardless of their financial constraints. But access doesn’t stop at admission. Accelerate will also raise support for students to participate in high-impact educational experiences—including study abroad, internships, and research opportunities—during their time on campus.  

In addition, UMass Amherst lags behind peer institutions in the number of endowed faculty positions it has to offer. Through the campaign, the university will add more of these positions, which are crucial in recruiting and retaining first-rate faculty. Providing the highest level of support for faculty, students, and impactful programs will enable UMass Amherst to translate discoveries into tools for the betterment of society and develop the skilled workforce of the future.

“Every day, our faculty and students are leading change and shaping our world for the better with breakthroughs and innovation in the natural and social sciences, engineering, health care, and computation, as well as in the arts and humanities,” says Provost Fouad Abd-El-Khalick. “Through this campaign, we seek visionary and passionate partners who will help propel the work of our talented people and amplify their impact globally.” 

Harnessing the Power of the UMass Amherst Community

More than 98,000 donors are already on board for the Accelerate campaign. Contributions include transformative lead gifts from donors who believe in UMass Amherst’s power to create change.  

The Elaine Nicpon Marieb Charitable Foundation’s $21.5 million naming gift to the College of Nursing, in honor of the trailblazing nursing educator Elaine Nicpon Marieb ’69PhD, ’85MS, is already supporting access and equity for nursing students from a variety of backgrounds and multidisciplinary research through the work of the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation. 

Douglas ’71 and Diana Berthiaume, who are among the university’s most generous benefactors, pledged $20 million to the Isenberg School of Management to accelerate faculty research, graduate student development, and entrepreneurship opportunities. 

Thanks to $18 million earmarked from a larger $50 million that Robert and Donna Manning donated to the UMass system, the renamed Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences is pushing the boundaries of innovation in data science, cybersecurity, robotics, quantum information systems, and health-monitoring wearable technology.  

And more recently, a $10 million gift from Jerome ’60 and Linda Paros has endowed the Paros Center for Atmospheric Research at UMass Amherst, where students and faculty are tackling hazardous weather prediction, disaster warning platforms, and infrasound sensing. 

Transformative gifts like these quickly boost the impact UMass Amherst’s teaching and research can have on society, but the campaign’s success also hinges on gifts of every size and volunteer efforts from alumni, parents, and friends throughout the UMass community. 

“The goals set forth for this campaign are ambitious,” says UMass Amherst Foundation President Arwen Duffy. “But the collective power of our community makes them achievable. Alumni cherish their ties to the university, carry that pride with them, and bring inspiring energy to serving as ambassadors for UMass Amherst.” 

From athletics and creative endeavors to experiential learning opportunities, scholarships, and co-curricular activities, the campaign will strengthen the elements that keep UMass Amherst at the forefront of public education—for the benefit of the commonwealth and all the communities it serves.