Around the Pond

One hub to house them all

Research done by the School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) addresses an impressive number of pressing health issues, including obesity and diabetes, global wellness, aging, and autism spectrum disorders. However, the school’s six programs are currently spread across seven locations on campus, making collaboration across programs difficult and inefficient.

But, in December 2025, that will all change.

In spring 2024, UMass broke ground on a new energy-efficient and sustainable facility next to Totman Gymnasium that will serve as a hub for SPHHS. Construction is well underway, and the building is on track to exceed the high health and efficiency design parameters set by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), a widely used green building rating system.

With SPHHS all in one place, those teaching, learning, and researching in the public health fields expect the new home to foster more collaboration and engagement across departments and disciplines.

The hub is 26,000 square feet and boasts flexible, team-based learning classrooms, office spaces, time-shared cubicles, and conference facilities. It also has large open areas specifically designed for informal work and collaboration, with an outdoor event space as well.

Want to see how it will look when it’s finished? Take a virtual tour.  

Pomp and thankful circumstances

Marching band brings “Everlasting Love” to Macy’s parade

On November 28, 2024, the UMass Minuteman Marching Band, known as the Power and Class of New England, marched in the 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. UMass was one of only 11 marching bands chosen to perform.  

The nearly 400-member band, including the UMass Dance Team and Color Guard, descended upon New York City the Monday before Thanksgiving to rehearse, explore the city, and give a performance at South Street Seaport. Recognizing that participants would miss family Thanksgiving celebrations, all shared a banquet dinner on Wednesday evening.  

Prep for the big parade involved very early wake-up calls: Depending on their roles, some began the day at 2:45 a.m. Band members all left the hotel at 4:45 a.m., donning plastic ponchos against the rain. Flute player and PR manager Abby Ogwang ’27 says, “It started pouring. But I feel like that added to the cinematic, surrealness of the moment.”  

Others agreed that the band’s resilience in difficult weather somehow made the whole event more memorable. “I’m proud of what we did because it wasn’t easy,” says clarinet player Sam Nolan ’25.  

For their 75 seconds on “the star” in front of Macy’s (and NBC’s live cameras), the band revealed the surprise number they’d been saving for this moment: “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love),” by the late Natalie Cole ’72. 

Watch the band’s performance!

Along the parade’s 2.5-mile route through midtown Manhattan, they also played the UMass fight song, “Fight Massachusetts,” and “God Bless America” as they marched after a giant Paw Patrol-themed balloon. Nolan recalls that the hour and a half of marching “went by really fast,” and when they climbed back on the buses, soaked to the bone, “we were all glowing.”  

Ogwang notes that this year’s band was able to step into the spotlight in part thanks to the legacy of alumni who catapulted the UMass Minuteman Marching Band to their first Macy’s parade in 2013 and to the Rose Parade in 2018. She says, “It really built a foundation for us. They might not even know the impact they had—they opened this world of opportunities.”  

For future band members, Nolan advises, “Be sure to just take it all in—it’s the experience of a lifetime.”

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UMass Amherst is No. 1

The flagship campus is named the best public university in New England, according to the 2025 Best Colleges rankings published by U.S. News & World Report

UMass Amherst also ranked No. 26 in the nation for nursing programs (up from No. 52). The artificial intelligence program remains strong at No. 20 in the nation while computer science has risen six places up to 34. True to its roots, UMass still holds the top spot in agricultural sciences. And, of course, in our hearts.