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College of Engineering Sets Ribbon Cutting for Hub Space
A ribbon cutting on Thursday, Jan. 31 from 1-2:30 p.m. will mark the formal opening of a new engineering hub space in Marcus Hall that includes the Graduate Engineering Hub in Room 120 and the Community, Equity and Inclusion (CEI) Hub in Room 128.
The ceremony will be followed by refreshments in the CEI Hub and walk-throughs of the spaces.
The CEI Hub incorporates the offices of Paula Rees,assistant dean for diversity, and the assistant director of diversity programs, a position that is not currently filled. The CEI Hub serves as a nexus for the college’s student organizations. This marquee space is designed to communicate and support the college’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Rees says. “The CEI Hub is the keystone in our commitment to supporting a climate that is welcoming and inclusive for all. Having a centrally located, vibrant and inviting space to work with our student leaders, in particular those from our cross-cutting student organizations, is a tangible sign for students of the college’s commitment to community building.”
The CEI Hub includes a conference room, multiple webinar facilities and modular study and group meeting space. It will serve as the central organizational space for interdepartmental UMass engineering student organizations:
- Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
- “Out” in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM)
- Society of American Military Engineers (SAME)
- Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE)
- Engineers without Borders (EWB)
- Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honors society
College of Engineering officials say the CEI space is modern, bright, in a high-traffic area, and is intended to display their commitment to inclusivity and community.
The Engineering Graduate Hub serves as a place reserved for the school’s growing population of master’s students. It includes assigned lockers, workstations and computers. Access and use are limited to master’s students who do not have assigned desks or office space in other parts of the college.The CEI Hub and Graduate Hub share a glass wall and are connected by a door.
Russell Tessier, associate dean for graduate studies and operations, says, “The College of Engineering is proud to make the Engineering Graduate Hub available as a meeting and study space for the college’s growing population of master’s students.” In general, the Hub is a space built with a focus on collaboration, group work, and mentoring.