On Jan. 29, Chancellor Javier Reyes sent the following message to the campus community to mark the start of the Spring 2025 semester.
 

Dear UMass Community,

It’s wonderful to see the campus beginning to bustle with activity as we prepare for the start of a new semester. The end of winter break and the promise of spring reminds us that we are surrounded by change; I want to acknowledge that for many of us, this year brings tremendous added uncertainty.

Our commitment to progress and advancing knowledge remains unwavering, even amid the rapidly evolving federal landscape and its potential impact on our campus.

For over 160 years and through times of even greater instability, UMass Amherst has been a force for upward mobility, equality and access, growing from our origins as “Mass Aggie” with just 34 students to today’s thriving, global research university. Guided by our enduring values and protected freedoms, we remain dedicated to equity and justice for all our community and those we serve. 

We do not take this moment lightly, and we do not make these commitments alone. Along with peer land-grant institutions across the country, partners in Washington and the Massachusetts statehouse, and alongside the University of Massachusetts system leadership, we are collectively set on honoring our obligations to every one of our students, faculty, staff and alumni. We are, and will always be, committed to the power and promise of higher education in creating brighter futures for our students and our communities. We also affirm that our differences bring us strength, as they have since our founding.  

We will regularly monitor changes to federal policy and how they may affect our work and community, and we will work closely with our General Counsel and partners at the state and federal level, to ensure that the mission of this university is fulfilled. We have created a federal actions page on the university website to collect and share resources, including the potential impact of recent executive orders on the federal funding that supports our groundbreaking research and inquiry. 

As the new semester gets underway, I hope you will dive right into all that we and our host communities have to offer! I encourage you to visit UMass downtown when it opens early this semester to see our newest community engagement space in Amherst. Next week is our Week of Wellbeing, which features a range of activities and events for students, faculty and staff to gather, center and connect. There are also performances and exhibitions, athletic events, Libraries outreach events and so much more. 

Sincerely,
Chancellor Javier Reyes