Chancellor Javier Reyes sent the following message to the campus community on March 26, 2025
 

Dear UMass community: 

The driving force behind all that we do is preserving our university’s role as a center of open inquiry, academic freedom, unbridled creativity, and free expression. UMass Amherst must remain a place where people from every walk of life and every corner of the globe can pursue their academic and scholarly goals, and where our faculty and staff can continue their dedicated service to this mission. 

To strengthen our position based on our principles and values, we must be prepared to take on the challenges before us, remain adaptable to the evolving landscape, and position the university to continue fulfilling its foundational promise of expanding educational access, fueling innovation and creativity, and sharing and using our knowledge for the betterment of the world.

I write, then, to share updates on the steps we are taking to buttress the campus’s fiscal stability in the face of potential disruptions in federal funding. These measures are intended, to the extent possible, to safeguard our core functions of educating our undergraduate and graduate students and conducting groundbreaking research and scholarship during this period of uncertainty emanating from Washington, DC.

Graduate Admissions

Like other research universities across the country, UMass Amherst relies heavily on federal funding to support research in numerous areas critical to the wellbeing of our nation, including life sciences, climate change, healthcare, environmental sustainability, and computing. Federal funding underwrites salaries, graduate stipends and tuition, equipment purchases, health and safety, and so much more. With more than $150 million in annual federal funding now potentially uncertain, we have asked our schools and colleges to take action to ensure their graduate admissions plans are financially sustainable.

Unfortunately, this means that graduate admissions have been reduced in departments with significant NIH funding. To be clear, we are not implementing across-the-board cuts or closing admissions or programs. Some Ph.D. programs, however, are in the process of informing applicants who have been offered admission that their funding is either no longer guaranteed or has been rescinded. These notifications will be limited to cases where accepted offers exceed the anticipated available funding.

Undergraduate Admissions

Undergraduate admissions and financial aid remain unchanged. While we do not anticipate immediate changes to federally funded aid, such as Pell Grants, we will continue monitoring developments in how aid is distributed and how the FAFSA process might be impacted given recent executive orders signaling significant changes in the Department of Education.

Fiscal Planning

The university remains committed to strategic planning and investment in its growth. While no new budget cuts are being mandated currently, we are asking departments to plan for possible reductions in discretionary spending, such as limiting expenditures to critical travel, conference attendance, and equipment purchases, to maintain financial flexibility. Planning should account for the remainder of fiscal year 2025 and fiscal year 2026 with a focus on identifying and pausing all non-payroll expenditures that don’t meet urgent, critical needs. While further details will be shared throughout the budgeting process, the following guidance applies immediately:

• All non-personnel expenditures over $50,000 require approval from the executive area head (vice chancellor, athletic director, dean, etc.).
• Capital project requests will be evaluated based on health and safety requirements and the preservation of core university facilities.
• To ensure stability and continuity in our students’ research and learning, all academic and non-academic units should proceed with faculty and staff hiring only for positions deemed critical to the university’s operations. Requests for critical hires must be approved by the respective vice chancellor or, in the case of faculty, the provost.

To be clear: This is not a hiring freeze, but rather a strategic approach to hiring in response to the evolving funding landscape. Departments currently conducting searches will receive further guidance from their HR business partners in the coming days. 

Looking Ahead

While the uncertainties at the federal level are unsettling, UMass Amherst remains strong and fully devoted to its mission of teaching, research, and service to the Commonwealth and beyond. While we are making some financial adjustments to remain nimble and adaptable, I want to share, again, what is not changing: our values and our commitment to fostering a campus community of dignity and respect for all. We are strengthened in these efforts by our ongoing partnerships with leaders across higher education, and with strong support from our system office and the Governor and Attorney General of Massachusetts. 

This week, in coordination with Student Affairs and Campus Life and the UMass Amherst Foundation, we have re-launched the Angel Fund.  The fund, originally set up eight years ago, helps meet the needs of individuals who are adversely affected by changes in federal immigration policy. At the same time, we are working with Student Legal Services to explore potential external partnerships that will provide international students with emergency immigration-related legal support. We will share updates on this work – along with other ongoing actions to protect and support our students, staff, and faculty – on our Federal Actions site.

UMass Amherst is made stronger by the richness of our differences. We will continue to invest in protecting that richness – ensuring that no matter where you are from, no matter how you define yourself or the causes you believe in, you should know and feel that UMass is here for you. Even in times of fiscal uncertainty, we will not stop supporting the wellbeing of those who are most vulnerable under the changes we are experiencing. 

Sincerely,

Javier Reyes
Chancellor