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UMass Amherst recently celebrated the inaugural run of a first-of-its-kind pilot program designed to give first-year fall semester students early exposure to career exploration and professional development connected to their academic interests. The Dec. 5 event celebrated the Career Launch program and honored the 44 first-year students who spent their fall semester at the newly renamed Charles River Campus in Newton, formerly the Mount Ida Campus.

Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Fouad Abd-El-Khalick called the students “pioneers in every sense of the word” at the ceremony in Old Chapel that featured poster presentations of their experiences. 

“I want thank you for your trust, your bravery and for being this first cohort,” he said. “We were keenly looking forward to hearing from you—what you learned, what surprised you, and what we can improve. So many of the hoped-for highlights of this program came to life.”

The celebration brought together students, faculty, and administrators from the Amherst and Newton campuses, as well as program collaborators from UMass Flex, the University Without Walls, the Office of Career Development and Professional Connections, and UMass Amherst schools and colleges.

The students will now transition to the Amherst campus for the spring 2026 semester to join their peers in the Class of 2029.

Senior Vice Provost for Lifelong Learning John Wells described Career Launch as the result of two parallel efforts. Wells was exploring ways to expand UMass Flex pathways, while Jeff Cournoyer, managing director of the Charles River Campus and assistant chancellor for Greater Boston Strategic Initiatives, was looking to build new student learning opportunities in Newton.

“UMass Flex is focused on innovative alternative options that go beyond the traditional full-time UMass Amherst residential experience,” Wells said. “What better place to target this program than the Newton campus and the greater Boston area?”

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He said the program is designed to “meet the moment,” integrating career exploration courses and opportunities earlier in student academic journeys. “I feel like what we’re doing is positioning ourselves ahead of this change curve,” he said. “Students want and need clear pathways to their future, and Career Launch provides that.”

Christina Metevier, associate provost of academic programs at the Charles River Campus, addressed students seated in the front rows, praising their hard work and engagement throughout the semester.

“The program was designed to help you begin your UMass journey not only with academic momentum, but with confidence, a focus on career exploration and professional skill development, and a sense of belonging,” she said. “What an incredible start you’ve made.”

Students spent the semester exploring Boston with faculty, visiting museums, historic sites, the Massachusetts State House and Fenway Park. Field experiences were combined with employer-based activities that students detailed in poster presentations displayed inside Great Hall.

“To watch first-year, first-semester students present work shaped by real employer challenges was a moment many of us will never forget,” Metevier said.

Adeyinka Olowu of Peabody said the program helped her explore academic options within the School of Public Health and Health Sciences as she pursues a path toward orthodontics. She said the program also helped her see personal qualities that she wouldn’t have discovered otherwise.

“After doing the program, I think empathy can be a really good quality to connect with other people, and it can be seen as a strength,” she said.

Lisa Lin of Duxbury, a marketing major in the Isenberg School of Management, said she appreciated beginning college in classes of about 20 students.

“We got to form close relationships with everyone in our freshman class through those small classes and many field trips,” Lin said, noting her favorite excursion was to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. “It was so beautiful, and the way it was designed, I gained more knowledge about its history.”

Lin said she enjoyed studying on the Newton campus but is excited to join the larger Amherst community in the spring. After the event, she planned to meet her new roommate in Southwest.

In his closing remarks, Abd-El-Khalick said the Career Launch program “has been a dream in the making” since UMass Amherst acquired the Mount Ida Campus in 2018. He emphasized that student feedback will be essential as the university prepares for the next cohort in fall 2026.

“I’m grateful for your leadership as pioneers,” he said. “And I’m going to be asking one more thing of you: Be ambassadors for this program. The more you can talk about and share your experience, the better.”