Bernadette (Bernie) Stark joined Student Affairs and Campus Life on Monday, July 22 as director of the Student Legal Services Office (SLSO). In this position she provides administrative oversight of the office, as well as representation to students in the areas of family law, estate planning and immigration.

The Undergraduate Admissions office has launched a virtual 360o online campus tour, now accessible for interested potential students and their families on the admissions office’s site. Created by YouVisit under the coordination of staff from the Enrollment Management office, the tour showcases dozens of points of interest along 13 stops across campus and one in downtown Amherst. A virtual “guide” describes the locations and highlights of each stop along the way, and viewers can choose to watch the supplemental entries at each stop that provide even more insight to the overall campus experience.

Economists at UMass Amherst along with colleagues from University College London and the Economic Policy Institute have found that the overall number of low-wage jobs remained essentially unchanged over the five years following increases to the minimum wage, and that affected low-wage workers overall saw a wage gain of 7 percent after a minimum wage increase. These spillovers extended up to $3 above the minimum wage and represent around 40 percent of the overall wage increase from minimum wage changes.

James F. Manwell, director of the UMass Wind Energy Center and professor of mechanical and industrial engineering, has received the European Academy of Wind Energy (EAWE) 2019 EAWE Scientific Award.