News

Dr. Francis X. Mangan, known to students and colleagues as “Frank,” passed away on August 12^th, at age 66. 

Stockbridge School of Agriculture has merged three bachelor of science programs—Horticultural Science, Plant & Soil Sciences, and Turfgrass Science & Management—into one comprehensive major in Applied Plant & Soil Sciences.  The new major offers a stronger foundation in the sciences alongside increased flexibility to select courses from across the Stockbridge course catalog.

Who in their right mind goes to the snowy mountains of Utah when all their friends are thinking about Spring Break in Florida?  Success-minded Stockbridge and UMass students seeking to impress employers, that's who.

Two recent alumni of our Sustainable Food & Farming program have purchased Kitchen Garden Farm in nearby Sunderland, with help from the Lotta Agricultural Fund administered for the benefit of UMass graduates.  Max Traunstein and Lilly Israel are 2014 graduates of the Sustainable Food & Farming program at Stockbridge School of Agriculture, and both have been working at Kitchen Garden Farm for several years.  Both Max and Lilly credit their mutual love of farming, and their confidence to take on such a big project, to experiences in their college years at Stockbridge, and on the UMass Student

This winter, Stockbridge sent 11 students to two national competitions sponsored by professional organizations in the turfgrass industry.  There, they had the chance to network with alumni, many of whom are now employers seeking Stockbridge talent.  Students also got to competitively demonstrate the knowledge they developed at Stockbridge.  The Alumni Turf Group, industry sponsor Vermont Greenscapes Association, and several individual Stockbridge alumni, provided substantial donations to enable 11 current students to attend two national events and compete against other college teams.

Pappas, who earned two degrees from Stockbridge (Turfgrass Management AS ’10; Plant & Soil Sciences ’12), is the newest Field Director for the National Football League (NFL).  Pappas was the MVP for both teams in the 31 days leading up to kickoff, in charge of building and delivering the one-time-use special turfgrass field that made the whole event possible.  Pappas and his team took over Allegiant Stadium two days after the Raiders’ final home game on January 7.  The job started with ripping up the original turf on which the Raiders played.  Pappas posted photos over the next 31 days

Petrus (Peter) Veneman has passed.  In his 34 years of teaching at UMass, and as chair of the Plant, Soil and Insect Sciences department, his research, teaching, mentorship, and funding advocacy contributed greatly to the Stockbridge School of Agriculture as it stands today.  His research, tracking the effects of pollutants in soil and wetlands, helped to illuminate the role soil scientists can play in protecting the natural environment.  Today, students of Dr. Veneman have careers as environmental professionals across Massachusetts and New England, and hold leadership positions in the