University of Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Established | 1863 |
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| Type | Public University |
| President | Jack M. Wilson |
| Location | Amherst (Flagship Campus) Boston Dartmouth Lowell Worcester (Medical School) |
| Website | www.massachusetts.edu UMassOnline |
- This page is about the university system across Massachusetts. The University of Massachusetts Amherst was known as the University of Massachusetts from 1947 until the creation of the UMass system.
- See Middlesex University (Massachusetts) for a private institution named the "University of Massachusetts" which operated from 1917 until 1937, when it merged with Middlesex College to form Middlesex University.
The University of Massachusetts (officially nicknamed UMass) is the five-campus public university system of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The system includes UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, UMass Dartmouth (affiliated with Cape Cod Community College), UMass Lowell, and the UMass Medical School. It also has an online school called UMassOnline.
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[edit] Campuses
[edit] UMass Amherst
UMass Amherst is the flagship and the largest of the UMass campuses. It was also the first campus established. Like many colleges and universities, Massachusetts Agricultural College (as it was called) the Amherst campus was founded as a land-grant college in 1863, receiving initial start-up funding as part of the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act. It is part of the Five College consortium in the Pioneer Valley region. It became Massachusetts State College in 1937, and University of Massachusetts in 1947.
[edit] UMass Boston
On the Columbia Point peninsula of Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, UMass Boston is the youngest of the campuses, beginning in 1964.
[edit] UMass Dartmouth
Located in southeastern Massachusetts, UMass Dartmouth started in 1895 as the New Bedford Textile School and the Bradford Durfee Textile School.
[edit] UMass Lowell
Located in the Merrimack Region, UMass Lowell started in 1894 as the Lowell Normal School and in 1895 as the Lowell Textile School.
[edit] UMass Medical
Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, UMass Medical was founded in 1962 and is affiliated with the UMass Memorial Health Care system.
[edit] University President
From 1996 to 2003, the President of the University was William Bulger, president of the Massachusetts State Senate for seventeen years, and prominent and influential Democratic politician with roots in South Boston. Bulger became involved in court testimony about his notorious brother, Whitey Bulger. He was forced to resign after a sustained campaign for his ouster by Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.
The President of the University from the Fall of 2004 has been Jack Wilson, former CEO of UMassOnline and interim President of the University after the departure of William Bulger.[1]. For his work at UMassOnline, Mr. Wilson was inducted into the United States Distance Learning Association Hall of Fame in October 2004.[2]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Listed in alphabetical order
- Joseph Abboud (fashion designer)
- Norm Abram (carpenter on This Old House)
- Frank Black (musician)
- David Branch (commissioner of the Canadian Hockey League)
- Pat Cadigan (science fiction author)
- Jennifer M. Callahan (member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 2002 - present))
- Marcus Camby (basketball player)
- Natalie Cole (singer)
- Catherine Coleman (astronaut)
- Rob Corddry (comedian)
- Jeff Corwin
- Bill Cosby (comedian and actor)
- Trung Dung
- Julius Erving (basketball player)
- Jennifer L. Flanagan (member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 2004 - present))
- Richard Gere (actor)
- Russell Alan Hulse (physics Nobelist)
- Fardeen Khan (Bollywood actor)
- Madeleine Kunin (governor of Vermont)
- Peter Laird
- Jay Leonard (musician, economist)
- Hugh Loebner (demographer, social activist)
- Taj Mahal (musician)
- William Manchester (historian, biographer)
- Marty Meehan (politician)
- Thomas Menino (mayor of Boston)
- Rick Pitino (basketball coach)
- Bill Pullman (actor)
- Buffy Sainte-Marie (musician, artist, educator, and social activist)
- Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr. (physics Nobelist)
- Jack Smith (former CEO of General Motors)
- Ron Villone (professional baseball player)
- Jack Welch (former CEO of General Electric)
- Ben Fathi (vice president of Microsoft)
[edit] Trivia
"UMass" is also the name of a song by the Pixies off their album Trompe le Monde. It was named after the university.
[edit] References
- ^ Campus News (2004). UMass Lowell Magazine, Fall 2004, 13.] Retrieved February 15, 2005, http://www.umass.edu/senate/minutes623-wilson.pdf Address by Jack M. Wilson, Interim President, University of Massachusetts at the 63rd Regular Meeting of the Faculty Senate on October 16, 2003.] Retrieved February 15, 2005
- ^ Wilson inducted into distance learning hall of fame (18 Oct 2004). In the Loop: News for Staff & Faculty. Retrieved February 15, 2005.
[edit] External links
Official sites:
- University of Massachusetts
- UMassOnline
- Massachusetts Board of Higher Education
- Massachusetts Community Colleges
