University of Massachusetts Boston
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| The University of Massachusetts Boston | |
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| Established: | 1852 Boston State College 1964 UMass Boston |
| Type: | Public |
| Chancellor: | J. Keith Motley, Ph.D. |
| President: | Jack M. Wilson |
| Provost: | Winston Langley, Ph.D. |
| Faculty: | 800-900 |
| Students: | 14,200 |
| Undergraduates: | 10,600 |
| Location: | Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Campus: | Urban, 175 acres (0.7 km²) |
| Colors: | Blue and White |
| Nickname: | U Mass Boston |
| Mascot: | The Beacon |
| Website: | www.umb.edu |
The University of Massachusetts Boston, also known as UMass Boston, is the second largest campus in the five-campus University of Massachusetts system, and is located on 177 acres on Columbia Point in the Dorchester section of Boston, Massachusetts. It is a major coeducational public research university with a student body of approximately 14,000 graduate and undergraduate students. Students are primarily from Massachusetts but also from other parts of the United States and from foreign countries.
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[edit] History
The University of Massachusetts at Boston was established in 1964 when the state legislature voted to establish a new university campus in Boston. The official Founding Day Convocation and ceremony was held on December 10, 1966 in the Prudential Tower in Boston and inaugurated UMASS/Boston as an official institution of higher learning and formally installed the first Chancellor of the university, John W. Ryan.[1] It is part of the Greater Boston Urban Education Collaborative[2], but over time was absorbed and merged with other schools, such as Boston State College, absorbed in 1982, and which dates back to 1852.
In 1974, it opened its location on the Columbia Point peninsula on Dorchester Bay. The University originally occupied five buildings: McCormack and Wheatley halls, Science Center, Healey Library, and the Quinn Administration Building.
The original Harbor Campus buildings were said to have had sparse and very unattractive interiors, with odd mazes of hallways and the campus was known as "the fortress" or "the prison" colloquially.[3] They were rumored to have been designed by architects who were primarily familiar with prisons, although, in point of fact, the library had been designed by the distinguished Chicago modernist architect, Harry Mohr Weese.[4] At one point in his career, Weese had designed the Metropolitan Correction Center in Chicago.
The contracting of the construction of the new Harbor Campus had resulted in a huge scandal.[5]
The Clark Athletic Center was added later, including an ice hockey arena, swimming pool, and basketball courts. It also hosted the first presidential debate between then Texas Governor George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore in 2000. The cancellation of two days of classes in order to create security for the debate resulted in a large protest by UMB students, faculty and staff members outside of the UMass President's office in downtown Boston.
In 2004 a new Campus Center was opened, designed by the Boston-based architectural firm of Kallmann McKinnell & Wood [6] and built by Suffolk Construction at a cost of $80 million. It houses offices, restaurants in a food court, event space, student clubs and activities. It also serves as the new entrance for the campus and was the first major building put up since the original Harbor Campus was built in the 1970s.
The original buildings fell into disrepair, and there are plans for replacement. Allegations of shoddy construction surfaced again in 2006 when the underground parking garage had to be closed because it had become structurally unsound. All parking is now outdoors.
On June 2nd 2006, Barack Obama addressed his commencement speech at Umass Boston to the graduating seniors. In his speech he talked about several things including his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004.[7]
In 2007, the university proposed a plan to change the nature of the campus from primarily a commuter campus with many parking lots for cars to a more residential campus with dormitory style living.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14]
The current chancellor of the University, J. Keith Motley, is the first African-American chancellor in the university's history.
[edit] Timeline
(from UMASS/Boston website[15])
1851 Superintendent Nathan Bishop proposes a normal school to train teachers for the elementary grades
1852 Girls' High School conducts its first classes in the Adams School building on Mason St.
1854 Girls' High is renamed Girls' High and Normal School
1863 Massachusetts Agricultural College (M.A.C) is founded in Amherst
1870 The school moves to new quarters on West Newton St.
1872 Boston Normal School becomes a separate institution
1876 Boston Normal moves to the Rice School building on Dartmouth St.
1907 Boston Normal moves to a specially built facility on Huntington Ave.
1922 Boston Normal becomes the Teachers College of the City of Boston
1931 "M.A.C." became Massachusetts State College
1947 "M.A.C." became University of Massachusetts
1952 Teachers College becomes the State Teachers College at Boston
1960 Renamed State College at Boston at 100 Arlington St. in Park Square
1964 The University of Massachusetts Boston is established
1968 Renamed Boston State College
1974 First classes at UMass Boston's Harbor Campus
1982 Boston State joins UMass Boston
2004 New UMass Boston Campus Center opens
[edit] Campus
[edit] Mission
The original "urban mission" of the campus was to provide educational opportunities for both non-traditional (e.g., older, returning, working) as well as traditional students, and, in particular to provide a superior educational experience for students in the greater Boston area. A number of members of the UMB community have argued that various changes since 2000, i.e., more rigorous admission policies, drastically reduced financial aid and increased enrollment together with increased emphasis on faculty research along with major expansion plans, constitute an abandonment of the original mission.
[edit] Transportation
U Mass Boston is located off Interstate 93, and sits within walking distance of the JFK/UMass MBTA stop on the Red Line. Free shuttles run between the station and campus. The MBTA, also operates bus stops on campus.
[edit] Academics
The university confers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees, certificate programs, and corporate, continuing and distance learning.
There are seven colleges at UMass Boston: College of Liberal Arts, College of Science and Mathematics, College of Management, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, College of Public and Community Service, Graduate College of Education, and the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies.
The university is a member of the Urban 13 Universities, alongside schools like Temple University and the University of Pittsburgh.
[edit] Accreditation
The University of Massachusetts Boston is fully accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Additionally, The College of Management is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), and the College of Nursing and Health Services hold accreditation from the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing. UMass Boston is a member of the Council of Graduate Schools of the United States and the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools.
[edit] Faculty
UMass Boston's faculty of over 800 consists of roughly half tenure-stream and half non-tenure track ("adjunct") professors. It includes Lloyd Schwartz, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism in 1994, and Monet expert Paul Tucker. Ninety-six percent of the Faculty hold the highest degree in their fields and there is a 14:1 student to faculty ratio.
The UMB faculty and librarians are represented by the Faculty Staff Union. Over the past ten years, the FSU's aggressive bargaining accompanied by a number of protests has achieved benefits, livable salaries and job security for many of its non-tenure track members.
[edit] Administration
- J. Keith Motley, Ph.D., Chancellor
- Winston Langley, Ph.D., Provost
- Christopher Hogan, Chief of Staff to the Chancellor
- Ellen M. O'Connor, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance
- Charlie Titus, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation, Special Programs and Projects
- Kathleen S. Teehan, Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management
- Patrick K. Day, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
- Darrell C. Byers, Vice Chancellor for University Advancement
- John Ciccarelli, Associate Vice Chancellor for Government Relations, Public Affairs and Economic Development
- Anne Scrivener Agee, Vice Provost for Information Technology
- DeWayne Lehman, Director of Communications
[edit] Athletics
Intercollegiate athletics, intramurals, and recreation for the students, staff, and faculty are the primary programs of the UMass Boston Department of Athletics. The department offers 18 varsity sports and is a member of the NCAA's Division III. Mass Boston has teams competing in the ECAC, the Little East Conference, and ECAC East Ice Hockey. The Beacons have been named All-Americans 93 times in seven sports. The Women's Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field teams have won four NCAA Team Championships and 38 individual NCAA Championships.[16] In the years 1999 through 2006 the National Consortium for Academics and Sports named the Department of Athletics at UMass Boston first in the country for community service. The department is also recognized as a leader in community service by NADIIIAA-Jostens Community Service.
[edit] Student Activities
UMass Boston's independent, student run and financed newspaper is The Mass Media. Other student publications include the yearbook and Watermark literary magazine.
UMass Boston's undergraduates are represented by the Undergraduate Student Senate, a body comprising 30 members that meets twice a month. UMass Boston's graduate students are represented by the Graduate Student Assembly. UMass Boston's graduate student employees (teaching assistants, research assistants, and administrative assistants) are represented by the Graduate Employee Organization/UAW Local 1596--UMass Boston Chapter.
The Undergraduate Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly represent their student constituents to the university community and support programming and activities for their student populations, especially through undergraduate clubs and graduate professional organizations.
UMass Boston is also known for political activism among students and faculty. For example, the university is one of few schools that actually fund, through its student activities department, an anti-war organization that promotes the full end of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This organization is part of a regional program that works with campuses all over New England. In the 1960s and 1970s, as in many other universities, large rallies against the Vietnam War were held on campus.
The University has been recognized for its advocacy of human and civil rights. UMass/Boston works to promote social justice around the world.[17]
[edit] Notable alumni
- Cory Atkins, (B.S. 1979), member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (served 1999 - present)[18]
- Daniel E. Bosley, (M.S. 1996), member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (served 1986 - present)
- Christine E. Canavan, (B.S. Nursing (summa cum laude) 1988), member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 1993 - present)[19]
- Joseph Patrick Kennedy II, (B.A. 1976), current President of Citizens Energy Corporation and former member of the US House of Representatives (served 1986-1999)
- Thomas Menino, (B.A. Community Planning, 1988). Mayor of the City of Boston
- Robert Travaglini, B.S. 1974. former President, Massachusetts State Senate
- Steve Sweeney, B.A. 1974, Comedian
- Joseph Abboud, B.A. 1972, World Famous Fashion Designer
[edit] UMass Boston in Popular Culture
The University of Massachusetts Boston was frequently mentioned in Martin Scorcese's 2006 crime drama, The Departed. The exterior of the campus can also be viewed in a scene from the beginning of the film.
[edit] References
- ^ "UMB Founding Day Convocation", The Mass Media newspaper, v.1, issue 1, November 16, 1966.
- ^ Davidson, Patricia S., "The greater Boston urban education collaborative", Education, Spring, 1998
- ^ "UMass starts design on new science building", The Dorchester Reporter, August 14, 2008. "Now that Gov. Deval Patrick has signed the $2.2 billion higher education bond bill - $125 million of which will go for improvements at the UMass-Boston campus - college administrators are hot to trot to begin transforming the 70s-era Columbia Point campus that is often referred to as a 'fortress' or a 'prison.'"
- ^ Cf. "Statements from The Library at University of Massachusetts Boston Harbor Campus published in 1974 when the library opened". "Healey Library -- Opened Spring 1974 -- Architect: Harry Weese. Statements from The Library at University of Massachusetts Boston Harbor Campus published in 1974 when the library opened. Harry Weese, Architect: "The library at the University of Massachusetts' Dorchester campus manages to occupy the central position, not at the end of the axis, but between two structural building continiuums linked by second-story access, facing a plaza. It remains the nexus, the place of quiet, redolent of knowledge."
- ^ Viser, Matt; and Phillips, Frank, "Waves of scandal rattle Beacon Hill", The Boston Globe, November 2, 2008. "The State House was engulfed in scandal in the 1970's over bribes given to legislators by the contractor building the University of Massachusetts' Boston campus. The Senate majority leader, Joseph J.C. DiCarlo of Revere; a ranking Senate Republican leader, Ronald A. MacKenzie; and James A. Kelly Jr., the Senate Ways and Means chairman, all were convicted in federal court and sentenced to jail time."
- ^ Kallmann McKinnell & Wood, Architects, Inc., "University of Massachusetts, Boston Campus Center" - architect's description
- ^ Transcript of Barack Obama commencement remarks at UMASS/Boston - University of Massachusetts Boston, June 2nd, 2006 Boston, MA
- ^ "Developing a Strategic Plan for UMass Boston", UMASS Boston website, 2008
- ^ "Alternative Campus Concepts", UMass Boston, Master Plan, Needs & Opportunities, Campus Master Plan Workshop, September 24, 2007
- ^ "UMass Boston Campus Master Plan", Master Plan Subcommittee Review, July 12, 2007.
- ^ McDonald, Abbey, "The Future of UMass Boston: Strategic Planning Task Force building framework for the next 20 years", The Mass Media campus newspaper, March 5, 2007
- ^ Fitzgibbons, Daniel J., "UMass Boston’s future plans prompt concerns: No shift in mission planned, say officials", The Campus Chronicle, Amherst, v.16, issue 39, July 27, 2001.
- ^ Russell, Jenna, "At UMass, complex next door copies the dorm life", The Boston Globe, December 7, 2003
- ^ Huff, Amanda, "Breaking Down the Master Plan: A quick look at the three concepts that may redefine campus", The Mass Media newspaper, October 10, 2007
- ^ "History of UMass Boston"
- ^ UMASS/Boston Athletics home page
- ^ e.g. Cantor, Paul, "War on Terrorism or Attack on Human Rights", The UMB Human Rights Working Group, UMASS/Boston Conference, Saturday, May 3, 2003
- ^ Cory Atkins page - State Representative in Massachusetts
- ^ Christine E. Canavan page - State Representative in Massachusetts
[edit] External links
- UMass Boston's official web site
- The Mass Media student newspaper
- The University Reporter - published monthly by the UMB Office of University Communications & Community Relations
- UMASS Boston Magazine - alumni magazine for University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston State College, the State College at Boston, the State Teachers College at Boston, the Teachers College of the City of Boston, and Boston Normal School
- Graduate Employee Organization website
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