As an academic year like no other comes to a close, I want to take a moment to recognize the leadership on each of our five campuses, and the remarkable job that our 18,000 faculty and staff members have done under extraordinary circumstances to move our 75,000 students forward.
In the coming weeks, the historic 18,000-strong Class of 2020 will graduate into a vastly different world and workplace. As they face an economy at a standstill and a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, I am confident that they are equipped with the skills and the determination to overcome these challenges and achieve their full potential.
While there are many unknowns about the future, I know one thing for sure: This graduating class will play a critical role in the Commonwealth’s recovery. We expect more than 80 percent of our new graduates will stay in Massachusetts to build their careers and lives, making our state that much stronger and more resilient.
Without the exemplary leadership and dedication from our campus leadership teams, our faculty and our staff, none of this would have been possible.
Please take a moment to watch these messages from our campus chancellors. It has been inspiring to collaborate with them in confronting the unprecedented challenges of the last couple of months.
- A truly remarkable campus community – UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy
- How proud I am – UMass Boston Chancellor Katherine Newman
- Acting with urgency – UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Robert Johnson
- We’ll show the rest of the world how to do this – UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney
- Together, we can make the solutions to this pandemic as personal as the losses - UMass Medical School Chancellor Michael Collins
Sincerely,
Marty Meehan
President, University of Massachusetts