The Integrated Concentration in Science (iCons) Program has appointed Wesley J. Dunham as its new strategic communications and program manager. Dunham, who started his new role on March 23, holds administrative responsibilities for iCons Program operations and expansion, student recruiting and admissions, managing program assessments, interfacing with program partners, and creating and executing strategic communications to meet program objectives.
“We are delighted to welcome Wesley Dunham to the iCons team. This was a hard position to fill because of its wide range of responsibilities. Wesley’s extensive and impressive background at UMass makes him an outstanding fit—we’re excited to work with Wesley to bring UMass iCons to the next level,” said Scott Auerbach, professor of chemistry and Mahoney Family Sponsored Executive Director of iCons.
Dunham has nearly 20 years of experience working in higher education and non-profit organizations, most recently as manager of academic programs with the department of sociology at UMass Amherst. Dunham earned his B.A. in communications at UMass Amherst.
Established in 2010, UMass iCons is a four-year multidisciplinary undergraduate program hosted by the College of Natural Sciences. Teams of iCons students are currently working to design solutions for problems such as the spread of COVID-19 and the carbon emissions of the UMass Amherst campus, among many others.
This new position in iCons represents an expansion of a previous staff role within the program. The expansion is part of a larger initiative to increase the impact of UMass iCons, which evolved from a gift from the Mahoney family in 2019. Supporters of the iCons program from the beginning, the mission of the Mahoneys’ latest gift is to continue to transform higher education of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through multidisciplinary studies of real-world problems.