Will spotlight student-faculty accomplishments as he becomes first president to visit all five UMass campuses in a single day
BOSTON - Nov. 9, 2015:President Marty Meehan today will cover 325 miles and make stops at the five UMass campuses as he launches his inauguration week by highlighting the achievements of students, faculty and staff throughout the UMass system. Today's theme--"Five Campuses, One Mission" or "5-in-1"-- underscores the UMass system's unique calling to serve the citizens of the Commonwealth by providing high-quality education, through research that creates knowledge and drives the economy, and through public service. "I want to highlight the accomplishments of each of our campuses," noted President Meehan, who said he also wants to communicate, "my firm belief that the University of Massachusetts is the most important institution in Massachusetts for social mobility and economic growth." President Meehan will be formally inaugurated as the 27th president of the University of Massachusetts on Thursday in a ceremony to be held at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, located on the campus of UMass Boston. A key component of the inauguration, at President Meehan's direction, is scholarship-targeted fundraising, and the initial goal of $1 million for scholarships already has been exceeded. President Meehan, a 1978 graduate of UMass Lowell and the first undergraduate alumnus to lead the UMass system, is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the former chancellor of UMass Lowell. He will be the first UMass president to journey to all five campuses in a single day. Throughout the course of today, President Meehan will visit classes, meet with students and faculty members, tour science facilities and tap into other facets of campus life. All events are open to the press. Today's "5-in-1" tour begins at UMass Dartmouth and concludes at UMass Boston. The University of Massachusetts is a five-campus public research university system renowned for the quality of its academic programs and the scope and excellence of its faculty research. UMass was established in 1863 and consists of the flagship campus in Amherst along with campuses in Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell and Worcester. UMass educates 73,000 students and graduates more than 17,000 students each year. UMass is home to one of the nation's most respected and successful distance-learning programs, UMassOnline. While it has assumed its place of prominence on the national and international stage, UMass has retained a strong focus on Massachusetts, as befits its heritage as a Land Grant institution. Thomson Reuters recently ranked UMass 57th on its list of the "The World's Most Innovative Universities." Today's itinerary: UMASS DARTMOUTH Contact: John Hoey 508.264.5920 7:30 a.m. Bioengineering Lab Parking Lot 13 Textile Building, Second Floor 285 Old Westport Road North Dartmouth, MA President Meehan will join Chancellor Divina Grossman at the bioengineering lab of Professor Christopher Brigham. 8:00 a.m. Political Science Seminar Charlton College of Business, Room 115 285 Old Westport Road North Dartmouth, MA President Meehan will attend a political science seminar led by political science Professor Shannon Jenkins. UMASS AMHERST Contact: Edward F. Blaguszewski 413.695.4522 10:45 a.m. Advanced Design and Digital Fabrication Lab, Center for e-Design Engineering Laboratory Building 2, Room 102 101 North Service Road Amherst, MA President Meehan will join Professor Sundar Krishnamurty, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department Head, at the UMass Amherst Center for e-Design, a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center. 11:25 a.m. Class Visit: History of the Civil Rights Movement Goessmann Laboratory Addition, Room 64 686 North Pleasant Street Amherst, MA President Meehan will attend a discussion on the History of the Civil Rights Movement class led by Assistant Professor Traci Parker of the Department of the Afro-American Studies 11:50 a.m. Blue Wall Dining Facility Campus Center, Concourse Level 1 Campus Center Way Amherst, MA UMASS MEDICAL SCHOOL Contact: Jen Berryman 774.823.6481 1:30 p.m. iCELS Simulation Center Albert Sherman Center 55 North Lake Avenue Worcester, MA President Meehan will join Provost Terence R. Flotte, faculty and students at the Interprofessional Center for Experiential Learning and Simulation (iCELS) that simulates clinic rooms, inpatient facilities, disaster sites and other health care settings. UMASS LOWELL Contact: Patti McCafferty 978-934-3238 3:30 p.m. University Crossing 220 Pawtucket Street Lowell, MA President Meehan will visit UMass Lowell campus center. 4:00 p.m. Reception for Professor Holly Yanco Saab ETIC, Perry Atrium 40 University Avenue Lowell, MA President Meehan will join the campus in honoring renowned robotics expert Holly Yanco as she is named Distinguished University Professor, the highest distinction bestowed on a University of Massachusetts Lowell faculty member. UMASS BOSTON Contact: DeWayne Lehman 617.291.7258 6:00 p.m. Business Finance Class Healey Library, Third Floor, Room 008A 100 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA President Meehan will attend a student investment finance seminar led by Professor of Finance Atreya Chakraborty. 6:30 p.m. Venture Development Center Wheatley Hall, Third Floor 100 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA President Meehan will visit the VDC, a campus-based incubator created to support technology and life science entrepreneurs Contact: Pamela Jonah, 781-956-6865; Ann Scales, 617-287-4084