This article relates to the statewide university system. For the flagship campus often referred to as "UMass", see University of Massachusetts Amherst

University of Massachusetts Amherst

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...

The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public

Public university

A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...

 university system

University system

A university system is a set of multiple, affiliated universities and colleges that are usually geographically distributed. Typically, all member universities in a university system share a common component among all of their various names...

 of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

. The system includes UMass Amherst

University of Massachusetts Amherst

The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...

, UMass Boston

University of Massachusetts Boston

The University of Massachusetts Boston, also known as UMass Boston, is an urban public research university and the second largest campus in the five-campus University of Massachusetts system. The university is located on on Harbor Point in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States...

, UMass Dartmouth

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is one of five campuses and operating subdivisions of the University of Massachusetts . It is located in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, United States, in the center of the South Coast region, between the cities of New Bedford to the east and Fall River...

, UMass Lowell

University of Massachusetts Lowell

The University of Massachusetts Lowell is a public university in Lowell, Massachusetts, and part of the University of Massachusetts system...

, and the UMass Medical School

University of Massachusetts Medical School

The University of Massachusetts Medical School is one of five campuses of the University of Massachusetts system and is home to three schools: the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Graduate School of Nursing; a biomedical research enterprise; and a range of...

. The UMass system was ranked 56th in the world in 2010 by the Times World University Rankings

Times Higher Education World University Rankings

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is an international ranking of universities published by the British magazine Times Higher Education in partnership with Thomson Reuters, which provided citation database information...

.

UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst is the flagship and the largest of the UMass campuses, as well as the first established. Like many colleges and universities, Massachusetts Agricultural College (as it was originally 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

Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act

The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges, including the Morrill Act of 1862 and the Morrill Act of 1890 -Passage of original bill:...

. It became Massachusetts State College in 1931, and University of Massachusetts in 1947. The library system is the largest state-supported library system in New England with over 6.1 million items. The campus has many architecturally distinctive buildings commissioned by the Commonwealth and designed by world-renowned architects.

UMass Amherst offers a variety of academic and co-curricular options. Ninety-three percent of the 1,174 full-time faculty members hold the highest degree in their fields. The average SAT score (reading and math only) for the 2011 entering class is 1220, and the average GPA is 3.6 on a 4.0 scale. The campus has 21,373 undergraduates and offers 86 bachelor’s degree programs. There is a student-to-faculty ratio of 17:1. The UMass Amherst honors college is called Commonwealth College where admission is more competitive with an average SAT score of 1390.

Students participate in 240 campus organizations, 21 NCAA Division I athletic teams, living-learning residence halls, community service, internships, and faculty research.
UMass Amherst is also part of the Five Colleges consortium, with Smith, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, and Amherst colleges, all within a free bus ride of each other using the Pioneer Valley Transit System. Students can take classes on any of these campuses and participate in all co-curricular and cultural activities. Robert C. Holub

Robert C. Holub

Robert C. Holub, Ph.D. is the 28th and current chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, beginning his tenure as chancellor in August 2008...

, Ph.D., serves as UMass Amherst's chancellor.

UMass Boston

UMass Boston is a research university located in the City of Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

. Located on the Columbia Point

Columbia Point (Boston)

Columbia Point, later referred to as Harbor Point, in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts sits on a peninsula jutting out from the mainland of eastern Dorchester into the bay.-History:...

 peninsula, the University is surrounded by the Boston Harbor

Boston Harbor

Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeast.-History:...

, the John F. Kennedy Library

John F. Kennedy Library

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and museum of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. It is located on Columbia Point in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, USA, next to the Boston campus of the University of...

 and the Massachusetts State Archives. The Boston Globe is also headquartered adjacent to campus, as well as Boston College High School

Boston College High School

Founded in 1863, Boston College High School is an all-male Jesuit Roman Catholic college preparatory secondary school with historical ties to Boston College. It has an enrollment in grades 7-12 of approximately 1,500 students and is located on a campus on Morrissey Boulevard in the Dorchester...

 Subsequently, the university holds many partnerships with its neighboring organizations, providing research and employment opportunities.

UMass Boston’s is known for its growing and diverse student body of more than 11,000 undergraduates and nearly 4,000 graduate students, making it the second largest campus in the system. The University has five undergraduate colleges and two graduate colleges, with over 100 undergraduate programs and 50 graduate programs. Ninety-three percent of full-time faculty hold the highest degree in their fields.

The campus is home to more than 100 student organizations — including clubs, literary magazines, newspaper, radio station, art gallery, and 16 NCAA Division III sports teams. Chancellor J Keith Motley, Ph.D., is the chancellor of the UMass Boston campus.

UMass Dartmouth

Located in southeastern Massachusetts, UMass Dartmouth started in 1895 as the New Bedford Textile School, the Bradford Durfee Textile School and later Southeastern Massachusetts University.(SMU) UMass Dartmouth offers a wide array of programs in accounting, finance, management information systems, operations management and marketing, all of which are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. UMass Dartmouth has top ranking engineering and nursing programs.

Established in 1895, UMass Dartmouth is a public regional research university recognized for personalized and innovative teaching. In addition to the 710 acres (2.9 km²) UMass Dartmouth main campus is , satellite campuses are located throughout the SouthCoast.

With 7,982 undergraduate students and 65 degree programs, the campus has a student-to-faculty ratio of 18:1 in its College of Arts & Sciences; Charlton College of Business; College of Engineering; College of Nursing; College of Visual and Performing Arts; School of Education, Public Policy, and Civic Engagement; and the School for Marine Science and Technology. The University hosts internships, undergraduate research opportunities, and service learning experiences, as well as an Honors Program.

More than 100 student organizations and 25 NCAA Division III athletic teams provide a strong community beyond the classroom. UMass Dartmouth is among the fastest growing campuses in New England. The campus is home to the only complete building system designed by renowned brutalist architect Paul Rudolph. Jean F. MacCormack

Jean F. McCormack

Dr. Jean F.MacCormack is currently the Chancellor of University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Dr.MacCormack was appointed Chancellor on February 7, 2001 but has served as Interim Chancellor of the Dartmouth campus since September 1, 1999....

, Ed.D. is the Chancellor of the UMass Dartmouth campus.

UMass Lowell

Located in the Merrimack Valley

Merrimack Valley

The Merrimack Valley is a bi-state region along the Merrimack River in the states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, United States. The Merrimack is one of the larger waterways in the New England region and has helped define the livelihood and culture of those living along it since native...

 Region, UMass Lowell started in 1894 as the Lowell Normal School (South Campus) and in 1895 as the Lowell Textile School (North Campus).

UMass Lowell is a comprehensive University with a national reputation in science, engineering, Management and technology, and committed to educating students for lifelong success in a diverse world and conducting research and outreach activities that sustain the economic, environmental and social health of the region.

UMass Lowell is located in the Merrimack Valley, close to Boston, ocean beaches, and the mountains of New Hampshire. With a national reputation for education and research in science, engineering, and technology, the campus offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs.
Academic programs include internships, co-ops, service learning, and international education.

UMass Lowell has a total of 14,727 students. The campus offers over 120 fully accredited programs taught by 737 faculty members in five colleges. Most of the 75 bachelor’s degree programs offer five-year Bachelor’s to Master’s programs.
The student-to-faculty ratio is 14:1 and half of the undergraduate classes have fewer than 20 students. Ninety-three percent of the full-time faculty members hold the highest degree in their fields.

About 3,000 students live in 10 University residence halls. There are more than 120 active student organizations on campus, a campus recreation center, 16 NCAA Division II sports teams, and the Division I River Hawks ice hockey team that competes in the Hockey East Conference. Martin T. Meehan, J.D., is the chancellor of the UMass Lowell campus.

UMass Worcester

The University of Massachusetts Worcester, also known as UMass Medical School, is one of the fastest growing academic health science centers in the country and is home to the School of Medicine (SOM) — the Commonwealth’s only public medical school — the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS), the Graduate School of Nursing (GSN), and a research enterprise that attracts more than $200 million in external funding annually.

Located in the heart of Central Massachusetts on a 63 acres (254,952.2 m²) campus it shares with clinical partner UMass Memorial Health Care, the region’s premier health care delivery system and largest employer, UMass Medical consistently ranks near the top in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of best medical schools.

The work of UMass Medical researcher and 2006 Nobel Prize winner Craig Mello, Ph.D., an investigator of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute, toward the discovery of RNA interference has launched a promising new field of research. The school is also the future home of the Albert Sherman Center, an interdisciplinary, research and education facility that will foster collaboration among scientists and innovation across disciplines. Michael F. Collins, MD, FACP is the chancellor of the UMass Medical School campus.

University President

President	Tenure
Henry F. French	1864–66
Paul A. Chadbourne Paul A. Chadbourne Paul Ansel Chadbourne was an American educator and naturalist who served as President of University of Wisconsin from 1867 to 1870, and President of Williams College from 1872 until his resignation in 1881...	1866–67 and 1882–83
William S. Clark William S. Clark William Smith Clark was a professor of chemistry, botany and zoology, a colonel during the American Civil War, and a leader in agricultural education. Raised and schooled in Easthampton, Massachusetts, Clark spent most of his adult life in Amherst, Massachusetts...	1867–79
Charles L. Flint Charles L. Flint Charles Louis Flint was a lawyer, cofounder and first Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Agriculture, a lecturer in cattle and dairy farming, the first secretary of the Massachusetts Agricultural College Board of Trustees and the college's fourth president.Flint was born in Middleton,...	1879–80
Levi Stockbridge Levi Stockbridge Levi Stockbridge was a farmer and scientist from Hadley, Massachusetts. He was instrumental in the early history of the Massachusetts Agricultural College now known as the University of Massachusetts, Amherst....	1876 and 1880–82
James C. Greenough	1883–86
Henry H. Goodell	1883 and 1886–1905
William P. Brooks	1905–06
Kenyon L. Butterfield Kenyon L. Butterfield Kenyon Leech Butterfield was an American agricultural scientist and college administrator known for developing the Cooperative Extension Service at the Land Grant Universities, and was instrumental in developing the Smith-Lever Act of 1914...	1906–24
Edward M. Lewis	1924–27
Roscoe W. Thatcher	1927–32
Hugh P. Baker Hugh P. Baker Hugh Potter Baker was a graduate of the Michigan State College of Agriculture; Yale's School of Forestry ; and the University of Munich...	1933–47
Ralph A. Van Meter	1947–54
Jean Paul Mather	1954–60
John W. Lederle	1960–70
Robert C. Wood	1970–77
Franklin K. Patterson	1978
David C. Knapp David C. Knapp David C. Knapp was an American educational administrator.Knapp was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1927, and received his B.A. in political science from Syracuse University in 1947. He entered the University of Chicago; earning his M.A. in 1948. Knapp served in the U.S. Army's Second Armored...	1978–1990
Joseph D. Duffey	1990–1991
E K. Fretwell	1991–1992
Michael K. Hooker	1992–95
Sherry H. Penney	1995–96
William M. Bulger William M. Bulger William Michael "Billy" Bulger is a retired American Democratic Party politician, lawyer, and educator from South Boston, Massachusetts, who for many years was President of the Massachusetts Senate and president of the University of Massachusetts...	1996–2003
Jack M. Wilson Jack M. Wilson Jack M. Wilson was the 25th President of the five-campus, 60,000-student University of Massachusetts System, serving from September 2, 2003 to June 30, 2011. During his career, he has served various institutions as Professor of Physics, Department Chair, Research Center Director, Dean, Vice...	2003–2011
Robert L. Caret Robert L. Caret Robert L. Caret is the former president of Towson University. He became the 12th president of TU on July 1, 2003. As a former faculty member, dean, executive vice president and provost at Towson, Caret served at Towson for 21 years before assuming the presidency of San José State University of...	2011-

Robert L. Caret

Robert L. Caret

Robert L. Caret is the former president of Towson University. He became the 12th president of TU on July 1, 2003. As a former faculty member, dean, executive vice president and provost at Towson, Caret served at Towson for 21 years before assuming the presidency of San José State University of...

 was elected President of the five-campus, 68,000-student University of Massachusetts system on January 13, 2011. Ranked as the 19th best university in the world in the Times of London's 2011 World Reputation Rankings, UMass was established in 1863 and consists of the flagship campus in Amherst, along with campuses in Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell and Worcester. President Caret, a native New Englander, assumes the presidency of the University of Massachusetts after completing highly successful presidencies at San Jose State University and Towson University. President Caret presided over periods of significant growth at both universities and gained nationally acclaim for eliminating race-based graduation disparities at Towson. To read UMass President Robert L. Caret’s official biography, please visit the University of Massachusetts web site.

Board of trustees

The University of Massachusetts is governed by a lay Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees functions as a legislative body dealing mainly with questions of policy. The Board is not an administrative or management board. In certain rare instances when required by the Massachusetts General Laws, it may function as an appeal body. The Board establishes the general policies governing the University, but has delegated many powers to the President and, through the President, to campus administrators for day-to-day-operations.

Composition of the Board

The founding Board had fourteen appointed members and four ex officio members. Formerly, Trustees were appointed by the Legislature or the Board itself; currently, members are appointed by the Governor. The size of the Board has fluctuated between twelve and twenty-four members. The current Board is composed of nineteen voting members and three ex officio non-voting members. Seventeen Board members are appointed by the Governor of the Commonwealth; at least five of those appointed must be alumni of the University and one must be a representative of organized labor. The other two voting members are students. Overall, the board has five student members, elected for one-year terms, from the Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell and Worcester campuses. Voting membership rotates among the campuses: two students are voting members and three others are ex officio non-voting members.

Current Board

Trustees
James J. Karam, Chairman, Tiverton, RI, Exp. 2013
Ruben J. King-Shaw, Jr., Vice Chair, Carlisle, MA, Exp. 2015
Henry M. Thomas, III, J.D., Vice Chair, Springfield, MA, Exp. 2012
Richard P. Campbell, J.D., Boston, MA, Exp. 2016
Lawrence M. Carpman, Marshfield, MA, Exp. 2016
Edward W. Collins, Jr., Springfield, MA, Exp. 2012
John A. DiBiaggio, D.D.S., Snowmass Village, Colorado, Exp. 2013
Maria D. Furman, Wellesley, MA, Exp. 2014
Zoila M. Gomez, J.D., Lawrence, MA, Exp. 2016
Philip W. Johnston, Marshfield, MA, Exp. 2012
Alyce J. Lee, Milton, MA, Exp. 2016
Jeffrey B. Mullan, J.D., Milton, MA, Exp. 2016
Kerri Osterhaus-Houle, M.D., Hudson, MA, Exp. 2013
R. Norman Peters, J.D., Paxton, MA, Exp. 2014
S. Paul Reville, Secretary of Education, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA
Victor Woolridge, Springfield, MA, Exp. 2014
Margaret D. Xifaras, J.D., Marion, MA, Exp. 2016
Barbara F. DeVico (Secretary to the Board of Trustees)
Student Trustees Christina Kennedy, UMass Amherst (Non-Voting Student) Bianca L. Baldassarre, UMass Boston (Non-Voting Student) Peter T. Schock, UMass Dartmouth (Voting Student) James A. Tarr, UMass Lowell (Voting Student) Cara Weismann, UMass Medical (Non-Voting Student)

Notable alumni

Listed in alphabetical order

• Joseph Abboud
  Joseph Abboud
  Joseph Abboud is an award-winning Lebanese American menswear fashion designer and author.-Family:The Abboud family was a working-class Christian Lebanese family that started out in the South End of Boston and later moved to the Roslindale section of Boston. Abboud's mother, Lila, was a seamstress...
  
   (fashion designer)
• Norm Abram
  Norm Abram
  Norman L. Abram, or Norm Abram, is an American carpenter known for his work on the PBS television programs This Old House and The New Yankee Workshop. He is referred to on these shows as a "master carpenter".-Early life and education:Abram was born in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and raised in...
  
   (carpenter on This Old House
  This Old House
  This Old House is an American home improvement magazine and television series aired on the American television station Public Broadcasting Service which follows remodeling projects of houses over a number of weeks.-Overview:...
  
  )
• Kenneth S. Apfel
  Kenneth S. Apfel
  Kenneth S. Apfel was the 13th Commissioner of Social Security in the United States, filling a four-year term of office that ran from 1997 through 2001. Since 2006, he has held the position of Professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy.-References:...
  
   (former commissioner, Social Security Administration)
• Frank Black
  Frank Black
  Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...
  
   (frontman of the band Pixies, solo artist)
• David Branch
  David Branch
  David E. Branch has served as the Commissioner of the Ontario Hockey League since September 15, 1979, and as the President of the Canadian Hockey League since 1996...
  
   (commissioner of the Canadian Hockey League
  Canadian Hockey League
  The Canadian Hockey League is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canadian-based major junior ice hockey leagues for players 16 to 20 years of age. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League, and is composed of its three member leagues, the Western Hockey...
  
  )
• Steve Buckley
  Steve Buckley
  Steve Buckley is a British jazz musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who is most often heard playing alto, soprano and tenor saxophones, penny whistle and bass clarinet....
  
   (Boston Herald
  Boston Herald
  The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
  
  sports columnist)
• Pat Cadigan (science fiction author)
• Gerry Callahan
  Gerry Callahan
  Dennis and Callahan is an American morning radio show on WEEI, a sports radio station in Boston, Massachusetts. On November 16, 2010, a live three-hour simulcast began airing on NESN from 6-9AM Eastern time each weekday. The show combines talk of sports and politics, along with current or "water...
  
   (sports radio talk show host on WEEI in Boston)
• Marcus Camby
  Marcus Camby
  Marcus D. Camby is an American professional basketball player, who currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA. He is a former Defensive Player of the Year during the 2006–07 NBA season, leading the league in blocked shots per game...
  
   (basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers
  Portland Trail Blazers
  The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
  
  )
• Jill Carroll
  Jill Carroll
  Jill Carroll is an American former journalist who was kidnapped and ultimately released in Iraq. Carroll was a reporter for the Christian Science Monitor at the time of her kidnapping...
  
   (journalist for Christian Science Monitor)
• Ken P. Chong
  Ken P. Chong
  Dr. Ken P. Chong is a Professor at The George Washington University and an associate at the National Institute of Science and Technology . He was the Engineering Advisor, Interim Division Director and program director of Mechanics and Materials for 21 years at the U.S. National Science...
  
   (NIST, NSF, The George Washington University)
• Natalie Cole
  Natalie Cole
  Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
  
   (singer)
• Catherine Coleman
  Catherine Coleman
  Catherine Grace "Cady" Coleman is an American chemist, a former United States Air Force officer, and a current NASA astronaut...
  
   (astronaut)
• Bonnie Comley
  Bonnie Comley
  Bonnie Comley, Vice President of Stellar Productions International, Inc. is a producer, writer and performer.Comley has created scholarships funds at Columbia University Business Graduate School and at the Boston University College of Fine Arts Undergraduate School, where a theater is named in her...
  
   (Tony Award-winning producer)
• Rob Corddry
  Rob Corddry
  Robert William "Rob" Corddry is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a former correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and for his starring role in the comedy film Hot Tub Time Machine...
  
   (comedian)
• Jeff Corwin
  Jeff Corwin
  Jeffrey Scott Corwin is an American animal and nature conservationist, best known as host and executive producer of Animal Planet cable channel television programs, The Jeff Corwin Experience and Corwin's Quest.-Early years:...
  
   (actor, Jeff Corwin Experience)
• Bill Cosby
  Bill Cosby
  William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
  
   (comedian and actor)
• Victor Cruz
  Victor Cruz
  Víctor Manuel Cruz Gil was a Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during five seasons at the major league level for the Toronto Blue Jays, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Texas Rangers. He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent in...
  
   (professional football player for the New York Giants
  New York Giants
  The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
  )
• Patrick DeCoste
  Patrick DeCoste
  Patrick DeCoste is an American rock guitarist.-Biography:Patrick DeCoste began playing guitar at the age of 13 at a local music store in West Roxbury, MA and then went on to study at the Boston Conservatory of Music's & Berklee College of Music's &...
  
   (guitarist, composer)
• Gary DiSarcina
  Gary DiSarcina
  Gary Thomas DiSarcina is a front office executive and a former shortstop in Major League Baseball. He was raised in Billerica, Massachusetts and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst. DiSarcina was drafted by the California Angels in the 6th round of the 1988 amateur draft...
  
   (professional baseball player)
• Jeffrey Donovan
  Jeffrey Donovan
  Jeffrey Donovan is an American television, film and stage actor. He plays the lead Michael Westen on the American cable television series, Burn Notice. Notable starring roles in film include: Hitch, Believe in Me, Changeling, and Come Early Morning. He portrayed Robert F. Kennedy in Clint...
  
   (actor)
• Trung Dung
  Trung Dung
  Trung Dung is a Vietnamese-American businessman. His life story has been profiled in many leading publications including Forbes, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal and San Francisco Chronicle, as well as in Dan Rather's book The American Dream.-Early life:Dung was born in South Vietnam...
  
   (information technology expert)
• Julius Erving
  Julius Erving
  Julius Winfield Erving II , commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is a retired American basketball player who helped launch a modern style of play that emphasizes leaping and play above the rim....
  
   (professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers
  Philadelphia 76ers
  The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
  
  , member of Basketball Hall of Fame)
• Mike Flanagan (professional baseball player)
• Marc Forgione
  Marc Forgione
  Marc Forgione is an Iron chef and owner of restaurant Marc Forgione. He was born on December 16, 1978 and raised in Bellerose, New York. Chef Forgione competed on and won season three of The Next Iron Chef in 2010.-Early life:...
  
   (iron chef)
• Richard Gere
  Richard Gere
  Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
  
   (actor)
• Russell Alan Hulse
  Russell Alan Hulse
  Russell Alan Hulse is an American physicist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, shared with his thesis advisor Joseph Hooton Taylor Jr., "for the discovery of a new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation"...
  
   (physics Nobelist
  Nobel Prize in Physics
  The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
  
  )
• James Ihedigbo
  James Ihedigbo
  -New York Jets:In a 16–13 overtime loss to the Buffalo Bills on October 18, 2009, Ihedigbo and fellow Jet Marques Murrell threw punches at Bills Tight End Derek Fine, prompting Ihedigbo to be ejected from the game by officials...
  
   (professional football player for the New England Patriots
  New England Patriots
  The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
  
  )
• Eric Javer (stockbroker)
• Bill Janovitz
  Bill Janovitz
  Bill Janovitz is best known as the singer and guitarist of the alternative rock band Buffalo Tom.-History:After enrolling at the University of Massachusetts, Janovitz formed Buffalo Tom with fellow students Chris Colbourn and Tom Maginnis. A friendship with J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr...
  
   (musician, Buffalo Tom
  Buffalo Tom
  Buffalo Tom is an alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986. Its principal members are guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis. The band's name is derived from the band Buffalo Springfield and the first name of the drummer.-Career:Dinosaur Jr...
  
  )
• Derek Kellogg
  Derek Kellogg
  -External links:*** from The Republican* from The Boston Globe...
  
   (Head men's basketball coach for UMass, former assistant coach at University of Memphis
  University of Memphis
  The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
  
   under John Calipari
  John Calipari
  John Calipari is an American basketball coach. Since April 2009, he has been the men's head coach at the University of Kentucky....
  
  )
• Stephen Kellogg (musician, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers
  Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers
  Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers is an American rock band formed in Western Massachusetts in 2003. The band features lead singer Stephen Kellogg , bassist and keyboard player Kit 'The Goose' Karlson, drummer Boots Factor, and electric guitar/pedal steel player Sam 'Steamer' Getz...
  
  )
• Fardeen Khan
  Fardeen Khan
  Fardeen Khan is an Indian Bollywood actor.-Early life:Fardeen Khan was born to actor turned director Feroz Khan and mother Sundari. Grandson of Sadiq Ali Khan and Fatima Khan. He is the nephew of actors Sanjay Khan and Akbar Khan. He is the cousin of Suzanne Khan and actor Zayed Khan. He lived in...
  
   (Bollywood
  Bollywood
  Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
  
   actor)
• Hina Rabbani Khar
  Hina Rabbani Khar
  Hina Rabbani Khar is a Pakistani politician and the current Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Appointed in July of 2011, she is the first female and the youngest person to ever head Pakistani's Ministry of Foreign Affairs....
  
   (Foreign Minister of Pakistan)
• Madeleine Kunin (Governor of Vermont
  Governor of Vermont
  The Governor of Vermont is the governor of the U.S. state of Vermont. The governor is elected in even numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years; Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every two years, instead of every four...
  
  )
• Phil Laak
  Phil Laak
  Philip "Phil" C. Laak is a professional poker player, now residing in Los Angeles, California. Laak holds a World Poker Tour title, a World Series of Poker bracelet and has appeared on numerous nationally-aired television shows.-Early life:...
  
   (poker player and Jennifer Tilly
  Jennifer Tilly
  Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
  
  's boyfriend)
• Peter Laird
  Peter Laird
  Peter Alan Laird is an American comic book writer and artist. He is best known for co-creating Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with writer and artist Kevin Eastman.-Early life and career:...
  
  
• Stephane Lasme
  Stephane Lasme
  Yann Ulrich Stephane Lasme is a Gabonese professional basketball player. Lasme played NCAA college basketball at the University of Massachusetts , and he was selected by the Golden State Warriors in the second round, 46th overall, in the 2007 NBA Draft...
  
   (professional basketball player for Miami Heat
  Miami Heat
  The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
  
  )
• Hugh Loebner
  Hugh Loebner
  Hugh Loebner is notable as the sponsor of the Loebner Prize, an embodiment of the Turing test. He is an American inventor, holding six United States Patents. He is also an outspoken social activist for the decriminalization of prostitution.- Loebner prize:Loebner established the Loebner Prize in...
  
   (demographer, social activist)
• Brandon London
  Brandon London
  Brandon Jaime London is an American football wide receiver who is currently playing with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Massachusetts.London has also played for the Miami...
  
   (professional football player for New York Giants
  New York Giants
  The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
  )
• Taj Mahal
  Taj Mahal (musician)
  Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
  
   (musician)
• William Manchester
  William Manchester
  William Raymond Manchester was an American author, biographer, and historian from Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, notable as the bestselling author of 18 books that have been translated into over 20 languages...
  
   (historian, biographer)
• James Marcou
  James Marcou
  James Marcou is an American professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Worcester Sharks in the American Hockey League...
  
   (Professional Hockey Player, San Jose Sharks)
• J. Mascis (musician Dinosaur Jr.)
• William C. Martel
  William C. Martel
  William C. Martel is Associate Professor of International Security Studies at The Fletcher School, Tufts University.-Education:He has a B.A. from St. Anselm College, and a Ph.D. in Political Science from University of Massachusetts Amherst...
  
   (Associate Professor of International Security Studies at The Fletcher School, Tufts University
  Tufts University
  Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
  
  )
• Marty Meehan
  Marty Meehan
  Martin Thomas "Marty" Meehan is an American attorney and politician from the state of Massachusetts. He is the current Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, a position he assumed on July 1, 2007...
  
   (politician; since July 2007, Chancellor of UMass Lowell)
• Thomas Menino
  Thomas Menino
  Thomas Michael "Tom" Menino is the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, United States and the city's first Italian-American mayor...
  
   (mayor of Boston
  Boston
  Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
  
  )
• Sean Nelson
  Sean Nelson
  Sean Nelson is an American singer, songwriter, and keyboardist, notable as the frontman for the alternative rock group Harvey Danger.- Career :...
  
   (musician)
• Ann C. Noble
  Ann C. Noble
  Ann C. Noble is a sensory chemist and retired professor from the University of California, Davis. During her time at the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, Noble invented the "Aroma Wheel" which is credited with enhancing the public understanding of wine tasting and terminology...
  
   Inventor of the Aroma Wheel
• Kelly Overton (Writer and founder of People Protecting Animals & Their Habitats)
• Vivek Paul
  Vivek Paul
  Vivek Paul is an Indian-born businessman and founder of Akansa Capital, an India-focused Private Equity Fund. He is also a Consulting Professor of Radiology at Stanford University. Mr. Paul founded , a cloud software company in the enterprise social media space...
  
   (former Vice President of Wipro Technologies)
• Jim Perdue
  Jim Perdue
  Jim Perdue has been the Chairman and advertising spokesman of Perdue Farms since 1991. He is a third generation leader of the company founded by his grandfather in 1920....
  
   (Chairman of Perdue)
• Rick Pitino
  Rick Pitino
  Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach. Since 2001, he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996...
  
   (basketball coach)
• Thomas Pock
  Thomas Pock
  Thomas Dietmar Pöck is an Austrian professional defenceman currently playing for Modo Hockey of the Swedish Elitserien. He previously played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers and the New York Islanders....
  
   (Professional Hockey player for New York Rangers
  New York Rangers
  The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
  
  )
• Bill Pullman
  Bill Pullman
  William James "Bill" Pullman is an American film, television, and stage actor. Pullman made his film debut in the supporting role of Earl Mott in the 1986 film Ruthless People. He has since gone on to star in other films, including Spaceballs, Independence Day, Lost Highway, Casper and Scary Movie 4...
  
   (actor)
• Jonathan Quick
  Jonathan Quick
  Jonathan Douglas "Jon" Quick is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
  
   (National Hockey League
  National Hockey League
  The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
  
   player for the Los Angeles Kings
  Los Angeles Kings
  The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
  
  ) and member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team
• Jeff Reardon
  Jeff Reardon
  Jeffrey James Reardon , nicknamed "The Terminator" for his intimidating presence on the mound and 98 mph fastball, is a former professional baseball relief pitcher from 1979-1994 who played for the New York Mets, Montreal Expos, Minnesota Twins, and Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati...
  
   (professional baseball player)
• Buffy Sainte-Marie
  Buffy Sainte-Marie
  Buffy Sainte-Marie, OC is a Canadian Cree singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. Throughout her career in all of these areas, her work has focused on issues of Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Her singing and writing repertoire includes...
  
   (musician, artist, educator, and social activist)
• Briana Scurry
  Briana Scurry
  Briana Colette Scurry is a retired American soccer goalkeeper. Scurry was the starting goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer team at the 1995 World Cup , 1996 Olympics , 1999 World Cup , 2003 World Cup , 2004 Olympics and 2007 World Cup...
  
   (player on the 1999 world champion United States women's national soccer team
  United States women's national soccer team
  The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
  
  )
• James Sherman
  James Sherman
  James Sherman may refer to:*James S. Sherman, Vice President of the United States under President William Howard Taft, 1909–1912*James Sherman , comic book artist*James Sherman , American playwright from Chicago...
  
   (musician, Whittington)
• Marcel Shipp
  Marcel Shipp
  Marcel Cornelius Shipp is an American football running back for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He played in the NFL from 2001-2008 for the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2001, and played with them...
  
   American football running back for the Arizona Cardinals
  Arizona Cardinals
  The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
  
• Nalini Singh
  Nalini Singh
  Nalini Singh is an Indian journalist. For the New Zealand author see Nalini Singh .She has been the anchor for several current affairs programs on Doordarshan, and is most known for her program, 'Aankhon Dekhi', on investigative journalism.-Early life:She is daughter of consumer rights activist,...
  
   (Best known for her spontaneous stand-up comedy)
• Al Skinner
  Al Skinner
  Albert L. Skinner is an American men's college basketball head coach and a former collegiate and professional basketball player. He was formerly the head coach of the Boston College men's basketball team.-College:Skinner played at the University of Massachusetts...
  
   (professional basketball player, former Boston College basketball coach)
• Jack Smith
  Jack Smith
  -In sport:*Jack Smith , 19th century footballer in 1892–1895*Jack Smith , English player with Wolverhampton Wanderers and others* Jack Smith , English international footballer...
  
   (former CEO of General Motors)
• Flo Steinberg
  Flo Steinberg
  Florence "Flo" Steinberg is an American publisher of one of the first independent comic books, the underground/alternative comics hybrid Big Apple Comix, in 1975...
  
   (comic books)
• Sarah Stevenson
  Sarah Stevenson
  Sarah Diana Stevenson is a British Taekwondo athlete from Bentley near Doncaster, England.Stevenson finished fourth on her Olympics debut in 2000 and after a judging error was reversed in the quarter-finals of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, she went on to win a Bronze medal, the first British...
  
   (Director of Community/Player Relations, Boston Red Sox)
• Mike Tannenbaum
  Mike Tannenbaum
  Mike Tannenbaum is a professional American football executive, currently serving as the general manager for the New York Jets of the National Football League.-Cleveland Browns:...
  
   (general manager NFL New York Jets
  New York Jets
  The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
  
  )
• Jeff Taylor
  Jeff Taylor
  Jeff Taylor is a founder of the online jobs site Monster.com. He is a graduate of the program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. In August 2005, he left Monster to found a new venture called Eons.com, a social networking website for people over age 50. In 2008, Taylor started...
  
   (founder of Monster.com
  Monster.com
  Monster.com is one of the largest employment websites in the world, owned and operated by Monster Worldwide, Inc. Monster is one of the 20 most visited websites out of 100 million worldwide, according to comScore Media Metrics...
  
  )
• Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr.
  Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr.
  Joseph Hooton Taylor, Jr. is an American astrophysicist and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate for his discovery with Russell Alan Hulse of a "new type of pulsar, a discovery that has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation."...
  
   (physics Nobelist
  Nobel Prize in Physics
  The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
  
  )
• Paul Theroux
  Paul Theroux
  Paul Edward Theroux is an American travel writer and novelist, whose best known work of travel writing is perhaps The Great Railway Bazaar . He has also published numerous works of fiction, some of which were made into feature films. He was awarded the 1981 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his...
  
   author
• Jimmy Tingle
  Jimmy Tingle
  Jimmy Tingle is an American comic and occasional actor.-Life and career:Tingle was the American correspondent for Sir David Frost’s show for PBS and the BBC, The Strategic Humor Initiative. He completed two seasons with 60 Minutes II on CBS as the humorist / commentator in the Andy Rooney spot...
  
   (comedian; former television commentator on 60 Minutes II)
• John Tobin (Boston City Councilor)
  John Tobin (Boston City Councilor)
  John M. Tobin, Jr. was Boston City Councilor elected as the District 6 representative to the Boston City Council in 2001 and was re-elected in 2003, 2005, and 2007...
  
  
• Sidney Topol (former CEO of Scientific Atlanta)
• Ron Villone
  Ron Villone
  Ronald Thomas Villone Jr. is a Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher who is currently with the Somerset Patriots. He has not been on the same team for more than two years in his major league career and due to his many baseball travels, some of his teammates have affectionately referred...
  
   (professional baseball player for Saint Louis Cardinals)
• Saba Wahid (Chef, Food Columnist and former presenter of television series Ask One and Studio One
• Casey Wellman
  Casey Wellman
  Casey Jay Wellman is an American professional ice hockey center for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League . He is currently assigned to the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League. The native of Brentwood, California was signed to a two-year entry level contract on March 16, 2010 as...
  
   (professional hockey player, Minnesota Wild)
• Jack Welch
  Jack Welch
  John Francis "Jack" Welch, Jr. is an American chemical engineer, business executive, and author. He was Chairman and CEO of General Electric between 1981 and 2001...
  
   (former CEO of General Electric
  General Electric
  General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
  
  )
• Zhou Qifeng
  Zhou Qifeng
  Zhou Qifeng is a Chinese chemist and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He succeeded Xu Zhihong to the office of the President of Peking University on November 14, 2008.-Biography:...
  
   (President of Peking University
  Peking University
  Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
  
  )

In popular culture

"U-Mass" is the name of a song on the Pixies' album Trompe le Monde

Trompe le Monde

Trompe le Monde is the fourth and final album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in 1991 on the English independent record label 4AD in the United Kingdom and by Elektra Records in the United States...

., a scathing put down of the university that band member and main songwriter Frank Black

Frank Black

Black Francis is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black...

 and guitarist Joey Santiago

Joey Santiago

Joey Santiago is a Filipino-American guitarist and composer. Active since 1986, Santiago is best known as the lead guitarist for the American alternative rock band Pixies. After the band's breakup in 1993, Santiago produced musical scores for film and television documentaries, and he formed The...

had attended (but dropped out).

Mascots

The original UMass Amherst mascot was the Redmen. Because this name had the potential to offend Native American groups, the mascot was changed in the 1970s to the Minutemen. For the same reason the UMass Lowell mascot was changed from the Chiefs to the River Hawks in the mid-1990s.

External links

• Official website