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University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst , Massachusetts , United States

National Ranking: 68

Founded: 1863
Establishment: University
Type: Public
Total Students: 30593

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University of Massachusetts Amherst

The university was founded in 1863 under the provisions of the Federal Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act to provide instruction to Massachusetts citizens in "agricultural, mechanical, and military arts." Accordingly, the university was initially named the Massachusetts Agricultural College, popularly referred to as "Mass Aggie" or "M.A.C." In 1867, the college had yet to admit any students, been through two Presidents, and had still not completed any college buildings. In that year, William S. Clark was appointed President of the college and Professor of Botany. He quickly appointed a faculty, completed the construction plan, and, in the fall of 1867, admitted the first class of approximately 50 students. Clark became the first president to serve long term after the school's opening and is often regarded as the primary founding father of the college. Of the school's founding figures, there are a traditional "founding four"- Clark, Levi Stockbridge, Charles Goessmann, and Henry Goodell, described as "the botanist, the farmer, the chemist, the man of letters.

The original buildings consisted of Old South College (a dormitory located on the site of the present South College), North College (a second dormitory once located just south of today's Machmer Hall), the Chemistry Laboratory, also known as College Hall (once located on the present site of Machmer Hall), the Boarding House (a small dining hall located just north of the present Campus Parking Garage), the Botanic Museum (located on the north side of the intersection of Stockbridge Road and Chancellor's Hill Drive) and the Durfee Plant House (located on the site of the new Durfee Conservatory).

Important Facts

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) is a research university in Amherst in Massachusetts.

It is the flagship university of the University of Massachusetts system, and it is the largest public university in New England.

The impressive 1,450-acre campus is based in the town Amherst, and it extends about one mile from the Campus Centre in all directions.

While the university is large, through the Five College Interchange, students can also take courses at smaller liberal arts colleges nearby: Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College and Hampshire College. As part of the consortium, students can attend classes, borrow books, and work with professors at the different colleges.

The university offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees, but it is also categorised as a Research University with very high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Sustainability is key for the university, and is now an integral part of life on campus. In 2010, the UMass Climate Action Plan was approved, which documented the campus’ plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. Furthermore, this is one of the only public universities to use the fresh fruits and vegetables in the dining commons from its very own gardens.

Athletic teams at UMass are members of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The university is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Sports on offer for students to take part in include: baseball, basketball, cross country, ice hockey, football, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, and track and field.

Notable alumni include the famous actor Richard Gere who notably played alongside Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, Jack Welch, Jr., a retired American business executive, author, and chemical engineer who was chairman and CEO of General Electric, and Natalie Cole, an American singer-songwriter and daughter of Nat King Cole.

Ranking / Awards

University of Massachusetts--Amherst is ranked #68 in National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.