Today I was delighted to speak at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Physical Sciences Building and the West Experiment Station at UMass Amherst.
There’s a great deal to be proud of at the University of Massachusetts.
I am honored to be the Senator for the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district and to represent this flagship campus. Honored to join Governor Baker, President Meehan, Chancellor Subbaswamy, my great colleagues in the Legislature, and so many hard working, world class faculty members, students and staff of UMass Amherst.
Commencement is right around the corner, and I’m mindful that UMass Amherst is set to graduate over 6,000 students with an array of undergraduate and graduate degrees. The numbers show that 62 percent of those graduates will stay long-term in the Commonwealth to work and raise families.
The campus has shot up in the rankings over the last few years, moving from the 52nd ranked public institution to the 26th ranked. Equally important, UMass has stayed true to its mission of educating our Commonwealth’s diverse students.
The entering class this past fall was the most diverse in UMass history, with 32 percent of students identifying as ALANA (African American, Latino/a, Asian, Pacific Islander and Native American).
What’s more, 22 percent of students were Pell grant eligible, which is more than the eight top private institutions across the state.
We know that STEM talent development is critical to the innovative economy and I was thrilled to learn that UMass Amherst awards more STEM undergraduate degrees than any other public or private institution in the state.
UMass needs to remain a high quality public option for higher education because our diverse citizens deserve it and our Commonwealth economy demands it.
That’s why today is such a day to celebrate the Physical Sciences Building and the West Experiment Station and the promise it has for learning and research.
And I am tremendously excited for the opportunities for our students, faculty, staff, and Commonwealth that are certainly ahead because of this investment. And so glad to represent UMass in our Legislature.
