President’s Report: 2018 an outstanding year for UMass

With the new year fast approaching, I’m proud to report that 2018 has been another outstanding year for the University of Massachusetts.

This year, we continued our rapid rise into the top tier of public research universities, reaching important new milestones while increasing our impact in the Commonwealth and beyond. Consider just a few of the highlights and top achievements of 2018:

  • Across our five campuses, enrollment surpassed 74,500 students — a new high — and we graduated our largest class in history, with nearly 18,000 students earning degrees, most of whom will remain in Massachusetts to live and work.
     
  • Our research portfolio rose to a record $670 million — behind only Harvard and MIT in the state — with research concentrated in areas critical to the Commonwealth’s economy, including the life sciences, advanced manufacturing, climate science, marine science and engineering.
     
  • UMass Medical School remains in the top 10 percent nationwide for primary care education, and less than two years after receiving full ABA accreditation, the bar pass rate at UMass Law soared above 92 percent, behind only Harvard and BU in Massachusetts.
     
  • UMass Boston opened its first-ever residence halls, marking a transformational moment for the waterfront campus, and UMass Dartmouth broke ground on new residential and dining facilitiesdesigned to upgrade the student living and learning experience. Both projects will have a dramatic impact on campus life and student success.
     
  • For the fourth consecutive year, Reuters named UMass one of the World’s Most Innovative Universities, recognizing our efforts to advance science, invent new technologies and power new markets and industries.
     
  • And for the third year in a row, U.S. News & World Report ranked UMass one of the best university systems in the country, with all four undergraduate campuses in the top tier, making us one of the only systems so acclaimed.

I’m incredibly proud of these accomplishments, and I’m proud of the standard of excellence we consistently aspire to and achieve.  

Every day, UMass is shaping the future of this region — conducting groundbreaking research that will change lives, serving the Commonwealth and driving its economy, ensuring the promise of world-class public higher education remains a reality.

None of this would be possible without the hard work and dedication of the students, faculty and staff across our five campuses, as well as the support of our alumni.

So as we turn our attention to a new year and a new set of challenges and opportunities, I want to thank you for all did to support UMass in 2018. I look forward to working together in 2019 to ensure that UMass continues to fulfill its critical mission of access, opportunity and excellence for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Marty Meehan signature

Martin T. Meehan
President