Presidents Report 2019 - Innovators at UMass Amherst Descriptive Transcript

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Text appears University of Massachusetts Amherst, driving the Massachusetts innovation economy.

NARRATOR
Massachusetts has always been fertile ground for innovation dating back to its primary role in the Industrial Revolution. Today, technology and research have replaced textile mills and assembly lines, but the Bay state is still the place where the rest of the country turns for the next big idea or game-changing advancement.

Text: First in the nation 2 years in a row, bloomberg 2017 U.S. State Innovation. Graph: First-year undergraduate enrollment of Massachusetts students at top eight private universities in Massachusetts vs. UMass Amherst in 2016, 3,420 students.

NARRATOR
In fact, Massachusetts has ranked first in the nation two years in a row for its innovation economy, leading the way in health care, life sciences, technology, and financial services. But despite all this success, there is one thing even our state's innovation economy can't do without-- innovators. And while Massachusetts elite private universities are producing their fair share of young stars, nobody supplies Massachusetts with the sheer volume of fresh talent as UMass Amherst.

TOM KENNEDY, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, RAYTHEON COMPANY
We have over 500 graduates at UMass Amherst, and I can tell you we have direct experience in understanding their capabilities. And the area they shine is both on the practical side, but also on the theoretical side in helping us develop solutions that we can take to the world.

NARRATOR
The University of Massachusetts Amherst consistently turns out more STEM graduates, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, than any other institution in the Commonwealth.

Graph: 1702 STEM BS degree awards, 2015-2016 from UMass Amherst. Logos: GE, Raytheon, IBM, MassMutual, Dell EMC, and PWC

NARRATOR
In 2016 alone, the flagship campus had over 1,700 graduates in the STEM fields, and nearly 1,000 of those now live and work in the state. And industry leaders like Raytheon, IBM, GE, Mass Mutual, Dell EMC, Price Waterhouse, and more.

RICK LORD, PRESIDENT/CEO, ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES OF MASSACHUSETTS
UMass Amherst is by far the leader in producing STEM graduates that feed our innovation economy while making their homes and raising their families here in Massachusetts.

NARRATOR
It is impossible to overstate the university's impact on the state's economic health. Last year, every dollar that Massachusetts invested in UMass Amherst returned seven to the state, an incredible $2.1 billion in economic activity. UMass Amherst graduates make the best candidates, because the university is strategically aligned with the Commonwealth's innovation economy unlike any other institution in the state.

PEGGY HO, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL, LPL FINANCIAL
We are constantly searching for prospects to help us succeed in the financial sector, and fortunately for us, UMass Amherst is producing great talent right here in our backyard.

NARRATOR
By collaborating with public and private partners, UMass Amherst is leading the groundbreaking research that generates startups and fuels the state's economy. A strong, vibrant, well-funded UMass Amherst is a crucial component in giving Massachusetts a competitive edge in the global innovation economy. To ensure that Massachusetts stays at the top of the nation's innovation leaderboard, we need to continue to strengthen the flagship campus, and we need your continued support to make that happen. UMass Amherst is a powerhouse in research and development, where the students of today are the Massachusetts innovators of tomorrow.

Text appears University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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