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University of Massachusetts Lowell

 
Wikipedia: University of Massachusetts Lowell
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Established 1894 Lowell Normal School
1895 Lowell Textile School
1955 Lowell Technological Institute (renamed)
1975 University of Lowell (merger of Lowell State College and Lowell Technological Institute)
1991 UMass Lowell (renaming - joined University of Massachusetts system)
Type Public
Chancellor Marty Meehan
President Jack M. Wilson
Provost Ahmed Abdelal
Faculty 406 Full and Part-Time (Fall 2007)
Staff 657 Full and Part-Time (Fall 2007)
Undergraduates 9,706 (2008)
Postgraduates 2,765 (2008)
Location Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
42°38′34″N 71°20′04″W / 42.642716°N 71.334530°W / 42.642716; -71.334530Coordinates: 42°38′34″N 71°20′04″W / 42.642716°N 71.334530°W / 42.642716; -71.334530
Campus Urban
150 acres
Colors Persian Red     , Pigment Blue    , and White     
Nickname River Hawks
Mascot Rowdy the River Hawk
Website www.uml.edu

The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell, UML) is one of five University of Massachusetts campuses. Located in Lowell, Massachusetts, it is the largest university in the Merrimack Valley.

UMass Lowell was named the University of Lowell from 1975 to 1991. It was created from the merger of the Lowell Technological Institute and Lowell State College in 1975. These colleges in turn were originally named the Lowell Textile School, founded in 1895 to train technicians and managers for the textile industry, and the Lowell Normal School, founded in 1894 to train new teachers.

Contents

Academics

UMass Lowell is well-known for its science and engineering programs; including several "on the rise" technologies in the field of dichotomy and "logical guessing". It was the first university in the United States to offer a bachelor's degree in plastics engineering, and it is one of a few public universities in the United States to offer a degree in meteorology. UMass Lowell is also the first university to offer a masters in sound recording technology (SRT).

Notable Achievements

  • The Francis College of Engineering's Assistive Technology Program, which focuses on developing devices which improve quality of life for the disabled, has won numerous state and national awards for design excellence and community service.
  • All of the programs in the College of Management are fully accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, the highest level of business school accreditation. The College of Management has been fully accredited since 1987, and the most recent AACSB reaffirmation of accreditation occurred in December 2005.
  • The nanotechnology program within the University was honored in 2004 by the John Adams Innovation Institute with a $5 million award for the creation of the UMass Lowell Nanomanufacturing Center of Excellence.
  • The Master's program in criminal justice is ranked one of the best in the nation by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences in their Guide to Graduate Programs in Criminal Justice and Criminology, and one of seven regional programs with an eligible Master's program under the Quinn Bill.[5]
  • UMass Lowell is also known for its VLSI graduate program, Plastic engineering program, Chemical/Nuclear Engineering program, and its new Nanotechnology and Nano-Manufacturing Center. The Francis College of Engineering Programs at UMass Lowell are also accredited by ABET.
  • The university maintains the state-of-the-art Radiation Laboratory, complete with a research reactor and Van de Graaff particle accelerator. This facility provides experimental platforms for nuclear, biological, materials testing and other scientific fields. The Radiation Laboratory also allows students in the Radiological Sciences and Protection Program to gain experience in the practical aspects of radiation safety.
  • The Work Environment Department, in The School of Health and Environment, is a leading Occupational Safety and Health program which is known internationally. They offer degrees in Occupational Ergonomics, Industrial Hygiene, and Sustainable Production.

Student Life

Student Organizations

The Big Seven

The Big Seven are the main organizations on campus funded directly from the student activities fee. Generally, they are the largest and most well-funded organizations on campus; other student organizations have budgets granted through the Student Government Association. They are:

Other Clubs

Some of the other student organizations include:

  • Association for Students of African Origin (ASAO)
  • Audio Engineering Society (AES)
  • Biology Club
  • Coalition for Social Reform (CSR) [3]
  • College Bowl
  • Game Developers Group [4]
  • Haitian Student Association
  • The UMass Lowell History Club
  • Indian Students Association (ISA) [5]
  • International Relations Club (Model UN)
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
  • Latin American Students Association (LASA)
  • Magik (Masters gaming konnection)
  • Muslim Student Association (MSA)
  • Music and Entertainment Industry Students Association (MEISA)
  • Music Educators National Conference (MENC)
  • Nurses without Borders
  • Pre-Law Society
  • Psychology Club
  • Shotokan Karate Club
  • Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers [6]
  • Society of Plastic Engineers (SPE)
  • Pride Alliance(gay/straight alliance)
  • STAN (Students Taking Action Now)
  • UMass Lowell Bocce Club
  • To Write Love UML (A U.Chapter of To Write Love On Her Arms)

Building

Academic buildings and dorms

East Campus

North Campus

South Campus

West Campus

Off Campus

Downtown

Housing Buildings

Eleven residence halls on campus house almost 3000 residents, including 400 in the new UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center (formerly the Doubletree Hotel). 68% of the freshmen class live in university housing according to the official web site. In addition, the university owns two apartment complexes located at East Meadow Lane which houses graduates, students with families, and 21+ undergraduates. There is almost 3000 students living on campus. The rest of the students are located at the Inn and Conference Center.

East Campus

North Campus

South Campus

Off Campus Apartments

  • 49 East Meadow Lane
  • 61 East Meadow Lane

Downtown

  • UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center

Student Operated On-Campus Services

Sports

Tsongas Arena
LeLacheur Park, with the Merrimack River in the background, taken from the top of Fox Hall

UMass Lowell athletic teams compete in a variety of sports. Men and women compete in Division II, with the exception of men's hockey, which competes in Division I. The men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, track and field, and soccer. The women's sports are basketball, cross country, track and field, field hockey, soccer, rowing, softball, and volleyball. The University's men's hockey team plays in the Hockey East conference, and use Tsongas Arena as their home ice. Past champions include the 1988 men's basketball team, the 1991 men's cross country team, the ice hockey team (three times), and the 2005 field hockey team.

The nickname "River Hawks" came about during the school's transition into UMass Lowell, and was inspired by the campus's location by the Merrimack River. The University of Lowell's nickname was the Chiefs, which was abandoned in favor of the current name. A campus-wide poll was conducted for student input and final candidates included the Ospreys and the Raging Rapids, according to the Connector student newspaper.

University Demographics

2008 enrollment totals were 13,479 students, composed of 11,231 undergraduate students and 2,248 graduate students. In-state enrollment totals 92% of undergraduates and 71% of graduate students. International students are 1% of the undergraduate population and 14% of the graduate population. Students of color are 21% of the total undergraduate population and 18% of the graduate population. The male-female ratio is 60%/40% for undergraduates and 52%/48% for the graduate population. The total enrollment is up by twenty percent from 2007. [6]

Recent Developments

UMass Lowell and the city have reached an agreement for the school to take over the Tsongas Arena and the three acres adjacent to it. The land, which has the Lowell Police maintenance facility will be used as stated by Chancellor Meehan as a boutique hotel. The school has bought the Double Tree Hotel in downtown Lowell. It will be used for student housing and to house major events for the university. The building will be called the UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center.

The school planed on tearing down Smith Hall during the summer of 2009 to make way for the new Emerging Technologies Innovation Center. The building would be the first academic building built in thirty years. The building will cost seventy million dollars with half of the funding coming from the state. There is also an academic building being planned for UMass Lowell's South Campus. It will house disciplines from humanities and the social sciences. Chancellor Meehan has stated the building would open in 2012. It will be a forty million dollar building with twenty-six million coming from the state. Currently, the building plans have stalled, with Smith Hall still standing as of October 2009.

In July 2009, the Massachusetts legislature eliminated from the Commonwealth's 2010 budget over $1 million in funding for the state's Toxic Use Reduction Institute, based on the UMass Lowell campus. In October, 2009 it was announced that the University had secured federal stimulus funds that would enable the institute open through the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2010.[7] Boston Globe article</ref> Boston Business Journal article</ref>

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

See also

References

  1. ^ [1] (broken link)
  2. ^ Chabot, Hillary UML Earns Green Energy Honors, Lowell Sun, May 3, 2006
  3. ^ Jennifer Hanson University Tests Baseballs Used in Playoff Games, UML press release, October 11, 2007;
  4. ^ [2]
  5. ^ program description, Massachusetts Department of Education website. Retrieved 2009-05-16;
  6. ^ Lowell (link inactive)
  7. ^ Boston Globe article

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