2017-2019 In Review

Dr. Robert E. Johnson at the Claire T. Carney Library

A Letter from Chancellor Robert E. Johnson

As another academic year begins at UMass Dartmouth, I am reminded of all the amazing things our faculty, staff, administrators, and students have accomplished since I began my tenure as chancellor.

I came to the SouthCoast in the summer of 2017 eager to work with an institution that was committed to academic excellence and student success. Shortly after my arrival, I engaged in a listening tour with 30 unique groups of students, faculty, staff, and local community members, business leaders, and legislators. As I listened to everyone and witnessed incredible learning experiences happen across campus, I realized that UMass Dartmouth offered a private college educational experience and public university value.

In this Chancellor’s Report, you will understand why I came to this conclusion. Whether it is the innovative research by our faculty, our commitment to regional prosperity and wellbeing, or our student outcomes - there is real momentum happening at UMass Dartmouth. I am proud of all that we have accomplished together, but as they say, the best is yet to come. I look forward to a bright future for our university.

Best regards,

Robert E. Johnson
Chancellor

Research

UMass Dartmouth cultivates a vital and vibrant culture of research, scholarship, and innovation that reflects the expertise of our faculty, staff, and students; the strength of our academic programs; and the needs of our region, the Commonwealth, and the global community

26%

increase in new externally funded grant awards from FY18-FY19

16M

in external awards in FY19

$567,587

For Dr. Dan MacDonald to study the mixing of river water into the coastal ocean

$590,837For Dr. Mark Altabet to measure nitrogen loss in the North Pacific Ocean

$603,331

For Dr. Walaa Mogawer to study reclaimed asphalt pavement materials for Massachusetts roadways

$643,899

For Dr. Sigal Gottlieb to examine efficient and robust algorithms in high-performance simulations

$1.48M

For Dr. Pingguo He to perform marine life surveys around offshore wind facilities

$2.1M

For Dr. Chandra Orrill, Dr. Shakhnoza Kayumova, and Dr. Ramprasad Balasubramanian to develop best practices for STEM teaching

Investing in our campus

Successfully completed a comprehensive Campus Master Plan to address significant infrastructure needs of the campus to be able to provide students with a 21st century learning and living environment

New first-year housing and campus dining facility $133.9M

1,210 new beds 800 new dining seats

Reducing deferred maintenance by 18%

Science and Engineering labs renovation $54.4M

Enrollment

Every year UMass Dartmouth welcomes eager new students to its 710-acre campus. For fall 2019, the university welcomed more than 2,300 new undergraduate and graduate students from 36 states and 27 countries. UMass Law welcomed 113 new law students in fall 2019 - a record number of incoming first-year students.

Student aid increase $4.5M

2018-19 first-year student enrollment increase 7.7%

UMass Law first-year student enrollment up 21.5% over fall 2018

Welcomed more than 200 former Mount Ida students to UMassD community in 2018

Marine Science and Technology

UMassD secured $1.2M in funding from the federal government, the state of Massachusetts, and corporate donors to serve as a catalyst for the creation of an interconnected marine science and technology corridor in the SouthCoast region. To achieve this goal, the university established the Marine and Environmental Research and Technology (MERIT) Center that includes 50 faculty conducting interdisciplinary research. Collaboration is critical to achieving regional economic success, so the university hosted a Marine Science and Technology Symposium in 2018 that brought together more than 100 academics, industry leaders, and legislators to identify regional strengths. A second annual Symposium will be held in November 2019.

Future Ready

UMassD graduates students into a world where 65% of future jobs do not currently exist and 45% of current jobs will be automated by 2033. The world of work these students are entering is full of growing uncertainty and changing realities that will shape industries as well as national and global economies. The most successful students graduate ready for this new future. Our forward thinking faculty created a comprehensive University Studies curriculum in 2012 that included the cluster: “The Educated and Engaged Citizen.” Consequently, UMassD graduates acquire knowledge and skillsets through their majors while developing a mindset that values lifelong learning and the ability to reinvent oneself in the face of constant change. No matter what lies ahead, UMassD students are ready and able to invent their own future.

Fundraising

Raised $655,823 for current use or endowed scholarships in FY19

120 Students received scholarships funded by donations in 2018

Raised $3M in FY19, an increase of 39% over 2018

Raised $133,245 with 1,105 unique donors during the 2019 Corsair Challenge

Raised $2M through gifts worth $50,000 or more over two years

Scott Tingle ‘87

Mechanical Engineering Alumnus Captain Scott Tingle became a NASA astronaut and ventured to the International Space Station in 2017. Soon after coming back to Earth, Cpt. Tingle visited UMass Dartmouth to inspire students.

umassd.edu/alumni

UMass Dartmouth and Air National Guard sign cybersecurity education and workforce development agreement

Learn more

Athletics

UMassD student athletes have been making highlights on and off the field

corsairathletics.com

University signs multi-lateral, multi-national teaching, learning, and research agreement with seven Portuguese institutions of higher education

Learn more

UMass Dartmouth announces new Honors College and expands scope of College of Nursing to add Health Sciences for the fall

Learn more