University of Massachusetts Lowell

University of Massachusetts Lowell
Established	1894 Lowell Normal School 1895 Lowell Textile School 1975 University of Lowell (merger) 1991 UMass Lowell (renaming)
Type:	Public
Chancellor:	Marty Meehan
Faculty:	359 full-time 224 part-time & visiting
Undergraduates:	8,649 (2006)
Postgraduates:	2,559 (2006)
Location	Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
Campus:	Urban 125 acres/500,000 m²
Colors:	Blue, White & Red
Nickname:	River Hawks
Mascot:	Rowdy the River Hawk
Website:	www.uml.edu

The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) 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, and 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.

Academics

UMass Lowell is well-known for its science and engineering programs. 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). The undergraduate SRT program has been consistently recognized as one of the best in the nation.

Notable Achievements

• The University has been ranked as an intensive doctoral/research university by the Carnegie Foundation[1] and received a category one ranking, the highest possible, from the American Association of University Professors.
• 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 of 2005.
• The school continues to make advancements in its master's degree program in energy engineering with renowned solar and nuclear specialties. The Energy Engineering Department has been leading the University in its eco-friendly attempts to cut greenhouse gases, in February 2006, switching to wind powered electricity in some *dormatories[2].
• The Mechanical Engineering Department has a Baseball Research Center which is the official certification center for baseball bats used by the NCAA and Major League Baseball [3]. The center has received grants from Major League Baseball to do comparison testing on regular season and World Series baseballs [4].
• 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].
• The Computer Science department is one of only five Massachusetts-based programs to earn accreditation (the others being MIT, Northeastern, WPI and UMass Dartmouth).
• UMass Lowell is also known for its VLSI graduate program, Plastic engineering program,Chemical/Nuclear Engineering program, and its new Nano-technology and Nano-Manufacturing Center. The Francis College of Engineering Programs at UMass Lowell are also accredited by ABET.
• Complete with a research reactor, the university is also host to a state-of-the-art Radiation Laboratory which supports the nuclear, medical, and other programs.
• The Work Environment Department, in The School of Health and Environment, is a leading Occupational Safety and Health program which is know 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:

• Student Government Association (SGA)
• The UMass Lowell Connector (student newspaper)
• WUML (student-run radio station)
• Campus Activities Programming Association (CAPA)
• Off-Broadway Players (student theater group)
• UML Marching Band
• Sojourn (student-run yearbook)

Other Clubs

Some of the other student organizations include:

• Association for Students of African Origin (ASAO)
• Latin American Students Association (LASA)
• Muslim Student Association (MSA)
• Music and Entertainment Industry Students Association (MEISA)
• Music Educators National Conference (MENC)
• Audio Engineering Society (AES)
• Spectrum (gay/straight alliance)
• International Relations Club (Model UN)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• Pre-Law Society
• Magik (Masters gaming konnection)
• SWE
• College Bowl
• NSBE
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers [6]
• Society of Physics Students (SPS)
• The UML History Club

Building

Academic Buildings

Housing Buildings

Eight residence halls on campus house just over 2300 residents, including 68% of the freshmen class according to the official web site. In addition, the university runs two apartment complexes located at East Meadow Lane which houses graduates, students with families, and 21+ undergraduates.

Student Operated On-Campus Services

• EMS (Emergency Medical Service)
• Night-time Shuttle Service
• SIC (Student Information Center)

Sports

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, softball, and volleyball. The University's mens' 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

2006 enrollment totals were 11,208 students, composed of 8,649 undergraduate students and 2,559 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.^[1]

Notable alumni and former students

• Michael Casey, poet
• Craig Charron, Professional Ice Hockey Player
• Brian S. Dempsey, (B.A.), member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 1990 - present)
• Christopher G. Fallon, (M.S. 1978), member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 1996 - present)
• Colleen M. Garry, (B.S.), member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 1995 - present)
• Thomas A. Golden, Jr., (B.S.) and (MBA), member of the Mass. House of Representatives (served 1995 - present)
• Ron Hainsey, Professional Ice Hockey Player
• Craig MacTavish, Professional Ice Hockey Player and Coach
• Marty Meehan, Congressman (served 1993 - 2007) and current chancellor
• Jack Neary, Playwright
• John Ogonowski, Pilot of American Airlines Flight 11 on 9/11/2001
• John Pinette, Comedian
• Dwayne Roloson, Professional Ice Hockey Player
• Robert Silvers, Photomosaic artist
• John Traphagan, Former Director of the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin and professor of Japanese Studies and Anthropology

See also

• University of Massachusetts Lowell (Radiation Laboratory)
• University of Massachusetts Lowell (Sound Recording Technology)

External links

• UML Homepage
• Official UML Map.
• UML blog.
• UML Athletics
• UML Center for Lowell History
• Society or Hispanic Professional Engineers at UML

References