February 7, 2007
Online community to connect thousands of alumni worldwide
The UMass Dartmouth Alumni Association today launched a powerful online network that will connect thousands of graduates and friends of the university to each other in a virtual community. Members will be able to use the network to re-connect with the friends they made on campus, submit their resumes for viewing by employers, search for talented employees for their businesses, make plans to attend alumni events, view photos of events they attended, and keep up with the latest UMass Dartmouth news. Areas within the community are set aside for groups based on categories such as class year and field of study. Join the UMass Dartmouth Alumni Online Community.
The UMass Dartmouth Alumni Association strives to keep alumni connected and invested in their alma mater, and to promote the exceptional educational experience available at UMass Dartmouth. The Alumni Association relies on the dues from its members to deliver programs, services and events. Here are some examples of what the support of our Alumni has helped us to accomplish in the past five years alone: our student population has grown from 6,500 to 8,800; annual research activity has tripled from $7 million to $21 million; new satellite campuses in the surrounding communities have contributed enormously to the economic development of our region; and over $250,000 in scholarships has helped support current students.
Renewing your membership or joining the Alumni Association for the first time is now easier than ever through the Alumni forms available through the Memberships & Benefits page in the online community. The Memberships & Benefits page also highlights the exciting benefits that come with membership, such as museum and insurance discounts.
UMass Dartmouth English professor Robert Waxler, founder of the Changing Lives Through Literature alternative sentencing program, and retired New Bedford elementary school teacher Dorothy Lopes were awarded the university's Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major Award at the fifth annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast on February 2 at the Woodland Commons Community Center.
"So much of what Dr. King fought for still requires our active engagement: Economic justice, peace, true brotherhood. That is why we celebrate those people who today continue to be drum majors for justice," said UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack.
Salome Thomas-EL, a nationally recognized educator who has motivated hundreds of inner city Philadelphia students to stay in school and go on to college, was the keynote speaker. Thomas-EL has taught in the Philadelphia School District since 1987. Some of his students at the Vaux Middle school went on to win world recognition as eight-time National Chess Champions. His best-selling autobiography, I Choose to Stay, is being developed into a film by the Walt Disney Company. More
Chancellor to discuss campus future Feb. 15
On February 15 at 3:30 p.m. in Group IV -- Room 153, Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack will deliver an address to the campus community about campus challenges and opportunities. The speech, entitled, "Stewards of our place: The state of the campus and our power to lead,'' will update the campus on progress in the campus' 2000-2010 strategic plan and discuss emerging issues. Faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends are all invited to attend.
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UMass Dartmouth is working with Campus Continuum, a firm that is developing a network of university-affiliated 55+ active adult communities, to determine whether such a facility would be appropriate and feasible for the campus. A survey of alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the university is a key component of the feasibility study. More
The UMass Dartmouth Observatory has re-opened following two years of renovations. The observatory will be the base for a new cooperative outreach program with the Astronomical Society of Southern New England. More
In a new study, the Center for Marketing Research at UMass Dartmouth has found that two out of three of Inc. 500 companies use hi-tech social media such as blogging and podcasts. "Until now, there has only been speculation about the use of blogging and other forms of social media by businesses with some even predicting its demise," said Dr. Nora Ganim Barnes, director of the center and chancellor professor of marketing, who led the study with Eric Mattson, a blog researcher. "This study shows definitively that the Inc. 500 are thoroughly involved in social media at an adoption rate more than twice that of the Fortune 500." MoreEven more news
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