UMass Amherst Inaugurates Chancellor Javier Reyes as 31st Leader of State’s Flagship Campus
UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes at his inauguration as the 31st leader of UMass Amherst. Photo: umass.edu
Source: UMass News and Media
The University of Massachusetts Amherst today celebrated the formal investiture of Chancellor Javier Reyes as the university’s 31st leader at his inauguration ceremony at the Mullins Center. Governor Maura Healey lauded the new Chancellor’s leadership in her keynote address, noting that “you are the leader for this moment.”
UMass President Marty Meehan said, “Javier Reyes is a remarkable leader because he makes everyone feel heard, valued and connected. He champions new approaches and is breaking down barriers to education. In that spirit, I’m proud to announce that over the course of his first year as chancellor, he has already done that here, raising $15 million to support student financial aid.”
Governor Healey told the audience, “As an economist, you have advanced our knowledge of the global systems that shape our lives. As a leader in higher education, you have shown a passion for the special and irreplaceable role played by public universities.” She emphasized, “Together you will grow this university’s excellence – and this state’s strength – across every field of learning and research. Know that as you move forward, you have the partnership, support and gratitude of my administration and our entire state.”
Speakers emphasized the themes of community engagement, inclusion, freedom of expression and the rejection of all discrimination. UMass Amherst, they observed, is dedicated to developing creative solutions to advance the common good. Protestors chanted intermittently during the ceremony but departed without incident.
Chancellor Reyes told the audience in his inaugural remarks, “I love academia because every day invites the possibility for discovery. Academia is where knowledge creation happens and opportunities for economic, social, artistic and human development are envisioned and advanced.”
“I stand before you today to reaffirm our campus commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression in all its forms” – UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes
At UMass Amherst, Reyes said, there is “a deep and profound commitment to social justice and a long tradition of activism—activism that has been front and center during my first year here. I stand before you today to reaffirm our campus commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression in all its forms. Our university must be a place where challenging ideas are explored and diverse perspectives are welcomed. We must also instill in our community—faculty, students and staff—that while we may not always agree, the power of persuasion lies not in being the loudest and most disruptive—but in making the strongest case through civil dialogue grounded in facts, logic and reason.”
The full text of the Chancellor’s address will be posted at www.umass.edu/inauguration.
The inauguration celebrates the start of a new era of leadership at the commonwealth’s flagship campus. Reyes, a native of Mexico, assumed his duties on July 1, 2023. An economist who has devoted his career to the cause of public higher education, Reyes previously held leadership positions at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), West Virginia University and the University of Arkansas.
Featured speakers at the investiture ceremony also included U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern and Stephen Karam, UMass Board of Trustees Chair. Imani Wallace, a doctoral student in the College of Education and spoken word artist who performs as Lyrical Faith, recited an original poem written especially for the occasion.
Speaking to the power of the UMass community were Isenberg student Ellie Zieper; grad student and Ph.D. candidate for chemistry Gaurav Mitra; Special Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Sid Ferreira; Isenberg Associate Professor of Finance Mila Sherman; Professor of Sociology Anthony Paik and Transportation Services Director Connie Englert. Offering congratulations via video was Mark Becker, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), a membership organization that fosters a community of university leaders collectively working to advance the mission of public research universities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Congressman McGovern said, “Let me also add my congratulations to Chancellor Reyes, and say how excited I am to work hand-in-hand with him to continue the incredible upwards trajectory of this university.” In his prepared remarks he noted, “The incredible and groundbreaking research being done here is proof that when we invest in the young people of this country, we invest in our future. And what sets UMass apart is not just the strength of the ideas being taught here— it’s the power of the community being cultivated.”