Community Breakfast Celebrates UMass/Town Collaboration

The 57th  annual Community Breakfast, held at the UMass Student Union Ballroom on August 27, featured high praise for the accomplishments of the university, a recounting of the growing number of collaborative projects involving the town and the campus, and a chance for town and campus leaders to engage in table talk, exploring new possibilities for cooperation. The sellout crowd was dense with local officials, including representatives form Amherst, Belchertown, Easthampton, Hadley, Hatfield, Leverett, and South Hadley as well as most of the local legislative delegation. The  UMass Marching Band performed and UMass dining services  drew high praise from nearly every speaker.  UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes announced that very morning they had been named by Princeton Review as the top campus food in the country for an unprecedented eighth consecutive year. The event was co-sponsored by UMass and the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce.

Speakers highlighted the mutual benefits of collaboration and the joy of working together, took the opportunity to mention new programs, and spoke of a shared ambitious vision for the Amherst community.

Jacob Robinson, Executive Director of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, spoke about ongoing efforts to build a stronger and more interconnected community. 

Student speaker Jibrael Harrel, an admissions program ambassador and a senior sports management major in the Isenberg School of Management said he had wanted to attend UMass since he was 13 years old and he has not been disappointed. He noted that in his many internships and coops with professional sports teams, including the Celtics, Red Sox, and Detroit Pistons, he found himself working under the direction of UMass alumni. 

Chancellor Javier Reyes opened his remarks by speaking about the turmoil that roiled the campus last spring and referred to a letter he had sent to the campus community on August 23 affirming the campus’ commitment to free speech, diversity, and justice. He said that we have seen some troubling times,  not just at UMass but across the nation, and asserted that he will be a champion for free speech at UMass. But he cautioned the community to “also understand that this [the war in Gaza] is a deeply polarizing issue that is hitting our nation and our university. This is a place where we can create dialogue. But we have to do it with the best respect possible for each other. This is the place where we will champion free speech but we must also move forward with our operation, our research and our students’ learning. We have to do it in a very respectful way to ensure that we don’t infringe on the rights of others.” Reyes concluded his introduction by saying that we are one community striving together and we will continue to work together in spite of our differences.

Reyes announced the creation of UMass Downtown, a storefront for the University of Massachusetts that will serve as both a place to welcome students and families and a venue to stage micro events such as lectures, readings, and workshops. UMass Downtown will open during the academic year, will be located at 108 North Pleasant Street, and will be managed by the Office of Community Relations and University Events, with assistance from UMass Auxiliary Services.

Reyes then offered his list of good things happening on campus. This included:

• UMass acceptance rates are high.  Last year UMass received 50,000 applications with a 45% acceptance rate, an indication that it is highly regarded and is a place where people want to be.
• This year, UMass admitted the most diverse class in the history of the campus.
• UMass is a research powerhouse, and brought in over $250 million in research grants last year.
• UMass is currently ranked #32 among the nation’s 200 public universities.
• UMass dining once again is ranked number one in the nation for offering quality dining to the campus community.

Reyes concluded that the university’s success depends on growing our partnerships and he cited some examples of ongoing noteworthy collaborations. These included:

• The School of Education provides 100s of hours of tutoring in area schools
• UMass has provided expert assistance to area towns in their efforts to develop solar bylaws
• The University of Massachusetts Amherst Community Campaign (UMAC) last year distributed $400,000 to area nonprofits
• Various campus initiatives, including UMass Extension, have been promoting healthy eating across Western Massachusetts
• UMass will begin an arts partnership bringing together the UMass Fine Arts Center (FAC), The Drake, and the Amherst Cinema, with some FAC events taking place at downtown venues.
  
  
  

Table Talk
Talk at several of the tables focused on ongoing and emerging community engagement projects. Here are two examples

• Student Government Association (SGA) President Colin Humphries reported that a priority of the SGA this year will be to establish a permanent food pantry for students on campus to address the growing problem of student food insecurity. Humphries estimated that one in four U.S. college students is food insecure (meaning lack of regular access to enough safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life). 
  
  Humphries said, “We already have some resources spread around campus and last year we opened a food pantry in the Student Union. Now our hope is that within two years we’ll have a permanent facility with refrigeration and the capability to provide fresh healthy food for UMass students who need it.” The SGA will work in partnership with the Center for Education Policy and Advocacy (CEPA) at UMass and the Dean of Students Office to bring the project to fruition. SGA will also coordinate a meal swipes donation program that will allow students to donate swipes from their meal cards to other students. That program is expected to be up and running early in the fall semester.
  
  
• Joseph Krupczynski, Professor of Architecture and Director of the Campus Office of Civic Engagement and Service Learning, pointed out that the office would celebrate its 25th anniversary in the spring, and that a forum on engagement is planned that will include alumni, founding faculty, and past community partners.