The University of Massachusetts at Amherst

I'll' 2.

Impact on
Tomorrow

RECEIVED
<DCr ' FEB 8*1974

UNIV. OF MASS.
ARCHIVES

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2011 with funding from

Boston Library Consortium IVIember Libraries

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The University of Massachusetts at Amherst

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The University

Many things to many people, the modern university remains
a mirror on the larger world, bringing into focus the facts and
factors and fragments of our perceptions, and reflecting new
light into the distance and darkness. It holds forth knowledge
and experience as tools in the search for truth. The university
is people, it is programs, it is places. It is a means toward self-
betterment, and a framework which encourages personal
growth and societal progress. Reflecting man's abilities and
aspirations, it is no more powerful and no more idealistic than
man himself. It enables him both to prove and to disprove him-
self and his creations, both to succeed and to fail in a partly
controlled environment, and to amplify his perceptions, his
powers, and his potential. It is an extension of society's values.

The University of Massachusetts

The campus at Amherst is only a part of a state-wide system
of pubHc higher education geared to the needs of all the citizens
of the Commonwealth. Established in 1863 under the Morrill
Land Grant Act as Massachusetts Agricultural College, the new
institution's first students were welcomed to four wooden
buildings by four teachers in 1867. Growing slowly through its
first half-century, "Mass Aggie" became Massachusetts State
College in 1931, and the University of Massachusetts in 1946.
The original Amherst campus was joined by the University of
Massachusetts at Boston in 1965, and the University of Massa-
chusetts Medical School at Worcester enrolled its first class in
1970. A separate President's Office was established in 1970 in
downtown Boston. Two years later the Trustees approved plans
for halting physical growth at Amherst at 25,000 or fewer stu-
dents, while expanding the Boston campuses at Columbia Point
and elsewhere to serve an equivalent number. Optimum Med-
ical School enrollment has been targeted at 400, plus students
of some allied health services and professions. Activities at the
three major campuses are supplemented by academic, research
and service programs at the University's Marine Station at
Gloucester, Agricultural Experiment Stations at Waltham and
East Wareham, urban education programs in several of the
state's metropolitan centers, and continuing education pro-
grams on and off campus. University activities have broken tra-
ditions of time also, moving into summers, evenings and week-
ends. The very nature of education has broadened, to satisfy
the growing needs of greater numbers of Massachusetts citizens.

Surrounding the State House, opposite,
are views of (clockwise from upper left)
the Amherst campus, Boston campus at
Columbia Point, Marine Station at
Gloucester, and Worcester campus, site of
the new Medical School, opened in 1970.

The University of Massachusetts at Amherst

The Amherst campus of the University of Massachusetts oc- '^he university's astronomical observa-

,1 . f- -1 J 11 • 1 ■ li 1 J tory (center, opposite page) is encircled by

cupies the center of an unspoiled valley rich in cultural and ^.^:^^.^ „j ^^^^^.^ neighbors and envi-
educational opportunities. Surrounding colleges, w^hich with ions, clockwise from upper left are Am-
the University make up the Five College Cooperation program, ^^^"''^ '°V" common, Amherst college,

, 1 . 1 TT 1 1 1 o • 1 11 • 1 ■ Emily Dickinson House, Mount Holyoke

are Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith, all within college, nearby tobacco fields. Smith coi-
a few minutes of each other. Students at any one of these insti- lege, the town's lones Library, and Hamp-

. .• i r xu iU n J • _j.l shire College, which first opened in 1970.

tutions may arrange courses at any of the others. Predominantly ^ '

an agricultural area, the Amherst environs still boast important
tobacco and vegetable crops as well as sites of historic interest,
such as Noah Webster's farm, the Emily Dickinson House, and
former residences of Eugene Field and Robert Frost. The prin-
cipal industry is education, while recreational attractions in-
clude golf, tennis, skiing, fishing, mountain-climbing and hiking.

students

Sheer mass is perhaps the most striking aspect of student life
on the University's Amherst campus, with diversity running a
close second. There are more than 21,000 students in the rough
square mile enclosing all the classrooms, labs, and residence
halls; more than half of them live on campus. Almost two-
thirds are from the eastern half of the state; one in 20 is from
outside Massachusetts. Hundreds are seeking two-year asso-
ciate degrees; several thousand pursue advanced degrees in 40
doctoral areas and 60 master's programs; the vast middle
majority are four-year undergraduates, working toward bach-
elor's degrees. They are liberal and conservative, apathetic and
enthusiastic, black and white, secure and timid, rich and poor.
They are all the source of the University's impact on tomorrow.

Faculty

Since 1958, when the University boasted more than 400 faculty
members for a total enrollment of fewer than 6,000 students,
a student-to-faculty ratio of 15 to 1 has been adhered to. The
full-time faculty now number more than 1,400, serving upward
of 21,000 students on the Amherst campus, recently increasing
by 150 new teachers annually. Of these, an average of 50 have
been replacements. The institutional growth rate is now slow-
ing, and faculty expansion is tapering off also. Emphasis now
centers on teaching quality, efficiency, and incentives. Salaries
have achieved the top quarter among comparable institutions
nationwide on the American Association of University Pro-
fessors scale. Several teachers deemed outstanding each year
are honored with privately funded awards of $1,000 each. A
small number of faculty growth grants are awarded to advance
specific summer research projects, and sabbatical leaves are
frequently available to those eligible. Recent legislation now
allows the hiring of up to one percent of the faculty above the
standard salary scale, to enable recruitment of internationally
respected educators for special chairs. "Faculty" also includes
a large number of part-time persons, including instructors, lec-
turers, and holders of fellowships and assistantships. The full-
time faculty, the most recent survey shows, spend an average
of 56 hours at work each week, including about 21 hours in
preparation and grading, 12 in actual contact with students, 12
in research, eight in administration, and three in other duties
including public service. A third of the student contact hours
are with individuals, during regularly-scheduled office hours.

The faculty and its varied activities are
typified in these views of Associate
Professor of Psychology Alice H. Eagly.

On-Campus Academics

Areas of undergraduate study include Accounting/Afro-Amer-
ican Studies/Agricultural & Food Economics/Anthropology/
Applied Music/Arabic/Armenian/Art History/Asian Studies/
Astronomy / Athletics / Biochemistry / Botany / Chemical Engi-
neering / Chemistry / Civil Engineering / Classics / Communica-
tion Disorders/Community Health/Comparative Literature/
Computer & Information Science/Creative Art/Danish/Dutch/
Economics / Education / Electrical Engineering / English / Ento-
mology/Environmental Design/Environmental Health/Envi-
ronmental Sciences/Exercise Science/Finance/Fisheries Bi-
ology/Food & Agricultural Engineering/Food Science & Tech-
nology/Forestry/French/General Business/Geography /Geol-
ogy/German/Greek/Hebrew/History/Home Economics Edu-
cation/Hotel, Restaurant & Travel Administration/Human De-
velopment/Industrial Engineering /Italian /Judaic Studies/
Landscape Architecture/Latin/Latin American Studies/Leisure
Studies/Linguistics/Management/Management & Family Ec-
onomics/Marine Sciences/Marketing/Mass Communications/
Mathematics/Mechanical Engineering/Medical Technology/
Military & Air Science/Music Education, Theory, History &
Appreciation/Natural Resources/Near Eastern Studies/Nurs-
ing/Nutrition & Food/Philosophy/Physical Education/Phys-
ics/Plant Pathology/Plant & Soil Sciences/PoHsh/Political
Science / Portuguese / Psychology / Rhetoric / Russian / Sociol-
ogy/Soviet Studies/Spanish/Speech/Statistics/Swedish/Tex-
tiles, Clothing & Environmental Arts/Theatre/Veterinary &
Animal Sciences / Wildlife / Wood Technology / Zoology

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Areas of graduate study include Agricultural and Food Eco-
nomics/Animal Science/ Anthropology/ Art History/ Astron-
omy / Biochemistry / Botany / Business Administration / Chemi-
cal Engineering /Chemistry /Civil Engineering /Comparative
Literature/Computer and Information Science/Dramatic Arts/
Economics / Education / Electrical Engineering / English / Ento-
mology/Environmental Engineering/Fine Arts/Fisheries Biol-
ogy/Food and Agricultural Engineering/Food Science and
Technology / Forestry / French / Geology / Germanic Languages
and Literatures/Hispanic Languages and Literatures/History/
Home Economics/Human Development/Industrial Engineer-
ing and Operations Research/Labor Studies/Landscape Arch-
itecture/Linguistics/Management Science/Marine Sciences/
Mathematics / Mechanical Engineering / Microbiology / Music /
Nursing/Nutrition and Food/Ocean Engineering/Philosophy/
Physical Education/Physics/Plant Science/Plant Pathology/
Political Science/Polymer Science and Engineering/Psychol-
ogy/Public Administration/Public Health/Regional Planning/
Slavic Languages and Literatures /Soil Science/Sociology/
Speech/Statistics/Wildlife Biology/Wood Technology/Zool-
ogy. A Cooperative Ph.D. Program involving Amherst, Hamp-
shire, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges and the University
is available in a dozen departments in the sciences and human-
ities. An increasing number of interdisciplinary programs are
available on all levels. Special undergraduate opportunities in-
clude the Honors Program, Bachelor's Degree in Individual Con-
centration, the University Without Walls, and Project 10.

Off-Campus
Academics

Left: Oxford campus; below: student

5! nurse at work; right: two beneficiaries of

the University Year for Action program

Throughout the school year, varied academic programs are
provided off campus, under auspices of the Amherst admini-
stration. These range from more than 100 continuing education
courses in many Massachusetts communities to field experi-
ences in professional settings across the nation. Students are
exchanged v^ith other U.S. universities and colleges; academic
years are offered in Germany, England, and British Columbia.
Other off-campus programs are operating in Italy, Spain,
France, England, Ireland, Germany, and the West Indies. Sev-
eral local programs combine academics and community service;
some are designed to assist specific groups, such as inner-city
residents, retired persons, airmen at Westover Air Force Base,
paraprofessionals, and viromen. Accessibility is the basic goal.

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Facilities

Below: Tobin Hall; right: Lincoln Campus
Center; lower right: Fine Arts Building
under construction; opposite page: cam-
pus and valley seen from Holyoke Range

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The sometimes awesome size of a major university is a very
real factor in its ability to mount and maintain quality programs
in those areas demanding expensive and specialized facilities
and equipment, such as computers, telescopes, electron micro-
scopes, and creative space for the fine and performing arts.
The smaller colleges may have special strengths; the state ex-
pects its university to do all things well. In this effort, a ratio
of 200 square feet of floor space per student is being main-
tained. Recent additions to the Amherst campus include a 28-
story University Library; a 215,000-square-foot Fine Arts
Center, to be completed in 1974; the first phase of a Graduate
Research Center; Tobin Hall, a major classroom building, and
the Lincoln Campus Center, with its attached parking garage.

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With more than 380 Recognized Student Organizations from T?Yf-pQ/-<lTn-p-ir-inl Q-nn

which to choose, students have no difficulty in finding extra- •L'-^L-l-ClLiU.iilLiU.lClia

curricular activities to suit their preferences and schedules. In

addition to the wide opportunity in intermural sports, there are

more than 900 intramural teams, 16 academic honor societies

including Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Xi, and two

dozen fraternities and sororities. Other groups and societies

stress University and public service, music, publications and

other media, hobbies, languages, religion, politics, ecology, and

special events. There are more than 50 professional interest

groups and societies; others implement student government and

the fine arts program. New groups are born and die each year

as interests change. All are provided University help if desired.

A trip by raft on the Connecticut River
publicizes concerns of the Ecology Club.

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Residences

More than 11,000 students live in the 47 residence halls on
campus, amid all the assets and liabilities of any small city.
Integration of the living and learning environments has become
more than a pretty phrase as academic and social programs of
many kinds have moved into the residence halls themselves.
To combat the impersonal effect of large size, and allow more
individuality, the campus provides traditional "dorms," resi-
dential colleges including several halls each, suite-style resi-
dences like apartments, and fraternities and sororities. All
these provide staff support, counseling, and opportunity to
share in house government; most now include coeducational
units. Room rents vary between the basic types of residence,
the older facilities in most instances costing less than the newer.

Food Services

An everyday act such as getting a meal becomes a massive
exercise in logistics, dietetics, and human relations when per-
formed on the university scale. On the Amherst campus, a
six-million-dollar budget, none of it from state appropriation,
takes care of well over three million meals annually. More than
10,000 students buy meal tickets for five days a week, half of
them for three meals and half for two. More than 300 persons
work full time in the vast operation, plus another 500 part-
timers. There are five large dining commons and several snack
bars, plus four food areas in the Campus Center complex. Stu-
dent advice in operation is solicited and frequently results in
improvements. The commons are open for business a total of
thirteen hours each day, one hundred and sixty days every year.

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Counseling

Staff of Room to Move, campus drug coun-
seling center, poses in a friendly tree.

There's no shortage of places and people to turn to for help on
the University scene, whether the problem is academic, emo-
tional, physical, vocational, or imagined. Counseling in its
many forms involves hundreds of professionals and volunteers
daily, in addition to academic advising by the entire faculty.
Efforts are directed toward career planning, job placement,
training of residence hall staff and police, community develop-
ment and human relations. Health services run the gamut from
physical to psychological to environmental to educational in
such areas as drugs and sex. At the core of the program is the
Health Center, which functions as hospital and out-patient
clinic. In areas which most closely affect their lives, trained stu-
dents successfully counsel their own peers within the residences.

Financial Aid

A university career is expensive, even w^ith low tuition for in-
state residents, and about one-third of students need and get
some form of financial assistance, whether as a gift, wages or
loan. More than a million dollars in scholarships is shared by
about 4,500 students, augmented by almost a third of a million
dollars in federal grants. Almost 1,000 students secure work-
study jobs on campus each year through the Financial Aid
Office; many more get part-time jobs in the Amherst area on
their own or with University assistance. More than 1,000
National Defense Education Act loans total close to a half-
million dollars annually; the University makes many short-term
loans also. Two to five percent of all graduate students receive
some help, usually in the form of fellowships or assistantships.

Research

Research occurs each time a faculty member or student probes
beyond the superficial in any area. Much of it is unpaid effort,
and does not show up in annual reports or scientific journals.
The University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1971 joined the
top 100 university and college research centers nationally on a
dollar scale of federal support received. Total outside support
from all sources for all varieties of research on and off campus
is now in excess of ten million dollars. Sponsorship comes from
the University, private enterprise, and government. The pop-
ular image of research is being broadened by successful work
toward bigger cash crops in Massachusetts products such as
cranberries, lobsters, and oysters, and investigating new energy
and food sources for the Commonwealth and the whole world.

Above left, graduate students in me-
chanical engineering develop a low pollu-
tion motor vehicle. At right, ongoing
research unlocks the oceans' secrets.

Service

Building on a solid history of public service in agriculture, the
University of Massachusetts at Amherst has expanded its pub-
lic service sharply in recent years, at home and abroad. Some
such programs share in federal funds, such as Cooperative
Extension and University Year for Action; others are energized
by totally volunteered effort, such as those at the Northampton
State Hospital and Belchertown State School. Some outreach
programs pay small hourly stipends, others nothing; some in-
volve academic credit, most do not. Students and faculty an-
alyze river w^ater, tutor Puerto Rican children, and test throat
cultures for strep germs. Faculty and staff serve on state com-
mittees and local boards; the campus is made available to
several thousand outside groups for conferences every year.

Three of many areas of service to the
Commonwealth are the Action Program,
directed on the Amherst campus by
Dr. Ruth W. Burgin (above), volunteer
vi'ork at Belchertown State School (at
upper right) and special radio programs
on WFCR FM with Puerto Rican children.

Growth

After almost a century of slow growth, internal development
and retrenchment, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst
during the past two decades has shot upward sharply in size
and reputation. Some of the best educators in the world in
several fields have been drawn to the faculty; basic programs
have received gratifying recognition on the undergraduate and
graduate levels. Student enrollment has doubled in the past
seven years, leading the Trustees to set a limit of 25,000 for the
campus. Half of the campus' 110 major buildings were erected
in the past dozen years. More than $150 million from state and
self-liquidating sources has been spent on buildings since 1960.
Half the usable square footage of campus buildings has ap-
peared on the Connecticut Valley skyline in the past decade.

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The Future

"Today's University needs a greater sense of identity and pur-
pose to respond effectively to demands for reform and innova-
tion. The long-standing elitist pattern of higher education is
crumbling. We are seeking out the best minds among minority
youth, the poor, the older, the handicapped, women, the re-
trainable. With w^ider access to education, we must also accom-
modate education to more diversified needs. Public service may
be the arena in which a more productive relationship between
the University and society may evolve. Our goal is a more
responsive and meaningful intellectual community. There is
no simple or easy way. The challenge commands our best ef-
forts day by day; the future will judge our collective impact."
Randolph W. Bromery, Chancellor

Dr. Bromery surveys the Amherst campus
from the top floor of the Campus Center.

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