Community Impact
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With innovative ideas and boundless energy, UMass Dartmouth is strengthening the economic and social fabric of its communities and the Commonwealth.
- $428 million in annual economic activity
- 2,723 jobs created
- 1,028 university employees
- 8,756 students
- 1,500 graduates each year
- 40,000 alumni
- $20 million in research
- Thousands of volunteer hours
- Hundreds of cultural events
An Innovation Triangle
UMass Dartmouth has forged an innovation triangle in southeastern Massachusetts with research and creative cornerstones at the core campus in Dartmouth and the major regional cities of Fall River and New Bedford. From this triangle spring knowledge and ideas that are focused on the region but have global impact.
A new 22,000 square foot research facility (Dartmouth) expands the core campus science capacity, and will house laboratories focused on research related to anti-bio terrorism, advanced materials, bio-medical engineering, cell biology, and other life science-related fields.
The School of Marine Science and Technology (New Bedford) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. SMAST is a leader in achieving the economic and environmental balance necessary to sustain the fishing industry and developing new technologies and strategies to chart and preserve our marine environments.
The Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Center (Fall River) represents the transformation of the regional economy. This incubator facility brings together university laboratories and fledgling technology companies to grow the innovation job base.
A Bio-manufacturing Center is in the planning stage for construction of a $10 million center that will give emerging life science companies a platform from which they will be able to demonstrate products.
The SouthCoast Development Partnership, managed by UMass Dartmouth, convenes university, business and civic leaders to shape economic development strategy for the region.
Innovation that enhances our lives
Sponsored research at UMass Dartmouth has more than doubled in the last five years and is now $20 million. As a public university, UMass Dartmouth focuses its research on areas that benefit the Commonwealth.
Specific projects have focused on bio-terrorism…fishery management… advanced materials…improving math education…the blogosphere…complex networks…bipolar disorders…e-commerce… Portuguese-American culture…cranberries’ cancer-fighting potential…wound-healing bandages… coastal waterways…public policy…sustainability…chronic illness…contemporary music’s reflection of urban ills…society’s pressures on young girls…safer highway surfaces…sports-related injuries…and more.
Much of the university’s research is conducted in centers that promote multi-disciplinary idea and expertise exchange such as the Center for Policy Analysis, the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture, and the Center for Marketing Research. Visit www.umassd.edu/campus/centers.cfm to learn more about individual centers.
Building a talent pipeline
Central to the UMass Dartmouth mission is empowering people and communities through education to thrive in the complex 21st century global society.
1,500 skilled, smart, innovative graduates each year will work, raise families and contribute to the civic life of their communities. There are currently more than 40,000 UMass Dartmouth alumni. Among the members of the Class of 2007:
- 120 nurses
- 200 engineers
- 70 MBAs
- 80 accountants
- 170 artists
- 50 teachers
- 18 chemists
- 9 professional writers
- 10 marine biologists
Supporting K-12 schools and beyond
UMass Dartmouth considers itself a full partner in the effort to improve K-12 schools, especially those in urban areas, through research and professional development. Here is a sample of this important work:
- The Kaput Center for Research and Innovation in Mathematics Education is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation. The Kaput Center is dedicated to revolutionizing math education in the region and around the country. Researchers at the center are focused on “democratizing” access to high level math such as algebra and calculus so that more children excel, which will ultimately make them, the Commonwealth and the nation more competitive in the global economy.
- CUSP, the Center for University and School Partnerships, works to provide innovative professional development programs for educators throughout the region through a series of state and national grants. The goal is to build a strong and diverse corps of teachers and school administrators that will improve the educational profile of the area.
- The SouthCoast Education Compact, a UMass Dartmouth-based compact, convenes leaders from business, higher education, and regional K-12 schools to develop strategies to raise educational attainment levels.
- Professional and Continuing Education has programs in Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fall River, Fairhaven and online. Our PCE centers offer alternatives for non-traditional students seeking a higher educational level as they manage busy work and personal lives.
Research Funding Graph - 2001 through 2006
Fostering the arts, supporting the artist
Through art shows, musical performances and theatrical productions, UMass Dartmouth enlivens the spirit and the creative economy of the region.
- The Star Store arts campus is our second arts campus, which boasts an impressive gallery, spacious studios, and waterfront views, and has proven a major plus for New Bedford’s downtown.
- College of Visual and Performing Arts faculty are leading forces in the region’s emergence as a flourishing arts community, through their involvement with galleries, studios, and museums.
- WUMD-FM, the university’s 10,000-watt radio station, brings to southeastern New England and Cape Cod non-traditional musical genres and public affairs programming intended to challenge and stimulate its audience. The station can also be heard world-wide at www.893wumd.org.
- And more…Theatre Company productions; concerts by the jazz ensemble, steel band, and university chorus; an annual electronic imaging show; the International Film Series; Portuguese-American authors reading their works; a Kekeli African drum and dance program; and art exhibits are only a few of the artistic and cultural activities the university brings to the community.
Thousands of hours of service
UMass Dartmouth students, faculty, and staff contribute thousands of hours of service to area communities every year. In doing so, they provide benefits to their community and also enrich their learning experience.
- As part of America READS, 125 university students provided more than 6,000 hours of tutoring in reading and related help to New Bedford elementary school children this year.
- UMass Dartmouth nursing students worked with a Council on Aging this year to make sure senior citizens had medical information readily available in case of an emergency at their home.
- Habitat for Humanity engineering students built a solar home for the Solar Decathlon contest in Washington DC, last year, and donated the home to Habitat For Humanity. This year, they helped design a solar home for Habitat for Humanity in Plymouth.
- And more… COMPEER promotes friendships between mentors and persons with a mental illness, while SHARE provides computer devices that assist persons with disabilities. Our Changing Lives Through Literature alternative sentencing program has cut recidivism rates among criminal offenders and our Clemente Course uses the humanities to inspire inner city adults.
Nurturing our host community
UMass Dartmouth has enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship with its host community of Dartmouth, where hundreds of our employees and alumni live, pay taxes and serve on local government boards and civic organizations.
- The Bank of America Freedom Festival, the annual July 3 campus festival featuring the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra and fireworks, is a free family event that attracts 20,000 people.
- Faculty have offered their expertise to the community on issues ranging from senior health care to wind power.
University Art Gallery
