UMass Boston-Today's Students, Tomorrow's Opportunities
BOSTON, October 25, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Little of the current four-year college experience looks or feels like it did 50 years ago—both in price of admission and the diversity of the student population. Influenced by shifting demographics and economics, the new reality of higher education is precisely where UMass Boston thrives. It is the third most diverse university in the U.S., with world-class faculty and a student body bringing immense cultural wealth to the learning environment. Leaning into this identity, UMass Boston invests in strategic partnerships to ensure the future success of its diverse student body while keeping tuition at an affordable price. UMass Boston has zeroed in on a clearly defined educational mission and purpose, says Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco. “How do we serve students that are the future face of Boston, the source of its talent, so they can thrive?” he asks. “That is our focus.”
A Mission for Tomorrow’s Talent
These populations, and few have made efforts to catch up. UMass Boston is the exception. “This university was built to engage our city’s diverse population,” says Suárez-Orozco. “Boston is teeming with industries central to our nation’s innovation, economy, and culture. We have the demographic face of the future; our graduates are people who will stay in Boston when businesses want a diverse talent pool. In that context, we focus sharply on creating an equitable education for communities of learners who are prepared, talented, and closely aligned with the world around us.”
Partnerships for a Stronger Workforce
UMass Boston is a stunning oceanfront “premier public research university with a teaching soul,” Suárez-Orozco says, that attracts a renowned faculty, yet with an extraordinarily competitive price point. However, what elevates the university is its partnerships with iconic institutions. Take, for example, its $10 million collaboration with Mass General Brigham to enhance the university’s Clinical Leadership Collaborative for Diversity in Nursing program. This initiative not only recruits and retains nurses but also addresses the linguistic needs of the patient population.
Similar initiatives are underway because of generous donor gifts, like one from KAYAK founder and alum Paul English, who funded the Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute. The first-of-its-kind institute brings equity into AI by ensuring all students possess the tools they need to use the technology. “New investments and partnerships are helping us prepare tomorrow’s workforce to be at the forefront of movements in the workplace,” says Suárez-Orozco.
As the source of Boston’s future talent, UMass Boston students have much to gain. “For our students from immigrant families in particular, the distance traveled from where they were when they arrived to where they are when they leave is remarkable,” Suárez-Orozco concludes.
Source: UMass Boston
