AMHERST – As the town prepares for the arrival of thousands of college students, University of Massachusetts Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy highlighted the “strong partnership” between UMass and the Amherst community bright and early Tuesday morning.
“Our campus, Amherst, and the entire Pioneer Valley have a long and rich history of evolving and growing together,” said Subbaswamy at the at the annual Community Breakfast 2018, which kicks off the upcoming academic year.
Nearly 300 people gathered at the Student Union Ballroom, and sprinkled throughout the crowd were state Reps. Solomon Goldstein-Rose and John Scibak, Amherst town officials such as Alisa Brewer of the Select Board, Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Chief of Police Scott Livingstone, and Fire Chief Tim Nelson, as well as the Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan and various Hadley town officials.
Attendees got a taste of those strong partnerships in the community as the plates in the ballroom were filled with strawberries, peaches, and baked bread from local farms. For the third year in a row, UMass has been named the country’s best dining service by the Princeton Review.
“Our faculty and staff engage actively throughout the Valley, creating connections and improving lives through research and service to the community,” said Subbaswamy, who is beginning his seventh year as chancellor.
Student speaker Emily Ishak, an undergraduate studying biochemistry and molecular biology and comparative literature, talked about student service for the community. Studying comparative literature led her to becoming a conversation partner at Jones Library for learners of English as a second language, she said.
Her first language student was a UMass visiting scholar from China. Ishak recounted how challenging it was for the visiting scholar to speak to other parents when picking up her daughter from school.
“While I do hope I was able to provide her some vocabulary and some cultural context, our conversations allowed me a window into her life, something much more valuable than I could have given her,” Ishak said, who will be greeting new students at the end of the week as a resident assistant.
“My time as a conversation partner with her and all my students since, have highlighted to me not only my love of language, but the importance of understanding others and communicating across difference,” Ishak said.
After Ishak’s work at Jones Library, she said she wanted to “fully commit myself” to service that would be productive for members of the surrounding community as well as her own personal growth. She began to volunteer at Baystate Hospital through the Community Scholars Program, where she said she learned about social justice work and effective patient care.
“It gave me the opportunity to reflect how I can be an agent for necessary change both now and in my future work,” Ishak said.
UMass faculty members and students alike share their values of “caring” and “compassion” with the surrounding communities, Subbaswamy said, while developing a lifelong appreciation for civic involvement.
During the breakfast, John McCarthy, provost and senior vice-chancellor for academic affairs, presented the Community Partner Award to Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA). Lamont Scott, director of MOCHA, was presented with the award in recognition of the non-profit organization’s role in educating men of color in improving physical and mental health,
“MOCHA has facilitated the university’s ability to successfully partner with Springfield communities on a wide range of research projects,” McCarthy said.
Peter Vickery, President of the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce, welcomed students and faculty, new and old, to the start of a new year.
He asked for attendees to pass on a message on behalf of the Chamber when they meet new students:
“You are welcome here, we are glad you are here,” he said, “This is your home from home, and in time I hope, for some of you at least, it may become your home.”
Luis Fieldman can be reached at lfieldman@gazettenet.com