University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is a public university in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. It is one of five campuses and operating subdivisions of the University of Massachusetts. Formerly Southeastern Massachusetts University, it was merged into the University of Massachusetts system in 1991.
The campus has an overall student body of 8,513 students, including 6,841 undergraduates and 1,672 graduate/law students. As of the 2019–2020 academic year, UMass Dartmouth had 402 full-time faculty on staff. The university also includes the University of Massachusetts School of Law
History
The Dartmouth campus of the University of Massachusetts traces its roots to 1895, when the Massachusetts legislature chartered the New Bedford Textile School in New Bedford and the Bradford Durfee Textile School in Fall River. The New Bedford Textile School was renamed the New Bedford Institute of Textiles and Technology and the Bradford Durfee Textile School was renamed the Bradford Durfee College of Technology.In 1962, the two schools were combined to create the Southeastern Massachusetts Technological Institute, expanding to become Southeastern Massachusetts University by 1969. In 1964, ground was broken on a unified campus not far from the Smith Mills section of Dartmouth, between the two cities. The Liberal Arts building was completed in 1966, the Science & Engineering building in 1969, and the other original buildings being finished by 1971. The main campus has been expanded several times, including the Cedar Dell residences, the Dion Science & Engineering Building in 1989, the Charlton College of Business in 2004, the new apartment-style residence halls in 2005, and the Research Building in 2007.
In 1991, SMU joined the UMass system and adopted its present name. Since the university has expanded back into its original cities as well, with the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, formerly Advanced Textiles & Manufacturing Center, and Professional and Continuing Education Center, and the School for Marine Science and Technology, the Star Store visual arts building in New Bedford and a second Center for Professional and Continuing Education in New Bedford.
Campuses
Main campus, located about south of Downtown Boston- 285 Old Westport Road, Dartmouth, MA
Dartmouth
- School of Law
- Star Store Visual Arts Building
- Professional and Continuing Education
- School for Marine Science & Technology
- Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Charlton College of Business
The college is the only AACSB-accredited public business school in the southeastern region of Massachusetts. AACSB-accredited institutions have a recognized level of quality, higher admission standards, and more research opportunities.
The Charlton College of Business houses multiple, nationally ranked degree programs. For the 2018–2019 academic year, the online MBA program was ranked No. 93 in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. The school's undergraduate program is nationally ranked No. 150 by U.S. News. The Princeton Review lists the Charlton College of Business as one of their best 296 business schools.
Architecture
The buildings of the campus were designed by Modernist architect Paul Rudolph beginning in the early 1960s to distinguish the campus from the outside world and provide what might be considered a Social Utopian environment. The building architecture is similar to that of the Boston Government Service Center. Rudolph made both the exterior and interior of each building of rough concrete, an essential element of the style known as Brutalism, and he endowed buildings with large windows. The stairs were made relatively short in height. Atria were also placed in the Liberal Arts and Science & Engineering buildings to give people a place to socialize between sections of the halls. These areas are also filled with hanging and potted indoor plants. The main door of each building faces towards the Robert Karam Campanile, keeping students within the academic life area, where buildings for classes are located. Large mounds of earth also stand between the parking lots, making the lots partially invisible from within the original Academic Life area. More recent buildings, most notably the Woodland Commons and residence halls to the south of the main campus, have been built to complement Rudolph's Late Modernist aesthetic.In October 2013, Travel and Leisure named the university as one of the ugliest campuses in the United States. It compared the library to a concrete spaceship, describing it as an icon of the Brutalist style of architecture that has been both beloved and derided since its construction in the 1960s.
The university has large areas of undeveloped green space, including extensive wooded areas, grasslands, wetlands, and ponds. Numerous footpaths make exploring these natural areas of the campus an enjoyable activity for students, faculty, and visitors alike.
Claire T. Carney Library
- Archives & Special Collections - preserves historical records, publications and graduate theses of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth as well as personal and professional papers of faculty, staff, students and selected individuals and organizations from the surrounding communities of southeastern Massachusetts.
- Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Archives - the world's largest, most complete compilation of materials relating to this event. Established in 1984, the archives contains thousands of copies of government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act public disclosure process as well as manuscripts, photographs, audiotape interviews, video tapes, news clippings and research notes compiled by journalists and other private citizens who have investigated discrepancies in the case.
- Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese American Archives - records of fraternal, religious and social organizations; family photographs, scrapbooks and oral histories which illustrate the collective experience of immigration, settlement, and life in the United States; the records of prominent individuals of Portuguese descent; and records of local business and other institutions that either serve or were created by Portuguese-Americans.
- Paul Rudolph and His Architecture - This website is a comprehensive reference resource on this famous man and his architecture with an emphasis on SMTI / UMass Dartmouth. It provides a comprehensive bibliography of the works, writings and life of the architect, complete with supporting images, documents and media.
Student life
Student organizations
General information
The Student Government Association, which is controlled by 34 seats, is a student-run group that handles all student activity fees and disperses them to the various clubs and organizations. There are over 160 student clubs and organizations, 11 intramural sports teams/organizations, and a full-service, public radio spectrum campus radio station, WUMD 89.3, broadcasting at 9,600 watts.Through the Leduc Center for Civic engagement, and other on campus sources, the university amassed 192,133 community service hours over the past year.
Fraternities
- Chi Phi
- Phi Kappa Theta
- Sigma Phi Rho
- Theta Delta Chi
- Zeta Lambda Chi
- Phi Beta Sigma
- Iota Phi Theta
Sororities
- Phi Sigma Sigma
- Alpha Sigma Tau
- Delta Pi Omega
- Iota Delta Nu
- Mu Sigma Upsilon
- Phi Sigma Sigma
- Rho Sigma Phi
- Zeta Phi Beta
Honor societies
- Psi Chi
- Beta Alpha Psi
- Eta Kappa Nu
- Phi Alpha Theta
- Order of Omega, national Greek honor society
Housing and residential education
General information
On-campus living provides three different residence options:- Traditional Residence Halls
- Apartments
- Townhouses
Dining services
There are about 3 locations on campus where food may be purchased. Food services are provided by Chartwells.Transportation
On-campus transportation is provided by the University, which includes a campus-loop shuttle that makes several stops across the main campus, shuttle services to nearby stores and businesses, and shuttle services from the main campus to the satellite campuses. The University also offers a "safe-rides" program, which offers on-request shuttle services across the campus for students after the shuttle stops operating, and "safe-walk" services which offers a campus police officer to escort students when the safe-ride shuttle stops. Zipcar and bus charters are also offered on campus, and taxi services are available nearby.The shuttle stop outside the campus center also serves as a stop for the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, which provides public bus services to New Bedford and Fall River at no cost to students. Daily bus service to Taunton and Boston is also offered via DATTCO buses.
Athletics
UMass Dartmouth athletic teams, known by their nickname, the Corsairs, compete in a variety of sports. Men and women compete in Division III. The men's sports include baseball, Basketball, cross country, football, ice hockey, Soccer, and track and field. The women's sports are basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball. Most of the teams compete in the Little East Conference, while the men's ice hockey and football teams compete in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference.Rankings and recognition
| USNWR graduate school and program rankings | - | |
In 2016, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth received its new designated status from Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as "Doctoral University: Higher research activity". In the inaugural ranking published by The Wall Street Journal, UMass Dartmouth was featured among top 800 of all public and private higher education institutions in the country, while Business Insider listed the university in 2014 among its 600 "Smartest Colleges in America" based on ACT and SAT scores of the entering students. The Princeton Review lists the university among their most 361 "Green Colleges" of the country. Other rankings and recognition:
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