UMass Lowell to Celebrate Class of 2021

05/11/2021

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-758-4664 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

Media Advisory

When: Thursday, May 13 and Friday, May 14

Where: Online at www.uml.edu/commencement and in person

What: UMass Lowell will celebrate the Class of 2021 with a mix of in-person and virtual Commencement events.

Graduates who have earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees will be honored in person via a series of brief, small ceremonies on Thursday, May 13 and Friday, May 14 at the Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell. At these ceremonies for recipients of bachelor’s and master’s degrees, graduates, accompanied by two guests, will walk the stage at the Tsongas Center, have their name called, receive their diploma covers and have an official photo taken before departing. Strict social distancing and other safety measures will be in place during all in-person events.

In addition to the in-person portion of the celebration, UMass Lowell will present online ceremonies featuring a range of notable participants.

Media coverage opportunities are:

Both days – Courtesy photos will be available by contacting Nancy Cicco at Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu.

Thursday, May 13

In-person ceremony – Media interested in video and still photography of graduates participating in the in-person ceremony may do so between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Please contact UMass Lowell media relations in advance for details including parking and directions.

Virtual ceremony – This will be available at www.uml.edu/commencement beginning at 8 a.m. Featured honorees will include:

• Ron Insana – Insana will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree and speak to graduates. Insana is a senior analyst and contributor to CNBC and MSNBC networks, where he discusses the most pressing economic and market issues of the day.
• The Chancellor’s Medal for Public Service and Civic Engagement will be presented to representatives of the Market Basket supermarket chain in recognition of the 104 years the business has served the region. The company is well known for its generous profit-sharing plan and for charitable foundations supporting hospitals, educational institutions, community development groups, art organizations as well as UMass Lowell, where the company has been a major contributor of student scholarships.

Friday, May 14 – Virtual ceremony – This will be available at www.uml.edu/commencement beginning at 8 a.m. and will be available online throughout the day.

Featured honorees will include:

• Deepak Chopra – Chopra will receive UMass Lowell’s highest honor, a doctor of humane letters, as well as speak to graduates. Founder of The Chopra Foundation, a nonprofit entity for research on well-being and humanitarianism, and Chopra Global, a modern-day health company at the intersection of science and spirituality, Chopra is a world-renowned pioneer in integrative medicine and personal transformation. He is a clinical professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, San Diego.
• Noelle Lambert – A native of Londonderry, N.H., Lambert had a standout freshman lacrosse season at UMass Lowell. During the following summer, Lambert suffered a life-changing injury, resulting in the amputation of her left leg above the knee. Despite this, she returned to Division I lacrosse in April 2018. After graduating in 2019, Lambert made the switch from lacrosse to track and field for the U.S Paralympic National Team and will compete in the Paralympics in Tokyo in 2021. In 2018, Lambert founded The Born to Run Foundation to provide amputees with prosthetics to allow them to run again. Her honors include being named L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth National Honoree.

NBC’s “The Voice” contestant Andrew Marshall of Boxford, who is graduating from UMass Lowell with a degree in music business, will perform the national anthem during the virtual ceremonies.

More details on UMass Lowell Commencement are available at www.uml.edu/commencement.