Record Number of Students to Begin Year at UMass Lowell

08/28/2014

Contacts for media: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu

* Media Advisory *

What: Power-tool wielding, globetrotting engineer Deanne Bell and Johnny Earle, the entrepreneur behind the “Johnny Cupcakes” apparel brand, will headline events kicking off the new academic year at UMass Lowell.

The university will welcome a record number of students for the fall semester, more than 17,000, marking a nearly 50 percent increase in enrollment since 2007. For the first time, UMass Lowell will have more than 10,000 undergraduate students.

Both Bell and Earle will address new students and encourage them to pursue their passions through academic scholarship and civic engagement during their college careers and beyond. Events include:

• Convocation, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 10 a.m. – Bell, the host of PBS’ award-winning children’s show “Design Squad,” will give the keynote address at the official welcome for UMass Lowell’s Class of 2018. Bell, who has appeared on the National Geographic and Discovery channels and DIY Network, is launching a nonprofit to help bring engineering into the classroom and has held jobs including developing opto-mechanics for military aircraft and as a software engineer. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, East Campus, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell.
• “Johnny Cupcakes” shares sweet success, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2:30 p.m. – Earle, who launched his worldwide apparel brand out of the trunk of his car, will return this year to help introduce first-year students to UMass Lowell’s DifferenceMaker Program, which teaches them entrepreneurial skills to tackle business and social challenges on campus and in the community. Since it was founded two years ago, the program’s Idea Challenge has awarded $60,000 in seed money to a variety of student-run startups, including an award-winning venture dedicated to designing and mass-producing affordable prosthetic limbs. Campus Recreation Center, East Campus, 292 Aiken St., Lowell. 
• Move-in day, Friday, Aug. 29, 10 a.m. to noon – Students moving into living-learning communities will be available for interviews. Located throughout university housing, these communities allow students with similar interests and goals to live together and participate in programs that enhance their educational experiences. Business, pre-med and creative arts majors are among those who live in these communities. Fox Hall, East Campus, 100 Pawtucket St., Lowell.

Contact UMass Lowell media relations for directions and parking information.