Alumni, Parents, Students and the Public Bond in Show of School Spirit
10/14/2016
Media contacts: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu and Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. – Generations of UMass Lowell alumni, students, parents and the public will come together next weekend for River Hawk Homecoming, an autumn festival that will showcase campus life during this exciting time in the university’s history.
River Hawk spirit will soar as participants celebrate UMass Lowell’s legacy, its rise as a top-tier public research university and its future as a global leader in higher education through a variety of athletic competitions, class reunions and events from Friday, Oct. 21 through Sunday, Oct. 23.
Alumni and friends who return to UMass Lowell for the weekend will see a transformed campus. Illustrating its dramatic growth, the university has opened 12 new buildings since 2009, including a state-of-the-art research facility, an academic building for health and social sciences, two new student centers, the region’s premier sports and entertainment venue and a downtown inn and conference center, along with three residence halls and two parking garages. A 13th new building, the Pulichino Tong Business Center, which will house the university’s Manning School of Business, is scheduled for completion early next year.
Reflecting these changes, U.S. News & World Report recently ranked UMass Lowell at No. 152 among the nation’s best universities – a 31-spot climb since the institution first appeared on the publication’s list in 2010. Its ascent in the rankings is the second-fastest in the nation over that timeframe and UMass Lowell is the only institution, public or private, in the eastern United States to move up more than 30 spots.
Homecoming activities for all ages encompass alumni athletic competitions, class reunions, campus tours and two River Hawks men’s ice hockey games. Events also include:
- 18th annual Jennifer’s Fun Run/Walk – Participants will follow a course that winds through Lowell along both sides of the Merrimack River while raising money for the Jennifer D’Amour Scholarship Fund, which benefits UMass Lowell women’s cross-country and track-and-field athletes. Saturday, Oct. 22, 11 a.m., Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell.
- Hawkey Way – This free, outdoor festival for the whole family will include live music, student performances, games, inflatable rides, food and arts and crafts. Saturday, Oct. 22, 3 to 6 p.m., Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell
- Model UN and International Relations Club 30th Anniversary – Past and present participants in UMass Lowell’s award-winning Model United Nations League and International Relations Club will celebrate these acclaimed programs, through which students research and debate global issues, often in competition with other colleges and universities. The event will honor retired professors Dean Bergeron, the programs’ founder, and Joyce Denning with the creation of a scholarship fund in their names. Sunday, Oct 23, 1 to 3 p.m., Allen House, South Campus, 2 Solomont Way, Lowell.
A full schedule of events and registration information can be found at https://www.uml.edu/homecoming/.
UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 17,500 students bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers. www.uml.edu