Champions in Service to Community, UMass Lowell Honored

02/19/2016

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. – A UMass Lowell student who is a mentor to young girls, a professor whose passion is teaching the history of civil rights and a law enforcement official who is a liaison between the university and city are among the recipients of UMass Lowell’s annual Distinguished Service Awards.

The theme of this year’s program, “Lenses of Civil Rights: Intersections of Struggles and Progress,” was evidenced at the event by the achievements of the award winners, presentations by students and in an interactive photo exhibit.

During the event, members of the university community and the public who exemplify the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s commitment to service and social justice are honored with awards bestowed in his name. The program is held at the start of the spring semester each year. Presented by UMass Lowell’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, the 2016 celebration, held at University Crossing student-engagement center, was attended by more than 150 people.

The awards were presented by UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney and Laurence Siegel, associate vice chancellor for student affairs and university events. The recipients are:

• Jennifer Vivier, a UMass Lowell student who was honored for her commitment to Girls Inc. of Greater Lowell. A fine arts major from Dracut, Vivier was a 6-year-old when she enrolled the organization’s programs. Today, she works as a Girls Inc. program specialist and helped re-launch a mentoring initiative for 10- to 12-year-olds that benefitted her when she was that age. On campus, she is a member of the Student Leadership Council in the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Tau Sigma, an honor society for transfer students. She is the first person in her family to pursue a college education.
• Robert Forrant, a UMass Lowell history professor who brought the U.S. civil rights movement to life for his students and the public last year through an event series on the significance of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Combined, this watershed legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, religion, gender or national origin and banned segregation in schools, on the job and any place that served the public.
• Joe Brown, a campus resource officer in the UMass Lowell Police Department who has led community-building programs and served as a liaison between the university and city of Lowell. He has also provided educational opportunities in law enforcement for UMass Lowell students, including those who wish to pursue a career in criminal justice.
• UMass Lowell’s Ally Space, which offers training for faculty, staff and student volunteers in order to foster diversity and an inclusive, accepting environment for all people. The initiative’s leaders were honored for providing workshops and resource materials to these volunteers who work to enhance support systems and build self-esteem for individuals facing sexual-identity issues.
• Students from the Murkland Elementary and Stoklosa Middle schools in Lowell were honored as winners of a contest that asked them to depict civil rights issues in artwork.

UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its 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