[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hello, I'm Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy,
and I want to extend a warm welcome to all members
of our campus community as we begin another academic year.
Today, I'm speaking to you from one
of our outstanding new facilities, the Physical
Sciences Building, and I must admit, I'm a bit envious.
My academic field is physics, and
the extraordinary capability of such research space
was not available to me during my research active years.
What's also inspiring is how this building proudly
represents our past and our aspirations for the future.
It incorporates the reconstructed West Experiment
Station, the original Mass Aggie research building,
reassembled brick by brick.
This week, we will greet more than 5,000 new undergraduates,
including 500 new international students.
This is our most academically accomplished and most diverse
first-year group ever.
A warm welcome to all the new members of our community,
including the class of 2022, transfer and graduate students,
as well as faculty and staff.
And a special welcome to the 150 veterinary technology students,
as well as faculty and staff at our new Mount Ida
campus in Newton.
I should add that we are also developing exciting plans
for how the Newton campus can connect
our students with Boston area employers,
and prepare them for careers.
In your campus travels, you're bound
to come across some newly installed bikeshare
stations, one aspect of our commitment to sustainability.
The Sierra Club, in fact, just ranked
us number seven on North America's greenest colleges.
And when it comes to rankings, UMass dining
deserves a special shout out for being
number one in campus food for the third consecutive year.
This fall also marks the beginning
of an ambitious project to renovate the student union,
and construction will begin this winter.
Creating a modern home for our student organizations
and activities will certainly be worth the wait.
Let me close by emphasizing that for our community to flourish,
we must be a place that respects cultural and social
differences.
We must welcome open discourse and the civil exchange
of ideas.
At a time when our nation is confronting many forms of hate
and intolerance, we must truly commit ourselves
to understanding others.
This semester, our campus is launching a campaign
to build a community of dignity and respect.
You will find many ways to get involved.
I ask you to please join me in creating
an environment that is respectful and inclusive
for all.
Thank you for all you do for our community, and go UMass!