UMass Boston Community Relations

A great evening at the WORK Inc. Gala celebrating an organization that continues to create opportunities, foster independence, and strengthen our communities through meaningful employment.

As Vice Chair of the Board, I am grateful to support this important work and to join so many community leaders, partners, and advocates committed to expanding opportunities for individuals of all abilities.

Thank you to City of Quincy Massachusetts College of Art and DesignMayor Tom Koch, City of Boston Councilors Boston City Councilor John FitzGerald, .louijeune & State Representative David Biele, the Honorable Jim Brett & Margaret Laforest for your support and partnership.

Innovation, creativity, and community impact were on full display as recent UMass Boston graduates partnered with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts /Bluebikes, the City of Boston, and Massachusetts College of Art and Design to create a special bike design celebrating Boston's neighborhoods and the city's rich history.

This collaboration showcases the power of public higher education and the talented students who are helping shape the future of our city through art, design, and civic engagement. The winning design will be featured on commemorative Bluebikes rolling throughout Greater Boston this summer as part of Boston's 250th anniversary celebration.

Congratulations to our talented graduates and to all of the partners who made this project possible. Another great example of UMass Boston students applying their skills beyond the classroom and making a visible impact in the communities we serve. 🚲💙

Read more:https://www.umb.edu/news/recent-news/graduates-winning-bluebikes-design-celebrates-boston-communities/

Congratulations to Girls' LEAP on another successful Annual Women's Leadership Brunch, Leading with Courage.

As a member of the Girls' LEAP Board of Directors, I am continually inspired by the organization's commitment to empowering girls and gender-expansive youth with the confidence, leadership skills, and courage to navigate their lives safely and successfully.

I was proud to see UMass Boston support this important event and stand alongside so many community partners dedicated to investing in the next generation of leaders. The work Girls' LEAP does every day helps strengthen our communities and create opportunities for young people to thrive.

Thank you to everyone who attended, supported, and helped make this year's brunch a success.

To learn more about Girls' LEAP and support their mission, visit: https://girlsleap.org/

🌊 UMass Boston

Girls LEAP – Safety. Self-defense. Courage. k Girls served since 1997 % Graduates build skills to assess risks and stay safe % Graduates believe their female peers are invested in their success Mission "Girls’ LEAP is safe." "I now know that I can defend myself in different ways." "Girls’ LEAP is powerful." Learn More Donate to Support th...

Another fantastic Dorchfest in the books!

UMass Boston was pleased to be a sponsor of this year's event, which drew record crowds to the Ashmont-Adams neighborhood for an afternoon filled with live music, local businesses, and community connections. Events like Dorchfest showcase what makes Dorchester such a special place to live, work, and learn.

Congratulations to Greater Ashmont Main Street, the Ashmont-Adams Neighborhood Association, the many volunteers, performers, and sponsors who helped make Dorchfest 5.0 such a success. The event continues to grow as one of Dorchester's signature community celebrations, bringing together thousands of residents and visitors in support of local artists and neighborhood businesses.

Read more in the Dorchester Reporter:

Dorchfest 5.0— Sunny skies, cool vibes, great music drove record turnout - Dorchester Reporter Dorchfest 5.0 was a huge success, drawing its largest crowd yet to the Ashmont-Adams neighborhood for an afternoon of music, community, and celebration.

A great recap from The The Boston Globe of UMass Boston's 2026 Undergraduate Commencement.

More than 2,700 graduates crossed the stage this year, representing the diversity, resilience, and promise that define UMass Boston. Congratulations again to the Class of 2026, and thank you to Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco, our faculty, staff, families, and supporters who helped make this milestone possible.

Welcome to the Beacon Alumni family. 🔵⚪🗼
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/28/metro/umass-boston-commencement-sees-2740-graduates-in-2026/

At UMass commencement, diversity and artificial intelligence took center stage - The Boston Globe On a bright, sunny day, over 2,000 Beacons received their degree.

Commencement season at UMass Boston is always a special time, but this year’s speakers, honorary degree recipients, faculty award winners, and student honorees truly reflected the values that make our university so distinctive: public service, academic excellence, leadership, and a commitment to creating positive change in our communities and around the world.

We were honored to welcome Senator Edward J. Markey as our Undergraduate Commencement Speaker and recipient of the Chancellor’s Medal for Exemplary Leadership. At Graduate Commencement, we proudly welcomed The Honorable Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of city Paris, as our speaker and recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

This year’s honorary degree recipients represent extraordinary achievement across public service, education, climate leadership, business, and law:

• Regina (Gina) McCarthy ’76
• Charles John Hoff
• Professor Martha Minow

UMass Boston also celebrated the outstanding work of our faculty through the Chancellor’s Awards for Distinguished Scholarship, Teaching, and Service, recognizing the excellence and dedication that define our academic community.

A special congratulations to our student speakers and award recipients:
• Madeeha Masroor Syeda ’26, recipient of the John F. Kennedy Award for Academic Excellence and Undergraduate Student Speaker
• Sachin Gupta G’26, Graduate Student Speaker

A heartfelt thank you as well to Chancellor Marcelo M Suarez-Orozco for his leadership and vision throughout this commencement season and beyond. His unwavering commitment to students, public higher education, and the mission of UMass Boston continues to elevate our university on both a local and global stage.

From Columbia Point to communities across the globe, our graduates now join an alumni network committed to leadership, service, and opportunity. Congratulations to the Class of 2026 and to all who helped make this commencement season such a memorable celebration for UMass Boston.
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Artificial Intelligence is transforming how we learn, work, and live. The challenge before us is ensuring that technological advancement remains grounded in human values.

In a recent The Boston Globe op-ed, UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco reflects on Pope Leo XIV's groundbreaking encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and the growing global conversation around the ethical use of AI. The Chancellor reminds us that the questions surrounding AI are not merely technical. They are human, civic, and moral questions that will shape the future of our society.

This conversation is particularly relevant at UMass Boston, where students and faculty are helping lead the discussion on how AI can be used responsibly, ethically, and for the common good. As the Chancellor notes, the true measure of artificial intelligence will not be whether machines become more powerful, but whether humanity remains fully human.

Thank you, Chancellor Suárez-Orozco, for continuing to elevate UMass Boston's voice in one of the most important discussions of our time and for demonstrating how higher education can help bridge innovation, ethics, and public service.

Read the full op-ed in The Boston Globe.

Pope Leo on centering human dignity in the age of AI - The Boston Globe Artificial Intelligence needs moral guidance, and the new encyclical offers a profound framework.

Recently, UMass Boston lit up our iconic Integrated Sciences Complex (ISC) in red, white, & blue in honor of Memorial Day ❤️ 🤍 💙
We remember and pay tribute to the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country.

Over the course of this academic year, one thing became very clear to me: UMass Boston’s greatest strength is its connection to the community around it.

Looking back at my posts this year, I realized they were never really about buildings, announcements, ceremonies, or ribbon cuttings. They were about people. Students finding opportunity. Neighbors finding partnership. Community organizations finding support. Civic leaders, small businesses, nonprofits, faculty, alumni, and residents all coming together around a shared belief that public higher education should actively serve the public good.

This year, I had the opportunity to help highlight so many moments that reflect that mission:

• partnerships supporting Dorchester and Mattapan small businesses
• conversations on climate resilience and the future of our waterfront communities
• violence prevention and youth empowerment initiatives
• cultural heritage celebrations and community observances
• civic engagement events connecting residents directly to government and the courts
• collaborations with schools, nonprofits, and neighborhood organizations
• the continued transformation of Columbia Point and the broader Morrissey Boulevard corridor
• countless moments where UMass Boston showed up not just as a university in the city, but as a university of the city

One thing I’ve especially appreciated this academic year is seeing how deeply people care about UMass Boston. Whether it’s alumni reconnecting with campus, community partners reaching out to collaborate, or neighbors attending events and cheering on our students, there is a genuine sense that this institution belongs to Boston. That matters.

Personally, this year also marked 18 years working professionally at UMass Boston, after first arriving here as a student decades ago. My own journey with this university has never been linear, which is probably why I connect so deeply with our mission. UMass Boston creates pathways. It opens doors. It meets people where they are and helps move them forward.

As I reflect on this academic year, I’m grateful for the many colleagues, students, community leaders, elected officials, nonprofit partners, and neighbors who continue to make this work meaningful. None of this happens alone.

Public universities matter. Community partnerships matter. And in a time when institutions are often questioned, I remain incredibly optimistic about what can happen when a university stays grounded in service, accessibility, and genuine engagement with the people around it.

Looking forward to what comes next for UMass Boston and for the communities we are proud to serve. 🌊💙

This past week, UMass Boston was proud to light our iconic Integrated Sciences Complex (ISC) in recognition of two important observances that honor service, heritage, and community.

The ISC shined in blue and orange for National EMS Week as we recognized the EMS professionals who serve our communities with extraordinary skill, compassion, and dedication each and every day. 🚑🟦🟧 Boston EMS (Emergency Medical Services)

The ISC was also illuminated in blue and white in recognition of Jewish American Heritage Month, celebrating the rich history, culture, and contributions of Jewish Americans across our nation and here in Boston. 🔵⚪

These lightings reflected UMass Boston’s ongoing commitment to honoring the people and communities that make our city stronger.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by campus, shared photos, and helped amplify these important recognitions.