Celebrating 150 Years of Community and Pride 

More than 150 people gathered at McGuirk Alumni Stadium on April 27 to launch a year of celebration in honor of the establishment of the university’s first alumni club. The UMass Amherst Alumni Association’s 150th Anniversary Kick-off was a day of family-friendly fun, with lawn games, a photo booth, music and giveaways. With so many graduates present at the Amherst campus that weekend, which also included the inauguration of Chancellor Javier Reyes, the event highlighted how important alumni are to the university community.

In addition to the fun activities, friends of the UMAAA enjoyed watching the UMass Football Kick-Off, where student-athletes participated in scrimmages and Chancellor Reyes was gifted a specially designed jersey from the Alumni Association. Celebrants agreed that a special highlight was seeing football team alumni from seven decades gathered that day.

“It was great to be on campus to launch the celebration of the Alumni Association's 150th Anniversary at the spring football game,” said  UMAAA President Rachel Spates ’05MS. “We're excited to share the stories of the many exceptional individuals who make up our proud alumni community.”

The Alumni Association intentionally planned the program to be an all-ages event. As a result, many alumni brought their children and grandchildren to campus. Students, including members of the Student Alumni Association, also attended the event and had the opportunity to network and build relationships with alumni.

“It is really remarkable to see how much has changed from our agricultural college days to the flagship university we are today,” said UMAAA President-Elect Michelle-Kim Cohen ’03. “One thing that hasn't changed is the Alumni Association's important role in connecting alumni with each other and the university, and this event was a wonderful example of this relationship.”