Big Doings at UML

As the title of the post suggests, we've had some big stuff happening around here lately. Last Wednesday we got a new Chancellor of the University, Congressman Martin Meehan, a/k/a, Marty Meehan. For those of you unfamiliar with what a Chancellor is, they are like the CEO or the President of the University. They are immensely important people in terms of the direction of the university. Here is a picture of the announcement on our website:

One of the great things about this announcement is that Marty Meehan is a Lowell native and a UMass Lowell alum who made it big in politics and is deciding to come home. I can't say enough about how excited we are about the possibilities of this announcement. Throughout the process Meehan made it clear that he really and truly knows the university inside and out, and also has a true passion for it. His noted ability to raise funds could be a major plus for the university as we go forward as well. We only have good feelings about this.

Anyway, it was an exciting day. All the major news outlets were there, all the politicians from the area were there, and, of course, all the upper administration for the university was there. That said, we admissions folks got third row seats! Below is Christine, Erin, and Ivan smiling at our good fortune.

Good times. Below are some of those aforementioned tv network cameras.

These pics were taken on a cellphone so they are a little grainy, but it kind of captures the spirit of the thing. (gold star to anyone who gets that movie reference). Thanks to Nikki, one of our fabulous tour guides, for these shots.

Taking A Break

This upcoming week is Spring Break at UMass Lowell. Not for admissions counselors though. Most of us have worked on and off all weekend finishing the remainder of the folders so we can get timely decisions to applicants as soon as possible. Anyway, today I was running out of steam so I decided to take a break, snap some blog pics, and throw up an entry (no pun intended).

The above pics are from the Dugan Hall Art floor. The first is a picture of the poster advertising The Big Show, which has been running since February and will run until March 29. The Big Show showcases artwork by Art and Design students. If you are a fan of art, and thinking about coming to UML, this is a good chance to see what Art students are actually up to.

The second pic is a picture of the Dugan Gallery sign with a really cool scene behind it. The first time I walked by that little desk/chair/collage-wall thing, I stopped and tried to figure it out for a while. I couldn't, but I know I like it, and that's the important thing...I think.

The third picture is the hallway of the Dugan Art area with some drawing stuff that is in the works on the walls.

The Dugan Art area is in the basement, which has to be ironic somehow. There is always some great stuff to look at while you stroll through there, and it is nice to know that we have such a vibrant art community here at UML. If you're interested, you can stop by most any time. You should also check out the Art Gallery over in MacGauvran as well. There is always some great stuff going on there too.

One other thing that I thought was interesting: I don't really get bathroom graffiti. I mean, I usually comprehend the messages, but I don't understand the motivation very often. I don't think I've ever been using the restroom and had the urge to communicate anonymously to people via the wall, but many people do. Our custodial staff does a great job of cleaning that up, but one message in the downstairs bathroom I found particularly amusing. It simply says, "The bubbler upstairs has the best water on campus," which is not very funny or entertaining, but it is useful information. For those who live more than like two hours outside of Boston, a 'bubbler' is a water fountain. I'm not one who generally agrees with vandals, but in this case I definitely do. If you plan on visiting campus and bring along a Nalgene or something, I guess you should re-fill it in the bubbler on the first floor of Dugan. Maybe you can do that when you're on your way downstairs to see The Big Show.

Anyway, back to folders for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Everyone Likes Sunsets, Right?

One of the cool things about where our office is located here on campus is that we have a great view of the Merrimack River and we routinely have a great view of some pretty sweet sunsets. This is the sunset from today. Since I think most everyone likes sunsets, I figured I'd post a couple of pics.

The Shelves

This is another picture of the shelves a few days after I took that picture below. Not bad, eh? We're getting there. Hopefully we can maintain our sanity in the meantime. Ha.

It Has Been Too Long, Folders, & Housing

When I started this blog, I told myself that I would update it every few days, or at least once a week. Well, looking at the date of the last post, it has been almost a month since my last post which is downright inexcusable. I feel negligent. Anyway, what happened was this:

Folders...lots of folders. Even though we are on rolling admissions and evaluate applications as fast as we can, we still get bombarded at this time of year. If you have applied and have not heard from us yet, chances are your folder is in one of these piles. But do not fret. We have a goal of completing every folder that came in before the February 15 priority deadline before our Accepted Student Reception, which is in late March. If you do not hear from us by then, please get in touch with us asap so that we can evaluate your application.

Here's another one of our counselors, Ivan, hard at work evaluating folders:

I wanted to make some notes here too.

The first is that Ivan and I debated whether or not to make this pic casual or candid or whatever before we decided that by us even discussing it we ruined any candidness. So I just told him to smile and I snapped the pic. I think it turned out okay.

The second is a little more serious. For as long as I have worked at UMass Lowell (I started in April of 2003) we have had guaranteed housing for students who got their deposits in before May 1. All fall and winter we were operating under that assumption as well, and telling anyone who asked that, yes, we have guaranteed housing provided students get deposits in before the deadline. Last week we were informed of a policy change regarding housing. Starting immediately, housing will be first come-first serve. In other words, students will be provided housing in the order that their contracts and deposits were received. We were told there should be no measurable effect on whether or not people get housing, but seeing as how this is different from what we've been telling people for at least four years, I figured I would make a note of it.

The impact to the admitted student who wants housing is this: You need to get your stuff in as soon as you decide UMass Lowell is the place you want to go to school. Any questions should be directed to the Housing Office, which can be contacted at (978) 934-5160.

The next note I wanted to make is regarding my last post about The Wall of Fame. I just wanted to say that in no way am I suggesting that students send us a whole bunch of stuff just for the sake of it. I don't think our processing staff would appreciate that too much. However, I would say that if you feel like you want to send us something that absolutely tells us something about you that we cannot tell by looking at the rest of your application materials - and this missing something is critical to who you are as a person - then go ahead and send it. Don't make stuff up though. In general, that is probably a good rule to live your life by.