UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes announced the creation of UMass Downtown, a multipurpose retail, event and meeting space in downtown Amherst, at the 57th annual Community Breakfast on Aug. 27.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo
AMHERST — With the start of a new school year upon us, the creation of “UMass Downtown,” a new retail, event and meeting space at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is currently in motion.
During the college’s 57th annual Community Breakfast, UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes announced that this space, located at 108 N. Pleasant St., will serve as a boutique retail location and a campus information and welcome center during regular business hours, as well as a regular site for small lectures, readings and workshops during evening hours.
The school is currently working with Kuhn Riddle Architects to help develop the 1,500 square-foot space, which is scheduled to open at some point during the 2024-25 academic year.
“When I arrived at UMass Amherst, I said I hoped to see more UMass in the community and more of the community at UMass,” Reyes said during the breakfast. “We’re putting words into action with UMass Downtown. It will be an important place for connection between the campus and community, introducing and inviting area residents to be a part of the campus experience. It is also evidence of our enduring commitment to community engagement.”
In an interview with Reminder Publishing, Tony Maroulis, the executive director of community and strategic initiatives for the college, said that the school has been thinking of opening a space like this for at least a decade, and that this year, the stars aligned in many ways, especially with the chancellor’s message of intertwining the community with UMass.
“We’re really excited to get this started and to bring more UMass in the community and more community at UMass by having a fun, multifunctional space,” said Maroulis, who, along with Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations Nancy Buffone, is one of the project leads.
Buffone also emphasized the space’s goal of connecting the Amherst downtown community with the college.
“One of our goals is to draw people to UMass Downtown through frequent events of 40 or fewer people,” says Buffone. “Our goal is to develop programming that will also positively impact our local restaurants and downtown businesses. Additionally, we look forward to future direct business-to-business partnerships and participating with programming by the Amherst Business Improvement District and Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce.”
Buffone told Reminder Publishing that the space will provide an opportunity for faculty, students and staff to utilize the space to share their knowledge, talent and expertise.
She said that she envisions events such as small lectures from faculty on relevant topics, readings from the art department, or an opportunity where the college can partner with different organizations and individuals in the town or region to host some other type of small event.
Maroulis added that the space will be a great introduction to the campus in the sense that it may help a student find inspiration in what they want to pursue during their college career.
“In many ways, it’s an introduction to what we do on campus already,” Maroulis said. “This is one way to welcome people … it’s one of our front doors, if you will, to our campus.”
According to Maroulis and Buffone, the space will be able to hold up to 49 people for events.
“It will be welcoming, immersive and fun,” Maroulis added.
When the space does open, it will be managed by the Office of Community Relations and University Events, in partnership with UMass Auxiliary Services. Other campus partners include UMass Athletics, Student Affairs and Campus Life, the Dean of Students Office, Admissions and the UMass Amherst Foundation.
