Our Vision for the Future
Our strategic plan, 'For the Times,' builds on our strengths: dedication to knowledge, anti-racism, holistic student success, and sustainability. Simultaneously, we developed the Campus Master Plan, guided by four core principles:
- Belonging: Celebrating diversity and creating an inclusive, connected learning environment.
- Openness: Fostering intellectual curiosity, engaging with our city, and embracing community.
- Sustainability: Committing to environmental stewardship through efficiency, renewables, and more.
- Collaboration: Encouraging cross-disciplinary scholarship to address complex global challenges.
Buildings and spaces mirror our values as 'architectures of care.' Join us in shaping a brighter future.
Watch the Master Plan Video
Explore how our Campus Master Plan was shaped by a two-year collaborative process, and how it will shape the UMass Boston experience of the future.
Planning Principles
The following four planning principles are goals set forth to align UMass Boston’s mission and vision with the physical campus. Closely aligned with the strategic plan, they were developed through a consensus-driven planning process. They reflect the culture, traditions, aspirations, and context of UMass Boston. While ambitious in nature, the principles inform the intent, direction, and priorities articulated in the Campus Master Plan and will serve as a benchmark against which future planning decisions can be measured.
1. Create a welcoming, inclusive, and health-promoting UMass Boston campus.
UMass Boston's Campus Master Plan strives for equity and inclusion. We'll enhance wayfinding, improve arrival experiences, and revitalize ground floor spaces for transparency and access. We're also committed to integrating the campus with the waterfront and the surrounding community, ensuring a vibrant, connected environment for all.
2. Invest in a high-quality and inclusive learning environment that supports the university's core values.
UMass Boston's Campus Master Plan envisions reinvesting in heritage buildings, creating modern spaces for teaching, research, and community engagement. Sustainability is key, reflecting our commitment to the environment and ensuring lasting growth.
3. Create a physical campus that supports community-university reciprocal engagement.
We leverage our campus location for community access, aligning with our urban mission. Collaborative strategies integrate our plans with the broader community. We also seek growth opportunities beyond Columbia Point to boost community development, workforce readiness, economic progress, and experiential learning. Join us in redefining education and community impact.
4. Leverage assets and resources to support a sustainable, resilient, and nimble campus.
UMass Boston's Campus Master Plan is guided by a resolute commitment to sustainability. We prioritize eco-friendly site development, energy-efficient building design, renewables, and eco-conscious material choices, while championing clean transportation alternatives. Our approach includes maximizing the adaptability of spaces and infrastructure to accommodate future needs. We're dedicated to minimizing carbon emissions, striving for net-zero status by 2050.
To develop a plan for our university that is data-informed, adapts best practices to our unique campus, builds on and enhances our significant existing assets, creates opportunities where we have gaps, and is bold yet realistic in its ambitions.Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco
An active and vibrant quad
Beacons Walk
Beacons Walk
View looking northwest
Watch Our Transformation
Looking ahead, watch as new campus spaces for connection emerge to bring our community closer together.
This includes the completion of our new quad that will transform the center of campus from a construction zone into a beautiful, five-and-a-half-acre green space and hub for student life. Watch as our new strategic plan charts new pathways to student success. Watch as our investments in the life sciences, technology, and other fields create new ties to the local economy.
Now and moving forward, when we set our gaze on our blue Beacon, we are filled with pride because it reminds us that UMass Boston is true to its values and for the times.