As members of the greater UMass Polymer Science and Engineering community – we all have benefited from early efforts to create our cutting-edge program for polymer research. Although polymers at UMass dates back to the early ’50s, 1974 brought a significant addition to the PSE faculty - Professor Richard (Dick) Farris.
Dick was a world-renowned researcher and educator in the fields of polymer engineering and polymer composite-based mechanics. He was revered as an exceptional experimentalist with a strong theoretical foundation in continuum mechanics. He combined these skills with his uncanny creativity to innovate and characterize materials throughout his career. Dick received many accolades in his professional career and achieved the title of Distinguished University Professor prior to his retirement. Dick also provided leadership to the Department both academically throughout his 30+ years as well as serving as the Department Head from 1995-2000. It has always been said that Richard (Dick) Farris was the one who originally solidified the “E” (Engineering) term in PSE. In that role, Dick will always be recognized for his contributions in making PSE a world-class Department in both research and graduate education.
Accordingly, we invite you all to join us in focusing this year’s #UMassGives campaign to 
acknowledge and memorialize Dick for his contributions to PSE and the broader scientific and engineering communities. In June of 2010, we received the first of many gifts that enabled us to create an endowment for the Richard J. Farris Scholarship in Polymer Science and Engineering. May 25th of this year will mark the 9th anniversary of Professor Farris’s passing. We would like to honor him by taking the time leading up to the 10-year anniversary of this funds’ inception to campaign for additional contributions to this endowment.
| Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Men's Ultimate Frisbee | 124 |
| 2 | $500 | UMass Women into Leadership | 96 |
| 3 | $500 | College of Nursing | 48 |
| 4 | Softball | 9 | |
| 5 | Men's Cross Country/Track & Field | 8 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | University Without Walls | 114 |
| 2 | $500 | Student Alumni Association | 97 |
| 3 | $500 | Protect Our Breasts | 82 |
| 4 | Student Care & Emergency Response Fund | 62 | |
| 5 | Juniper Institute for Young Writers | 53 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Women's Ultimate Frisbee | 349 |
| 2 | $500 | CHAARG | 177 |
| 3 | $500 | Delta Sigma Pi - Pi Rho Chapter | 174 |
| 4 | Men's Club Rowing | 170 | |
| 5 | Minuteman Marching Band | 169 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | UMass Club Gymnastics | 97 |
| 2 | $500 | College of Education | 68 |
| 3 | $500 | Women for UMass Amherst | 54 |
| 4 | Women's Rowing | 21 | |
| 5 | Marilyn V. Patton University Dancers Endowment | 18 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Engineers Without Borders | 79 |
| 2 | $500 | Stonewall Center | 41 |
| 3 | $500 | Film Studies Program at UMass Amherst | 41 |
| 4 | Duly Noted | 30 | |
| 5 | UMass Hillel | 29 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Women's Ice Hockey | 158 |
| 2 | $500 | Irish Dancing | 142 |
| 3 | $500 | Psychological and Brain Sciences | 81 |
| 4 | Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies | 63 | |
| 5 | Mock Trial Team | 52 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Outing Club | 168 |
| 2 | $500 | Belly Dance Club | 80 |
| 3 | $500 | jubilat | 46 |
| 4 | Foster Student Success Fund | 45 | |
| 5 | School of Public Policy | 35 |
| Rank | Department | Gifts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Student Groups (RSOs/GSOs/etc.) | 3,426 |
| 2 | Athletics | 2,006 |
| 3 | Isenberg School of Management | 939 |
| 4 | College of Humanities & Fine Arts | 883 |
| 5 | Campus-wide Programs | 729 |
