#UMassGives 2019

Celebrating 50 Years of UMass Anthropology - Be Part of Our Future

UMass Anthropology is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! There is no better time to support the department as we step into a new era, and look towards the future. Any gift you make today will go towards supporting:

Experiential learning opportunities

Our undergraduate and graduate students get their hands dirty—whether it’s learning how to excavate a historic site, or collaborate with community organizations for social justice. We’re passionate about hands-on experience, and your gift will go towards providing students with opportunities to work and study in the field.

Here’s what one of our students has to say about her experience:

"I was expecting to gain practical anthropological experience by accepting an unpaid internship… What I ended up with was somewhat of a surprise but much better… working for people hugely invested in their work” “I realized how accessible avenues for change can be if you seek them out and are serious about your purpose." Recent graduate Margaret Reynolds

Dissertation Support

Your gifts will go towards supporting dissertation work undertaken by our students.  One example is the Oriol Pi Sunyer Dissertation Prize which supports students who focused their dissertation research on European Studies.  The award is a namesake of Emeritus Professor Oriol Pi Sunyer, who taught in our department from 1967-2008, and co-founded our European Field Studies program.

50th Anniversary Celebration – Engaging Anthropology conference.

UMass Amherst Anthropology is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year!   Fifty years of rigorous study, generations of successful graduates, colloquia, European Field School cohorts, dynamic field schools throughout the world, and constant interaction in the hallowed halls of Machmer have fostered a vibrant intellectual community active both within and outside of the academy.

To honor and continue our 50-year tradition, the department will host a four-day conference in October 2019.  In addition to providing time for retrospection and reunions, the conference is an opportunity to share in discussions about the future of our discipline and will feature many special events - plenaries, tours of the area landscape, dinners and socials, community engaged workshops, and professional development sessions for students. 

Your gifts can help the department celebrate our past and embrace our future!