Students in the UMass College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) receive a world-class liberal arts education supported by outstanding faculty who teach them how to think, and robust advising and career and professional development resources that help prepare them for life after college. When you make a gift to SBS or one of its departments today, your contribution will go directly to supporting:
THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
The Dean’s Priority Fund supports SBS Pathways, an innovative advising and curriculum framework that guides students to explore their interests outside of conventional barriers like academic major and helps them build a robust college program of meaningful coursework and experiences. This support helps students become critical thinkers and informed citizens who are able to understand complex issues on a global scale. Students who demonstrate this kind of expanded thinking, openness, and a broader frame of reference are more competitive in the job market and achieve greater career success.
FACULTY EXCELLENCE, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
Funding to support research, knowledge creation, discovery, and teaching support is critical. Support of this kind allows SBS to recruit and retain exceptional faculty, and ensure that they have everything they need to advance in their fields. This, in turn, enriches the student experience, through both teaching as well as research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students.
PROGRAMS THAT REDUCE OPPORTUNITY GAPS
Academic Fellows Program (AFP)
The Academic Fellows Program (AFP) provides specialized opportunities and programs for approximately 2100 SBS undergraduate students who identify as first-generation, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), and/or from families with low incomes. AFP aims to ensure equity; foster a sense of belonging and community; provide holistic support for students’ academic, professional development, civic, and personal pursuits; and close the opportunity gap for historically marginalized students.
SBS in DC
SBS in DC is an exciting summer internship program that connects our students with UMass alumni working in Washington DC. Program participants are matched with host internship sites for a 10-week summer internship, participate in a hybrid online/face to face class, and have the opportunity to network with UMass Alumni who are working in the area.
Advance Internship Program
Many students cannot afford to take internships that are unpaid or poorly paid, and so instead pursue summer jobs unrelated to their career goals. Through a competitive application process, the Advance Internship Program promises students from families with low incomes access to up to $6,000 in internship funding. This program allows students with financial constraints to gain networking and professional development opportunities that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
Help Legal Studies receive extra support by making your Legal Studies gift on Friday, April 30 from 8:00-9:00 pm (EDT)! If Legal Studies receives the greatest number of gifts during that hour, they will win an additional $2,000 (or $500 for second place).
| Rank | Prize | Department | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Student Alumni Association | 50 |
| 2 | $500 | Center for Student Businesses | 32 |
| 3 | $500 | Transfer Student Scholarship Fund | 28 |
| 4 | Student Care & Emergency Response Fund | 18 | |
| 5 | UMass Women into Leadership | 15 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | University Without Walls | 135 |
| 2 | $500 | Alpine Ski Team | 42 |
| 3 | $500 | McCormack Department of Sport Management | 40 |
| 4 | Autism Awareness | 28 | |
| 5 | College of Nursing | 25 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Minuteman Marching Band | 141 |
| 2 | $500 | Hannah Frilot Memorial Scholarship Fund | 79 |
| 3 | $500 | Women's Ice Hockey | 58 |
| 4 | Oxford Summer Seminar | 48 | |
| 5 | Colleges Against Cancer | 39 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Protect Our Breasts | 140 |
| 2 | $500 | Spanish and Portuguese Studies | 106 |
| 3 | $500 | Women’s Rugby Football Club | 46 |
| 4 | Club Gymnastics | 45 | |
| 5 | Cape Cod Alumni Network | 34 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Gifts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Men's Club Rowing | 180 |
| 2 | $500 | Stonewall Center | 127 |
| 3 | $500 | UMass ALTITUDE | 99 |
| 4 | Women for UMass Amherst | 41 | |
| 5 | Engineers Without Borders | 19 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Transit Services | 64 |
| 2 | $500 | Department of English | 58 |
| 3 | $500 | Men's Club Soccer | 37 |
| 4 | Water Polo | 28 | |
| 5 | Men's Ultimate Frisbee | 14 |
| Rank | Prize | Department | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Student Care & Emergency Response Fund | 151 |
| 2 | $500 | Women's Ultimate Frisbee | 137 |
| 3 | $500 | Minutemen Racing | 78 |
| 4 | CHAARG | 64 | |
| 5 | S#arp Attitude | 61 |
