18 Facts About UMass Amherst

1. The University of Massachusetts UMass Amherst is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity".

2. UMass Amherst entered the 21st century with 19,061 students enrolled.

3. Since the University of Massachusetts UMass Amherst was founded as the Massachusetts Agricultural College in 1863, 25 individuals have been at the helm of the institution.

4. Originally, the chief executive of UMass Amherst was a president.

5. UMass Amherst is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

6. In 2011 UMass Amherst became one of the four colleges to receive a gold star from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.

7. In 2013 UMass Amherst made it onto the Princeton review's Green Honor Roll and in 2014 received its second National Climate Leadership Award.

8. UMass Amherst is part of the Five Colleges Consortium, which allows its students to attend classes, borrow books, work with professors, etc.

9. UMass Amherst holds the license for WFCR, the National Public Radio affiliate for Western Massachusetts.

10. UMass Amherst emphasizes community service as part of its academic programs.

11. Team of scientists at UMass Amherst led by Vincent Rotello has developed a molecular nose that can detect and identify various proteins.

12. UMass Amherst is home to the DEFA Film Library, the only archive and study collection of East German films outside of Europe, and the Shirley Graham Du Bois Library in the New Africa House.

13. Residential Life at the University of Massachusetts UMass Amherst is one of the largest on-campus housing systems in the United States.

14. UMass Amherst provides alerts via students' school e-mail, as well as text messages if they so choose.

15. Massachusetts Daily Collegian, the official newspaper of UMass Amherst, is published Monday through Thursday during the calendar semester.

16. UMass Amherst is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

17. In March 2014, the MAC and UMass Amherst announced an agreement for the Minutemen football team to leave the conference after the 2015 season due to UMass Amherst declining an offer to become a full member of the conference.

18. UMass Amherst announced that it would look for a "more suitable conference" for the team.