University of Massachusetts Amherst

The University of Massachusetts Amherst (otherwiseknown as UMass Amherst, Massachusetts, or UMass) is a selective research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts. The University of Massachusetts Amherst offers over 90 undergraduate and 65 graduate areas of study. It was known as the University ofMassachusetts from 1947 until the creation of the UMass system, forwhich it now serves as the flagship campus. The university was founded in 1863 under the provisions of the FederalMorrill Land-Grant Colleges Act to provide instruction to Massachusetts citizens in the "agricultural, mechanical, and military arts". Accordingly, the university was initially named the Massachusetts Agricultural College, popularly referred to as Mass Aggie or M.A.C.. At thetime, the university had 50 men enrolled and including only a fraction of what the campus is today- including the Old Chapel, South College, and Goodell Hall, which was the library at the time. In 1931, due to an increase in enrollment and support from the Commonwealth, it was renamed Massachusetts State College.