The University of Massachusetts, Boston (UMass Boston) is a public research university located on the Columbia Point peninsula in Boston, Massachusetts. The university enrolls approximately 12,000 undergraduate and 4,000 graduate students, making it the third-largest campus in the four-campus UMass system.   ^{1 2 3 4 5}

University of Massachusetts, Boston, previously had an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI), which ensured that all members of the campus community adhered to left-of-center DEI principles. ⁶

Background

The University of Massachusetts, Boston, (UMass Boston) is a public research university located on the Columbia Point peninsula in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established in 1964 as the second campus in the University of Massachusetts system. ^{1 7}

In 1964, amid social upheaval and civil rights activism, the University of Massachusetts Amherst rejected 1,400 reportedly qualified applicants from metropolitan Boston, most of whom could not afford tuition. This crisis prompted the Massachusetts Legislature to establish UMass Boston to provide an affordable university education to metropolitan Boston residents and apply university-quality research to critical urban challenges. ⁸

The university opened in September 1965 with 1,227 undergraduate students and 200 faculty members at a renovated building in Park Square downtown Boston. In 1974, the university moved to its 100-acre campus on Columbia Point in Dorchester, adjacent to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and the Massachusetts State Archives. ^{9 8}

In 1982, Boston State College, founded in 1852 as a school for teacher training, was incorporated into UMass Boston, adding graduate and undergraduate programs in education, criminal justice, nursing, and regional studies, as well as an evening division for nontraditional students. This merger boosted undergraduate enrollment by 38 percent and tripled graduate enrollment, providing momentum for the university to expand its doctoral programs throughout the 1980s and 1990s. ¹⁰

UMass Boston is classified as an R1 research university, indicating very high research activity and doctorate production. The university enrolls approximately 12,000 undergraduate and 4,000 graduate students, making it the third-largest campus in the four-campus UMass system. It is the only public research university in Boston. ^{11 2 3 5}

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs

Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

University of Massachusetts, Boston previously had an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI), which acted as an advocate, resource broker, educator, and dialogue facilitator to ensure that all members of the campus community adhered to left-of-center DEI principles. ⁶

The university publicly committed to becoming the leading anti-racist and health-promoting public research university. As part of this commitment, UMass Boston provided an Inclusive Excellence Workshop Series that focused on topics including Non-Binary Identities and Pronoun Use, Micro-Aggression Basics, and Implicit Bias. These workshops were described as part of the university’s efforts to become an antiracist and inclusive institution. ¹²

Student Multicultural Affairs at UMass Boston offers programs designed to promote social justice and equity awareness among students. ¹²

The Massachusetts Office of Public Collaboration (MOPC) at UMass Boston has created a multi-year strategic goal for expanding DEI with objectives tied to staff performance plans. MOPC established a dedicated staff position to spearhead DEI initiatives, adopted an inclusive workplace policy and staff professional development policy, sponsored DEI trainings for staff, and engaged in an organizational DEI assessment to generate a strategic plan to guide the organization in making short-term and long-term changes for dismantling institutional racism, inequity, and exclusionary practices. ¹²

Anti-Racism Initiatives

UMass Boston promotes the left-of-center principle of anti-racism and has programs to address what it believes is systemic racism. The university stated, “In response to ongoing police brutality, systemic racism, and white supremacy, it is (and has been) necessary for us to step forward and put in the work to dismantle these oppressive systems and structures that unequivocally and disproportionately impact not only our UMB students, but our local communities as well.” ¹²

The Restorative Justice Commission at UMass Boston is “committed to fostering a campus climate that prioritizes racial and social justice, equity, and the principles of restorative justice.” The RJC has endorsed several initiatives, including UnDoing Racism Trainings and the Social Justice Peer Mediation Training Team. ¹²

The Writing Center at UMass Boston has adopted a Commitment to Anti-Racism, stating that it would offer more opportunities to reflect on race, racism, and their effects on us as individuals and on the institutions and communities we operate within. ¹³

Research Institutes Focused on Racial and Ethnic Communities

UMass Boston houses specialized research institutes dedicated to studying specific racial and ethnic communities. The William Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture “aims to serve as an intellectual hub to support the mission of social justice for Black communities” and to “address the concerns of Black communities in Boston and Massachusetts through critical research, public advocacy, and community engagement.” ^{12 14}

The Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy focuses on research and policy analysis related to Latino communities. In September 2022, the Gaston Institute received a $100,000 grant over two years to establish the Youth Wellness Corps Fellows program, an initiative offering internships to underrepresented UMass Boston undergraduates interested in health careers in organizations and health centers focused on health equity in communities of color affected by COVID-19. ^{15 16 17}

Leadership

As of 2026, Marcelo Suarez-Orozco was chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston. He assumed the role on August 1, 2020.  ¹⁸

Previously, Suarez-Orozco was the inaugural University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Wasserman Dean, leading two academic departments, 16 research institutes, and two demonstration schools at UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies. At Harvard,  Suárez-Orozco was the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Education, co-founder and co-director of the Harvard Immigration Project, and founding member of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Executive Committee. At New York University, he was the inaugural Courtney Sale Ross University Professor of Globalization and Education. ^{18 19 20}

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13. “Commitment to Anti-Racism.” UMass Boston Writing Center. Accessed March 16. 2026. https://www.umb.edu/writingcenter/about-us/commitment-to-anti-racism/.
14. “William Monroe Trotter Institute.” University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed March 16, 2026. https://www.umb.edu/trotter_institute/.
15. “Mauricio Gastón Institute.” University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed March 16, 2026. https://www.umb.edu/gaston_institute/.
16. “Gaston Institute-About.” University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed March 17, 2026. https://www.umb.edu/gaston-institute/about/.
17. “Report to the Board of Trustees.” University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed March 17, 2026. https://www.umb.edu/media/umassboston/content-assets/documents/September_2022_BOT_report.pdf.
18. “About Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco.” University of Massachusetts Boston. Accessed March 16, 2026. https://www.umb.edu/about/leadership-administration/about-chancellor-marcelo-suarez-orozco/.
19. “Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco. PhD.” The Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Policy Leadership at Harvard University. Accessed March 17, 2026. https://cff.hms.harvard.edu/curriculum/leadership-forums/speakers/marcelo-m-su-rez-orozco-phd
20. “ Marcelo Suarez-Orozco.” Academia. Accessed March 17, 2026. https://independent.academia.edu/MarceloSuarezOrozco.