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Overview

Assistant Provost and Dean: Pamela R. Marsh-Williams
609 Goodell Building, (413) 545-6493
Website: http://ualc.umass.edu

Undergraduate Advising and Learning Communities (UA&LC) is the collegiate-level unit providing academic services and programming for the university’s large and diverse population of students who have not yet declared a major or who wish to explore a new or additional one. All members of our staff are committed to facilitating each undergraduate student’s intellectual development, degree progress, and academic engagement.

UA&LC represents the Office of the Provost by leading an advisory board of undergraduate academic deans (Undergraduate Dean's Council – UDC) and two networks of colleagues from Academic and Student Affairs: the University Advising Network (UAN) and the Undergraduate Deans Advisory Group (UDAG). Each group is convened to foster cross-campus collaborations, to maintain current and accurate information, to identify and articulate ways to address critical issues impacting student success, and to strengthen the effectiveness of all academic advisors and student personnel staff.

All undergraduate schools and colleges are assisted by UA&LC in the planning and implementation of a variety of academic learning communities. The most common are Residential Academic Programs (RAP) and seminars for first-year students. These programs offer a wide array of academic options to enhance learning, community building, student development, retention, persistence, and graduation. Additional services include referrals to campus resources and interventions for students facing academic challenges.

Programmatic and enrollment services for students participating in the Domestic Exchange, Five College Interchange, and Thatcher Language House are also provided.

The academic advising, learning support, and program areas included within UA&LC are: Undergraduate Advising, Residential Academic Programs (RAP), Academic Advising Link (in the Library Learning Commons), Domestic Exchange, Five College Interchange, and Thatcher Language House.