LOWELL, Mass., Nov. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- UMass Lowell
thought it was saving the biggest news of the night for the
end.
Oprah Winfrey had even bigger
news.
After Chancellor Jacquie Moloney
announced that UMass Lowell had raised
more than $1.5 million for
scholarships at the Chancellor's Speaker Series Nov. 15, Winfrey pledged on stage to match
it.
Visit
https://www.uml.edu/News/press-releases/2018/oprah-speaker-series.aspx
to see Oprah Winfrey Scholar bios and to download video and
photos.
More than 6,000 people listened to the nearly 90-minute
conversation between Winfrey and Moloney, which touched on
education, gratitude, "The Oprah Winfrey Show," her work with
children in South Africa, a 10-day
visit with Nelson Mandela and her
commitment to living a life of purpose and service.
Earlier in the day, Winfrey met with more than 200 UMass Lowell students for a master class that
provided students with the opportunity to ask her questions.
The evening concluded with the introduction of the first six
Oprah Winfrey Scholars and the presentation to Winfrey of an
honorary doctor of humane letters degree by UMass President Marty
Meehan, UMass Board of Trustees Chairman Rob Manning and Chairman of the Committee on
Academic and Student Affairs Trustee Imari
Paris Jeffries.
"Oprah Winfrey's visit will
provide scholarship support for UMass
Lowell for years to come," Moloney said. "We are so honored
to share an evening with one of the most powerful and most positive
people on Earth."
Asked by Moloney why she had decided to spend her night at
UMass Lowell, Winfrey pointed to the
goal of the Chancellor's Speaker Series, saying she decided to come
when she learned the university would use the event to raise money
for scholarships.
Lowell was also on Winfrey's
radar thanks to one of her Oprah's Book Club recommendations:
"House of Sand and Fog" by UMass Lowell English professor and
best-selling author Andre Dubus III.
Winfrey said Dubus was one of the few authors she featured who
wrote her a personal thank you note, something that stuck with
her.
Moloney and Winfrey also discussed the value of education,
including offering a standing ovation to the many teachers in the
audience.
"The only way you change a life is by changing the way someone
thinks about their life and you do that with education," Winfrey
said.
Winfrey ended the night with a piece of advice for the
audience.
"I try to do the right thing even when no one is looking," she
said. "When you don't know what to do, do nothing until you do
know. There is that still, small voice inside of you that always –
always – has the answer."
UMass Lowell is a national
research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of
a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000
students bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in business,
education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and
social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers
high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and
personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which
prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the
globe. www.uml.edu
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oprah-winfrey-and-umass-lowell-raise-over-3-million-for-scholarships-300751941.html
SOURCE University of Massachusetts
Lowell