AMHERST — A storefront for the University of Massachusetts that will serve as both a place to welcome students and families and stage microevents such as lectures, readings and workshops, will be coming to Amherst center during the new academic year.

At the 57th annual Community Breakfast on Tuesday morning, UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes announced the creation of UMass Downtown, to be located at 108 North Pleasant St. and managed by the Office of Community Relations and University Events, with assistance from UMass Auxiliary Services.

“When I arrived at UMass Amherst, I said I hoped to see more UMass in the community and more of the community at UMass,” Reyes said, emphasizing the relationship between the university and the town. “We’re putting words into action with UMass Downtown.”

The initiative, described as a hub of town-gown interaction, “will be an important place for connection between the campus and community, introducing and inviting area residents to be a part of the campus experience,” Reyes said.

UMass Downtown will have other campus partners, including UMass Athletics, Student Affairs and Campus Life, the Dean of Students Office, Admissions and the UMass Amherst Foundation.

Reyes used his talk at the breakfast, which celebrates the partnership between the university and the business community, to emphasize the connections, with the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce a cosponsor.

The breakfast filled the Student Union Ballroom to capacity, bringing out elected and appointed officials from Amherst, Hadley, Leverett, Belchertown, Hatfield, South Hadley and Easthampton, numerous public safety officials from area communities and most of the local legislative delegation. On hand to eat and greet were Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, Rep. Mindy Domb, D-Amherst, Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield, and Sen. Jake Oliveira, D-Ludlow, along with Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, Smith College President Sarah Willie-LeBreton, Mount Holyoke President Danielle Holley and Hampshire College President Ed Wingenbach, as well as former state Senate President Stan Rosenberg.

Hearing people’s voices

Reyes began his address by referencing the flagship campus’s “troubling times,” and, while not directly, the events last spring in which 134 students, faculty and community members were arrested at a pro-Palestinian protest and encampment on campus.

“This will be a place where freedom of speech is championed every day,” Reyes said, as most in the room applauded.

He said UMass wants people’s voices to be heard, no matter what side of the Israel-Hamas war, while not infringing on others’ rights.

He then moved on to celebrating UMass, calling the university a research powerhouse, with over $250 million in research grants won in the last year and ranking 32nd out of 200 public universities.

Even with the FAFSA federal student aid difficulties and Supreme Court rulings that have limited how students are selected, UMass got over 50,000 applications and has been able to admit classes with increasing of racial, ethnic and economic diversity.

The student speaker was Jibrael “Jibs” Harrell, a senior from North Bergen, New Jersey, who chose to enroll at UMass after his mother told him to “go where you are loved.”

A sports management major at Isenberg School of Management and a film studies major in a bachelor’s degree program, Harrell said he has built his interpersonal skills at UMass. He is also a regular at Amherst Cinema and appreciates the slices at Antonio’s Pizza.

“There’s always a memorable experience to be had in Amherst,” Harrell said.

During his internships with professional sports teams, he met several UMass alumni and knows that they will have his back when he begins his post-UMass career.

Chamber Executive Director Jacob Robinson, attending his first breakfast, said that “a tapestry of community and campus engagement enriches us all.”

The breakfast marks a “renewal of a cherished partnership with UMass,” said Heidi Flanders, board president and owner of Integrity Development and Construction, helping to reinforce a bridge that creates a “beacon of opportunity and innovation.”

“Let’s not just build a community, but a home where everyone is proud to be part of, and contributing member,” Flanders said.

Tony Maroulis, executive director of community and strategic initiatives, served as emcee for what he believes is a record 11th time. He spoke about the UMass Amherst Community Campaign, which last year collected nearly $400,000 from employees for area nonprofits.

Downtown vision

Maroulis and Nancy Buffone, associate vice chancellor for university relations, put forward the vision of downtown presence for UMass after consultation with campus leadership. After identifying the space most recently used as a Greenfield Savings Bank branch, UMass commissioned Kuhn Riddle Architects and Designers, led by Mallory Nurse, to design the space.

“One of our goals is to draw people to UMass Downtown through frequent events of 40 or fewer people,” Buffone said in a statement. “Our goal is to develop programming that will also positively impact our local restaurants and downtown businesses.”

There will be direct business-to-business partnerships and participation with programming by the Amherst Business Improvement District and Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce.

Town Manager Paul Bockelman said the university’s storefront will ensure UMass is viewed as a core presence in Amherst.

“This is something the town has been hoping for for a long time,” Bockelman said. “UMass Downtown will reinforce the primacy of the campus in Amherst.”