A University of Massachusetts student was found dead on Wednesday off campus, according to University officials.

UMass graduate student Aaron Beltzer was in the master’s program for the University’s Department of Geosciences. He was from Wayne, New Jersey, according to an email sent out at 1:14 p.m. on Thursday to the UMass student body by David Vaillancourt, the senior associate dean of students at UMass.

“It is with sadness that I write to inform you of another loss to our community,” Vaillancourt wrote in the email. “We extend our sincere condolences to (Beltzer’s) colleagues, family, and friends, and want to affirm our commitment to creating a caring community.”

Steve Petsch, an associate professor of geosciences who is the department’s graduate program director, said that the department was very devastated by Beltzer’s death.

“He was a very well-liked and well-respected graduate student,” Petsch said.

No additional information was provided regarding the cause of Beltzer’s death.

Stuart Foster can be reached at [email protected] or followed on Twitter @Stuart_C_Foster