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MGS Spotlight
2009 Robert C. Wood Visiting Professorship
In Urban and Public Affairs
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 Message from the Dean
How on earth did it get to be 10 days before Christmas!
We have much to celebrate. Some of our exciting developments:
Under the leadership of Bob Turner and Colleen Richards Powell, the Commonwealth Compact has just been awarded a $225,000 grant from the
Barr Foundation, in support of the Compact's work over the next 3 years.
Tim Blackman, our new Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs, has been leading a reorganization of our student recruitment; his efforts, combined with a number of other folks, have already paid off in very strong applicant pools for each of our degree programs.
We're in the process of recruiting four new faculty members. We had 148 applicants for our 2 positions in the Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs, and several strong candidates for each of our positions in the Gerontology Department and the Dispute Resolution Program.
Dr. Randy Albelda, who is tenured in the College of Liberal Arts but works closely with our Center for Social Policy, had an insightful op-ed in the Globe about the need for President Elect Obama's stimulus plan to include investment in jobs where women can predominate. (Weeks later, the New York Times had a similar op-ed by Linda Hirshman. We were there first.)
I and others have watched with cautious enthusiasm as the Obama Administration has come together, and many of us think about how an Obama Administration might affect our work. At this link you can find a piece I wrote about the "Commonwealth Compact and the 'Obama Effect'".
May you all have a wonderful holiday season, and may the next year bring us at least reasonable hope for peace and prosperity.
Sincerely yours,
Steve Crosby
Dean
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Job Opportunities of Interest
New postings of the week:
Director of Public Health
City of Somerville
Environmental Policy Program Director
Carl Vinson Institute of Government
Director of Development
Wellspring House
SomerStat Director
City of Somerville
Director of Clinical and Community Services
Family Service of Greater Boston
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| MGS in the News
Boston Globe - December 13, 2008
Excerpt: The Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston will release a report early next year, underwritten by The Boston Foundation, to promote the underutilized tax break, and to assess the success and awareness of other aid programs for seniors.
The UN's Latest Disgrace in Eastern Congo
Dissident Voice - December 12, 2008
Senior Fellow and Associate Director of the Center for Democracy and Development Michael Keating writes about the in-effective role of the U.N. peacekeeping forces in Congo. Keating notes that the U.N. has to act fast and needs to start taking steps to end the war in Congo which has so far claimed the lives of over 5 million people.
World Politics Review - December, 11 2008
Michael Keating, Associate Director and Senior Fellow at the McCormack Graduate School's Center for Democracy and Development had an article published in World Politics Review on the civil unrest in Nigeria following recent elections.
Cape Cod Today - December 11, 2008
The UMass Boston John Josepg Moakley Distinguished Professor for Peace and Reconciliation Padraig O'Malley delivered a presentation yesterday at Cape Cod Community College yesterday to over 400 people. Addressing the U.S. governments efforts to deal withe al-qaeda, O'Malley said, "In the end, you must talk to the people who want to attack you and inflict pain on you. You despise them, you want to throw up on them. You must talk to them."
Survey Local income gap widening
Lowell Sun - December 9, 2008
UMass Boston associate professor of public policy & public affairs Alan Clayton-Matthews is quoted in an article about the first multiyear American Community Survey, in which socioeconomic data from communities 20,000-65,000 in population was released in a non-census year for the first time. "Income inequality can lead to social unrest," said Clayton-Matthews.
Caroline Kennedy Interested in NY Senate Seat
Channel 7 News - December 5, 2008Director of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy Carol Hardy-Fanta spoke with Channel 7 News about Caroline Kennedy's interest in representing New York in the U.S. Senate. Hardy-Fanta said that Caroline Kennedy would be the perfect new generation senator. Report: Massachusetts is entering a recession
Boston Globe - December 4, 2008
UMass Boston Professor of Public Policy Alan Clayton-Matthews is quoted in an article about Massachusetts falling into recession. Clayton-Matthews mentioned in a MassBenchmarks report, published by the UMass Donahue Institute in cooperation with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, that the Bay State is "falling headlong into a recession."
Lawmakers on pace for a fatter pay day in 2009
Belmont Citizen-Herald - December 3, 2008Dean of the McCormack Graduate School Steve Crosby, who was administration and finance secretary under Gov. Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift, spoke about members of the state Legislature appearing poised to receive a pay hike. He said all government employees get pay raises by right and that should be true of the Legislature. "In my opinion they tend to live on their income just like everyone else, and they should get it," he added.
Embrace looming deficit, our salvation
Boston Globe - Letters to the Editor - December 1, 2008
The Boston Globe published a letter from professor emeritus of economics and senior fellow of the Center for Social Policy Arthur MacEwan. MacEwan talks about a federal budget deficit of almost $1 trillion in this fiscal year.
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 Padraig O'Malley, the John Joseph Moakley Professor of Peace and Reconciliation at the University of Massachusetts Boston, received the twenty-third Liberal International Freedom award in Brussels at the European Parliament. The award recognizes O'Malley's outstanding contribution in support of peace and democracy throughout the world.
Professor O'Malley, who is based at UMass Boston's McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, has played a crucial role in negotiating talks for a political reconciliation in Iraq by bringing the warring Sunni, Shia, and Kurd factions together for discussions with veteran peace negotiators from Northern Ireland and South Africa. More information about O'Malley and his other works and publications can be found at www.mccormack.edu/chair. | |
The U. N. Development Program 2008 Asia Pacific Academic Fellowship
 Congratulations to Mandira Kala who was awarded the United Nations Development Program's 2008 Asia Pacific Academic Fellowships. UN representatives noted that her "interview was one of the strongest out of all candidates". This $10,000 financial award will support Mandira's dissertation research.
Mandira is a doctoral student in Public Policy at The McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies and works with the Center for Social Policy. Her current research focuses on political accountability, participatory and deliberative governance, and multidimensional poverty i.e. well-being, agency, and redistribution. |
| National Health Reform: Congressional Action, Local Input
On Monday, December 1st the McCormack Graduate School hosted members of Senator Edward M. Kennedy's health policy staff and Massachusetts' health care leaders for a special briefing and conversation on national health reform. As Senator Kennedy is planning to introduce major health reform legislation early next year, Massachusetts experience with health care reform is an important foundation on which the national legislation may be modeled.
Participants included John McDonough, Senior Advisor to the Senator on National Health Reform; Dr. Kavita Patel, Deputy Staff Director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; and Caya Lewis, MPH, Deputy Staff Director for Health for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. In addition, Philip Johnston, UMass Trustee and Chair of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA Foundation, Jarrett Barrios, president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA Foundation, and Stuart Altman, the Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University provided commentary.
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NISOD Award
Judy Graham, a McCormack MSPA student, class of 2009, will be honored in May at the International Conference on Teaching & Leadership Excellence held in Texas where she will receive the NISOD award (National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development). Judy has been with Bunker Hill Community College for the past seven years, first as the Staff Associate at the Chelsea Campus and for the past three years serving as Acting as Dean. "Being an MSPA student has been a rewarding experience. When I first started the program I thought to myself, "What am I getting myself into doing this full time!?". But I soon came to realize that I could not have done this any other way and that is largely due to the support of the cohort model, my classmates and my family and friends. I have the privilege of learning with some of the most talented people I know."
Congratulations Judy! |
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Barbara Graceffa who marked her 25th year with us at this years Chancellor's awards ceremony. Barbara is our Assistant Director and holds an MSM degree in Leadership Development and Organizational Change and a BA in French and Spanish, both from Emmanuel College. Barbara is also a UMass Boston alumna-- with certificates in Human Resource Management and Integrated Marketing Communications. |
Now Accepting Applications!
Graduate Certificate Program for Women in Politics & Public Policy
Make a Change.
Find out how attending our award-winning, unique-in-the nation certificate program can earn you 18 graduate credits, prepare you for an exciting career change, provide professional development opportunities, and connect you with dynamic groups of women and influential policymakers.
Visit our website now to read about our current students, see what our graduates are doing, review the curriculum, "meet" the faculty, and much more.
How to apply
Contact Donna Stewartson at donna.stewartson@umb.edu or 617.287.6785 to talk about whether the program is a good fit for you.
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