Meanwhile, McCormack Graduate School moves on.  Several notable events:

·   Ann Hartstein, graduate of our Masters in Aging Services, Gerontology  Department, was appointed by Governor Patrick to serve as Secretary of Elder Affairs.  That is our second top state elder affairs official: James Bulot, a 2004 Gerontology Ph.D.Graduate, is the Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs in Louisiana.

·   Moakley Chair Padraig O'Malley and his staff assistant, MSPA-IR graduate Nancy Riordan, spent a couple of days in South Lebanon observing the elections in early June.  Attached are photos 1 2 3.  Professor O'Malley was not as persuaded as other observers that the balloting was "free and fair."

 
·   The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy is sad to announce the death of Saige Reisler, 2005 graduate of its Certificate Program.  Saige was particularly concerned about pay equity for women and most recently served as Director of Development at the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at UMass Amherst.

This summer, we will begin building the foundation for the expanded academic focus on human security issues in International Relations.  We will be combining the International Relations track of the MSPA with the Dispute Resolution Masters (this will be for administrative purposes only for the time being; the IR degree will still be an MSPA). Over the next few years, this foundation in International Relations and Dispute Resolution will grow into a department with a broad global policy focus.  The administrative reorganization will take effect this summer, and beginning in September, a faculty task force will be preparing for an academic focus and faculty hires.

Meanwhile, Iran is a mess; stability in Iraq hangs by a thread; healthcare and energy legislation could make it through Congress; and the Yankees are 4 games back. 

It should be an interesting summer.