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Friends and Colleagues,
As many of you know, we are deeply involved in the recruiting period for our Fall 2012 academic programs. We have three critical priorities at McCormack Graduate School this year: enrolling more well-qualified students; raising money for student support and faculty development; and promoting collaborations among our academic units and our research centers and institutes.
Foremost among these objectives is student recruitment. We've had some success in the past: from Fall of 2007 to Fall of 2011, our total student body head count has increased by 50%, to 354 students. We are now recruiting for three PhD programs, four Master's Degrees, and two Certificates in our three academic departments: Public Policy and Public Affairs, Gerontology, and Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance. I hope you will encourage friends, family and associates to consider these programs:
- Our degrees and certificates in Public Policy and Gerontology have distinguished histories, and our educational and programmatic impact on state and local government in Massachusetts is second to none. (Don't miss the open house for the Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs on Wednesday, December 7 at 5:00, 11th floor of the Healey Library)
- In Conflict Resolution, we have great strength in both academic and program work locally and internationally.
- And our evolving programs in International Relations and Human Security and Global Governance are defining important new perspectives on global policy around the world.
As you help us recruit the best students for our graduate programs, I urge you to share with a prospective student a new feature, "A 60-second Interview with MGS Alum" (see below). I hope you enjoy reading about Garen Corbett, a graduate of our public affairs master's degree program. Garen leads a team of analysts working on health care policy and administration in California.
One of the many benefits of a degree from the McCormack Graduate School is the network of jobs and contacts that we offer our students and alumni. Please check the list below; in particular, note two important jobs in the Massachusetts Judiciary, Executive Director for the Supreme Judicial Court and Court Administrator for the entire court system.
Our new Center on Governance and Sustainability, led by Drs. Maria Ivanova and Craig Murphy, started a series of interesting and important issue briefs. Do check them out.
Best wishes for the Holiday Season.
 
Steve Crosby, Dean
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New Postings
12/2/2011 Stabilization Worker
Travelers Aid Family Services
12/2/2011 Special Projects Manager
Center for Nonprofits and Voting
11/30/2011 Multiple Positions Available
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
11/29/2011 Research Assistant
Center on Contemporary Conflict
10/30/2011 Court Administrator
Massachusetts Trial Court System
10/25/2011 Executive Director
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
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UMass Boston
Career Services
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Need additional assistance on your job or internship search or resume?
Visit Career Services or call 617-287-5519. |
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Meet the Faculty
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Should the government narrow the income gap?
National Public Radio, November 28, 2011
Associate Professor of Public Policy and Public Affairs Christian Weller is quoted in this article on whether the government should take measures to close the income gap in the United States.
Tough race for Latino is Springfield
Boston Globe, November 6, 2011
Carol Hardy-Fanta, director of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy, is quoted in this article on the role of race in the campaign for mayor of Springfield.
Ceremonies focus on social justice, schools
The Salem News, November 23, 2011
Co-Director of the Commonwealth Compact Georgianna Melendez will be honored at the Dr. Martin Luther King Awards Dinner in January.
Gloucester Times, November 24, 2011
Article on the search for a new fire chief in Gloucester mentions the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management.
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The International Insurance Society (IIS) has announced that Professor Yung-Ping Chen, University of Massachusetts Boston, USA, is the 2012 winner of the prestigious John S. Bickley Founder's Award. He will be honored during the gala dinner at the International Insurance Society 48th Annual Seminar, which will take place at the Sofitel Rio Copacabana Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 17 - 20, 2012.
Ellen Bruce gave a closing plenary address with Nancy Altman at the 2011 National Aging and Law Institute. Her topic was "The Future of Social Security; What are the options?"
Faculty, fellows and staff presented over 30 papers and posters at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting held in Boston this year. In addition, 17 students and 15 alumni also presented at the conference. The Gerontology Institute and Department hosted a reception at the conference with the four other campuses of UMass.
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Influencing Public Policy: The Role of Midlife and Older Women
On October 18th, the Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of OWL, the Voice of Midlife and Older Women, hosted Victoria Reggie Kennedy at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The event, "Influencing Public Policy: The Role of Midlife and Older Women," was co-hosted by the Gerontology Institute.
Mrs. Kennedy, a respected leader on issues that affect the lives of women, children, and families, explained that she was particularly proud to be here as her late husband Sen. Ted Kennedy's agenda matched OWL's and "is something to fight for." She called for "becoming the lion's roar" to break the silence in Washington and encouraged becoming educated about the Senate and the history of women's issues in order to "create a new generation of citizen activists."
In an emotional moment, she introduced a film produced by the late Kara Kennedy, daughter of Sen. Ted Kennedy, which provided an overview of the new "Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate." Mrs. Kennedy is the co-founder and trustee of the institute that will be adjacent to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. The institute is "dedicated to educating the public about our government, invigorating public discourse, encouraging participatory democracy, and inspiring the next generation of citizens and leaders to engage in the public square" and is expected to open by the end of 2013. Additional information can be found online at ww.emkinstitute.org.
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Forward thinkers across disciplines are raising awareness about the effects of a changing climate on national and human security. Specifically, a new focus is emerging on how climate change impacts ocean systems and the oceans' subsequent vital role in exacerbating or mitigating these impacts. Thus, understanding the inter-connectedness between oceans, climate and security is increasingly crucial to our collective future. For instance, ocean acidification and warming, melting polar ice and sea level rise each pose critical threats to human populations, natural systems and global security.
For more information on the First Global Conference on Oceans, Climate and Security, visit http://www.gcocs.org.
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Serve as a Judge for the 2012 Profile in Courage Essay Contest
Volunteers are asked to spend a minimum of five hours between January 7 and January 27, 2012, reading and evaluating essays at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. In addition, all judges are asked to attend one mandatory training session to discuss the contest details and the evaluation criteria. The training session is scheduled for Saturday, January 7, 2012, at the Kennedy Presidential Library from 9:30am to 12:00pm.
To apply for this volunteer position, please send an e-mail by December 9, that includes your resume, and how you heard about this opportunity to Esther Kohn at esther.kohn@nara.gov , or call (617) 514-1649 for more information. Information about the Profile in Courage Essay Contest is available at:
http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education/Profile-in-Courage-Essay-Contest.aspx
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90 Second Interview With...
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Alumnus Garen Corbett, MPSA
Tell us about yourself.
I am the Director of The California Health Benefits Review Program. Housed at the Office of the President, University of California, I lead a team of analysts who work with faculty (public health specialists, economists, and medical specialists) to provide impartial analysis of proposed health care legislation in California. We look at costs, public health impacts, and the medical effectiveness of a proposed mandated health care treatment or service.
I received my MS in Public Affairs in 2000. It has given me a solid preparation for the work I've done, particularly in the public sector in Massachusetts and California. A master's degree has been essential for my own career advancement. The Public Affairs Program was a great blend of policy analysis preparation along with valuable public management tools-- especially budgeting and statistics. Lessons gleaned from many MGS classes still help challenge my thinking and, I believe, improve my decision-making.
At MGS, we focus on issues of an urban society, especially issues of social and economic inequities. How has your MGS training affected your work in these areas?
I wanted a program deeply rooted in social justice. MGS taught me to look at data better, and gave me a strong grounding in economic development, as well as an enhanced sensitivity and ability to consider the impacts of social and economic inequities, and to seek solutions. The focus at MGS felt right to me, it's important to get exposed to a wide variety of ideas for addressing those inequities.
What is your fondest memory of your time at UMass Boston?
My cohort at MGS was an amazingly close-knit one and we supported each other in many ways. While there are strong memories of sleep deprivation, there were also some wonderful experiences with peers and faculty.
What tips would you give today's grad students?
The job market can be difficult, and relationships and networks matter a lot. Second, I recommend finding a niche for yourself, and always continue to try and grow in your career as well as personally. If you can establish yourself at the intersection of a particular area- say, where the private and public sector interests meet, or in a new or emerging area of policy, it will probably serve you well. And my final piece of advice is to always try and hire people as smart as you, if not smarter.
If you'd like to volunteer to be featured in a future newsletter, please contact:
barbara.graceffa@umb.edu.
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People don't exist in a vacuum. Nearly four centuries ago, John Donne wrote, "No man is an island."
That realization was at the root of Saul Alinsky's relational power approach to community organizing, and it's remained so for anyone doing neighborhood revitalization efforts today.
People are in relationships with one another. They're linked, they're in networks. They join together to accomplish something. They form book clubs, pray in the same temple or church, play basketball, establish block clubs. On the negative side, some create gangs.
But it's difficult to tease out how those relationships work - among people and among groups, among neighborhoods and regions.
"It's much easier to analyze outcomes for individuals or organizations than it is to analyze the things that connect them," said Michael E. Stone, a professor of community planning and public policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston.
Read More
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On November 17 and 18, 2011, McCormack Graduate School's Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities After Disasters (CRSCAD), in collaboration with the chair of multiculturalism, University of São Paolo, São Paulo, Brazil, hosted scholars, researchers, NGOs, public policy and crisis management representatives from around the world for an international workshop titled "Innovation, Diversity. and Sustainable Development in Areas of Social Vulnerability." This event was open to the public.
The first session of the conference focused exclusively on Japan, eight months after the earthquake and tsunami. Thursday's keynote speaker, Consul General of Japan in Boston Takeshi Hikihara reported on the current situation and the progress of recovery as well as the Japanese government's long and short term responses. Other presenters examined the philanthropic and the NGO responses to the March earthquake and how architects have responded to the earthquake. Research was also presented by scholars from Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Haiti, Mexico, Nigeria, Somalia, Venezuela, and the U.S. on aspects of social vulnerability in their countries. The topics covered a multitude of issues, ranging from how flooding has impacted some communities in Nigeria and Vietnam to a successful program that teaches children in Somalia skills of conflict resolution. |
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Center for Governance and Sustainability
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Center for Governance and Sustainability Report
The Center for Governance and Sustainability hosted the United Nations Environment Programme's Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5) Author's Meeting. The culminating event brought the authors to campus for the roundtable Trajectories to Sustainability: People, Planet and Prosperity (Nov.3). In addition, the center launched a process of becoming a UNEP Collaborating Center, was designated a 'knowledge partner' by the World Bank and published the report from the Workshop on International Environmental Governance, which the center co-organized with the Federal Office for the Environment of Switzerland and the World Trade Institute at the University of Berne in June 2011.
Center Faculty Highlights
Maria Ivanova participated as one of three speakers at a roundtable on International Environmental Governance sponsored by the government of Norway at the United Nations (Nov. 21). The event attracted about 80 governments from the missions in New York. She co-led (with Michael Keating) the McCormack College Conversation, "Whom Is It Helping Anyway? Globalization and the Crisis in Capitalism" (Nov. 8) and presented on "Global Environmental Governance: the Reform Agenda" at Tufts University (Nov. 29). She was featured in the campus paper, MassMedia, in "How we can Save the Earth, and How you can Help." (Oct.25).
Craig Murphy presented "IR is not Enough: Global Problems, Global Citizens, and Global Governance" at the Northeast International Studies Association Meeting in Providence (Nov. 4) and a related talk to the World Affairs Council of Boston on "Global Problems and Global Governance."(Nov. 8)
Anamarija Frankic, director of the Green Boston Harbor Project (GBH), has been selected to serve a three-year term as a member of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Advisory Council. (Nov. 21) She is also representing the Center at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Durban, South Africa Nov. 28-Dec. 9, 2011. She will be a panelist at a conference side event on Climate Change Awareness Raising and Education.
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CGS Hosts UN Global Environmental Outlook Discussion
On November 3, authors and collaborating scholars working on the 2012 United Nations Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5) met at UMass Boston for a roundtable discussion titled "Trajectories to Sustainability: Balancing People, Planet, and Prosperity." The panelists included Ivar Baste and Fatoumata Keita-Ouane of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Trista Patterson of the U.S. Forest Service, Professor Laszlo Pinter of the Central European University (Budapest, Hungary) and Bernice Lee of Chatham House. Close to a hundred students, academics, and professionals attended the roundtable to hear the stories of hope, frustration, perseverance, and achievement from the distinguished environmental scholars and practitioners.
Read More
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Want to post your news? All submissions should be received at least ten days before the event date. The MGS Update cannot guarantee that all submissions will be published. Inquiries regarding the events published in The MGS Update should be directed to the phone number or email provided. Please send listings to shaleah.rather@umb.edu or call 617.287.5536.
Thank you.
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