This is always a special time of the academic year at the McCormack Graduate School as we approach Commencement. On June 1, MGS expects to confer more than 120 graduate certificates, master's and doctoral degrees:  26 in Conflict Resolution; 48 in Gerontology including a PhD, 37 in our Management of Aging Services master's program; 12 in International Relations, 18 in Public Affairs, 3 new PhDs in Public Policy, and 14 in Women in Politics and Public Policy.  For our graduates, this represents a significant milestone in their career development. Our newest alumni will apply their new skills, theories, and ways of thinking to pressing policy and public management issues at the local, national and global levels.  These future leaders will help advance a more productive, equitable, and sustainable world - often by engaging marginalized populations facing social, political, or economic challenges.

Be sure to read the feature stories in this newsletter about two award-winning master's degree graduates, Dan Moriarty of the MSPA Program, who was selected by the The Massachusetts Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration as the Paul G. Keough Outstanding Student of Public Administration and Conflict Resolution Student Jillian Furman who earned a Beacon Graduate Student Leadership Award.

Congratulations to the Commonwealth Compact for their selection as a Finalist in the category of Marketing to a Diverse Audience by the Ad Club's 2012 Rosoff Awards honoring visionaries in the Boston business community who promote a diverse workforce and working in an inclusive environment.

Although classes are over for spring, many exciting events are happening in our college.  Please read about the First Global Conference on Oceans, Climate and Security taking place next week and other events sponsored by McCormack Graduate School.

Finally, we are most proud that our Graduate Program in Public Affairs just moved into the top 100 public affairs schools and master's programs in the US News and World Reports Rankings of Best Graduate Schools, at #87. This ranking now places the MSPA program in the Top Tier of 266 ranked schools in the discipline.

Congratulations to all McCormack graduates and families! We look forward to your joining us at the MGS Diploma Ceremony on June 1 at 1 p.m. in the UMass Boston Campus Center Ballroom.

Best regards,

Connie S. Chan

Acting Dean and Professor