"It's the summer, the days are long and there is time to savor an extra iced tea or two on the patio.  At UMASS Boston, summer is a time to recharge - but also a time of reflection and planning for our next year.  On June 1, the McCormack Graduate School was proud to confer 4 doctoral degrees, 68 master's degrees, and 20 graduate certificates to our spring graduating students.  We are also proud to announce that three of our faculty achieved milestones this academic year:  Associate Professors Edward Miller of Gerontology and Sam Barkin of Human Security and Global Governance were awarded tenure by the UMASS Boston Board of Trustees, and Christian Weller of Public Policy and Public Affairs was promoted to the rank of Professor.  Congratulations to all of you on your achievements.

In early summer each year, each college submits annual reports on our accomplishments from the past academic year.  I am so proud to share a sample of them with you - they portray McCormack's local impact as well as our expanding global footprint. Padraig O'Malley, our Moakley Chair of Peace and Reconciliation, hosted the Boston Symposium on Arms Trade Treaty. Our PhD program in Human Security and Global Governance received approval and accepted its inaugural class. The Edward J. Collins, Jr., Center for Public Management expanded its staff and increased its revenues 330% to nearly $6M as it assisted local governments with performance management and executive hiring processes.  The Commonwealth Compact launched its Talent Network to increase the visibility of and access to professionals of color.  And we hosted numerous conferences and workshops on civil discourse, diversity in public administration, governance and sustainability, oceans and climate, peace and reconciliation, and other important policy and global topics.

We are already planning for the coming year -- check out the exciting workshops, events, and conferences.  They are designed not only for graduate students but also for international scholars, researchers and policymakers. I hope you will join us for some of our McCormack events in the Fall.  Until then, enjoy the summer and its many delights."

Best regards,

Connie S. Chan

Acting Dean and Professor