Happy New Year!

January is a time for new beginnings - and that is certainly the case for me as I am pleased and proud to serve as dean at this young, yet vibrant, college.

McCormack and UMass Boston have unique strengths and needs.  The school has a talented faculty, dedicated staff, motivated students, innovative programs, and entrepreneurial centers.  It has a sense of excitement and a track record of achievement.  We are part of a great research university with a teaching soul and a vital mission that combines excellence with access and impact. We are in Boston, a world class city of innovation and ideas. With your help, together we can build on the firm foundation and momentum at the McCormack Graduate School and take it to the next level of excellence and impact. I feel that McCormack is the right school at the right university in the right city at just the right time.

My goals include helping to enhance our reputation, to nurture our faculty, to build a more coherent community within the college, to further develop collaborative partnerships in the local and global communities, to expand our recruitment efforts, to more deeply engage alumni in ongoing activities, and to raise funds to build on our strengths in graduate education and applied research.  

As the semester begins, I look forward to meeting more of you and listen to your suggestions on how to accomplish these goals and your dreams for McCormack.   I welcome and would encourage you to drop me a line or to stop by my office, where you will usually find my door wide open. Especially during these first few months on the job, I need and want your ideas, perspectives, and suggestions. Please consider attending our February 27 College Connections event when I will share my initial impressions of the college, listen to your observations and recommendations at the town meeting, and enjoy your company during the social hour.

I want to thank the McCormack and UMass Boston community for giving me such a warm welcome. The goodwill and dedication of faculty, staff, students, and alumni are tremendous assets, and the commitment to our mission is really quite palpable. My special thanks to Acting Dean Connie Chan for her service and her extraordinary graciousness for which I am deeply grateful, and to our founding dean Steve Crosby, who finds time, even as he chairs the state's Gaming Commission, to offer advice and encouragement.