2013 Annual Alumni Networking Event
Enjoy these photos taken at the December event held at the UMass Club downtown. A great time was had by all.
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Telling and Selling the McCormack Story
Discover the many accomplishments of our McCormack Graduate School faculty, students, and alumni. Read about their appointments, awards, grants, presentations, publications, and more.
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Message from Dean Ira A. Jackson
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Reflections and resolutions
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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
What a year! Filled with both sadness and joy.
Boston and the entire world was saddened by the Boston Marathon bombings in April and the UMass Boston community mourned the loss of our inspiring young alumna, Krystle Campbell, in the tragedy.
We all celebrated the improbable World Series victory of our hometown Boston Red Sox, who went from worst to first and seemed to symbolize our city's commitment to recovery and reaffirmation of community with Boston Strong.
The year ended with news of the death of Nelson Mandela, a leader for the ages.
In good times and bad, the champions here at the McCormack Graduate School continue to work on solutions to some of the world's "wicked hard problems" like inequality, religious conflict, and global warming.
For instance, our John Joseph Moakley Chair of Peace and Reconciliation Padraig O'Malley engaged Nelson Mandela to broker the peace accord in Northern Ireland (see video below) and continues to bring together warring parties from across the globe in efforts to rebuild cities torn by religious and ethnic conflict.
Closer to home, our Bridges Project links leaders in the Muslim community in a dialogue with law enforcement designed to overcome mistrust. Scholars and center staff at the McCormack School are helping with the transition to a new mayor of Boston after 20 years of leadership from UMass Boston's own, Tom Menino.
On many other fronts, students, faculty, and staff at the McCormack Graduate School are actively making a difference, both locally and globally, as illustrated in this slideshow from a community-wide Town Meeting that we held last month. I hope you share my pride in all that our colleagues, students, and alumni do to try to make the world a better place, with greater social justice, economic opportunity, peace, and sustainability.
This week marks my first anniversary as dean of the McCormack Graduate School (for some perspective on where we've been and where we're going, you may care to listen to a recent
Commonwealth Journal radio interview here). Each day I become more inspired by the depth and breadth of our faculty, students, and staff and their commitment to cutting-edge research, excellent teaching, and passionate service.
Peter Drucker once said that the best way to predict the future is to create it. Won't you join me in helping create the future, today, at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies? Please help us spread the word about our terrific programs, our unique mission, our courageous faculty, our outstanding students, our dedicated staff. Please bring us student prospects for our academic programs, new collaborative proposals for our centers, new funds to support our ongoing and new initiatives
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My new year's resolutions? To do all that I can to support the wonderful team here doing great and important work, to engage our stakeholders like you as central partners in this enterprise, and to continue to let you know of ways that we can work even more closely together to advance our shared commitment to Boston's only public university and this school which is tackling some of the most important challenges of our time.
A very happy, healthy, and peaceful new year to you and all our many friends.
Yours,
Ira A. Jackson
Dean
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Professor Padraig O'Malley on
Nelson Mandela Collaboration
 McCormack's resident peacemaker fondly remembers his friend "Mandiba" in this new video produced by UMass Boston. Learn more about their collaborations in peace negotiations, conferences, and publications.
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Follow McCormack on
Social Media.
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McCormack Leadership Series on YouTube: |
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Listen to Dean Jackson chat with dynamic local, national, and international activists, authors, public officials, and thought leaders on this award-winning cultural and public affairs radio show on WUMB 91.9 FM on Sundays at 7 p.m.
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February 2
Founder, Grameenphone (Bangladesh), and Legatum Center for Entrepreneurship at MIT
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Local Impact
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Global Impact
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UMass Boston Hosts Newly-Elected Mayors from Amesbury, Beverly, Boston, Brockton, and Chicopee
On Saturday, December 7, the Edward J. Collins, Jr. Center for Public Management at the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, conducted a seminar for mayors-elect that attracted newly elected mayors from five cities: Boston, Amesbury, Chicopee, Beverly, and Brockton.
The seminar facilitators included two seasoned mayors, Robert Dolan of Melrose and Kimberley Driscoll of Salem.
"The session was informal, productive, and engaging," commented Stephen McGoldrick, director of the Collins Center. "This is the third time over six years that we've offered this seminar for newly-elected mayors, and each time we find that the advice we offer and the discussion among newly elected mayors themselves who need to quickly make the transition from campaigning to governing are welcomed and extremely helpful."
Mayor Dolan offered tips on what to focus on in terms of finances, while Mayor Driscoll offered advice on issues ranging from relationships with the city council and the state legislature to assembling a staff.
Read on...
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 | Mandela and O'Malley
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Looking Back 20 Years: UMass Boston Honors South African Peacemakers
"As we remember a great and generous visionary in Nelson Mandela, and as we rededicate ourselves to his mission and rekindle his passion and values in all our work, we salute our colleague Padraig O'Malley for lighting the way," says Ira A. Jackson, dean of the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies where O'Malley holds the honor of John Joseph Moakley Distinguished Chair of Peace and Reconciliation.
O'Malley studies divided societies struggling with questions of race, ethnicity, religion, and identity. Beginning in 1989, he observed the South African negotiation process first-hand, conducting in-depth interviews with key negotiators Cyril Ramaphosa and Roelf Meyer, and he helped facilitate conversations between clashing political parties.
O'Malley was in the middle of what turned out to be 20 years of interviews in South Africa documenting the worldwide movement to force that country to abandon apartheid and secure the right to vote for South African blacks.
Read on...
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Introducing the McCormack Scholars
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The McCormack Scholars are a group of emerging leaders in the fields of conflict resolution, gerontology, human security and global governance, international relations, public affairs, and public policy who have been given this special designation at the college.
 According to Dean Jackson, "These awards can be a game changer in a student's career development. This competitive and prestigious recognition should help students in job placements, grant applications, invitations to research conferences, and more."
This year's inaugural group includes seven women and five men who represent the next generation of leaders in government, public policy, and global affairs. They bring to their studies impressive and diverse backgrounds, educational paths, work and volunteer experiences, and research interests.
They include, from the Conflict Resolution MA Program, Elizabeth Cooper and Davin Surin; from the Gerontology PhD Program, Elizabeth Chen and Hayley Gleason; from the Global Governance and Human Security PhD Program, Natalia Escobar-Pemberthy and Yulia Rashupkina; from the International Relations MSPA Program, Georges Fakhry and Huseyin Sari; from the Public Affairs MSPA Program, Helena Berbano and Peter Butler; and from the Public Policy PhD Program, Perri Leviss and Ronald Marlow.
Read on.. |
 | McCormack Scholar, Natalia Escobar - Pemberthy
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Student/Alumni Panel Praises Supportive Environment at McCormack Graduate School
Their interests and talents are varied. But the eight student and alumni panelists who spoke to prospective students at McCormack Visit Day have one thing in common. They love their faculty, cohort members, and classes at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies.
On December 2, Dean Ira A. Jackson welcomed more than 30 prospective students, exalting the world-class faculty who care about student success and who are passionate about making a difference in local and global communities.
"Like you, they are interested in 'wicked hard problems,' like poverty, inequality, global warming, and social justice," he said.
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 Walking the Talk, McCormack Grad School Holiday Service Project Helps Homeless
In recent years, the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies has chosen to support a local charity as part of the school's commitment to social change. At its annual alumni networking event which takes place at the University Club each December, McCormack faculty, staff, students, and alumni have been most generous in their contributions.
"This year we decided to choose two nonprofit organizations that are affiliated with the work of one of our McCormack research centers," noted Ira A. Jackson, dean of the college. "As part of their work to reduce or eliminate social and economic inequities, researchers at our Center for Social Policy look at the roots causes of poverty and work closely with several homeless shelters and housing agencies to find the proper solutions for structural change. So this year, we will be collecting donations for two of their partner organizations, Homes for Families and Project Hope."
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 Gerontology Student Earns 2014 American Society on Aging Research Award
Hayley Gleason, a doctoral student in gerontology at the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, has earned the 2014 Graduate Student Research Award from the American Society on Aging (ASA) based on her second year quantitative research policy paper, "The caregiving relationship: Does the caregiver affect the mental health of the care recipient?".
According to the ASA, the award "is given to spur academic and clinical interest in the field of aging, and rewards the best unpublished graduate research paper on a completed project relevant to aging and applicable to practice."
Gleason's award comes with the opportunity to present her paper during a poster session at the organization's next conference in San Diego in March. The award also includes complementary conference registration fees, airfare, as well as a one-year student ASA membership. Gleason will also be recognized with a plaque at the upcoming conference and her profile and paper description will be posted on the ASA website.
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 Gerontology Department Well Represented at National Research Conference
Gerontology, a multidisciplinary field of research, studies the process of aging across the lifespan. In late November, experts in the field of aging gathered in New Orleans for the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Gerontological Association of America (GSA) and UMass Boston's McCormack Graduate School was well represented. with more than 30 researchers presenting their work. Hailing from the Department of Gerontology, which houses the second oldest PhD program in this field in the country, six McCormack faculty members gave posters or presentations at the four-day conference. More than two dozen current doctoral students and alumni also delivered papers or displayed posters. In addition, Bernard Steinman of the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging and Nina Silverstein of the Gerontology Institute and College of Public and Community Service shared their research.
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Public Policy PhD Student Accepts Immigrant Integration Award on Behalf of Boston Nonprofit
Each year the Migration Policy Institute's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy recognizes outstanding accomplishments in immigrant integration in the United States. Since 2009, the organization has been honoring exemplar business, community, and nonprofit organizations, and public sector best practices with the E Pluribus Unum Prize.
On December 4 in Washington, D.C., Ronald Marlow, public policy doctoral student and assistant secretary for access and opportunity for the Massachusetts Executive Office of the Governor, accepted one of the awards on behalf of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Association (MIRA), headquartered in Boston.
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UMass Boston Celebrates Research, Innovation, Scholarship, and Creativity at Recent Luncheon
Each year the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies highlights the university's research, scholarship, innovation, and creativity with a celebratory luncheon for faculty, research staff, and senior administrators. Some 270 people were in attendance at the December 9 event held in the Campus Center ballroom.
Zong-Guo Xia, vice provost for research and dean of graduate studies, served as master of ceremonies and welcomed Chancellor J. Keith Motley and Provost Winston Langley who acknowledged the many accomplishments, grants, fellowships, awards, and appointments of the UMass Boston faculty and graduate students.
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EDITOR:
Barbara M. Graceffa
DESIGNED BY:
Rashelle Brown
PHOTO CONTRIBUTIONS:
Harry Brett and Rashelle Brown
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