FOR YOUR INFORMATION…
November 2006 The Ph.D. Program in Public Policy presents this “For Your Information” communiqué noting student and faculty accomplishments, upcoming conferences, workshops, meetings, grant deadlines, scholarship and internship opportunities, job openings, lectures, etc.
STUDENT AND ALUMNI NOTES
This fall Carlos Maynard is teaching the CPCS course, Community Portraits to 30 students on-line.
Phil Granberry and Professor Enrico Marcelli have had a paper accepted for publication in Sociological Perspectives. This represents Phil's first peer-reviewed journal publication as lead author: Granberry, P. and E.A. Marcelli. 2007. “'In the Hood and on the Job': Social Capital among Legal and Unauthorized Mexican Immigrants,” Sociological Perspectives.
A Boston Globe front page story last month on the proposal to raise the MCAS passing score featured comments by Nicole Lavan and Professor Miren Uriarte discussing the impact of the measure for Black and Latino students. Lavan and Uriarte were asked to comment based on the policy brief that they had prepared on the topic.
In October, Kevin Murphy presented a paper entitled Identifying the different behaviors and needs of immigrant and language minority students at public four year higher education institutions at the Coalition of Urban and Metropolitan Universities 12th Annual Conference in Miami, FL. Kevin also just returned from the North East Association for Institutional Research 33rd Annual Conference in Philadelphia, PA where he co-presented a paper with Diann Simmons entitled Who are our students? Using CIRP to develop a better understanding of student diversity.
FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS
On October 28, Ramon Borges-Mendez delivered the keynote speech at the first-ever Latino Workforce Development Conference to an audience of political and business leaders at the Providence Westin Hotel. A story about the conference (with the following photo) appeared in the Providence Journal that day with a subsequent article detailing the contents of Borges-Mendez’s speech later that week.
1 Ramon Borges Mendez and Paul Watanabe debated at the Cambridge Forum on November 8th. They discussed immigration and immigrant entrepreneurship and the debate with be broadcast on future NPR programming.
Kudos to Professor Enrico Marcelli who invited the renowned demographer, Eric D. Larson to address his graduate class in U.S. Immigration on October 30th. Dr. Larson is a Senior Evaluator employed by the United States General Accountability Office (GAO) since 1987 and he has been a key contributor in the development of an innovative undocumented immigration estimation method.
GUEST ARTICLE BY JOAN PARKER (Kudos to non-degree student Joan Parker who penned this article; Unfortunately, space was not available for it in the fall For the record Newsletter -- so we share it with you here!)
The United States is A Nation by Design
On September 18, UMB students and faculty recently attended a guest lecture given by Dr. Aristide R. Zolberg, renowned professor and author in comparative politics and historical sociology. Prof. Enrico Marcelli, a demographer of some note and a UMB instructor in Public Policy, invited Professor Zolberg to speak about his new book, A
Nation by Design: Immigration Policy in the Fashioning of America, published in 2006 by Harvard University Press and the Russell Sage Foundation.
Aristide Zolberg’s enlightened viewpoint as an émigré is evidenced in the insight he brings to studying other immigrants in their adopted country. He emigrated from
2 Belgium in 1948 to study at Columbia University. Dr. Zolberg is the Walter Eberstadt
Professor of Political Science and Director of the International Center for Migration,
Ethnicity and Citizenship at the New School for Social Research in New York City.
Conventional histories of US immigration policy begin their timeline before the
Civil War, whereas A Nation starts in the Colonial period. Zolberg shows his reader when, where, and how the seeds of later discontent were sown. Native Americans were conquered and displaced. Dutch, Spanish, English, African, and French free men, indentured servants, and slaves settled East and West then moved into the heartland.
A Nation exposes immigration controversies both past and present – policies and laws, undocumented and legal immigrants, ESL, prejudice and discrimination, and
NAFTA. Zolberg shows us our nation is built on our forefathers’ mistakes, as well as their hopes and dreams. Asked about future trends, Zolberg said that immigration is an ongoing life process and would no doubt continue. Great book. Interesting lecture.
(Joan R. Parker is a student in Professor Marcelli’s course, U.S. Immigration & Immigrant Policy and an applicant to the doctoral program in Public Policy. She tells us, “Taking Prof. Marcelli’s course has changed how I think about demography and its importance in modifying public policy to serve the needs of all the people living in the United States.”)
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS AND PAPERS (full listings posted in the Public Policy suite)
Call for Abstracts! The 28th Annual Minority Health Conference, "AIDS at 25: It's Time to Deliver" . The Minority Student Caucus at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health invites you to submit abstracts for the poster presentations during the Minority Health Conference. All abstracts must be received by December 15, 2006 . Submit your abstract online: http://www.minority.unc.edu /sph/minconf/2007. Presenters will be notified of acceptance by January 15, 2007.
Journal of Individual Employment Rights Special Issue: Research by Doctoral Students
The Journal of Individual Employment Rights focuses on issues pertaining to labor/management relations, employment discrimination, and employment law.
3 Beginning with Volume 13, the Journal will undergo exciting changes to its name and scope. The final issue of Volume 12, which should be published in late 2007, is to be devoted entirely to research by doctoral students. Co-written papers are acceptable as long as all authors are doctoral students. Submissions, which should be 25-35 pages in length including all tables and references, must follow the Journal’s style guide for authors, available at www.baywood.com/authors/ia/ie.asp?id=1055-7512 The submission deadline is February 1, 2007 and the Journal will strive to complete its double-blind review process within three months of this date. Questions, contact Joel Rudin, Editor, at [email protected]
The new journal DataCritica: International Journal of Critical Statistics opens a call for papers for its first issue on "CRITICAL STATISTICS: IN SEARCH OF A PARADIGM". DataCritica aims at linking the science of collecting, analyzing, interpreting, and representing data, statistics, with the tradition of critical theory. DataCritica promotes the conscious development of critical statistics, an approach to statistics that contests positivist attitudes that produce models of a historical and a theoretical quantitative sciences with pretensions of purely objective, universal, and non-normative knowledge. DataCritica promotes a critical perspective on specific statistical facts, concepts, and methods, and examines the implicit worldview of professional statisticians. The nature of the journal rejects the traditional disciplinary division of knowledge, under which statistics is conceived as a field of mathematics. The journal would therefore approach statistical issues from a multiplicity of perspectives (historical, sociological, cultural, rhetorical, philosophical, etc.)
For more information, visit www.datacritica.net or e-mail Luis A. Aviles ([email protected])
CONFERENCES (full listings posted in the Public Policy suite)
The Second Annual Massachusetts Conference for Women on December 6 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center is seeking volunteers! This is a great opportunity for students or others who might not be able to afford the price of admission to attend a great conference and gain inspiration, motivation and guidance. Make sure you tell them the MA Commission on the Status of Women sent you.
Volunteers may help either December 5 or 6 or both if you so choose; in return, your registration fee of $125 will be waived.Dr. Maya Angelou and Iman will be two of the keynote speakers. They will be joining 75 other prominent speakers at this year’s fantastic event. To volunteer or to ask qyuestions, contact me or Jodi Niemann by email at [email protected].
JOB OPPORTUNITIES (full listings posted in the Public Policy suite)
The Center for Youth Development and Education is seeking applicants for two professional positions related to our Pathways to Success by 21
4 (P-21) initiative. We wanted you to know about these openings, and seek your assistance in letting colleagues and partners in your networks know about the postings.
Job descriptions are available on our website at http://commcorp.org/about/careers.html. A summary of the P-21 initiative is available at http://commcorp.org/p21/index.html
The Legislative Analyst’s Office is the nonpartisan fiscal and policy advisor to the California Legislature. Its mission is to reduce the cost of state government and increase its efficiency. Established in 1941, the LAO is the oldest office of its type in the country and maintains a national reputation for its nonpartisanship and its high quality staff and analyses. Currently, the office employs 56 staff—44 analytical and 12 support—and maintains a professional, collegial work environment that strives for an appropriate work/life balance. The office does three main types of work for the Legislature:
Analyzes the Governor’s annual budget proposal, testifies at legislative hearings, and conducts legislative oversight throughout the year. Responds to requests from members of the state legislature on programs and finances. Produces independent, self-generated reports to assist the Legislature in addressing issues facing California. For example, we have recently published reports on (1) retiree health care: a growing cost for government and (2) taking a strategic approach to improving high school performance. Positions Advertised
Fiscal and Policy Analyst (FPA). The FPA's primary responsibility is to be the LAO's expert in a policy area. Policy areas are: economics, taxation, and fiscal forecasting; local government; health; social services; education; transportation; resources and environmental protection; criminal justice; and state administration. A complete description of the FPA position can be found at www.lao.ca.gov/job_announcements/general_job_info.aspx.
Application Process
Interested individuals should e-mail a cover letter, resume, and three references (names, phone numbers, and relationships only, not letters of reference) to [email protected]. The deadline for receipt of applications is December 29, 2006. They will respond to all applicants by January 19, 2007.
The LAO anticipates hiring about six FPAs during the recruiting cycle and two or three Summer Interns. At this time, we do not know what policy areas will be vacant when new hires report next summer and fall. Consequently, they are not recruiting for specific policy areas. Our assignment process takes into account existing vacancies, the needs of the office, and the interests of the new hires.
Questions, please contact (916) 319-8304 or [email protected].
5 INTERNSHIPS:
Summer Internships: The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) operates a 12-week summer internship program that provides a rigorous analytical experience for individuals who (1) have completed the first year of a two-year graduate program that provides both a quantitative and policy analytical curriculum and (2) are interested in becoming a full-time FPA after graduation. The internship pays $2,650 per month. Additional information on the program is available at www.lao.ca.gov/job_announcements/summer_internship_2007.aspx. (Please see the application process noted in the above job description.)
LECTURES, MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
Student/Faculty Research Seminar
How a Client-Based Research Project on the Benefits of Legal Services for Battered Women Turned into Dissertation Topics: Lessons from Faculty/Graduate Student Collaboration
Presenters: Kim Puhala and Prof. Randy Albelda Date: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 Time: 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Location: Public Policy Classroom, 10th Floor, Healey Library
Description: The project Kim Puhala and Dr. Randy Albelda did was an assessment of the economic benefits f the Battered Women’s Legal Assistant Project run by the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. Kim and Randy will discuss the project, their collaboration and moving from client-based research to a dissertation.
QUALITATIVE METHODS WORKSHOP: Our second meeting of the workshop will be held on Thursday Nov 16th between 1:00-2:30 at the Dispute Resolution Conference Room (Rm 28), 4th floor, Wheatley building. The discussion in this meeting (as in the first one) will be led by Diane Paul. This time Professor Diane Paul will talk about the special problems associated with elite interviewing, and if time permits she will also talk about issues associated with the reliability of memory. You can see more details about the workshop in general and the meeting in particular in the attached file written by Bob Weiss. Please note that this meeting is on Thursday and not on Wednesday as it used to be all along last year.
Boston 101 Reminder: Lessons from the Big Dig
Wednesday, November 15 at 8:00 a.m. Sargent Room, 1st floor of the Sargent Building, Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St.
Douglas MacDonald, Secretary, Washington State Department of Transportation and
6 former Executive Director, Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
Kenneth Mead, Special Counsel, Baker Botts, LLP and former Inspector General, U.S. Department of Transportation
Andrew Natsios, Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy, Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University and former Chairman, Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
James Rooney, Executive Director, Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and former Chief Financial Officer, Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
Moderated by Robert Keough, Editor, CommonWealth Magazine
Co-sponsored by the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, MassINC, the Kennedy School of Government's Taubman Center for State and Local Government, the Rappaport Honors Program in Law and Public Policy at Suffolk University Law School and CommonWealth Magazine.
Practitioners familiar with the Big Dig talk about the lessons they learned from the project and how they've tried to apply them to other operations.
This free event is open to the public. No reservations are needed. For more information, contact Cara Cappello at 617-495-5140 or [email protected]
Reinsuring Health: Why More Middle-Class People are Uninsured and What Government Can Do Thursday, November 16 at noon Taubman AB, 5th floor of the Taubman Building, 15 Eliot St.
Katherine Swartz, Professor of Health Policy and Economics at Harvard's School of Public Health
Co-sponsored by the Kennedy School of Government's Taubman Center for State and Local Government and its Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy. For more information, contact Cara Cappello at 617-495-5140 or [email protected]
The Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) is sponsoring a Bowling Event for all graduate students on Friday, November 17th at Boston Bowl. Each person can play up to three strings of either Candle Pin or Ten Pin and will be provided with Bowling Shoes and some good snack too!! The entries for the event are limited and will be considered on a first-come-first serve basis. Please RSVP to [email protected] on or before November 15th if you are interested to take part in the event.
7 Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, November 28, 6:30 - 8:00 pm, and plan to join us for an introductory seminar on public finance, delivered by two applied experts in the field. We're fortunate to have had Steve Crosby's help in securing these folks to deliver this session, which many of you told us would be of interest. More details soon. ..
Public Finance Primer: Appropriations, Health Care and Transportation Finance
The state budget: where the money comes from and where it goes, how the appropriations process works
Health Care Policy and Finance: Milestones on the way to reform between 1996 and 2006
Transportation Finance: Public and Private Models of maintenance and operations
The seminar will be led by Kevin Sullivan (former Secretary of Administration and Finance and Secretary of Transportation, and Senior Vice President of Government Banking at Sovereign Bank) and Katherine Craven (former top staffer and liaison to Ways and Means for House Speaker Tom Finneran, and presently Director of the School Building Assistance Administration)
FALL 2006 ACADEMIC CALENDAR
November 15 (Wednesday) Admissions Committee Meeting, 1-2 PM
November 15 (4-7 PM) Graduate Studies Showcase, Campus Center Ballroom
November 21 (Tuesday 2:45 PM) Joint faculty meeting of Admissions, Comprehensive Exam and Academic Affairs Committees
November 23 to 26 Thanksgiving Recess (Thursday to Sunday)
November 27 (Monday) Classes Resume November 27 (Monday) Spring '07 Registration Begins
December 13 (Wednesday) Classes End
8 December 14 to 17 Study Period (Thursday to Sunday)
December 18 to 22 Final Exam Period (Monday to Friday)
December 23 (Sunday) Snow Day
RECOMMEND A FRIEND?? Please help us with the future success and growth of our Ph.D. Program by recommending a friend, family member, undergraduate or master’s degree student, or colleague. You can send, fax or email this information to Assistant Director who will immediately follow up with the person(s) of your choice. Thank you in advance for your recommendation. Name: ______Address: ______Telephone: (____) ______Email address: ______
Recommended by: ______
To share news items for future issues of FYI, email [email protected]
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