Caroline Coscia Participated in the Jimmy Fund Walk on September 19

FOR YOUR INFORMATION…

Decembrrrrr 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.

FRONTPAGE NEWS: NEW ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT HIRED!!

Our new Administrative Assistant Ms. Karen Means will join us on Monday, December 18th to serve the McCormack Graduate School’s graduate programs in Public Policy, Public Affairs, Women in Politics and Gerontology. Be sure to stop by the Dean’s office to say hello. Karen has worked in the computer science graduate program and we hope her transition to our department and college is a smooth and easy one.

REMINDER:

Our Public Policy Holiday/End of Semester celebration is December 13 from 12:30- 2:30 PM (lunch will be served!) RSVP to Barb by December 11th!

IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES!!

November 27, 2006 Spring 2007 registration started December 31, 2006 Deadline for registering for courses without paying $50 late fee February 5, 2007 Deadline for paying the Program fee without paying $50 late fee February 14, 2007 Deadline for applying for June 2007 or August 2007 graduation

STUDENT AND ALUMNI NOTES

Nicole Agusti is a research assistant on a new grant awarded by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services, US Dept of Health and Human Services, working with Dharma Cortes, a research associate at the Gaston Institute. The research project, done in collaboration with the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, will evaluate diabetes education approaches for low literacy populations.

First year student Faye Cohen was selected by the Massachusetts Service Alliance to be a Community Grant Reviewer of proposals submitted for AmeriCorps funding. The Massachusetts Service Alliance is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as the state commission on community service.

Alumna Dr. Emily Douglas sends us a little factoid ... She got the idea for her latest book (released in August 2006 by Rowman & Littlefield: Mending Broken Families: Social Policies for Divorced Families--Are They Effective?) from a question that she received during her dissertation hearing in February 2002!

1 Philip Granberry presented a paper at the Southern Demographic Association’s annual meeting in early November. Phil received a tremendous honor as his paper was selected as the outstanding graduate student paper. He tells us that this paper is a variation on a dissertation chapter that examines how participation in civic organizations is related to Mexican men’s and women’s wages and he appreciates the faculty feedback he received on it from Professors Enrico Marcelli and Randy Albelda.

Phil Granberry has also been appointed as the student representative to the Search Committee which will hire two new faculty members for the Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs.

Many thanks to Mandira Kala, Jason Pramas, David Gonzalez Nieto, Jennifer Shea, and alumna Dr. Tatjana Meschede who volunteered at the Graduate Showcase (Open House) last month at the Public Policy recruitment table.

Congrats to Susan Kelly and her new groom who were married on December 8th.

Kudos to alum Dr. Jim McIntyre who was appointed Chief Operating Officer of the Boston Public Schools in May. In a recent email, he tells us that he taught a course in financial management at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard this past spring, and recently completed the Broad Foundation's Urban Superintendent's Academy. And finally, he was named to Governor-Elect Deval Patrick's Transition Team Work Group on Pre-K - 12 Education.

Charles Ndungu was invited to facilitate a session at the United Nations Habitat Experts Group Meeting on "Mainstreaming AIDS into Slums Upgrading Projects" in Nairobi, Kenya which took place between November 27-31, 2006.

Michelle Portman will present Zoning Design for Marine Protected Areas: The Red Sea Marine Peace Park Case at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Coastal GeoTools conference held in Myrtle Beach, SC (March 5-8th, 2007).

Three cheers for Jennifer Shea who recently named her dissertation committee.

Alumna Dr. Doreen Stern has started her own home business, “De-Clutter Today: Bringing Order and Happiness to Your Home and Business”. Check out her new website: www.decluttertoday.com.

Also, congrats to Jean Winsor who successfully defended her dissertation proposal on December 6th.

FACULTY NEWS

A special thanks to Professors Connie Chan, Paul Watanabe and seminar organizers Ann Withorn and McCormack Graduate School Dean Steve Crosby who

2 participated in the “Open Discussion the Day After … What do Massachusetts and national elections results mean for public policy?”. The event took place on November and student feedback was very positive.

Congrats to Professors Alan Clayton-Matthews and Miren Uriarte who were recently honored at the Chancellor’s Years of Service celebration held last month. They have been part of our campus community for ten and 25 years respectively.

Professor Donna Haig Friedman was invited by Mayor of Boston to serve on the Mayor’s Strategic Planning Initiative : “Closing the Achievement Gap: Birth to Five Subcommittee.”

You are invited to the release of H ousing Affordability for Households of Color in Massachusetts b y Professor Michael Stone on December 13 th, 2006 at 10:30 am Campus Center, Conference Room #2540. The report examines the housing affordability situation of Latino, Black, and Asian American-headed households in Massachusetts. Using figures for 1990 and 2000 to identify trends, the report utilizes the author’s measuring-stick of “shelter poverty” to examine separately the problems facing renters and homeowners. It shows that households of color in both of these categories face serious problems of affordability. The study was undertaken on behalf of the Mauricio Gaston Institute, the Institute for Asian American Studies, and the William Monroe Trotter Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

The research for this report was conducted under the sponsorship of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy, Institute for Asian American Studies, and the William Monroe Trotter Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston. For more information, please call at 617-287-5791

Professor Peter Taylor participated in two workshops that UMass Lowell's Center for Sustainable Production (www.sustainableproduction.org) held this month to bring external advisors from across the country to help them shape future directions. Also, Peter’s book, Unruly Complexity: Ecology, Interpretation, Engagement (University of Chicago Press, 2005) was reviewed in the journal Ecology. The review began, gratifyingly to the author, with the words: "A good book!" and concluded: "Anyone interested in how the science of ecology evolves in response to social, philosophical, and political context and how it interacts with environmental analysis and management will consider the time invested in reading this book well spent and will learn many lessons."

Professor Miren Uriarte presented an update of her work on Social Policy in Cuba at a panel sponsored by the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto on November 10th. First year student Nicole Agusti assisted Miren in the research for this presentation.

3 MISC. TIDBITS

FY08 Doctoral Dissertation Grant Competition

The FY08 allocation for the Doctoral Dissertation Grant Program has been increased by $3,000 for a total of $12,000. Guidelines and applications are available on the vice provost's web page at http://www.umb.edu/research/ while print copies are available in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP).

Completed applications must be submitted to Jim Mortenson in ORSP by 5:00 pm on Friday, May 25, 2007. The maximum award per applicant is $1,500. Awards will be announced before or on Monday, July 9, 2007.

STUDENTS, WANT UMB BUSINESS CARDS? Doctoral students are eligible for 500 business cards free of charge to you. See Barbara for the appropriate form and she’ll have them produced at Central Duplicating.

SPRING 2007 MBTA PASSES UMass students can save 11% with Semester T Passes. Unlimited Rides from February 1st – May 31st.Contact the Office of Student Life at Campus Center 3rd floor for Spring 2007 Semester T Pass Order Form. Deadline: January 17, 2007

The Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) will hold its last meeting for this semester will be held on Thursday, December 14th at 1:00pm in the Student Life Conference Room # 3315, Campus Center 3rd floor.

STUDY BREAK Is everyone ready to study hard for the next few weeks? The Graduate Student Assembly wants to help you with the load, so they will have some goodie bags and pizza in their office (Campus Center, 3rd floor) on December 7 and 11-13 from 5-7 PM

WORKING PAPER AVAILABLE: "Power and Interest Groups in City Politics," a new Rappaport Institute working paper by Jeffrey M. Berry, Kent E. Portney, Robin Liss, Jessica Simoncelli, and Lisa Berger is now available. The paper, which was released in conjunction with a Boston 101 seminar on Friday, uses over 100 interviews with city councilors, selectmen, administrators, and interest group representatives in eight Boston- area cities and towns to discuss questions about involvement and participation in local politics, with a particular focus on development politics in the city of Boston. Check it out at: http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/rappaport/downloads/berry_interest_groups.pdf.

WARM CLOTHING DRIVE: Help Golden Key, WUMB, Delta Sigma Pi, and local coffee houses help the homeless and those in need of warm winter clothing. Donate winter coats, hats, sweaters, scarves, gloves, and other warm clothing at our convenient drop-off locations on campus: Quinn UL (next to the cafeteria), Campus Center UL,

4 (next to the info booth) and McCormack 1st floor (next to the elevators) All clothing will be donated to local shelters and goodwill locations. Please call Anita Miller or Christine DePalma at (617) 287-5600 for special accommodations.

CONFERENCES

The Facing Race Conference will bring together key policy advocates, academics, researchers, organizers and activists interested in exploring innovative strategies and successful models for changing public policy to produce more racial equity.

The persistence of deep racial disparities in an array of areas-such as education, employment, health care and housing-points to the need for more strategies and new policies to address systemic inequities. From the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast to the creation of a new immigration system, questions of racial justice dominate debates in academia, government and the media this year and into the future. With our conference, we hope to unite our movement by building bridges across issues and communities to amplify the concerns of communities of color in the intellectual, policy and popular debates that lie ahead.

A Blueprint for Action: The goals of the conference are to: (1) foster increased public awareness and discussion of the racial impacts of public policy; (2) explore models, strategies and opportunities for advancing racially equitable policies; and, (3) build new connections for advancing equitable policy initiatives in the U.S.

For more information including the conference dates, please visit their website at http://www.consumerhealthfdn.org

Register now for NASI’s 19 th Annual Conference, In Search of the Common Good: What Role for Social Insurance? to be held on February 1-2, 2007 at the The National Press Club (529 14th Street, NW, 13th Floor) in Washington, DC .

How should policymakers arrange America’s social contract to strengthen security for families, while fostering a vibrant, growing economy? Social insurance -- Social Security and Medicare – pools risk broadly to ensure income and health security for older Americans. Yet, younger families face growing risks due to widely fluctuating incomes, rising health costs, and declining coverage. What mix of policies will strengthen economic security for all Americans, and how can we finance them in growth-enhancing ways? For more information: http://www.nasi.org/calendar_reg3634/calendar_reg_show.htm?doc_id=420174

NEA Higher Education Conference March 2-4, 2007 Announcing the 2007 National Education Association Higher Education Conference, "The Academy at Work" March 2-4, 2007 at the Hilton San Diego Resort (on Mission Bay) - San Diego, California. Register Online at http://news.nea.org/UM/T.asp? A1.38234.47.2.1119429

5 NEA’s 24th annual higher education conference will explore external and internal pressures affecting higher education employees and the academy as a workplace, as well as celebrating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the National Education Association, and the rich heritage of higher education in the history of the NEA. Work for almost all Americans, including those on campus, has changed over the past decades. Full time tenure line faculty positions are being replaced by lower paying contingent positions, and staff work is being outsourced. Higher education is facing greater scrutiny about quality, accountability, and access at a time when public funding is decreasing, and these pressures are affecting all higher education employees.

The conference will include plenary sessions and workshops, cyber sessions about NEA online and CD-ROM products, interactive professional development sessions on pedagogy, and union skills building sessions.

Get program and online registration information at the NEA Higher Education website http://news.nea.org/UM/T.asp?A1.38234.47.3.1119429 , and link to the hotel website for room reservations.

CALL FOR PAPERS AND ABSTRACTS:

John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies Second Annual Student Research Conference

“Social Inequality and Public Policy” University of Massachusetts Boston April 23 - 27, 2007

This student conference offers Boston area students in public policy, sociology, political science, economics, public health, and related disciplines an opportunity to engage in interdisciplinary scholarly dialogue regarding the policy implications of social inequality. Sponsored by the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, the conference seeks to provide students with an opportunity to present their research in an academic environment, and receive feedback from professors and other graduate students in these disciplines. This will be a one-day conference to take place the week of April 23rd, 2007, final date to be announced. The keynote address will be given by the Robert C. Wood Visiting Professor in Public and Urban Affairs (to be announced). Past Wood Professors have included: Mary Frances Berry; Edi Rama; James Morone and Deborah Stone; and Gerald Torres.

Suggested paper topics include, but are not limited to: economic inequality; disparities related to race, gender, and sexual orientation; structural inequities; and governance, civic participation and voice. Approved abstracts will focus on the policy implications of social inequalities.

6 The deadline for submission of abstracts is February 15, 2007. Please submit an abstract of approximately 300 words, including an email address and other pertinent contact information, and a brief biography to umb-social-inequalities-conference- [email protected]. Abstracts will be reviewed by the organizing committee and invitations to present will be announced by March 12, 2007. Papers presented at the conference will be made available to all attendees.

For more information or further inquiries, please contact the Conference Paper Committee via email at [email protected].

The Institute for Asian American Studies will select up to five individuals to serve as Research Fellows for 2007. The fellowship provides support for scholarly projects focusing on Asian Americans. Although proposals may deal with a wide array of topics, the Institute is especially interested in research that focuses upon Asian American issues and experiences in New England. Faculty, graduate students and other scholars are eligible to apply for up to $5000 awards. Application deadline: January 19.

Race and Class Inequalities in Health

The Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) is looking for conceptual and data-based papers for presentation at their annual meeting in 2007 which will take place in Boston from June 19-22.

There will be a contributed paper session on Race and Class Inequalities in Health and SER encourages researchers working in this area to submit abstracts. Accepted abstracts will be distributed at the June meeting and will also be published in a Supplement issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Abstracts must be submitted online at the following web address: http://epiresearch.org/abstracts/. Submissions will be accepted until February 2, 2007, 11:59 p.m. EST. Abstracts will then be reviewed and notification of acceptance/rejection will be sent via email to the primary author by April 30, 2005.

For inquiries about this specific session on Race and Class Inequalities in Health, contact Irene Yen ([email protected]) or Pat O'Campo ([email protected]). For information about the conference, please visit the SER website www.epiresearch.org .

New Directions in Race Research: Social Forces seeks papers for a special section on race research planned for the December 2007 issue. They are soliciting original papers that address issues of race, racial inequality, racism and racial identity construction from U.S. and international perspectives. Papers might address new developments in racial inequality in housing, education or health; the creation, maintenance and changing definition of racial categories; the racial dynamics of colorblindness; and racism within the context of immigration, neo-colonialism and the environment. They welcome papers that expand our theoretical understanding of race and are particularly interested in

7 empirical research that challenges, expands or redirects existing race scholarship.

The special section will be edited by Charles A. Gallagher, Department of Sociology, Georgia State University. Papers will be peer reviewed.

The deadline for submitting papers is April 2, 2007. Manuscripts should be limited to 5,000-9,000 words including references and endnotes and should be e-mailed as a Microsoft Word attachment to [email protected]. Any tables or figures must be editable in Microsoft Word or Excel. Do not use any automatic formatting feature. Submission fees for this section are waived.

JOB OPPORTUNITIES (complete postings are available in the PP suite):

The Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group has been retained by Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses, Inc. in Dorchester (Boston), Massachusetts to assist them to hire a Chief Executive Officer.

The Board of Directors of Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses seeks a dynamic leader to serve as the organization’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as it enters a promising period of growth and renewal. This position is an excellent opportunity for an experienced administrator who is ready to take on a next level of executive challenge and is eager to make his or her mark in human services leadership. An ideal candidate for this position will possess both the vision to inspire and the skills to lead the revitalized organization. The new CEO must have a deep understanding of and commitment to the compelling needs of the families and individuals whom Federated serves.

The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Agency within the Executive Office for Administration & Finance located at 1150 Hancock Street, Quincy, is currently seeking a Public Policy Specialist.

The National Consumer Law Center is a nonprofit public interest legal advocacy organization focusing on low-income consumer credit, utility, and energy issues; the center needs a Part-Time Data Entry Associate for a mortgage research project

The Economic Policy Institute is searching for a new research director. The successful candidate will oversee development of the EPI research agenda, and will be responsible for the policy relevance, quality, timeliness, and potential for impact of research projects. The research director will also help shape development strategy and raise funds to support the research agenda. The candidate hired is expected to continue to develop their own research agenda and also be available for public speaking and media work. The research director is responsible for relations with a number of key audiences including policymakers, researchers, and funders.

Research Coordinator Position- Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Maryland The Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Coastal Zone Management Division is currently accepting applications for a Natural

8 Resources Biologist III. This position will function as the Research Coordinator responsible for directing and overseeing the research and monitoring activities of the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Maryland (the Reserve). This position solicits, designs and facilitates professional level applied and basic research at Reserve sites and coordinates this research with the needs of the State, local partners, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Asperger’s Association of New England (AANE) seeks a part-time Hispanic Outreach Director. This new staff person will reach out to Spanish speaking families who have a child, teen, or adult member with Asperger Syndrome. The Hispanic Outreach Director will work with AANE staff and volunteers to educate the Hispanic community in Massachusetts about Asperger Syndrome, and to help families find the information, support, and resources they need so that individuals with Asperger Syndrome can lead more successful lives. The position has flexible hours, with an average of 15 hours a week, and runs from January through June of 2007. For more information, and to apply, please call Dania Jekel at 617-393-3824, or e-mail a letter or resume describing your experience to [email protected] .

LECTURES, MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Doctoral students and faculty from area universities are welcome to join a weekly Social Analysis Welfare Colloquium on Thursdays, 3:00-4:30 PM at the Boston University School of Social Work in the Conant Lounge. Boston. This interdisciplinary colloquium series features working papers from researchers across many fields of study, including: social work, urban planning, sociology, economics, political science, history, geography and anthropology whose work focuses on issues broadly related to social welfare, such as: health and healthcare policy, housing policy, youth development, child welfare, aging, non-profit and public organizations, workforce development, welfare policy, low-income work and family, community development, mental health and social welfare state development. Rather than narrowly focusing on a particular problem area or level of intervention, this seminar seeks to engage multi-disciplinary scholarship at the policy, organizational and practice level to explore pressing social problems.

A short wine and cheese reception will immediately follow the colloquium. Please contact faculty Co-Chairs Kate Cooney ([email protected]) and Marah Curtis ([email protected]) for more information. (P.S. Our own Randy Albelda is an invited speaker for the spring!)

You are invited to a Holiday Party hosted by Asian American Institute, Center for Survey Research, Center for Social Development & Education, Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy, Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs, the Gaston Institute, the Joiner Center and The Trotter Institute The festivities will begin at 12 noon on Tuesday, December 19th 10th floor of the Healy Library. Price of admission is a potluck dish. The Institutes/Centers and their staff are providing a tasty buffet, music and good cheer. Come and celebrate with us. Please RSVP with Paloma Britt at 617.287.5791.

9 Gaston Institute Speakers Series

“BUILDING LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT:

VOICES OF THE FUTURE”

Tuesday, December 12, 2006, 1-2:30 p.m.

Bay View Conference Room #3540, University of Massachusetts Boston, Student Campus Center

Special Guest: Senator Jarret Barrios and State Representative Jeffrey Sanchez

Opportunity for all: Addressing the Education and Workforce Challenges of Black and Latino Males: Job for the Future will host the fourth annual Making a Difference in Our Community: A Breakfast Forum on January 11 from 8-11 AM at the Omni Parker House, at 60 School Street in Boston. To register, please send your name, title, organization, phone, FAX, email and web address by December 18 to [email protected] or call 617-728-4666.

UMass Boston Graduate Programs in Dispute Resolution Colloquium Series

Learning From Communities That Prevent Conflict Reflections from the Do No Harm and Steps Toward Conflict Prevention Projects

Marshall Wallace CDA Collaborative Learning Projects

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 4-6 PM McCormack Hall, 3rd floor, Room 415 Light refreshments will be served

Training and Career Development Opportunity for Graduate Students Studying Sexual Minorities

What: A Primer on Empirical Research on Sexual Minorities Where: Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles, CA When: Thursday and Friday, February 22-23, 2007 Who: Graduate students pursuing research on sexual minorities Cost: Free

10 The Williams Institute is sponsoring a 1.5 day training session for graduate students pursuing research on sexual minorities called "A Primer on Empirical Research on Sexual Minorities." The broad goal of this training will be to enable scholars to find and appropriately use existing empirical data that permits the identification of sexual minorities. Sessions will also include strategies for pursing a career with a focus on sexual minority research.

The broad topics of this two-day training include:

• Issues to consider regarding the measurement of sexual orientation • Availability of data that includes identification of sexual minorities and the measurement of sexual orientation, behavior, and attraction • Appropriate use of data sources that measure sexual orientation • Details on how to access and appropriately use U.S. Census data to study same-sex "unmarried partners" • Possible research topics using available data • Strategies for pursuing both academic and policy-focused careers that include sexual minority research

Participants will be invited to attend the Williams Institute’s 6th Annual Update on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy and Reception on Friday, February 23rd. This event features panels exploring recent developments in sexual orientation law, policy, and advocacy and concludes with a cocktail reception. The training is free of charge and space is limited. Travel stipends to cover costs of transportation and overnight accommodation are available for students outside the Los Angeles area.

Application procedures are available in the PP suite. Applications are due by Tuesday, January 2, 2007 and accepted participants will be notified by Monday, January 8, 2007.

FALL 2006 ACADEMIC CALENDAR

December 13 (Wednesday) Classes End (Yippee!!)

12:30-2:30 Public Policy Party/Luncheon

2:30 Public Policy Faculty meeting

December 14 to 17 Study Period (Thursday to Sunday)

December 18 to 22 Final Exam Period

11 (Monday to Friday)

December 23 (Saturday) Snow Day

December 27th Grades due

2007 CALENDAR

May 29 – June 5 Quantitative Comprehensive Exam

June 11-July 3 Qualitative Comprehensive Exam

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.

OUR NEW APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JANUARY 5th!! Name: ______Address: ______Telephone: (____) ______Email address: ______

Recommended by: ______

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