UMass Boston 35th Birthday Gala Celebration Takes Place April 10
A reception and dinner dance at the Park Plaza Hotel will mark the 35th birthday of UMass Boston's founding and serve as a reunion for founding faculty, staff, and the charter class of 1969. Already 75 former faculty and staff have indicated they will attend, and more than 300 individuals have purchased tickets to the celebration. A committee of more than 60 faculty, staff and alums have been working for months to plan this event. You can find out more about highlights of the evening, including the menu and band, by visiting the Gala Celebration website at http://www.umb.edu/news_and _events/founders/. Tickets to the Gala Celebration are $50 per person, and are available through April 2. Contact Janine Grant-Dailey and the UMass Boston Gala Celebration Hotline at 287-5361 for more information or to purchase tickets.
Successful Fundraisers Support WUMB and the Boston Folk Festival
Contributions to the tune of $92,400 were tallied at the end of WUMB 91.9 FM's Spring fundraiser, a 10% increase over last spring, according to General Manager Pat Monteith. Between March 5 and 15, the station's staff were joined by approximately 80 volunteers who gave their time and energy to answering phones and providing other support. Well-known folk performers Livingston Taylor and Christine Lavin lent their support by stopping by the studio for conversation and music. WUMB's used record and CD sale which was held in McCormack Cafeteria March 20 and 21, raised $10,000 to support the Boston Folk Festival, which will take place in the fall of this year.
University of Massachusetts Press Receives Grant for Translation Projects
The Boston office of the University of Massachusetts Press has been awarded a $20,000 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant to publish works of contemporary and recent Vietnamese literature in translation. The Press has worked with the Joiner Center's Translation Project to produce two highly regarded books: A Time Far Past by Le Luu, translated by Nguyen Ba Chung, Kevin Bowen, and David Hunt, and The Women Carry River Water, by Nguyen Quang Thieu, translated by English Prof. Martha Collins and the author. Four other critically acclaimed Vietnamese works have been selected for translation by the Translation Project and the Vietnamese Writers Association. Two of those works, Women on an Express Train by Nguyen Minh Chau and The Ivory Comb by Nguyen Quang Sang are presently being translated by Kevin Bowen and Nguyen Ba Chung.
Have a Bright Idea? Drop it in the Idea Box
Maybe you already know that there is an idea box on the second floor of the Science Building for your suggestions, ideas, and - - yes - - even complaints. You might also be aware of the Idea Box email address, which is ideabox@umbsky.cc.umb.edu. What you might not know is that processing your ideas are five UMass Boston employees who meet monthly to review your suggestions, pass them to the appropriate departments, and then monitor the recommendations for timely responses. Members of the committee are: Jain Ruvidich-Higgins of the Division of Continuing Education, Chair, Robert Gettmann, Provost Office, Paul Paquin, Computing Services, and Ana Cardona and Becky Hsu of Human Resources. If you are interested in submitting an idea, please make sure to submit it to the idea box and not to individual committee members. Submissions can be signed or made anonymously.
Faculty, Students Display Digital Artwork as Part of Boston Cyberarts Festival
From April 29 to May 21, the Harbor Art Gallery will be the place to view digital art created by students from the UMass system. From May 10 to 21, Doric Hall at the Massachusetts State House will be the site of a display of digital artwork by UMass faculty. Both displays are part of the first Boston Cyberarts Festival, which highlights technology's ability to synthesize the formerly separate realms of dance, painting, sculpture, music and more. Prof. Margaret Wagner of the Art Department, a member of the Festival's steering committee, says that the works of approximately 260 students and 30 faculty members will be on display. Admission to both events is free. For more information on the many other events of the Festival, visit their website at www.bostoncyberarts .org.
Founding Faculty Member Richard H. Powers Dies
We have received belated news of the death on August 8, 1998, of Richard H. Powers, who was the first Chairman of the Division of Social Sciences and first Chairman of the History Department at UMass Boston. Prof. Powers came to the Amherst campus of the University from Southern Methodist University in 1963, and moved to the Boston campus at its opening in 1965. He attended Yale University School of Art prior to enlisting in the United States Army in 1942. He was a combat veteran of the World War II Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he gained his undergraduate, masters and doctoral degrees in History from the Ohio State University. In 1957, he published Edgar Quinet: A Study in French Patriotism; in 1961, Readings in Western Civilization, and in 1984, a widely read and influential critique of American schools and universities, The Dilemma of Education. Prof. Powers insistence on high standards of scholarship and conduct for students and faculty did much to shape the early character of the University in its first years at Park Square. He leaves his wife, Ksenija, two daughters, Rebecca and Odette, and a son, Alexander. - -By Retired Founding Faculty Member, Prof. Paul Gagnon
Matz to Present Distinguished Lecture, "Hope in Mediation" on April 7
Prof. David E. Matz, founding director of the Graduate Program in Dispute Resolution, will present the Distinguished Lecture for Spring, 1999 on April 7 in the Chancellor's Conference Room at 4 p.m. His topic is "Hope in Mediation." Matz is an internationally recognized expert in mediation, presently serving as a senior consultant to the chief justice of Israel's Supreme Court and as a consultant to Israel's Ministry of Justice. Matz also served as a senior consultant to the Massachusetts Superior Court for the design and supervision of mediation programs in Suffolk and Norfolk Counties. He has published widely, with scholarly work appearing in the Negotiation Journal and the Harvard Negotiation Law Review. His lecture is sponsored by the Office of Graduate Studies and Research.
College of Management Forum Series Features
Executive Voices
The College of Management has sponsored a series of Senior Executive Forums, which bring to the University top business executives to meet with faculty and MBA students. The forums are an opportunity to learn first-hand about the history of a company, and discuss industry changes and trends in question and answer sessions. The first forum, held February 16, featured Joseph E. Corcoran, Chairman of Corcoran Jennison Company. Three more Senior Executive Forums are scheduled for April. On April 5, Christy Mihos, founder of Christy's of Cape Cod will be the featured guest. On April 8, Robert Pozen, president of Fidelity Investments, will speak at the UMass Presidents Office. The April 12 forum guest speaker will be Ronald Skates, President and CEO of Data General, and the final forum of the year hosts V. Maureen K. Darkes, CEO of General Motors, Canada on April 15.
Bring Your Child to Work Day Returns
April 22 marks the return of Bring Your Child to Work Day at UMass Boston. Last year, more than 60 children, ages 9-15, came to campus where they learned about the University, its departments, and the workplace. More children are expected to visit this year. Activities will include a harbor cruise aboard the Hurricane sponsored by Marine Operations and the Urban Harbor Institute; a chance to learn about the radio with WUMB; a teleconference and world wide web activities sponsored by the Learning Center, Media Services and Distance Learning; KidCare I.D. and a visit from McGruff sponsored by Public Safety; a tour of the Greenhouse; and a chance to see artifacts from the Big Dig and other sites with the Anthropology department. Bring Your Child to Work Day is organized by the Human Resources Department. If you have children - - or if you can borrow a child - - watch for the registration forms which will be sent out by Human Resources the first week of April.