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Searching for a Better Understanding of Mentally-Disordered Perpetrators of Violent Crime |
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Two New Computer Labs in McCormack Hall: Students Networked for Success |
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Spotlights |
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Athletic Director Titus Recipient of NCAS Community Service Award
In January, Charlie Titus, director of athletics at UMass Boston (in photo above), added the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) Community Service and Outreach Award to a long list of honors he has received for his work with youth and the community. The NCAS is a consortium of 183 colleges and universities advocating balance between athletics and academics, and dedicated to providing opportunities for current and former student-athletes to pursue higher education while addressing social issues in the community. Titus has directed athletics at UMass Boston since 1980, and also serves as head men's basketball coach. He is a 1972 graduate of Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont, which recently recognized Titus as an outstanding alumnus. He presently serves as associate commissioner for Boston Parks and Recreation Commission, and on the board of directors for the Roxbury YMCA, Roxbury Boys and Girls Club, the City of Boston Youth Council, the Crime and Justice Foundation, and Freedom House Coalition.
Three students move to final round of the Fulbright Competition
Three UMass Students are in the running for a Fulbright Scholarship for the first time in UMass Boston's history. They are Annie Gauger (BA 5/99), Alexander Penna ( BA, 6/00) and Colin Ward (BA, 12/99). Established in 1946, The Fulbright Program awards scholarships to recent BS/BA candidates, master's and doctoral candidates and young professionals and artists. The original goal of the program was to establish a student exchange program to promote positive relations among all nations in an effort to avoid armed warfare. Today's goals are much the same- promoting a better, safer and more informed future for all through cross cultural studies and first hand experience of other cultures. Several factors are examined when a student applies to the program. Among the criteria are scrutiny of each person's motive for foreign study, quota and availability of awards in designated area of study, and relevance of intended field of study in relationship to the program. The Fulbright application process alone warrants a sharp mind and ambitious spirit. The application consists of seven pages of information including three references and a detailed statement of the proposed project. A screening process filters out the finalists. The field is highly competitive and accomplished in their choice of study. Each UMass Boston candidate has reached the final stage and is currently being accessed in their country of choice: United Kingdom for Gauger and Ward, and Norway for Penna.
Gerontology Eminent Scholar Appointed as Visiting Professor at University of Hong Kong
Professor Bing Chen, who holds the Frank J. Manning Eminent Scholar's Chair in Gerontology, recently returned from a 19-day visit to Hong Kong, where he is serving a two year honorary term as a visiting professor at the University of Hong Kong. While there, Chen participated in several conferences and forums. At the conference, "Long Term Care for the Elderly at the Turn of the New Century: An International Experience," Chen was the commentator on the topic of the financing of long term care in six countries. He was also the principle speaker at two forums on opportunities and limitations of the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) which is the compulsory retirement savings plan that Hong Kong is implementing this year. Finally, as plenary speaker Chen addressed representatives from 15 Asiatic and Oceanic countries at the Second Asian Regional Conference on Social Security. Chen's presentation was "Providing Retirement Security: Why Should We Combine Private and Public Approaches?"
Wein Appointed to Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness and Sports
Debra Wein, MS, RD, general manager of the Beacon Fitness Center , has been appointed to serve on the Governor's Commission on Physical Fitness and Sports. Wein promotes health and fitness on campus, teaching seminars on fitness, nutrition, and weight management at the fitness center and in the Learning Center, and throughout the Commonwealth for such organizations as the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. In addition she has coordinated the National Eating Disorders Screening Program for the campus community. She will also be teaching an academic class on nutrition and sports this summer. The Massachusetts Governor's Committee on Physical Fitness and Sports (GCPFS) was founded in 1973 to promote sports and fitness activities that improve the health and well-being of the citizens of the Commonwealth. Members of the Committee are appointed by the Governor and represent fields from sports medicine to public health to amateur and professional sports. The Committee members meet monthly to distribute grant money to fund community programs and propose and promote initiatives. Wein will serve a two-year term expiring June 23, 2002.
Mass Field Center for Teaching and Learning Conference to be Held March 10
"Teaching for Understanding in a Standards-Based Environment" is the theme of a conference being sponsored by the Massachusetts Field Center for Teaching and Learning and the Leadership Academy of Massachusetts, located at the Graduate College of Education. The featured speaker is Grant Wiggins, president and director of programs for the Center on Learning, Assessment and School Structure (CLASS), a not-for-profit educational organization in Pennington, New Jersey. The day-long conference takes place March 10 at the Westford Regency Inn and Conference Center in Westford, Massachusetts. The conference will focus on providing approaches to curriculum and instruction to engage students in inquiry, establish curricular priorities, and assessment methods to determine student understanding. For more information, contact the Mass Field Center at 7-7660.
University Arranges Special Hotel Rates for Visitors
The Office of Student Employment and Housing Services has arranged for UMass Boston visitors to receive special corporate rates at four local hotels. Prospective students and their parents, UMass Boston employees, visiting scholars and others will now be able to take advantage of this opportunity. The hotels are the Boston Park Plaza, the Club Hotel by Doubletree Boston Bayside, the Holiday Inn Express, and Susse Chalet Boston. Certain "blackout dates may apply, and individual hotels should be contacted for details. You can find a listing of the hotel rates online at www.umb.edu/umb/sehs.
College of Nursing Hosts Distinguished Scholar
The College of Nursing Ph.D. Program began its Spring Distinguished Scholars Guest Speaker Series with a presentation by Mary Jane Hanson, PhD, RN, FNP, director of the Graduate Family Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Scranton. Hanson presented her research paper "Gender Differences In Predicting Smoking Behavior Among College Students." She has spent many years studying the predictors and behavior of smoking among ethnic, social and gender groups, her presentation indicated that while there are gender differences related to smoking, no single theory can predict why people start smoking. One of the goals of her research is to better understand what motivates people to smoke in order to tailor new research and smoking intervention programs to meet the specific needs of that group. She will be sending her new research to various peer-review journals and will also attend a conference in Washington D.C. sponsored by The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. Following her presentation, the College of Nursing's PhD Program recognized Hanson with the College of Nursing's "Distinguished Scholar at UMass Boston" certificate.
Conference Co-Sponsored by Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership Promotes Lean Production Systems Design 2000
A conference held January 19 to 21 sponsored by the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership (GBMP) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) presented a national and international audience with hands-on learning of manufacturing concepts and systems known as Lean Production System Design 2000. This system aims to increase productivity, product delivery speed, and floor shop space while reducing unnecessary inventory, errors and shift changeover time. Manufacturers attending the conference will also benefit from the placement of MIT students in their factories to help with implementation of the system. The GBMP assists small to medium sized manufacturing companies become more productive and competitive. It is located in the College of Management.
UMass Poll Identifies Major Shifts in Voter Trends leading to New Hampshire Primary
The University of Massachusetts Poll was the first, and sometimes the only tracking poll to identify major shifts in voter trends leading up to the New Hampshire presidential primary elections. In the final week before the primary, the UMass Poll showed a 15 point margin for republican John McCain, while all other polls had McCain's lead in the low single digits. He won by 19 points. The UMass Poll is based at the Center for State and Local Policy, McCormack Institute, and is supported by the Donahue Institute. The UMass Poll is directed by Lou DiNatale, who also directs the Center for State and Local Policy.