February 2001 University Reporter

Author Becomes New Commonwealth Journal Host

In February, WUMB Radio will welcome a new host for their public affairs program Commonwealth Journal. Barbara Neely, a well-known author and onetime guest on the show, was selected from a pool of thirty-five internal and external candidates who were interested in the position.

Elizabeth Sherman, who has served as host since the program's reestablishment last February, will be resigning the position to pursue other projects, most notably to concentrate on writing a book about women in politics and the challenges of public leadership. She commented, “I am so privileged to have had this opportunity to work with the WUMB crew, and to meet and get to know so many artists, writers, political leaders, and thinkers.”

One of these writers was none other than Barbara Neely, who talked about her Blanche White mystery series as a guest on the show in November. She has been recognized as creating one of the most realistic contemporary mystery fiction characters in her four novels: Blanche on the Lam, Blanche Among the Talented Tenth, Blanche Cleans up, and Blanche Passes Go. She received several accolades for her first novel, including three of the four major mystery awards, the Agatha, the Macavity and the Anthony.

As a writer, Neely has been interviewed regularly on the radio. “She has had a lot of experience on the other side of the mike,” explains Pat Monteith, general manager of WUMB. “She knows how the interview process works, and this experience will make her a terrific host.”

Her varied career also has included years as a speaker, consultant, and activist, with a background in criminal justice and public service. A Jamaica Plain resident, Neely has had her short stories published in periodicals, university textbooks, and numerous anthologies including Things that Divide US and Speaking for Ourselves. She has a master's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Pittsburgh.

Her first interviews as host will aired in late February.

Image: Author and new Commonwealth Journal host Barbara Neely

ARD Ice Cream Social

Mark your calendars for Human Resources' Third Annual ARD Ice Cream Social. As in previous years, the social will be held on Valentines Day, February 14, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. in the Clark Athletic Center. Lovers of Ben & Jerry's ice cream will have the opportunity to mingle with other faculty and staff and compete for door prizes during the hour long event. The brainchild of ARD's “experiencing group,” this event is one of many designed to bring employees together in a social setting to share work experiences and meet informally with co-workers. The events planned by the group are not bound by the perimeter road; it also sponsors off-campus excursions for faculty and staff such as trips to New York City and Foxwoods Casino.

UMass Boston Athletics Department Offers Chance to Win Free Tuition

During the month of February, the UMass Boston Athletics Department will offer students who attend one of three UMass Beacon home games the chance to win the cost of in-state tuition for one semester. Interested students can register prior to the games on the second floor of McCormack Hall from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on February 5, 6, 7, 12 and 14, or at the Clark Athletic Center gymnasium and ice rink at game time. One student will win per game, selected by random drawing during the event. All winners must be present to be eligible.

Try your luck at one of these three games: Thursday, February 8: women's basketball vs. Framingham State College, 6:00 p.m.; Friday, February 9: men's ice hockey vs. University of Southern Maine, 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, February 17, men's basketball vs. Keene State College, 3:00 p.m.

The Athletics Department is also hosting Taylor Scholar Day at the Clark Athletic Center during half time at the women's basketball game on February 10. The game tips off at 1:00 p.m. vs. Plymouth State College. For more information, please call 7-7800.

UMass Boston Honors Program Wins Grant and Moves to New Location

The UMass Boston Honors Program has moved to a new space in the Healey Library, where, for the first time, all the program's functions will be located in one single area. The new space will house the program's administration and advising, as well as student study and classroom space for the honors colloquia.

The move was facilitated by a $14,000 grant from the Board of Higher Education for the renovation of the new space. The required matching funds from the campus were committed by former Chancellor Sherry H. Penney. The grant also will go to the production of the first handbook for students in the program.

The Honors Program has just completed and submitted its application for Commonwealth status with the public system of higher education. A team of external reviewers will visit the program this spring; this will be followed by an immediate status decision by the Board of Higher Education.

James Jennings Steps Down

After a long and illustrious career at UMass Boston, Political Science Professor and Trotter Institute Senior Fellow James Jennings has left to join the faculty at Tufts University. Professor Jennings served as dean of the College of Public and Community Service from 1983 to 1988, after which he was appointed senior fellow at the Trotter Institute. While at the Trotter Institute, he served as director from 1991 to 1999. During his tenure, he was instrumental in expanding the research capacity of the Institute, raising more than $1 million in grants and service contracts. He also established the Trotter Review as a premier journal of civic and scholarly discourse. In addition to his work at the university, he has published eight major books on urban politics and has an upcoming anthology, Racism: Essential Readings, to add to his scholarly works. Jennings will continue his association with the Institute as a fellow and research associate to complete several ongoing research evaluation projects.

Vital Homeless Statistics Released by CSPTech

In December, the CSPTech project, a statewide homeless services data system network among homeless shelters and agencies housed, released critical data on homeless individuals and families who used emergency shelter programs in Massachusetts in 1999. The release of this report coincided with a one-night census in the City of Boston, which revealed that the homeless population has grown.

The statistics released highlight the increasing struggle for individuals and families in the city of Boston to meet their housing needs. The project found that 20 percent of single adults and 24 percent of families who were homeless in 1999 had income from employment, yet were unable to afford housing.

This news is not surprising to many service providers; the number of people seeking shelter is rising steadily. Family and individual shelters are filled to overcapacity year-round. Since 1998, the number of homeless families has increased by 26 percent and the number of women in adult shelters has increased by 14 percent. Since 1990, the number of homeless children in Boston has increased by 200 percent.

The city of Boston census generated much media attention and the Boston Globe cited several statistics from the CSPTech 1999 data release in these articles.

Arts on the Point's Vishnu Tours England

Bill Tucker's outdoor sculpture Vishnu, part of UMass Boston's Arts on the Point, has temporarily departed from its spot between the Wheatley and McCormack buildings to be part of a retrospective exhibition featuring the artist's work in Great Britain. Vishnu was shipped to England on January 10 to be a part of The Henry Moore Sculpture Garden, which will be on exhibit at the Tate Gallery Liverpool. The museum is showing an exhibit of Bill Tucker's work from the late 1950s to 1975. This exhibit will be one of two simultaneous Bill Tucker retrospectives opening in England on March 2. Vishnu will be a part of the exhibit for approximately six months and then will return to campus.

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