University Reporter: June, 2002
Also in this Issue:
The Bernard A. Stotsky Lecture Series Features Author and Critic James Carroll
College of Nursing and Health Sciences Receives Outstanding Marks in Accreditation Process
Dedicate a Bench at UMass Boston
A Tribute to Jose Saramago Held at John F. Kennedy Library
Taylor Outstanding Scholars Honored at Globe Reception
UMass Boston’s Winter/Spring 2002 Alumni Magazine On “Shelves” Now
Debate Signals Growing Political Role for UMass Boston
On the night of May 9, Lipke Auditorium was filled near to capacity with voters, students, and members of the media, including Renee Loth from the Boston Globe, Wayne Woodlief from the Boston Herald, and syndicated columnist David Broder from the Washington Post. They were there for the 2002 Gubernatorial Forum on Issues of Concern to Women. The forum was sponsored by the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy (CWPP) with the Office of the Chancellor, the Women’s Education and Industrial Union, the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus, and more than 25 women’s and student organizations. read more: Debate
The Bernard A. Stotsky Lecture Series Features Author and Critic James Carroll
Well-known
author James Carroll spoke on “The New Urgency of Religious
Reform: Learning from the Church and the Jews,” for the Bernard
A. Stotsky Lecture Series held in the Chancellor’s Conference
Room on May 9. His lecture touched upon the many issues surrounding
religious reform and its models, which Carroll also explored his
latest book, Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews:
A History. The author of nine novels, Carroll won the National Book
Award for his memoir An American Requiem. A weekly op-ed writer
for the Boston Globe, Carroll is well known for his cultural critiques
and draws upon his own experiences as a civil rights worker, anti-war
activist, and former Catholic priest. He currently is a research
associate at the Center for the Study of Values in Public Life at
Harvard University’s Divinity School.
The series was established to honor George and Bess Stotsky, who were instrumental in bringing over 200 people out of Europe before the Holocaust. The series is hosted by the McCormack Institute.
Image: Paul Bookbinder, professor of history, Bernard A. Stotsky, who funds the lecture series in honor of his parents George and Bess Stotsky, and James Carroll together at the May 9 event (Photo by Harry Brett).
College of Nursing and Health Sciences Receives Outstanding Marks in Accreditation Process
-By Leigh DuPuy
On April 17, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) has awarded the College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS) professional ten-year accreditation for its undergraduate and master’s programs. The commission found the college to be in compliance with all standards for evaluation and issued no recommendation regarding weaknesses needing to be corrected. One of the CCNE evaluators was quoted as saying, “It doesn’t get any better than this.”
The college had received preliminary approval status earlier, which was one of the qualifying factors permitting the maximum range of accreditation of ten years. In preparing for evaluation, CNHS faculty, staff, and students worked together to identify areas of strength and needed improvement, and plans to accomplish future improvements. “A high level of teamwork is needed for success in accreditation visits because of the especially comprehensive nature of the investigation,” commented Chancellor Gora in her praise of their hard work.
In November 2001, a CCNE evaluation team visited the campus to
evaluate the college’s programs and measure outcomes. The team
was composed of a clinician and educators, which typically include
deans, associate deans, and faculty members, from across the country.
Their job is to assess four areas according to national and institutional
standards and measure key components in each area. They examine
the input of faculty and community, both externally and internally,
and evaluate the college’s and institution’s resources
and the clinical competence of the program’s students. “They
not only assess how well we meet national standards, but also how
we meet our own,” explains Dean Brenda Cherry, who now has
overseen three successful professional accreditations.
The evaluation team takes a look at the program’s most important output - its students. “They are primarily interested in whether our students are able to find a job and if they contribute to quality healthcare for the community,” explains Cherry. “In demonstrating our program’s success, we need to show these outcomes, as well as provide plans for ways we can improve the program.”
The program received approval in all areas, including the plans in place for future improvements of the college. “Continuous quality improvement is key,” explains Cherry.
“The best thing about this is the validation of many years of hard work by faculty, staff, and students. It validates our vision, foresight, overall quality and expertise in what we’ve been doing,” says Cherry. This could not have been done, she points out, without the support of the entire university community. “This is a testimonial not only for the college but for UMass Boston. We could not achieve this without their support and encouragement.”
Dedicate a Bench at UMass Boston
When you dedicate a bench at UMass Boston, you make two wonderful gifts. You create a lasting tribute to someone very special, and you help enhance the beauty of the campus for everyone to enjoy. The bench will display a commemorative bronze plaque with the name or dedication you choose and will be placed along the harbor walk. Family and friends of Rae Morrell, who was the receptionist in the Registrar’s Office for over 18 years, choose to memorialize Rae’s commitment and service to the university with a dedicated bench. If you are interested in dedicating a bench, please contact the Office of University Advancement.
A Tribute to Jose Saramago Held at John F. Kennedy Library
More than 250 faculty and students from the UMass Boston community and other institutions including Harvard, Yale, Brown, and Boston Universities, Boston College, UMass Dartmouth, and UMass Amherst gathered at the John F. Kennedy Library for the April 19 event “A Tribute to Jose Saramago: Contemporary Literature from the Portuguese-Speaking World.” The event honored Saramago, the only Portuguese writer ever to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, which he received in 1998, and other distinguished writers representing the Portuguese-speaking world. The event was proposed and organized by Donaldo Macedo, a UMass Boston faculty member and board member for the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities. The foundation sponsored the event with UMass Dartmouth and the John F. Kennedy Library.
-Donaldo Macedo
Taylor Outstanding Scholars Honored at Globe Reception
By Elena Sarikelle
On
May 15, the Boston Globe and the Boston Globe Foundation hosted
a reception at their headquarters to celebrate the 2002 graduates
of the John I. and William Davis Taylor Outstanding Scholars Program:
Anitra Bell, Dave Bovell, Rita Chen, Rachelle Etienne, Meybel Morales,
Thuy Tray, Lori Cook, and Janet Escobar. Over 60 Taylor Scholars
and their parents attended an event featuring staff from both the
university and the Globe organization.
The program featured remarks by a number of prominent Globe and foundation staffers, including Richard Gilman, publisher; Al Larkin, vice president of human resources; Leah Bailey, president of the foundation; and Carol Beggy, a columnist and writer for the “Names and Faces” column, who was the guest speaker.
UMass Boston’s Chancellor Gora praised the scholars in her address and Mary Beth Maneen, Taylor Scholars advisor, was on hand to introduce the students and thank the Boston Globe for its continued support of the program.
Rick Daniels, president of the Boston Globe, was also there to present this year’s George M. Collins award to Meybel Morales. This award, named after a well-loved employee of the Globe who worked at the paper from 1939 to 1988, was set up by the publication to defray expenses for one outstanding Taylor Scholar each year. After the Boston Globe presented each graduate with a gift, the Taylor Scholars and their families were taken on a tour of facilities.
For more than 16 years the Boston Globe Foundation has supported Boston students through this program and has contributed more than two million dollars for their education. Named in honor of the late John I. Taylor, former president, and William Davis Taylor, former publisher of the Boston Globe, the program has helped countless students achieve their dream of earning a college degree.
Every year, students from each of the Boston public high schools receive scholarships on the basis of their commitment to the community and their desire to succeed. The program is a cooperative effort between the Boston Globe Foundation, UMass Boston, and the Boston Public Schools.
UMass Boston’s Winter/Spring 2002 Alumni Magazine On “Shelves” Now
In
May, the Office of University Communications and Community Relations
finished production on the latest issue of UMass Boston, a magazine
for alumni and friends of the university. The publication includes
profiles on the Graduate College of Education’s success in
urban education, the peacekeeping work of McCormack Institute’s
Padraig O’Malley in Africa, and alumni Gemima St. Louis ’98,
who counsels children with AIDS, and Mary Shaughnessy ’80,
a People Magazine staffer. Watch for the special commencement issue
of the magazine this summer!