University Reporter: April, 2003
College of Nursing and Health Sciences Professor Examines a New Measure of Quality
Anyone
who has been seriously ill knows that good nursing care can help ease
the pain and discomfort of a hospital sta--but can it affect patient
outcomes?
UMass Boston nursing professor Laurel Radwin says "yes" and has done a considerable amount of research to help define just what constitutes good care.
"A convincing body of evidence has accumulated that verifies the relation between nurse staffing levels and adverse outcomes for hospitalized patients," says Radwin. "Apparently the quantity of nursing care makes a difference to patient outcomes. The importance of the quality of nursing care deserves similar attention." Defining quality and devising the means to measure it have been a major part of Radwin's work in the field of oncology nursing. read more
Irish Poet Gives Harbor Art Gallery Reading
Irish
poet and distinguished author MacDara Woods gave a spirited reading at
the Harbor Arts Gallery on March 24. Born in Dublin in 1942, Woods has
published ten books of poetry, including Stopping the Lights in Ranelagh,
The Hanged Man Was Not Surrendering, The Country of Blood Red Flowers,
and edited The Kilkenny Anthology. He is editor and one of the founders
of the literary magazine Cyphers, which is one of Ireland's longest-established
literary magazines. The program was sponsored by the William Joiner Center
for the Study of War and Social Consequences and the Irish Studies Program.
(Photo by Harry Brett)
UMass Boston One of Eight Universities Successfully Impacting Local Economy
By Leigh DuPuy
While economic forecasts continue to be grim in Massachusetts, a new report shows that eight of its universities will play a major role in the region's economic recovery by continuing to expand knowledge and technology that creates new industries and jobs. Signaling the first collaboration between institutions in recent years, UMass Boston joined Boston College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Boston, Brandeis, Harvard, Northeastern, and Tufts Universities, to contribute to a study that examined the economic and social impact of Boston's research universities on the greater Boston area.
The report yielded impressive numbers. The universities were found to make up a regional community of more than 500,000 people - 118, 300 degree students, 25,000 other continuing education students, 48,750 employees, and a total of 310,000 alumni. Universities are leading employees in the Boston area, attracting $1.5 billion a year in research contracts and grants. Appleseed researchers concluded, "The research universities continue to be an anchor for the Boston economy, providing economic stability during downturns."
The report was completed by Appleseed, a New York economic research fund, and unveiled at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast held on March 11. Serving on a panel that included an impressive cadre of university and college presidents and chancellors, Jo Ann Gora lent her voice to the discussion of what the report means to the academic community and the challenges ahead.
The cost of housing for new faculty was a unanimous concern for the group, as well as legislative support for institutional growth. To continue to make inroads in technology and business partnerships, Gora noted, "we need a statewide strategy for technological research like those in California and New York."
UMass Boston is the only public university in the study, which cited success stories from each institution as examples of impact. Highlights of UMass Boston included the activities of the centers and institutes, such as the Center for Survey Research and the Urban Harbors Institute. It featured successful veteran organizations such as the Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership and new collaborations such as the New England Regional Center for Ocean Science and Education Excellence. UMass Boston's contributions to the Boston Public Schools, the field of green chemistry, and excellence in providing education for the older student were all noted in the study.
"Like many of our colleagues, we have been working diligently to improve public higher education and the training of teachers, to develop coordinated IT curriculum for K-12, and to assist small businesses develop the business or marketing plan necessary for growth," said Chancellor Gora of just some of the ways the universities give back to its communities.
Coverage included Commonwealth Magazine, NECN, WBZ-TV, WCVB-TV, WBUR FM, Mass High Tech, Boston Globe, and Boston Herald, to name a few. The full report is located on www.umb.edu.
College of Management Senior Forum Features Larry Weber
By Mary Ann Machanic
Larry Weber, the chairman and CEO of Advanced Marketing Services, one of The Interpublic Group of Companies, addressed a College of Management Senior Executive Forum on "Morphing into Marketing" on March 26.
A well-respected communications giant, Weber started his own public relations company The Weber Group, in 1987. The firm was unique in its focus on technology and its location in Cambridge, an area soon to become the interactive capital of the world. Weber built strong relationships with clients, but also with visionaries and leaders throughout the technology community. Within ten years, The Weber Group was the world's largest and most established technology public relations firm.
The Interpublic Group of Companies purchased The Weber Group in 1996 and appointed Weber chairman and CEO of Weber Public Relations Worldwide. Under his leadership, the firm grew to become the ninth-largest public relations firm in the world. In January 2000, Weber was named chairman and CEO of Interpublic's Advanced Marketing Services Group, which includes the company's public relations, research and analysis, events, entertainment, and sports management holdings. In the summer of 2001, Weber engineered the merger of Weber Shandwick Worldwide and BSMG Worldwide to form the world's largest public relations firm.
Stemming from his intense interest in technology, Weber steers his own companies to aggressively adopt technology to drive the improvement of communications. His expertise in applying technology to the communications field led to his founding of Thunder House, an online marketing firm that helps clients deploy innovative interactive marketing programs. Thunder House also was purchased by Interpublic and forms the core of its interactive marketing communications offerings.
Weber is currently at work on his second book, The Morphing of Marketing, which will be published by Random House/Crown Business in 2003.
UMass Boston Springs into the Fight Against Cancer with Daffodil Days
For the fifth year in a row, the UMass Boston community contributed to the American Cancer Society's "Daffodil Days" in droves. At the event held from March 26 through March 28 throughout the McCormack, Quinn, and Wheatley buildings, volunteers sold daffodils in bunches of ten to faculty, staff, and students to help fund programs for cancer research, prevention, and education, as well as services for cancer patients and families. The American Cancer Society uses donations to help provide free transportation to and from cancer treatments; mammography outreach and education; free skin cancer screenings; cancer prevention curricula for schools; and free goods and services, including wigs, prostheses, and home care. Organizers hope to surpass last year's record-breaking $3,5000, which went a long way to further the fight against cancer.