This Month at the McCormack Graduate School
March 2020
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What a new world we are in, when the simple act of communicating with our community through a mundane monthly newsletter reminds how a month ago all was different. COVID-19 has threatened our health, and that of our loved ones. It has led to the most rapid decline of jobs and economic well-being in more than a generation. And the basic structures of how we communicate, work, play and connect are being re-imagined and re-made.
Amidst all of this, we still have our public university mission – and faculty and staff at McCormack have been remarkable. In little less than two weeks they had to re-create their teaching, service and support to be 100% remote. And they did so with smarts, grace and creativity! Sure, we’ve had bumps and challenges, but as of the sending of this newsletter, classes, meetings, planning sessions, research, invoices, online events have moved forward effectively. And the students have been no less dogged in figuring out how to continue their education in the most trying of times!
This global pandemic has also shined a spotlight on many of the issues we focus on – good governance, competence in public service, social equity, the interconnectedness of our global society, and the impact on the most vulnerable. See, for example, a team effort across our departments to quickly publish a recent article in The Conversation,
Who cares for those most vulnerable to COVID-19? 4 questions about home care aides answered
. No doubt, our faculty, students and research centers will, in real-time and reflectively explore how better policy and public management can help produce a better result in the face of such urgent challenges.
Yet…yet…while cognizant of the maelstrom we are in, we also continue to focus our attention on the wide range of issues that is our hallmark. Before the pandemic fully hit, we had just entered March celebrating women's history in the US and internationally. Our stories this month revolve around the accomplishments of McCormack women in many dimensions. John W. McCormack’s quote at the end of this newsletter links both public health epidemics and women empowerment and suffrage.
In this newsletter, we celebrate student successes like PhD student Kelsey Edmond’s perspective on knowledge and power, the work of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy’s focus on Women’s History Month, and the last in-person event we held – our second annual Africa Day, imagined and brought to life by our Associate Dean and Professor Kiki Edozie (highlighted below). From significant policy lectures to joyful music and dancing, the event was a model of community-making and celebration that we are determined to recreate, whenever that may be.
Like work families everywhere, we take the well-being of our people as our first priority. Close behind is continued dedication to our mission. This trial by microbe is a historic challenge that the McCormack family is meeting.
Stay well!
Warmly,
David W. Cash
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McCormack Making A Difference
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Centers Delivering Impact
Dedicated Home Care Aides are in the coronavirus front lines, despite the risks.
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Student Success
A zealot for public transparency, Public Policy PhD Student, Kelsey Edmond wins an award for women.
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Events and Engagement
Serious scholarship and serious celebration are combined in McCormack's second annual Africa Day.
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Centers Delivering Impact
As it celebrates Women's History Month and women's suffrage, McCormack's Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy continues to support women in the public arena, including elective office.
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Faculty Accomplishments
Professor Rita Kiki Edozie, our associate dean at the McCormack Graduate School, is a leading expert on Pan Africanism, a subject she continues to explore here, with her students, and in her eighth book.
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Alums Making a Difference
A steady stream of McCormack students, many of them women, are in demand as public sector administrators.
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In the Media (a snapshot of recent McCormack news items)
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Military Times, March 2 2020
Kacie Kelly, Grad Certificate Alum, Women in Politics and Public Policy
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Greater Boston, March 4 2020
Elizabeth Dugan, Associate Professor, Department of Gerontology
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WGBH, March 4 2020
Gerontology Institute & Jan Mutchler, Director, Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging
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Forbes, March 23 2020
Christian Weller, Professor, Public Policy and Public Affairs
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Duck of Minerva, March 26 2020
Stacy D. VanDeveer, Professor, Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance
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Join us for these upcoming events!
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April 2020: McCormack Pizza and Policy - Online Edition
Date:
Thursday, April 9 at 4:00PM–5:30PM
Location:
Online
We promise great conversations! Join the McCormack Community for a discussion about policy and politics.
Earth Week 2020
Date:
April 15 - April 22
Location:
Online
Join us to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in an online setting! We have many wonderful events lined up during the week, including the 2020 Robert C. Wood Visiting Professor of Public and Urban Affairs Lecture featuring Christiana Figueres.
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John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies
University of Massachusetts Boston
617.287.5550
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