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This Month at the McCormack Graduate School May/June 2020

Dean's Message

Dear McCormack community, How do we think about launching into this new and turbulent world? It is our deepest hope that the interplay of all elements of the McCormack community has helped us all prepare. We were lucky enough to have former Governor Deval Patrick join us for our McCormack end-of-year celebration , and here is some wisdom he left us with: On the one hand…I want to express my apologies and regrets that we haven’t left you a better world, a more sustainable environment, a more just society. But the bigger truth I think is that this is exactly what you have prepared for right now…and they underscore how much we need you. You know you have trained to be government and civic leaders at a time when trust in government is low, when civic commitments are frayed, and when leadership is lacking. We need government that can competently and effectively help people help themselves. Whether that’s in the midst of crisis or in regular times. We need a community that understands…that we have a stake in each other’s dreams and struggles, as well as our own…We need leaders that are both hard-headed and big-hearted, who are both analytical and serious about facts, but also understand through empathy that it’s people at the other side of policy.  McCormack’s class of 2020 are entering a world that Patrick has described. It’s a world turned upside down by coronavirus, and a world deeply, deeply scarred by a long and ugly past and present of injustice, bias, and structural racism. Structural racism that the world could all see manifest in 8 minutes and 46 seconds as we watched George Floyd be murdered. This month, our newsletter’s focus is on celebrating the accomplishments of our graduates – remarkable students who have earned graduate certificates, masters degrees and doctorates. Students who have overcome adversity, who are the first in their families to get graduate degrees, who have conducted original research, added to their policy tool box, taught classes. Students who will leave here with jobs in academia, in government, in non-governmental organizations, in the private sector. Students who are public servants at their core. In solidarity, David W. Cash

McCormack Making A Difference

Student Success Two 2020 Graduates Recognized For Their Commitment to Women's Rights & Public Service Two of the many McCormack students -- these from Kenya and India -- who illustrate the "global studies" part of our mission.

Student Success Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed Honors Two McCormack Students with Inaugural Scholarship Timothy Advilla studied the health dangers of using mercury in mining in Ghana, and Rose Nyaondo examined the the slow progress of women in politics in Kenya.

Faculty Accomplishments The Makings of a Mentor – Meet Ellen Birchander Birchander treasures her students -- and her own mentors.

Events and Engagement 2020 eUbuntu Award Ceremony: Race, COVID-19, and The African Identity Check out the rebroadcast of the 2020 eUbuntu Awards via YouTube. Congratulations to all awardees!

Events and Engagement 2020 End of Year Celebration What a year! Check out our 2020 End of Year Celebration with Former Massachusetts Governor, Deval Patrick, as our Special Guest!

Events and Engagement Democratic Senate Debate McCormack was a lead sponsor of the Joe Kennedy - Ed Markey Western Massachusetts debate, broadcast live by TV stations in Boston, Albany and Providence as well as Springfield.

Centers Delivering Impact Zuckerberg Leadership Prize Awarded to Director of Sustainable Solutions Lab (SSL), Rebecca Herst The two-year $100,000 award is highly competitive among the UMass campuses, and rewards SSL's high degree of collaboration.

McCormack Speaks Ubuntu - Poem By James Whitacre A PhD Student in Global Governance and Human Security, James Whitacre presented this poem during the 2020 eUbuntu Award Ceremony. To him, "Ubuntu" marks a moment of solidarity in our Pan-African Graduate Scholars Association.

In the Media (a snapshot of recent McCormack news items)

Trust, Testing and Tracing: How South Korea Succeeded Where the US Stumbled in Coronavirus Response ABC, May 1 2020 Michael Ahn, Associate Professor, Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs

Rate of Coronavirus Deaths at Mass. Long-Term Care Facilities Among Highest in the Nation The Boston Globe, May 2 2020 Elizabeth Dugan, Associate Professor, Department of Gerontology

Millions of Baby Boomers Are Getting Caught in the Country’s Broken Retirement System The Washington Post, May 4 2020 Jan Mutchler, Professor, Department of Gerontology

Seniors, Facing Isolation Worsened by COVID, Turn to Volunteers, Community Efforts to Ease Loneliness WGBH, May 12 2020 Caitlin Coyle, Research Fellow, Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging

Women Hurt More Than Men In The Recession, But It’s More Complicated Than That Forbes, May 12 2020 Christian Weller, Professor, Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs

‘We’re Essential Workers and We’re Hurting Right Now’: Coronavirus Is Taking a Devastating Toll on Nursing Home Employees The Hartford Courant, May 17 2020 Randy Albelda, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Social Policy

Interconnected World Needs Ways to Turn Alarm Bells Into Action Research Professional, May 21 2020 Maria Ivanova, Associate Professor, Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance

Dear White People: Being an Ally Isn’t Always What You Think The New York Times, June 13 2020 Mark Warren, Professor, Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs

Congratulations Class of 2020!

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John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies University of Massachusetts Boston 617.287.5550 ‌