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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
Two MGS Graduate Awardees, Maryanne Kamunya (left) & Tanushree Bhan (right)
Student Success

Two of the many McCormack students -- these from Kenya and India -- who illustrate the "global studies" part of our mission.
Fatima Mohammed Scholarship Awardees, Timothy Advillah (left) and Rose Nyaondo (right)
Student Success

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

Birchander treasures her students -- and her own mentors.
eUbuntu Event Ceremony 2020
Events and Engagement

Check out the rebroadcast of the 2020 eUbuntu Awards via YouTube. Congratulations to all awardees!
Former Massachusetts Governor, Deval Patrick
Events and Engagement

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

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

The two-year $100,000 award is highly competitive among the UMass campuses, and rewards SSL's high degree of collaboration.
PhD Student in Global Governance and Human Security, Jack Whitacre
McCormack Speaks

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)
ABC, May 1 2020
Michael Ahn, Associate Professor, Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs
The Boston Globe, May 2 2020
Elizabeth Dugan, Associate Professor, Department of Gerontology
The Washington Post, May 4 2020
Jan Mutchler, Professor, Department of Gerontology
WGBH, May 12 2020
Caitlin Coyle, Research Fellow, Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging
Forbes, May 12 2020
Christian Weller, Professor, Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs
The Hartford Courant, May 17 2020
Randy Albelda, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Social Policy
Research Professional, May 21 2020
Maria Ivanova, Associate Professor, Conflict Resolution, Human Security, and Global Governance
The New York Times, June 13 2020
Mark Warren, Professor, Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs
Congratulations Class of 2020!
John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies
University of Massachusetts Boston
617.287.5550