Chancellor's Report, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2009-2010

2009·2.2 MB·English

by  University of Massachusetts Boston

UMassBoston is
among218 “Bestin
the Northeast2010"
chosenbyThePrinceton
Review, basedon its
reputationforexcellent
academic programs
andstudentsurvey Momentum
Building
responses.
DearFriends,
Iampleasedtotakethisopportunitytosharewithyousomeofthehighlightsand
accomplishmentsattheUniversityofMassachusettsBostonaswecontinueourprogress
towardbeingthestudent-centeredurbanpublicresearchuniversityofthe21stcentury.
UMASS
Itisanexcitingtimetobepartoftheuniversitycommunity,particularlyaswecelebratethe
BOSTON milestoneswereachedduringthe2009-2010academicyear.Weconcludedourthree-year
strategicplanlaunchedin2007,beganimplementingourmasterplan,andarenowlooking
aheadtoournextstrategicplan.
UMassBostonexperiencedunprecedentedgrowthinenrollmentaswemetourstrategicgoal
of15,000studentsby2010.Facultyresearchfundingincreasedby18percentoverlastyear,
reachingS50million.Eveninaverydifficulteconomicclimate,weprotectedandadvanced
oureducationalcapacities.Wemovedforwardwithphysicalimprovementstoourcampus,
includinganewIntegratedSciencesComplex,ageneralacademicbuilding,andtheEdward
M.KennedyInstitutefortheUnitedStatesSenate.And,inwhatwillbeaboonforthefuture,
wealsoacquiredthe20-acreformerBaysideExpositionCenterproperty.
Ouruniversityisingoodhands,withateamoffaculty,staff,andstudentscommittedto
excellenceandtostrengtheningtheeffectiveness,reach,andstatureofUMassBoston.In
thisreport,Iinviteyouintotheacademic,operational,andstudentlifeofthisoutstanding
university,rankedasoneofthebestuniversitiesinthenortheastbyThePrincetonReview,
andpartofauniversitysystemthatisamongthebestintheworld,accordingtoTheTimes
ofLondon.
Iencourageyoutogettoknowourworld-classfacultyandtherelevant,groundbreaking
researchtheyareconductingtoenhancetheirbrilliantteaching.Ibelievethatyouwillcome
toappreciatemorefullywhyUMassBostonisbecomingafirstchoiceforstudents,faculty,
researchpartners,andcommunitiesseekingtofindsolutionsforcomplexproblemslocally,
statewide,andaroundtheglobe.
UniversityofMassachusettsBoston
FrontCover:Arenderingoftheentranceand
walkwaytothenewIntegratedSciencesComplex.
“Some universities are known for their great
We
research; others, for great teaching. shall be
known for both, with our expertise in both areas
contributing in an interdisciplinary way to serve
our local, national, and global constituencies.
We
are—and will be—the research university
with a teaching soul.”
J. Keith Motley, PhD
InauguralAddress, November2007
0
The University: Building Distinction
“What we do here matters Distinction is Multi-Dimensional iheuniversity’sacademiclifewasstrengthenedand
energizedbytheappointmentofWinstonLangley
We IheUniversityofMassachusettsBostonmeasures
greatly. have been truedistinctioninthetangibleimpactitspeoplemake asprovostandvicechancellorforacademicaffairs.
called to lead, and we eanvasetuirsoytnadaailyn,peudabnludipcwnaatoirwodnistt.rpeDrniodsutdiinlnycftoairdomdnaslgtrrooetwchosigsfnirditosimtointnhciention oPrefrlohivguoimosnta,nLaanrnidgghpltoesl,iyt—ailactsed—rinscattaiinmvgeeumitsoohdleeldlMssacsohsfolBwaoorsrtlinodntohriednefri,elds
must respond to the call. In relationshipsbetweenfacultyandstudentsandfrom 1982,andhassinceheldanumberofacademicand
administrativepositions;heofficiallyassumedhis
allthewaysthoserelationshipsextendtocommunities
this intensely competitive latestpositioninJuly2009afterservingasprovostad
worldwide.Distinctionisfedandsustainedbythe
interimduringthepreviousyear.Inannouncingthe
global engagement, the bprreoagdrtahmsanadstthheeyquraelaicthyaocfrtohsesudniisvceirpsliityn’essaacnaddemic appointment.ChancellorJ.KeithMotleysaid.“Inhis
manyrolesatUMassBoston,hehashelpeddefineour
geographicalborders.
University of Massachusetts identityasastudent-centeredurbanpublicresearch
university,andheisuniquelyqualifiedtohelpusmove
Boston has a vital and forwardonthatjourney.”
indispensable role to play.” Greatercampusinternationalizationisjustoneof
thechangesarisingfromthisjourney.Anotherisa
strongerresearchagendaresultinginnewgraduate
programs,especiallyatthedoctorallevel,andincloser
workingrelationshipsbetweencentersandinstitutes
J. Keith Motley, PhD andtheacademicunits. Ihemanysignsofprogress
ConvocationAddress, September2009 includenewundergraduatemajors,there-focusingof
academicprograms,andtherenamingoftwocolleges
tobetterreflecttheirofferings:theGraduateCollegeof
EducationisnowtheCollegeofEducationandHuman
Development,whiletheMcCormackGraduateSchool
ofPolicyStudieshasbecometheMcCormackGraduate
SchoolofPolicyandGlobalStudies.Finally,anewculture
ofassessmentoncampushasbornefruitwithrespectto
higherretentionandgraduationrates,strongerfaculty
development,andasuccessfulinterimreporttotheNew
EnglandAssociationofSchoolsandColleges.
WinstonLangley,appointedprovostand
vicechancellorforacademicaffairs.
e and more UMass Boston
dentsare participating
tudy-abroadexchange
grams. The numberdoubled
ween 2007 and 2010.
e. CollegeofNursingand
ilth Sciences studentAlia
:Pherson participates inthe
iual Kenya Heart and Sole
gram, which helpsdeliver
icmedical servicesinrural
imunrties inthecentral part
hecountry.
The University: Building Distinction
International,Transnational, The Office of International and
Interdisciplinary, Innovative Transnational Affairs
—
Conceptslikethesehaveincreasingly Thisnewenterprise “OITA"for
—
cometocharacterizeUMassBoston’s short wascreatedin2009by
academicprogramming.Theperiod ChancellorMotleyandProvostLang
between2008and2010sawahostof itpromotesinternationalization
newinitiativesacrosstheuniversity. (preparingaworkforceforaglobal
Amongthem:theVisionRehabilitation economy)andtransnationalization
TherapyCertificatePrograminthe (outreachtohelpcloseeconomicg;:
newlycreatedUniversityCollege betweenglobalnorthandglobalsoi
(describedtotheright);theBAProgram AssociateProvostandOITADirectc
inEarlyEducationandCareinInclusive EunsookHyunseesherresponsibili
SettingsintheCollegeofEducation as“makingsurethisvisionbecomes
andHumanDevelopment,theAsian ateaching,learning,andborderless
StudiesBAProgram(launchedwithan humanengagementexperience—ai
EastAsiaTrack)andthePublicHistory experienceorganicallylived.”Throu
TrackintheMAHistoryProgramin itsrevenue-generatingInternationa
theCollegeofLiberalArts;andnew VisitingScholarAcademy,OITAwil
concentrationsfocusedonpopulation bothattractvisitingscholarsand
healthandhealthpolicyintheCollege providefacultygrantsandstudy-abi
ofNursingandHealthSciences’Nursing scholarshipsforstudents.
PhDprogram. Ihefollowingpagesoffer
insightsintotheseandotherrecent,far-
reachingchangesthathavetakenplace
inUMassBoston'sacademicprograms.
ExperiencingCultures Firsthand A NewCollege—UniversityCollege BoostingSuccess in Science ThinkingOne’sWayAround
ProfessorDonnaDeGennarois ApprovedbytheBoardofTrusteesin “Thisprogramgivesyouahugewebof Afirst-ever,UMass-system-wide
usingherOITAgrantforeducational June2010,UniversityCollegesignals friends,plusolder,moreexperienced summerhonorscourse,theMultiple
research,startingwiththeDominican UMassBoston’scommitmentto studentsthatcreatedasupportsystem andInterdisciplinarySignificances
Republic.TheDominicanpopulation academicinnovationandstrengthens forusfromthestart,”saysPhilip ofCitiesandTowns:Boston,“wasan
hasgrownrapidlyinBostonsschools, theuniversity’scontributionstolifelong I.aguerreT3oftheFreshmanSuccess eye-openerforme,”sayshonorsstudent
but,sheexplains,“whenourexposure learning.Thenewcollegeexpandsthe Community(FSC),establishedin AlexaHatzopoulos’ll.“You’dthinkas
toacultureisbasedinBoston,we university’scapacitytorespondnimbly 2009bytheCollegeofScienceand anativeofthecity'thatI’dknowmy
can’tnecessarilyunderstanditvery tomarketdemand,particularlyamong Mathematics(CSM).“Comingintoyear wayaround,butthisclassallowedme
well.Ifwecanexperiencefirsthand adultlearners,andembarkonnew' twoIfeelw'ellprepared.1w'asreally togainsuchagreaterappreciation
theneighborhoodswherethefamilies venturesindistancelearning.Itwill excitedtocomebackbecauseIknow forthespacethat Icallmyhome."Led
havecomefrom,wecanbetterinform developitsowndegreeprogramswhile Ihavethetoolstodowell."TheFSC’s byUMassBostonfaculty,thecourse
—
ourteachingpractices."Through continuingandgrowingprograms mission toimprovethesuccessrates introducedstudentstointerdisciplinary
—
localafterschoolprograms,shehopes oftheformerDivisionofCorporate, ofenteringsciencestudents hasshown methodsusedtostudyacity—in
tocreateaspaceforteachersto Continuing,andDistanceEducation. earlyresults:nearly60percentofCSM thiscase,Boston.“Welookedat it
experiencethedifferentlearningstyles Theseincludeinternationalofferings freshmencompleted30ormorecredits fromsomanydifferentperspectives:
amongchildrenofdifferentcultures. suchastheChinaProgramCenter, lastyear,anequalpercentagefinished literary,historical,archeological,even
whoseprogramsservebothChinese withaGPAof3.0orhigher,andnearly ecological,”saysAlexa.TheUniversity
andAmericanaudiences. 90percentpre-enrolledforfall2010. HonorsProgram,directedbyRajini
Srikanth,w'orksinotherwaysaswellto
ensurethatstudentsarecomfortable
crossingdisciplines.Forexample,
Distinction is fed and sustained by the breadth and the itsJuniorColloquium,launchedin
spring2010.encouragesstudentsto
quality of the university’s academic programs as they balancediscipline-specificfocuswith
interdisciplinaryvisionintheirresearch.
reach across disciplines and geographical borders.
—
The University: Building Distinction
Science in a ChangingWorld intheuniquegrant-fundedTransnational
DualBachelor’sDegreePrograminInformation
“IfIdigcriticallyintotheconceptsandmethods
Systems.Withfinancialsupport,thestudents
ofascienceandaskwhypeopleareaskingthese
questionsandnotthose,orwhytheyareaccepting spendonesemesterateachschoolaftertaking
certainanswers,thatusuallyleadsmetoexamine foundationcoursesontheirhomecampuses.
Eachwillearntwobachelor’sdegrees,onefrom
thesocialcontextinwhichthescienceisdone,”
thehomeinstitutionandonefromapartner
saysPeterTaylor,professorofcriticalandcreative
university.Thecurriculum,jointlycreatedbythe
thinking(CCT).“Conversely,ifIexaminethesocial
context,scientificinquirycanbeopenedup.”A partners,emphasizeseachschool’sparticular
newinterdisciplinarytrackinthecross-college strengths.ZephPhillips’12,oneoftwoUMass
CCTmaster’sprogramparallelsthatinquiry. Bostonstudentsinthefirstcohort,ravesabout
this“amazinggroupofpeople”andhowwellthey
Institutedinfall2009,theScienceinaChanging
getalong.Thefactthatthegroupstudiestogether
WorldTrackservesarangeofprofessionals,
oneachcampuswillgivehimabuilt-ingroup
includingteacherslookingtoextendscience
offriendswhenhegoestoEurope. Ihis,hesays,
teachingbeyonditstraditionalboundaries.
“istrulythefutureofstudyabroad."
The FutureofStudyAbroad?
TheybeganatUMassDartmouthlastspringand
cametoUMassBoston’sCollegeofManagement
thisfall.Nextstops:FachhochschuleFrankfurtin
GermanyandKemi-TornioUniversityofApplied
SciencesinFinland.Whoarethey?A12-student
—
cohort representingthesepartneruniversities
“We begin where Students: Building a Future
students are-students
Beyond the Numbers ButbroadcategoriesmaskthetruediversityinUMass
who bring with them a A15,000-strongstudentbodyisasubstantial Boston'sstudents,who,takentogether,createa
tapestryof140countriesand90languages.Among
milestone,reachedforthefirsttimein2009.Themost
wealth of experience interestingstoriesabouttheUMassBostonstudent justthestudentsspotlightedinthisbookonecanfind
nativespeakersofRussian,Japanese,Vietnamese,
and who want to be part body,however,arenotaboutitssize:demographic CapeVerdeanCreole.HaitianCreole,Khmer,Swahili.
shiftsprovideinsightsintodynamictrendsin Luhya,and—yes—English.
composition.Whiletheoverallpercentageofminority
of original research, not
studentshasslightlydeclinedsince2005,theHispanic Onemorestatisticaboutthisextraordinarystudent
merely imbibers of facts studentpopulationhasrisenfromunder11percentto bodybearsnoting:it’satributetoacultureofservice
morethan 14percent.Theuniversityhasalsoseenan andgivingback.In2009,3,425UMassBostonstudents
and the ideas of others.” upwardtrendinthepercentageofdegreesgrantedto engagedinsomeformofcommunityservice,logging
minoritygraduates:from26percentofallbachelor’s inanimpressive263,049servicehours.Ofthose,77
degreesin2004-05tomorethan34percentin2008-09, percentengagedinatleast20hoursofcommunity
andfrom12.6percentofallmastersdegreesin2004- servicepersemester.
OStomorethan 17percentin2008-09.
J. Keith Motley, PhD
UMass BostonStrategicPlan
2007-2010
—
BrillianceandDetermination
mra
ThaoXuanDo.whospokehardlyawordofEnglishwhensheemigrated
fromVietnamin2004.receivedthe2010JohnF.KennedyAwardfor Students: Building a Future
I AcademicExcellenceanddeliveredthestudentaddresstoherclassmatesat
Commencement2010.Herdeterminationtobecomeadoctorandworktoward
HW
solutionstoglobalhealthproblemscamefromwitnessingtheimpactof
andAIDSfirsthandgrowingup.Achemistrymajor. ThaoXuanwasoneofjust
16peopleselectedfrom600applicantsnationwidetoreceivetheprestigious
NationalInstitutesofHealth(N1H)Academyfellowship. Thisyearsheis
workingside-by-sidewithN1Hscientistsengagedinbiomedicalresearch.
What Does It Mean to Be a A PhilosophyGroupforTeens? ParticipationinSAGroups,the
UMass Boston Student? Twoyearsago.Philosophy onlinehomeofstudentclubs,
alsobenefitedfromimproved
Thatwasthechallengegivento ClubpresidentJesseWalshTO
outreachbyStudentAffairs,risir
thestudentbodylastyearinthe approachedProfessorJoanArches
62percentbetween2008and201
formofthefirstannual“MyUMass withastartlingproposal.Jesses
Thenumberofrecognizedstude
Boston”studentvideocontest. high-schoolcourseonbioethics
organizationsalsoroseby50
Firstplace(andS400prize)winner hadbeenlife-changing,andshe
percentoverthesametimeperk
AnastasiaKarelina,aFulbright wantedtoofferurbanteensa
scholarfromRussiamajoringin similarexperience.Archeshelped
Americanstudies,createdavideo Jesselaunchthegroupthrough FiguringOut “ExactlyWhat's
montageusingkeywordselicited theHarborPointOutreach GoingOn”
fromclassmates.Anastasia'sfriend Partnership,orHPOP(“hip-hop"),
ChiakiIto,anexchangestudent aservice-learningandcommunity- TakingpsychologyprofessorEril
fromJapanwhomshedescribes outreachprogram.Queenette Blaser’scourseincognitivescien
as“unitedwithmyideasandthe Santos,directoroftheDorchester honorsstudentAmeliaBrownT
faceofUMassBoston,"appearsin BoysandGirlsClubattheWalter drawn—tothefield’sinterdisciplir
thevideo.Itskeywords—“dreams," DenneyYouthCenter,suppliedthe nature switchedmajorsfrom
“future,”“friends,"“opportunities,” youths.Todaythisthrivingweekly anthropologytopsychology,witI
“choice”—allhavespecialmeaning discussiongroupcoverssocial, aminorincognitivescience.She
forAnastasia.Whenshegotthe historical,ethical,andexistential nowaresearchassistantforBias
letterinformingherthatshewas topicsinaforumthat,Jessewrites, visualperceptionproject,inwhi
goingtoUMassBoston,herfirst giveskids“permissionandastage participantsviewimagesofrock
choiceforherFulbrightstudy,she tothink." cliffsandestimatetheirdistance
says,“1wasabsolutelyhappy;this “Peoplecandothiswell,telling
wasmydream!”Aftergraduatingin usthatthebrainfollowsaspecie
spring2011,shewillreturnhometo IntotheSwim 'rule'tofigureoutthedistancetc
teach.(Seeallthewinningvideoson “Intenseproactiveandcreative acertainkindofnaturalsurface,’
UMassBoston'sYouTubechannel strategiesatwork"iswhat saysAmelia.“It’sjustamatterof
keywords,“MyUMassBoston.”) ChancellorMotleysawduring teasingitout.”Settinghersights
onaresearchcareerincognitive
studentsenatecampaignslast science,shenowknowsmuchm
April.Theresult:afourfoldincrease
abouttheresearchlife:“There’sa
inundergraduatevoterturnout.
ofpuzzle-solving,sittingwithvoi
The most interesting stories about the UMass Boston
student body, however, are not about its size.