UMass Boston Magazine, Fall 2020

Fall 2020

UMass Boston A M AG A Z I N E F O R A L U M N I A N D F R I E N D S O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A S S AC H U S E T T S B O S TO N

Also in this issue: •Culturally Sensitive Nursing •Pursuing Racial Justice •Filmmaker Maria Servellón ’12

The Next Level Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco’s Vision for UMass Boston

A Message from the Chancellor

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am very pleased to address, for the first time, the alumni and friends of UMass Boston magazine as your new chancellor, and I’m honored to be featured in this issue. I hope that this brief introduction to my journey, my higher education experiences, and my philosophical approach to higher education in general—and UMass Boston in particular—will help you understand the intended direction of our university going forward.

Higher education is, I believe, more important today than at any time in the last millennium. The problems of the day—a devastating pandemic, rising inequality, structural racism, unchecked climate change, to name but a few urgent concerns— require more, not less, of education. Today we need better data, better conceptual frameworks, better claims, better and more humane listening, and better policies.

The global coronavirus pandemic has changed so much for all of us—our work, our family lives, and how we connect with one another.

While we all await and long for a return to a “new” normal, at UMass Boston we have continued at a crisp pace to pursue initiatives, make breakthroughs, form new connections, and help understand the essential nexus between diversity and excellence.

We are pushing forward careful research on defining issues of the day, including climate change, which will leave a wake of destruction and suffering and visit alarming consequences upon our future generations if we fail to act now.

In this issue, we look at examples of how the university is responding to the coronavirus, knowing that we are all in this together. And we look at the university’s response to the Black Lives Matter movement. The racialization of inequality is a grave threat to the ideals and practice of democratic citizenship; again, we are all in this together. As one of the leading nursing schools in the country, our nursing program takes a long view, recruiting and training students who are culturally sensitive to the patients they will serve. And our School for the Environment looks not just for a way to mitigate sea-level rise in Boston, but for solutions that can be adapted worldwide.

These stories demonstrate a university with a broad lens, focused not just on immediate concerns but on a broader horizon and committed to making our world better. That is the mark of a great public research university.

I look forward to meeting many of you in the future as the public health advisories permit.

Best regards, Marcelo Suárez-Orozco

UMass Boston VOL. 21, NO. 1, FALL 2020 UMass Boston is a magazine for alumni and friends of the University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston State College, the State College at Boston, the State Teachers College at Boston, the Teachers College of the City of Boston, and Boston Normal School.

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IN THIS ISSUE

7 Applause for 2020 Commencement Faculty and Student Honorees Acknowledging this year’s award winners

Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco

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Interim Provost Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Emily McDermott

Director of Communications DeWayne Lehman

New Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco takes office

The nursing program addresses patient diversity

15 In This Together

Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Adam Wise

Director of Alumni Relations Steve Whittemore

12 Culturally Sensitive Nursing

Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Engagement Megan Delage Sullivan

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Alumni Engagement Allison Duffy

9 The Next Level

Helping each other through the pandemic

17 At the Site of the First

17

Thanksgiving

Archaeologists offer new insights

into Pilgrims and Wampanoag

20 Voices Raised Against Racism

Art Director Sarah Weatherbee

Managing Editor Ed Hazell

22 Maria Servellón ’12: Living in the Hyphen

Associate Editors Peter Grennen Anne McLaughlin Writers Vanessa Chatterley, Andrea Kennedy, Colleen Locke, Elis Mullins, Crystal Valencia Designers Rose Coveney, Suzanne Korschun, Wendy Lanchester, Chansavanh Phanthalangsy Cover Photo Harry Brett We welcome your inquiries and comments. Please direct them to: UMass Boston Magazine Office of Marketing and Engagement University of Massachusetts Boston 100 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA 02125-3393 Phone: 617.287.5300 Email: news@umb.edu

The university responds to the call for racial justice

A filmmaker explores multicultural identity

24 The People Weaver

Aaron Battista ’88 forges teams that

build brands

26 The Harbor Islands Solution

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The Stone Living Lab works to save the Boston waterfront

26 Departments 2

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UNews Major happenings on campus since our last issue About Alumni Class notes from the ’50s to the present

32 Investing in UMass Boston

News of philanthropy and its

impact on the university

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UNEWS

UMass Boston Is Third Most Diverse College in U.S., Report Finds

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or decades, one of UMass Boston’s greatest strengths has been the diversity of its students, and now the university is being recognized for it.

Financial news site 24/7 Wall St. reviewed U.S. Department of Education data this spring and determined that UMass Boston is the third most diverse four-year college in the United States.

The authors of the report, published in USA Today, also noted that the university costs far less to attend than most other schools on the list.

“In a world where diversity matters—in education, to the business community, and to the nation itself—UMass Boston is the place to find it,” former Interim Chancellor Katherine Newman said after the study was released earlier this year.

The authors of the report noted that UMass Boston is the only large four-year public school in America in which there is a greater than 80 percent chance that two randomly selected students would have a different race, ethnicity, or U.S. citizenship status. Across all undergraduate institutions nationwide, such a likelihood is about 69.6 percent.

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Bookshelf Alumni and Faculty Publications

Associate Professor of English Holly Jackson’s new book, American Radicals: How Nineteenth-Century Protest Shaped the Nation, focuses on the activists—free-lovers and socialists, abolitionists and vigilantes— and the social revolution they sparked in the turbulent Civil War era.

While the book is set two centuries in the past, its narrative feels extremely relevant to our current moment.

“A lot of the same social issues that the book covers are still the ones that are relevant today,” Jackson said in an interview with C-SPAN. “People in this book were really outraged by issues like family separation, sexual assault on women, and the devaluation of Black lives, etc. This period provides a very crucial precursor to our own moment.”

American Radicals was named one of the ten best history books of the year

by Smithsonian magazine, and Publishers Weekly called it “electric.”

Historian Anne Gardiner Perkins PhD’18 chronicles Yale’s decision to become coeducational and the group of young women who strove for change in her debut book, Yale Needs Women: How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rules of an Ivy League Giant. A Yale graduate herself, Gardiner Perkins earned her PhD in higher education from UMass Boston.

In her new book, The Death of Idealism, Assistant Professor in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development Meghan Kallman uses the case of the Peace Corps to explain why and how participation in a bureaucratic organization changes people’s ideals and politics.

Climate change strategist Nardia Haigh, an associate professor of management, provides a guide to how business leaders can adapt to what climate change may bring using a step-by-step approach in Scenario Planning for Climate Change: A Guide for Strategists.

Lisa Duffy ’09, G’12 has released her third novel, My Kind of People, about the power of community and a small town’s long-buried secrets as a group of New England islanders come together for a recently orphaned girl.

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Gerontology Institute Finds Half of Single Older Adults in U.S. Can’t Pay for Basic Needs

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esearchers tracking the

economic security of America’s older adults have found that half who live alone and nearly a quarter of those living in two-person households where both are age 65 or older are unable to afford basic necessities without extra assistance.

The Gerontology Institute in the McCormack Graduate School has produced the 2019 Elder Index™ and a companion report, Insecurity in the States, calculating the elder economic “insecurity rate” both nationally and on a state-by-state basis.

Among the states, Massachusetts leads the nation with the highest level of elder economic insecurity for older adults living alone. Seven of the top 10 states

in that economic insecurity category, including New York and New Jersey, were located in the Northeast. They were joined by Mississippi, Louisiana, and California.

The index estimates the cost to adults age 65 and older for basics such as food, housing, health care, and transportation in every county in the United States.

Researchers match income data with the index results to determine state and national rates of elder economic insecurity.

The elder index calculated a realistic national average annual cost of living of $25,416 for elder singles who rent and $36,204 for older couples who rent. The 2019 federal poverty guidelines for the 48 contiguous states are $12,490 per year for singles and $16,910 annually for couples.

Cynthia Schofield ’21 is UMass Boston’s third Goldwater Scholar in two years.

Student Earns Prestigious Goldwater Scholarship

U

Mass Boston now boasts a third student recipient of a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship—Cynthia Schofield ’21.

She was chosen after a demanding competition involving 5,000 undergraduates across the United States, with only 396 sophomores and juniors receiving the honor. This coveted recognition is reserved for the top science, engineering, and mathematics students who intend to pursue doctoral degrees.

“It is truly humbling and such an incredible honor to be recognized in this way,” Schofield said. “A significant amount of the credit goes to the opportunities I have had access to at UMass Boston.”

2019 Elder Index™

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A junior biochemistry major with a minor in psychology and an Honors College student, Schofield works in the neurobiology lab at MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research. There, Schofield studies the molecular mechanisms that control how we make decisions and form habits, especially regarding how flawed neural signaling can contribute to conditions like drug addiction.

Researchers Hope Voice Assistants Can Help Spot Signs of Dementia

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UMass Boston researcher and his colleagues at Dartmouth-Hitchcock are working on the science that will make detecting early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in people as easy as saying, “Hey, Alexa,” or “OK, Google.”

UMass Boston partners with six area institutions to develop shared programs.

Assistant Professor of Computer Science Xiaohui Liang is leading a four-year $1,179,714 National Institute on Aging–funded research project to use voice-assistant systems, such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, to detect early cognitive impairment in older adults. They hope to develop a system that would detect changes in speech patterns to measure and predict an individual’s cognitive decline in the home over time.

New Boston Higher Ed Consortium Will Expand Student Options

“We are tackling a significant and complicated data-science question: whether the collection of long-term speech patterns of individuals at home will enable us to develop new speechanalysis methods for early detection of this challenging disease,” Liang said.

newly formed higher ed consortium will allow students from six private colleges to enroll in graduate courses at UMass Boston during their senior year and then enroll at UMass Boston, completing their master’s degree on a rapid timeline. UMass Boston students will also have the opportunity to enroll in specialized master’s programs across the partnership.

The ability to plan in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease is essential for initiating interventions and providing support systems to improve patients’ everyday function and quality of life, researchers say.

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The Boston Advanced Academic Consortium (BAAC) coalition provides a new pipeline for UMass Boston’s graduate programs.

“The consortium opens up additional opportunities for students and enables the participating colleges and universities to become more competitive in an increasingly complex higher education market,” former Interim Chancellor Katherine Newman said.

BAAC members include Bentley University, Boston Architectural College, Boston Baptist College, Curry College, Lasell University, and Longy School of Music of Bard College.

Proposed systems could complement existing methods for diagnosing Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

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UNEWS

A New England Athletics Legend Retires

Jake Adkins ’23 (left) and Andy Walker ’22 rest on their journey.

Hockey Players Rollerblade for Cancer Research

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Mass Boston men’s hockey sophomores Jake Adkins ’23 and Andy Walker ’22 traded their skates for rollerblades this summer, embarking on a grueling 900-mile journey to raise money to fight cancer.

The pair, who dubbed themselves the “Men in Blades,” spent 10 days rollerblading from campus to Walker’s home in Mason, Michigan, raising more than $30,000 for the American Cancer Society.

“We want to spread awareness to people that cancer hasn’t stopped, and neither should people who are donating,” Adkins said. “Attention has shifted off of cancer patients and onto different causes. We wanted to do our best to give back and do something that was bigger than us.”

The journey was personal for both student-athletes. Adkins’s mother was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma but was declared in remission in 2015. Walker’s grandfather passed away from cancer when he was young.

The idea of rollerblades first started as a way to stay in shape during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We were sitting around, not knowing what to do. Practice was off. Gyms were closed. So, we bought rollerblades,” Walker said.

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After leading UMass Boston athletics for 40 years, building an NCAA Division III program that dominated its conference and brought home seven national titles, Vice Chancellor Charlie Titus retired in June.

Titus is considered one of the most respected names in college athletics in the Northeast. A native of the Columbia Point (now Harbor Point) housing complex and a basketball star at Boston Technical High School and in college, Titus became UMass Boston’s first men’s basketball coach in 1974. He added the title of athletic director in 1980, and vice chancellor of Athletics and Recreation, Special Projects and Programs in 2004.

“He took us from the club level all the way to the highest level of Division III,” said Brendan Eygabroat, UMass Boston’s baseball coach for the past 17 years. “We’ve been to the College World Series, the Frozen Four, the volleyball Elite Eight, and we’ve been one of the most successful departments in New England over the last decade.”

Titus played a key role in establishing UMass Boston’s new Sport Leadership and Administration program and securing a $5 million gift from New Balance to support an endowed chair for the program. In recent years, he established a partnership with Boston College High School to develop Monan Park, the Beacons’ first home baseball field.

He led the effort to establish the Little East Conference, helping to make it one of the premiere DIII conferences in the country. But those around him say it is his mentoring of his student-athletes and his work in the community that really made him stand out.

“Coach Titus instinctively understood that UMass Boston needed to have its welcome mat prominently displayed for all members of the local community—particularly kids. He recognized that sports could be the vehicle for forging lasting connections,” UMass President Martin Meehan said. “Many future UMass Boston students first came to campus as participants in a camp or youth sports program.”

2020 Faculty and Student

Applause for Honorees

The campus lawn may have been empty at commencement time this year, but that did not prevent UMass Boston from bestowing traditional graduation honors on some of its best and brightest. We’ll have to wait to celebrate their achievements—and the accomplishments of all our graduates and honorees—in person, but in the meantime, here are the outstanding faculty and students selected for awards and honors this year.

Professor Elizabeth Bussiere Department of Political Science College of Liberal Arts

Professor Werner Kunz Department of Marketing College of Management

Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Teaching

Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Service

Since Professor Bussiere arrived at UMass Boston in 1988, she has been notable for her excellence in teaching. She regularly teaches three upper-level courses on the American judicial system, her primary area of focus. However, her frequent offerings of first-year and intermediate seminars bring the issues raised in those courses to a wider audience. Students praise Professor Bussiere’s mentorship outside of class. She provides opportunities for students to interact with professionals, particularly in legal careers, and she has successfully guided students to seek law school admission and to become practicing attorneys.

Professor Kunz, a leading authority on business applications of social media, has made many significant contributions to the UMass Boston community. Since 2011, he has conducted the highly regarded Social Media Day, an annual conference for members of the business, hi-tech, and social media communities, featuring lectures, panel discussions, training, and networking opportunities. In 2014, he founded the Digital Media Lab, which seeks to turn academic research about digital and social media and innovative media services into insights for real-world applications. In addition, Professor Kunz has worked for the last seven years with SERVSIG, an American Marketing Association group dedicated to services research. He received the College of Management Dean’s Award for Distinguished Service in 2018.

Professor Elizabeth Bussiere

Professor Werner Kunz

UMass Boston Fall 2020 Professor Heidi Levitt

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Professor Heidi Levitt Department of Psychology College of Liberal Arts

Marta Pagán-Ortiz ’20 Graduate Student Speaker

Chancellor’s Award for Distinguished Scholarship Professor Levitt has changed the way research is evaluated in the field of psychology. Her 2018 article in American Psychologist, advancing a conceptually driven approach to evaluating reporting by considering researchers’ epistemological aims and study characteristics, was the most downloaded paper across all 89 of the American Psychological Association’s journals. In addition, Professor Levitt has written two books, 99 peer-reviewed journal articles, and 35 academic chapters on qualitative methods; psychotherapy processes; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer gender communities. She is committed to the development of the next generation of researchers, having published with 87 students. Her scholarly productivity has been extraordinary, and the impact of her work has been widely felt.

Marta Pagán-Ortiz ’20 graduated with her PhD in counseling psychology. She is recognized for her research and service to the Latinx communities at UMass Boston, in Boston, and in her home community of Puerto Rico. Her dissertation, “Feasibility of an Online Health Intervention for Latinas with Chronic Pain,” offers a voice to an underrepresented and underserved population.

Through the Latino Mental Health Team at the Cambridge Health Alliance she provided outpatient psychotherapy to individuals and groups. When Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, she helped to secure funding for a team of doctoral students and faculty to travel there to help with relief efforts. “For me, being a Latina and an immigrant, diversity is really important,” says Pagán-Ortiz. “I’m really glad I ended up [at UMass Boston].”

Christie Towers ’20 Maria Vasco ’20

Graduate Student Speaker

John F. Kennedy Award for Academic Excellence

A graduate of the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Program, Christie Towers ’20 is a poet who actively published while at UMass Boston. In addition, Towers volunteered at the Black Seed Writers’ Workshop for the homeless at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston. Even as the coronavirus pandemic escalated, her work with those most at risk of COVID-19 complications did not let up.

She says that through her MFA program and volunteer work, she’s “really connected with the community,” which sets the stage for the next chapter of her life.

Environmental studies and sustainability major Maria Vasco ’20, the first-ever recipient of UMass Boston’s Entrepreneur Scholarship, was an outstanding student with a 3.8 GPA and a member of the Honors College. She is also an entrepreneur who, while still a student at UMass Boston, started UVIDA, a plastic-free product shop and website. Her goal is to help individuals reduce their plastic waste through the use of eco-products.

The John F. Kennedy Award winner traditionally speaks at the commencement ceremony, but Vasco will have to wait to deliver her address until the in-person ceremony is held. In the meantime, she says, “We should celebrate all the hard work that we put into the past years and pride ourselves on the dedication we had in our education and carry that into the next steps of our life.”

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Maria Vasco ’20

Marta Pagán-Ortiz ’20

Christie Towers ’20

The Next Level

BY DEWAYNE LEHMAN

In a time of crisis and suffering, Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco promises to redouble efforts to lead UMass Boston to new heights of excellence, service, and relevance.

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arcelo Suárez-Orozco remembers Boston from the decade he taught at Harvard and raised his family in Cambridge, in the late ’90s and early aughts, as a city in the throes of physical upheaval— the Big Dig gouging a new transportation network through the heart of the city. As he returns to this city to become chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston, he is transfixed by the changes he’s seen.

“It’s a beautiful city; it’s so pristine,” he said in a recent interview, relishing the opportunity to return to Boston. “It’s completely transformed.”

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In February, the UMass Board of Trustees unanimously elected Suárez-Orozco, the former dean of UCLA’s Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, as the ninth chancellor of UMass Boston. His appointment came at a time when news of the severity of the coronavirus was just gathering steam, and no one could have predicted what would transpire in the months ahead.

“When I accepted this responsibility—the gift of a lifetime—I felt very good in that [Interim Chancellor] Katherine Newman had made a great deal of progress,” said Suárez-Orozco. “It’s a university ready, pregnant with potential to be taken to the next level— the next level of service, the next level of excellence, the next level of relevance. And then everything changed. But everything changed in the whole world.”

Change and challenges are not unfamiliar to Suárez-Orozco, who grew up the son of public school teachers in a small town outside of Buenos Aires. In his teens his family grew increasingly concerned about the growing political unrest in Argentina, and at age 17 he migrated to the United States on his own with a few dollars in his pocket. As a young immigrant, Suárez-Orozco worked his way up, finding jobs cleaning office buildings, making deliveries, and pumping gas while taking night classes to learn English. Eventually he enrolled in the California Community Colleges system and later transferred to the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned an AB in psychology, and an MA and PhD in anthropology.

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That education, he said, opened the doors to basic research and eventually teaching at universities around the world, including nearly a decade at Harvard as a tenured professor and at New York University as a university professor—the most distinguished professorial rank at NYU. A decade ago he became the inaugural Wasserman Dean at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, where he led 2 academic departments, 16 research institutes, and 2 demonstration schools. His internationally renowned research focuses on cultural psychology and psychological anthropology, with an emphasis on education, globalization, and migration.

As a scholar of migration for more than three decades, SuárezOrozco said he’s watched the global racialization of inequality and poverty in major U.S. cities and elsewhere, and he sees education—particularly public higher education—as an indispensable tool for disrupting and overcoming the malaise of growing inequality.

“I benefited enormously from the openness that defines our attitudes in higher education towards immigrants,” said SuárezOrozco. “Education is a public good, essential for the flourishing of all human beings and the formation of engaged and independent citizens. It must prepare our workforce—now more diverse than ever in the history of our country—to thrive in the labor market of the 21st century. In my case these were not simply worthy

students at an educational disadvantage,” said Suárez-Orozco, who personally seeded the new George Floyd Honorary Scholarhip Fund for scholarships for our deserving students. He noted in a statement in July announcing the establishment of the new endowment, “I firmly believe that equitable access to quality education is a foundational step we must take to see systemic racism dismantled in our country.”

The new fund, given in the spirit of celebrating the struggles for human rights, racial justice, and human dignity, was established to provide financial support to talented students who otherwise may find it difficult or impossible to pay for a college education. It is also as an investment in future leaders “who will fight for social, political, and economic justice, drawing from their lived experience and using the tools forged in our classrooms,” Suárez-Orozco said.

It was seeded with a $50,000 pledge from the chancellor and his wife, Carola, and has grown to exceed $100,000 in commitments.

In addition, on his first day on the job, Chancellor Suárez-Orozco in a communication to the campus community announced he would appoint a faculty member as special advisor to the chancellor for Black life at UMass Boston to advise him on matters of importance to Black faculty, students, and staff.

abstract principles. For me, education was a transformational life force.”

For Suárez-Orozco, these new initiatives are only a start to a broader campus conversation about how UMass Boston will move forward during a time of global crises.

“The question for me at this time of great uncertainty is what Suárez-Orozco said he sees his appointment as chancellor at does it take to deliver an engaging intellectual experience to our UMass Boston as an opportunity to bring together his personal students that will keep them attached to us and thriving?” he experience, scholarly expertise, and vision for higher education said. “This is where our first-rate, humane, and engaged faculty in service of leading “Boston’s great public research university.” make all the difference. Everybody is facing the same undertow.

According to Suárez-Orozco, Everybody is going to have to swim public universities, and very hard to protect our institutions. particularly UMass Boston, But I shiver looking at the devastating should be at the forefront, “I firmly believe that equitable access economic losses and the terrible sufleading the response to bring fering in the wake of the pandemic— greater opportunities, to quality education is a foundational above all, the damage it is visiting on excellence, dignity, and equality step we must take to see systemic racism our most vulnerable communities.” to our communities. Even at Coming together and finding comUMass Boston—known for its dismantled in our country.” mon purpose, and remaining steaddiversity, majority students of fast in our commitment to excellence, color, and high number of Pell equity, and inclusion, he argues, is Grant-eligible students—we more important today than ever before. And true to his immican do more, he said. grant background, the chancellor is a forward-looking optimist.

“The racialization of inequality is a grave threat to the practice “Writing in another time of death, untold suffering, and upheaval, of democratic citizenship in the commonwealth and beyond.

Albert Camus said, ‘Where there is no hope, we must invent it.’

UMass Boston’s students of color—like their peers across the Today more than ever at UMass Boston we are redoubling our nation—face economic and social barriers to their education, exacerbated by COVID-19’s malignancy, placing too many of our endeavors to invent hope,” he said.

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Culturally Sensitive Nursing UMass Boston leads the way in training nurses for a diverse patient population.

By Colleen Locke

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Goddard House Renews Support for Mid-Career Nursing Students In March, Goddard House, the oldest nonprofit elder care organization in Massachusetts, pledged a $500,000 gift over five years to the Goddard House–Doane Scholarship program. The program provides financial support for students pursuing any nursing degree or certification program, providing they have worked for at least 10 years as a registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or certified nursing assistant in the city of Boston. Since partnering with UMass Boston in 2015, the Goddard House has provided 50 awards totaling $340,000 to 39 students in UMass Boston’s nursing degree programs.

On a typical day, family nurse practitioner Valery Joseph ’10, G’18 sees between 15 and 18 patients at the Whittier Street Health Center in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. Most of her patients range in age from 50 to 90. About 90 percent speak Spanish, one of four languages spoken by Haiti-born Joseph. But since Whittier became a COVID-19 testing site in April, things have been anything but typical. Fortunately, she felt well prepared to handle the situation.

“Right now with the COVID-19 outbreak, it’s all about culture, really,” Joseph said during a call between patients. “When you’re in school, you take all of these courses about diversity and cultural sensitivity. I’ve been amazed throughout my nursing career that everything UMass Boston taught us—that’s how it is in real life.”

Cultural sensitivity is woven throughout the nursing curriculum, says College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS) Dean Linda Thompson. Last year, according to CNHS data, 38 percent of the

university’s graduate nursing student population identified as a race other than white; 44 percent of nursing undergrads identified as non-white. The program’s diversity provides UMass Boston students with a unique advantage.

“Because of their culture, students are able to relate to the hospital population that they serve. They understand what is appropriate to say and how to connect,” said Thompson. “Hospitals seek out our students after they graduate because they need a diverse nursing population or health care group in order to take care of the people that they serve.”

Nursing student Handel Ulysse ’22, who came from Haiti to the United States as a toddler, attests to the program’s focus on cultural sensitivity. There are many things nurses must take into consideration when they interact with patients, he says. One of them is religion.

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Graduate student Anne Marie Anderson G’21 monitors simulation rooms from the control room.

Nursing students practice their skills in one of two simulation labs in the Center for Clinical Education and Research.

“You have to factor in every patient’s spiritual and religious practices,” he said. “For instance, Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t agree to the practice of blood transfusions. We know that some people who are Muslim [ fast at times], so it makes it hard if someone has a very strict nutritional order and they’re not able to eat.”

patients,” Ballout said. “With the trans community, there are lots of issues when it comes to proper communication and gender pronouns. We talk about all these things with students.”

A Research Focus The need for a diverse, culturally aware nursing workforce is the motivation for some of the college’s research, according to Dean Thompson. For instance, it’s one reason why Dana-Farber Cancer Institute approached UMass Boston about creating a residency program for students who choose to work with oncology patients.

“They need more oncology nurses who can perhaps increase our knowledge of why certain populations don’t seek care early enough. Their mortality is higher because they go to care later,” Thompson said.

Faith Koroma-Coker ’21 is in her third year in the Young Empowered Students for ContinUed Research Engagement (YES for CURE) program, funded by the National Cancer Institute. She’s a research intern under Assistant Professor of Nursing Suha Ballout, co-principal investigator in a U54 research project looking at adult smokers who identify as transgender or gender expansive.

According to a 2011 Institute of Medicine report, 20.6 percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults and 35.5 percent of transgender adults smoke cigarettes, compared to 14.9 percent of cisgender adults. Last summer, Koroma-Coker and another student worked on the recruitment plan and a scoping review on smoking interventions for transgender communities. The National Institutes of Health funds the U54 UMass Boston–Dana-Farber/ Harvard Cancer Center Partnership.

When students join Ballout’s team, they receive training in trans issues, health disparities, and proper communication. “We don’t want to be trying to do something good and then insult our 14

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Student involvement and community partners are also keys to successful health-disparities research. Associate Professor of Nursing Teri Aronowitz is working with Institute for New England Native American Studies Director J. Cedric Woods and the Mashpee Wampanoag and Nipmuc tribes to create an 18-week addiction-prevention program for Native middle-school students that will be run by Native college students. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services is funding the program. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Native Americans have among the highest rates of increase in opioid overdose deaths in the country. In summer 2019, two students in the CatCH (Caregiver, Child and Community Health) Scholars Program helped work on the training manual for Aronowitz’s project.

A History of Leadership UMass Boston has long been a leader in culturally sensitive nursing. Gaurdia Banister, the executive director of the Institute for Patient Care at Massachusetts General Hospital, helped develop a program dedicated to increasing the diversity of the registered nurse workforce in all Partners HealthCare System hospitals. The Clinical Leadership Collaborative for Diversity in Nursing (CLCDN) program was open to ethnically diverse, socio-economically disadvantaged UMass Boston students between 2007 and 2019. Banister says 92 percent of the 93 CLCDN program graduates were hired within Partners upon graduation.

“The CLCDN graduates are committed to being advocates for patients and their families who are marginalized and underrepresented,” Banister said. “In regard to exemplary practice, we are in good hands as they become our future leaders.”

IN THIS T GETHER The UMass Boston community unites to help everyone cope with the pandemic.

BY ELIS MULLINS AND VANESSA CHATTERLEY

The extraordinary toll taken by COVID-19—and the challenges posed by the measures needed to slow its spread—has called for extraordinary efforts to help people obtain basic needs and deal with feelings of sadness and isolation. The UMass Boston community stepped up to do its part to help.

Students, staff, faculty, and alumni—the entire community—all went beyond the normal call of duty to make sure everyone gets through these trying times in the best possible shape. Here are a few of the inspiring things they did.

Suzanne Alkhatatbih ’22 (r) and her younger brother benefited from one of the 223 Chromebooks loaned to students who needed them for remote learning. Photo courtesy of Suzanne Alkhatatbih

“I take calculus, chemistry, and

Chromebook Drive Delivers Laptops to Students in Need

biology using this

After transitioning to remote learning, the university launched a Sponsor a Chromebook drive that provided 223 Chromebooks to loan to students without laptops and help them succeed in a remote learning environment. The initiative was greatly assisted by an $8,500 grant from the City of Boston and Mayor Marty Walsh.

Chromebook. If I did

For student Suzanne Alkhatatbih ’22, the benefit of the loaner Chromebook was immediate and powerful. “The Chromebook really helped me doing my classes and logging into Zoom,” she said in a thank-you video she made. “I used to have a hard time logging in and doing all my classwork since my laptop is broken. But this really helped me a lot. . . . And also my little brother here, he uses Zoom for school and he uses the Chromebook, as well.”

not have this, I would not be able to do any of my classwork.”

—Raynise C. ’23

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Jack Carvalho ’92 served as a keynote speaker at the university’s annual Celebration of Philanthropy event, which took place in the Campus Center Ballroom on October 30, 2018 and welcomed nearly 200 guests. Prior to the evening’s events, Carvalho spent the day meeting with first-generation students and students in finance, business, and international relations, offering them advice and mentorship.

Jack Carvalho ’92 Makes Gift to Support Students Impacted by COVID-19

UMBeTogether Connects Students During Times of Uncertainty

In a show of continuing support and generosity to the UMass Boston community, Jack Carvalho ’92 made a gift of $100,000 to the Beacon Student Aid Fund last spring. The Beacon Student Aid Fund provides small grants to students who face financial challenges, such as paying rent or paying for food and living expenses. The pandemic has seen a surge in students who need assistance paying for basic needs, and Carvalho’s gift ensures that those needs are met. It is the latest in a series of generous donations he’s made and the largest gift ever specifically for emergency student aid.

Despite being separated by remote learning, students stayed connected through a student-led online initiative, UMBeTogether. Developed by student Gillian Benoit ’21, it brings together members of the student community with shared areas of interest for special events and spontaneous interaction.

Archivists Gather UMass Boston’s COVID-19 Stories After UMass Boston began remote classes, University Archives and Special Collections staff provided the university community with a way to share their stories about life during the pandemic and preserve them for future generations in the archives’ digital collections. The stories housed in the COVID-19 digital archive paint a vivid portrait of the real, lived experiences behind the headlines and the policy issues.

• One student fought the virus for five days in the hospital, only to lose family to it after being discharged.

• Another felt overwhelmed. “I am going through Groundhog Day, just living the same day over and over.”

• One student found a unique way to cope. “Growing plants . . . has helped in easing the sadness that thousands of local deaths can and has provoked.”

• Others used humor to help them cope. “If we do survive this, maybe keep the pandemic team next time,” a student quipped.

If you would like to contribute to the COVID-19 digital archive, or view contributions others have made, go to https://openarchives. umb.edu/digital/collection/covid19.

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One of UMBeTogether’s events was “A Night with Alok Menon.”

Menon is a New York–based spoken-word artist and community organizer who was honored as one of NBC’s Pride 50 and Out magazine’s OUT 100 in 2019. The online dialogue between Menon and students focused on healing, reflection, and coping strategies amid the challenges of quarantine.

“Participants felt encouraged and validated by the insights of Alok and the collective response of fellow classmates,” said Benoit. “I was deeply moved by the willingness of everyone to support one another.”

At the Site of the First Thanksgiving UMass Boston Archaeologists Find the Pilgrims’ Original Compound and Offer New Insights into Relations Between English Settlers and Wampanoag.

By Colleen Locke

Four hundred years after the first Thanksgiving—a three-day harvest feast celebrated in 1621 by a band of desperately struggling English settlers and a group of neighboring native Wampanoag— it remains shrouded in many mysteries. Where exactly did the feast take place? What were relations between the colonists and native inhabitants like? Now, as the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving draws near, UMass Boston researchers are starting to provide answers.

In 2013, David Landon, associate director of UMass Boston’s Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research, launched an archaeological investigation into those questions with the cooperation of the Town of Plymouth and Plimoth Plantation, a living museum recreating life in the 17th-century settlement. He began with a search for evidence of the palisade that surrounded the original settlement where the first Thanksgiving probably took place. No one knew exactly where it had been built.

“Historical accounts of Plymouth put the top of Burial Hill as the location of the first fort and meeting house,” Landon said. “There are no maps from the time period, and the first map that puts any

of the features of the original settlement on the ground isn’t until the 1870s. But there is an 1870s map that marks a location on Burial Hill. It says, ‘site of the first fort and meeting house.’”

Graduate students from UMass Boston and around the country have been participating in an archaeological dig in search of the original settlement every summer for five weeks for the past seven years. The dig focused in two areas on Burial Hill separated by an 1830s burial vault. One of the goals of the project was to locate evidence of the fortification in time for the 400th anniversary of the city of Plymouth in fall 2020. The fast-approaching deadline helps explain why graduate student Linda Seminario G’23 remembers exactly where she was last year on the day that students in UMass Boston’s Archaeological Field School found evidence of the original palisade wall built to protect the Plimoth settlement.

“I was digging in the cellar [of a 17th-century house], which is about as deep as I am tall,” recalled Seminario. “My friend whispers to me, ‘I think we found the palisade.’”

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The Edge Piece Elizabeth Tarulis G’20, a master’s student at the time of the discovery, said finding evidence of constructed features that have disappeared over time is different from finding tangible artifacts.

“Because soil is deposited in layers, when anything goes through those layers it’s going to disturb them, and it’s going to leave distinctive shapes that we can interpret,” Tarulis explained. “Trees, when they go through the soil, they leave behind root stains. If you put in a fence post, that leaves behind what’s called a post hole.”

It was the discovery of a series of post-hole stains in the soil that led student researchers to definitively conclude that they had found the location of the palisade wall in 2019.

“They noticed there were these darker spots that seemed to make a line, and they called Dave and [project archaeologist] Christa [Beranek] over,” Seminario remembered.

“We are the first ones to actually have found any intact sections of the settlement,” Landon said. “What I’ve said to people is since we’re digging in downtown, we’re never going to find the whole outline of the settlement. We’re just going to get little jigsaw puzzle pieces of it. With the palisade, I like to say we’ve only got a jigsaw puzzle piece, but we’ve got an edge piece.”

Excavations took place in a busy downtown area of Plymouth.

A New View of Relations Between Colonists and Natives If the discovery of a fragment of the palisade wall helps locate the original settlement more precisely, and thus the general area where the first harvest celebration took place, other discoveries made by Landon’s team help characterize the relationship between settlers and natives.

How extensive were the encounters between the English and the Wampanoag during the earliest years of the settlement? The UMass Boston team thinks that perhaps they were more extensive than previously thought. They’ve made that assessment based on the European pottery and Wampanoag pottery found in trash pits and the yard outside the 17th-century house.

“We kind of looked closely at that association, and it really seems like the European and Native pottery were being used side by side in some of the English houses in the original settlement,” Landon said. “The artifacts of that are not super exciting to look at because we’re looking at all these tiny little broken pieces of pottery. But then we go through the process of looking at the spatial patterning and the way they occur together in specific deposits, and it gives us some interesting information about close trade relationships between the Wampanoag and the colonists.”

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Next page, middle: Pottery shards found at the site. Bottom: Artifacts from the time of the original settlement were buried deep in the soil.

“I think a lot of visitors coming to our museum have this idea that the Pilgrims came to an uninhabited wilderness and every so often different indigenous characters would wander through,” Jade Luiz, the curator of collections at Plimoth Plantation, said. “But in fact, what the archaeology is demonstrating is this constant communication and exchange of material goods and probably interpersonal interactions that are happening.”

Luiz says UMass Boston’s findings have informed a new exhibit installed at the beginning of the 2020 season and that visitors to Plimoth Plantation will notice the addition of Wampanoag earthenware cooking pots, called pipkins, in English hearths.

Adds Sarah Rose, the deputy director for museum education and outreach at Plimoth Plantation, “It’s just so fun when the archaeology backs up what we think we know from English accounts, and then to get the Native archaeology on top of that, the part of the story we don’t have a written record for, that gets super exciting for me, a non-archaeologist .”

As Seminario put it, “It really shifts the idea of what this moment in history looked like.”

Constance the Calf

The location of each unearthed feature is carefully noted.

Students do the delicate work of exposing the bones of a calf that died within the compound of the first settlement. But what caused its death?

In 2014, when UMass Boston researchers began to find 17thcentury artifacts such as pottery, tins, trade beads, and musket balls, they were cautiously optimistic that they had found a location inside the walls of the first Plimoth settlement. But they weren’t sure until 2016 when they uncovered the skeleton of a calf, which students affectionately named Constance. “Because native people didn’t have domestic cattle,” said David Landon, associate director of UMass Boston’s Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research, “we know that Constance lived—and died—in the confines of the original Plymouth settlement.”

“When we first uncovered the calf skeleton, we puzzled over the cause of death,” Landon continued. “Typically, when animals are eaten, the skeleton is cut up into smaller portions during butchery.

In this case, we had lots of articulated parts of a single animal, showing that it was buried partially intact. When we brought all of the bones back to the lab, Anna Opishinski, one of the graduate research assistants, did a detailed ‘forensic’ analysis of the bone surfaces, looking for evidence of disease, injury, or something else that would hint at the cause of death. In this case, Anna found very small cut marks across many surfaces of the bone, showing that the animal was in fact butchered and eaten.”

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VOICES RAISED AGAINST RACISM The Black Lives Matter movement spurs action, reflection at UMass Boston.

By Crystal Valencia

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Abdullah Beckett ’21, vice president of UMass Boston NAACP, installs names of 109 victims of racism and police brutality as part of a #saymyname memorial ground art installation at UMass Boston on Juneteenth, June 19, 2020. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

T

he UMass Boston campus was closed, but that didn’t stop dozens of students, faculty, and staff from standing together—to grieve, express their anger, and to be heard.

In the days following the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed while in police custody, the UMass Boston community rallied, arriving with face masks and signs and marching through campus to the chant of “Black Lives Matter.”

“Like many of you, I am sick and tired of this global conscience epidemic of Black bodies being brutalized economically, socially, physically, and Black murders being normalized,” student Celine Voyard ’22 said to the crowd during the June 6 protest at the university.

As millions of people across the nation continue to protest against police brutality and call for sweeping reforms to address systemic racism, the UMass Boston community has begun its own dialogue around how the university can begin to eradicate racial injustice on campus and beyond.

From better supporting the recruitment, retention, and academic excellence of Black faculty, staff, and students, to adopting antiracist policies, curriculum, and trainings, the UMass Boston community is taking action and speaking out.

“Across UMass Boston and other campuses, Black students, faculty, and staff must continue to organize, raise their voices, and press the administration to push beyond the boundaries of the ‘normal of racism,’” said Quito Swan, director of the Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture. “Black representatives should be among the critical architects in crafting any antiracism and restorative justice agenda, but the responsibility of ensuring successful implementation and transformative change rests on individuals of all races.”

While UMass Boston is considered the most diverse university in New England, administrators agree that there is more work to be done.

As one of his first tasks as chancellor, Marcelo Suárez-Orozco established the position of Special Advisor to the Chancellor for Black Life at UMass Boston. The special advisor will work with campus leadership as they commit to creating new structures and develop new practices “purposefully designed to put UMass Boston at the forefront of excellence, engagement, and relevance on racial justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion,” Suárez-Orozco said.

UMass Boston Police Chief Donald Baynard implemented a Police Community Advisory Board to discuss national topics and come together to effect change.

Over the summer, a committee of faculty and staff recommended ongoing antiracism and restorative justice training for all senior administrators, faculty, and staff, and first-year, transfer, international, continuing, and graduate students.

They are coordinating with the Africana Studies Department and several of the university’s centers and institutes to develop the programming.

Faculty across the university have expressed their commitment to furthering their own knowledge of institutional racism and to incorporating antiracist pedagogy into courses in all disciplines. The Sociology Department, which houses the criminology and criminal justice major, has vowed to reflect on the role it is playing in “either normalizing or raising critical awareness about institutional racism in law enforcement and all the other institutions that are the focus of our research and teaching.”

Tracy Beard ’21, a PhD student in the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development, said the university not only has to look at how it’s creating an environment where Black students can thrive but also help non-Black students to understand the history and systemic issues at hand.

“It’s not just what happens with the students of color, the Black students who are on campus, but what we’re teaching our non-Black students and our other students of color as well,” she said during a discussion of how to be antiracist at UMass Boston. “I think the most heartbreaking experience is sitting with other students and having them feel like they don’t want to be Black in the institution. Having to also reassure ourselves that you fit here, that you’re welcome here . . . There’s an issue of belonging.”

Nearly two weeks after the UMass Boston demonstration, Abdullah Beckett ’21, vice president of UMass Boston’s chapter of the NAACP, celebrated Juneteenth, which commemorates the abolition of slavery in the United States, by helping his fellow students place on the Campus Center lawn gravestones with the names of 109 victims of racism.

“We as young people need to use our youth and energy to keep striving, to join organizations fighting for racial equality, to teach it to our parents, to hold our friends and acquaintances accountable for their actions,” Beckett said.

“We must know that there are many forms of activism. You can be out protesting, or you can make spaces for healing for others. Both are equally important during these times.”

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Maria Servellón ’12:

LIVING IN THE

By Vanessa Chatterley

An independent filmmaker explores self-identities that bridge cultures.

Whether it’s through film, drawing, music, theater, or dance, Maria Servellón ’12 has always been creating art in one form or another. But it wasn’t until her sophomore year at UMass Boston that she considered turning her talents into a career.

“I originally pursued psychology, but I decided that I wanted to connect with people in another way. I wanted to connect with people who appreciate art, and I felt like psychology wasn’t working for me in that sense,” said Servellón, who changed her major to studio art with a minor in Japanese. “I felt like it was my calling to keep creating and connect with audiences in a much more visceral way.”

Now the award-winning filmmaker is connecting with people through one of her latest and most successful films, Hyphen.

As a multimedia artist, Servellón often uses several art forms to explore a story or topic. The 21-minute film is a poetic journey of memory and fantasy told through the eyes of four versions of an artist as she creates her own self-identity. Each character learns to use art, dance, and music to realize their dreams, fears, and achievements. Through the power of creativity, they are able

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Independent filmmaker Maria Servellón ’12, behind the camera, sets up a shot for one of her projects.

to overcome different challenges to create identities that transcend cultural and gender expectations.

As a Salvadoran-American, first-generation, female artist from Boston, Servellón said she has a range of identities that shape the voice in the work she creates.

“Hyphen comes from the phrase ‘living in the hyphen’ or ‘straddling the hyphen,’ which means people who juggle and find their own identity within multiple identities regarding culture, history, religion, sexual orientation, or gender,” said Servellón, who was inspired to create the film after working with students in the Boston Public Schools. “The film came from those previous experiences of connecting with different students and people who have been in my shoes. Hyphen comes from the short stories that I’ve heard throughout my life that are buried within the burrows of Boston and the neighborhoods around.

“The film ultimately relates to growing up with parents who sacrificed everything for their children, wanting to fit in during high school, dealing with the stresses of being a college student, and trying to make your mark in the world but not being sure how to do that yet,” she continued. “It deals with traveling elsewhere, being out of your comfort zone, and finding your foothold in it. I think those are the more universal topics that this film and my other work represent.”

Since its debut in 2018, her film has been featured at the Boston Latino International Film Festival, the Official Latino Short Film Festival in Palm Springs, the Central American International Film Festival Los Angeles, the Oaxaca FilmFest, Portland Underground Film Festival, NewFilmmakers New York, and Grrl Haus. In April 2021, Hyphen will be screened at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Servellón also saw a surge of online support for the film from celebrities in the Latinx community, such as actress America Ferrera, comedian Anjelah Johnson, and blogger Perez Hilton.

“I wasn’t expecting some of these people to take notice of what we’re doing, but if they are noticing, then this is creating a bigger impact than I had intended,” said Servellón. “It’s been about making these waves and people jumping on board into our little ship that’s sailing the seas of independent filmmaking. It started catching some eyes.”

Servellón is currently an adjunct professor in the College of Professional Studies at Northeastern University. In addition to being an educator, she has been an arts advocate, connecting with and inspiring those in the arts and Latinx communities. In 2018, she was named one of El Mundo Boston’s “Latino 30 Under 30.” She also recently won the Latina Leader Award in Arts and Education by Amplify Latinx. Servellón serves on the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston’s Creative Entrepreneur Fellowship, as well as on the MASS MoCA’s Assets for Artists grant for 2020.

“Being an artist is not easy, but it’s been about how can I do and continue the work that makes me happy—the work that makes me connect with others,” said Servellón. “I would want people to think about their own concept of identity and how they can embrace it, research it, break it down, and do healing if they need to. Thinking about who you are in your core self. And I think through my work I’ve been able to discover more of that as time goes on.”

“…‘living in the hyphen’ or ‘straddling the hyphen,’ which means people who juggle and find their own identity within multiple identities regarding culture, history, religion, sexual orientation, or gender.”

Opposite page, top: Close-up of Servellón as one of four versions of an artist creating her own identity in Hyphen.

This page: Each version of the main character in Hyphen embarks on a different journey of self-discovery.

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People Weaver Aaron Battista ’88 Helps Brands Tell Their Story

By Vanessa Chatterley

P

eople in the retail industry often call Aaron Battista ’88 “the people weaver.” It’s a nickname that he holds dear, not only because it illustrates his knack for making connections with people in his industry but also because it speaks to his ability to sometimes secure jobs on the basis of just a single introduction to a business executive.

and he serves on the advisory boards of Ember, STORY, and SmartyPants Vitamins. In addition to his advisory work, Battista is the ambassador for Smile Train, a nonprofit providing corrective surgery for children with cleft lips and palates, and is on the board of directors of Free Arts, a Los Angeles–based art program that pairs foster children with mentors.

After nearly 30 years spent working with companies to strategize and implement national and global outreach, brand experience, retail expansion, and team development, Battista is a name that retailers recognize as readily as the brands in his portfolio. After earning his degree in psychology from UMass Boston, he went on to serve in a variety of leadership advisory roles, working with brands such as Liz Claiborne, Gucci, Lucky Brand, Swatch, and The Body Shop. He also served as the chief retail officer of the apparel manufacturer Kellwood Company and has played a role in the strategic planning and expansion of more than 700 retail stores.

UMass Boston magazine recently caught up with Battista to discuss his rich and varied background in the retail and advisory industries and what it means to him to help brands tell their story.

Battista is currently CEO and retail advisor at Battista Co. He is a founding partner at the retail advisory company Bonfire Group,

Photos Top: Aaron Battista ’88 Right: The leadership team at retail consultancy firm Ember Company and Ember Group (from left to right): Avani Patel, Paul Blum, Glen Ellen Brown, Aaron Battista, and Matt Jung 24

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How has your degree in psychology from UMass Boston helped you in your field?

What lessons have you taken away from working on a project or with a client?

I think it’s given me a much deeper empathy in how you approach business as a whole. I took such varied classes, and all of them solidified the understanding of the mind for me. Getting a degree in psychology has helped me in not only understanding the sciences behind people’s behaviors but also some of the motives and reasons for people doing the things that they do. It helps you put teams together, and that’s what I’ve been spending an inordinate amount of my career on: helping to build great teams in these companies for them to flourish.

It always comes back to three areas for me, which I learned from my mentor Paul Charron, CEO of Liz Claiborne. It comes back to people, time, and money. When you think about those three areas of business, everything kind of centers and revolves around them as part of the strategy. That’s the likeness of every company, even if one is selling luxury handbags and another is selling denim jeans. You find that the same things need to happen: you need to connect with consumers in ways that are meaningful for them and to listen to the voice of your team and customers.

You’ve had your hands in so many projects over the years.

How do you approach a new project?

How has the industry changed in the last 30 years, and how have you had to adapt?

I spend a lot of time in the digital space today. With the world being as interesting as it is and then as global as it is, brands are really trying to look at how they tell their story, not only domestically but also internationally. Each brand has its new and interesting story that I get to help tell as well. I love being able to tell a great story and help these brands put these stories out into the world.

Today, there are a lot more voices because you have social media and digital reach. I’ve had to become more digitalcentric and more social media–centric over the years. I’m looking to the future of the retail industry, of engaging more with the community and consumers through digital and social media.

Digital is a way of putting your brand in a book and having people read the book. One of the things that’s interesting to me is that some books are pop-up books, some books have illustrations, some books are wordier than others. So create your own unique story.

BATTISTA ENDOWS SCHOLARSHIP In 2019, Aaron Battista ’88 made a five-year commitment to create the Battista and Stewart Scholarship, which supports UMass Boston undergraduates from New England who have financial need and maintain a 3.0 GPA. The goal is to provide support for a student from freshman year through graduation. “An important life goal of mine is to give back and help support people’s educational endeavors,” said Battista, who earned a partial scholarship when he was enrolled at UMass Boston. “I’m happy to be able to help where help is needed.”

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Solution

The Harbor Islands

Inspired by nature, the Stone Living Lab is poised to be a global leader in nature-based solutions to sea-level rise.

BY ELIS MULLINS

Nineteenth-century American writer Oliver Wendell Holmes once famously declared that Boston was “The Hub of the Solar System.”

Now UMass Boston is poised to become a hub of a different kind.

A consortium including UMass Boston faculty, the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation, City of Boston officials, the National Park Service, and Boston Harbor Now is launching an effort that could make the university a hub of research into the use of nature-based solutions to help mitigate the impacts of sea-level rise and extreme weather on coastal cities. This past summer they announced the founding of the Stone Living Lab for nature-based adaptive solutions to be tested and scaled in the Boston Harbor Islands parks. The project, which will include a community outreach and education component, is funded by a $5 million grant from the Stone Foundation. It will write the next chapter in Boston’s climate resiliency efforts.

This high tide flood along Boston’s waterfront occurred in October 2016.

Photographer: Christian Merfeld

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“This unique new partnership will create opportunities to address flooding, enhance recreation, and improve local ecosystems, a trifecta of benefits that could have truly global reach,” said Cathy Stone, president of the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Foundation.

“A lot of cities throughout the world are interested in nature-based solutions. . . . As far as we can see, we’re the only lab doing this kind of full-scale research,” said Professor Paul Kirshen, director of the lab. “So we also want to become a hub, an international network on nature-based solutions for coastal flood protection.”

The City of Boston has taken an aggressive approach to assessing the threat of climate change and exploring ways to protect the city and its coastal neighborhoods from flooding, particularly during storm surges. An initial report in 2016, Climate Ready Boston, found that the sea level in Boston Harbor could rise 8 inches by 2030,

An example of a nature-based solution: A living shoreline (a protected, stabilized coastal edge made of natural materials such as plants, sand, or rock that allows plants and animals to grow and live there) in front of Clippership Wharf in East Boston. Photographer: Liz Cook

“We found out that the islands themselves provide a lot of protection because they absorb a lot of the wave energy.”

—Professor Paul Kirshen, director, Stone Living Lab

One possible location for the Stone Living Lab facilities is Rainsford Island in Boston Harbor. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.

exercise of doing the study gave Kirshen a lead to another, perhaps more effective, approach.

“We found out that the islands themselves provide a lot of protection because they absorb a lot of the wave energy,” said Kirshen.

“On the ocean side of the islands, in a major storm the waves might be 20 to 30 feet high, but by the time those waves get to Boston, they’re only a few feet high.”

Members of the Stone Living Lab team at the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay, NY, summer 2019: from the left, Kirk Bosma, Paul Kirshen, Marianne Connolly, Mark Borrelli, Kathy Abbott, Marc Albert, Cathy Stone, Sonja Plesset, Michael Creasey, Jack Murray, and Bob Chen.

Photo courtesy of the Stone Living Lab.

1.5 feet by 2050, and 3 feet by 2070. New research indicates levels could rise as much as 3.4 feet. These findings are particularly concerning in light of the fact that major storms create high waves and storm surges on the coastline. (Among the report’s projections: The UMass Boston peninsula could become an island.)

UMass Boston’s School for the Environment and its Sustainable Solutions Lab have been key partners in this effort, helping to provide research data and possible solution outcomes. An initial idea of building a harbor barrier—a solution employed in some European cities—from Hull to Deer Island to control storm surges was found infeasible in a 2018 study by Professor Kirshen. Feasibility of Harbor-wide Barrier Systems showed that a barrier wall was not worth pursuing at this time. The cost ranged from $6.5 to $11.8 billion and construction would last until 2050 at a minimum, given the severe engineering and environmental challenges. But the

If the islands are such good natural barriers, why not try solutions that enhance or mimic what they are already doing? So, for example, instead of a continuous seawall, a barrier made out of rubble or natural materials may be effective protection. This rough barrier would have gaps and holes, but these spaces would allow living things to settle and grow, to increase biodiversity, and potentially be used for aquaculture. Another idea is to explore whether a cobblestone berm placed in the right location would cause mud to settle behind it and form a salt marsh that would slow down wave energy and do carbon sequestration at the same time. The Stone Living Lab will explore these and other intriguing ideas for mitigating sea-level rise.

“Why a living lab?” said Bob Chen, interim dean of the School for the Environment. “The plan is to create a real-time monitoring system to see what are the impacts of a variety of experimental manipulations of the coastline.”

Because the harbor islands are historically and culturally significant areas, the lab is working with multiple stakeholders to determine the best site for their facilities.

For the Stone Foundation, the collaboration extends its focus on protecting the Boston Harbor Islands and creating a new generation of climate stewards.

“We are delighted to see the work unfolding,” said Stone Foundation President Cathy Stone.

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ABOUT alumni 1950s Helyn Hall ’55 received the ABCD Community Heroes Awards for her work with seniors in the community and for the four scholarships that her family sponsors at the James P. Timilty Middle School in Roxbury, MA. Hall attended Boston State Teachers College and is now a retired Boston Public Schools administrator.

1960s James Smith ’69 was named one of Boston’s 100 most influential people in Boston magazine’s 2020 Boston power list. He is the founding partner of Smith, Costello & Crawford, a Boston-based public policy law group.

As the president of the charter class of UMass Boston, Smith has been an active alumnus through his volunteer and philanthropic activities and just recently stepped off the alumni board of directors after more than 20 years of service.

1970s Bill Bratton ’75 was honored during the 2019 ASTORS Homeland Security Awards Luncheon for his lifetime of dedication and extraordinary leadership in homeland security and public safety. Bratton is a former head of the Boston, Los Angeles, and New York City police departments.

Jeanne Cosmos ’72 is a publisher at Aspasia Press in Cambridge, which she recently launched to support writers’ creative works. Cosmos, a former assistant district attorney in Cambridge and criminal defense attorney, returned to graduate studies at Goddard College for her MFA in creative writing.

Dennis Cowan ’78 was named to DBusiness magazine’s list of top lawyers. Cowan is a partner at Plunkett Cooney in Detroit and is one of 20 attorneys from the law firm to be named to the list.

Stefanos Loisou ’70 just completed 45 years in the financial services industry, representing himself for client financial security through his firm Financial Strategies for Life. For the past 19 years, Loisou has also hosted a weekly syndicated financial information radio 28

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show that’s aired in Massachusetts and Florida and covers a variety of financial topics.

Gina McCarthy ’76 was named president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). In this role, McCarthy supports the NRDC’s work to defend bedrock natural resources and public health protections while advancing vital solutions to the climate crisis.

Mary Nee ’77, president of the Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Boston, retired after nearly 43 years leading nonprofit and government agencies in the city of Boston. Nee became the second female president of ARL when she began her tenure in 2012.

Karen A. Romanko ’78 published her second book, Women of Science Fiction and Fantasy Television (2019), which covers 400 female characters from 200 series since the 1950s and celebrates the contributions of women to science fiction and fantasy television. Her first book is Television’s Female Spies and Crimefighters (2016).

Linda Stranzl ’78, who retired from Marshfield Public Schools in 2012 after 41 years as a math teacher, was inducted into the Marshfield High School Wall of Honor. Stranzl’s career at Marshfield High includes nine years as Math Department chairperson, serving as a mentor to many young math teachers.

Audrey Jasey ’03, G’15, PhD’21 Audrey Jasey ’03, G’15, PhD’21, a two-time alumna with more than 20 years of experience in acute-care nursing, recently established the Audrey Jasey Endowed Scholarship to Promote Health Equity in Nursing and Health Sciences Fund. The fund will provide scholarships to full-time College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS) juniors and seniors from New England whose focus of study is to reduce health disparities in medically underserved areas.

Jasey is also on track to earn her third degree from UMass Boston.

Currently enrolled in the CNHS doctoral program, Jasey is studying nursing health policy and nursing research. She is the student representative on the CNHS advisory board, which was established in 2005 to provide political advocacy to facilitate college goals, participate in the enhancement of financial resources, and advise on the strategic visions and priorities of the college.

1980s Matt Barron ’86 was appointed chair of the UMass Extension Board of Public Overseers by UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy.

Created in 1997, the board advises the chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the Extension staff on goals, budget, and program.

Norman Fitzgerald ’89 was named chief sales officer of the National Mortgage Insurance Corporation. In this role, he oversees National MI’s entire sales organization, including national and field sales, marketing, and business development strategy.

Doreen Lang ’84 was appointed executive director of Bridges by EPOCH Memory Care Assisted Living at Hingham. With 15 years’ experience

in property and sales management, Lang has held such roles as senior regional manager and vice president of property management in senior living communities.

Bob LaRoche ’89, G’95 was appointed principal for WiltonLyndeborough’s elementary schools in New Hampshire. LaRoche served as a principal in Massachusetts for 11 years, and prior to that as an assistant principal for five years. Before he was an administrator, he taught middleschool social studies and reading.

Mary Mahon McCauley ’82, G’89 was appointed director of the Massachusetts Office on Disability by the Baker-Polito administration.

Lisa Utman Randall ’87 was named executive director of the United Theatre in Westerly, Rhode Island.

Randall has been a journalist for several years, covering arts and entertainment for the Newport Mercury, and has written for Edible Rhody and other publications.

Assaad Sayah ’82 was appointed CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance. Prior to his time as interim CEO, Sayah worked as chief medical officer for the health system since 2013.

1990s Indira Alvarez ’99 was appointed interim commissioner for the Boston Property Management Department.

A B O U T alumni Alvarez formerly served as chief of staff for the City’s Inspectional Services Department (ISD), as assistant commissioner of ISD, and for 12 years as housing manager in charge of the proactive inspection program.

Richard Anderson ’95, who co-founded Symmetric Computing, a tech company located at UMass Boston’s Venture Development Center, won a $100,000 ASPIRE Design Challenge award from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. Symmetric Computing does work in drug discovery for diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes.

Lorenzo Boyd ’95, G’01, the University of New Haven’s provost for diversity and inclusion, has taken on a newly created position: vice president for diversity and inclusion/chief diversity officer.

Chico Colvard ’97 received a 2020 Guggenheim Foundation fellowship. An assistant professor at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Colvard is well known for his documentary films. He directed Black Memorabilia (2018) and Family Affair (2010).

Ayanna Cooper ’96 was selected by the U.S. Department of State for a four-week English Language Specialist assignment in Kuwait. During her time in Kuwait, Cooper focused on secondary English language curricula at the Ministry of Education.

Paul Fahey ’93 was appointed chief of staff for Amesbury mayor Kassandra Gove. A Watertown native, Fahey previously worked as the chief of staff for Methuen mayor James Jajuga.

Mark Hurley ’98 was named assistant police chief for the Belmont Police Department in May 2020.

David Kowalski ’90 was appointed president and executive director of the Labor Guild. Kowalski says his goals include expanding the guild’s outreach to bring its services to the people that need them, particularly low-wage earners and immigrant communities.

Imari K. Paris Jeffries ’97, G’99, PhD’03, who is currently pursuing his PhD at UMass Boston, began his

duties as executive director of the King Center for Economic Justice on July 1.

Paris Jeffries serves as a trustee of the UMass System, as well as on the boards of USES, the Providers Council, and Governor Baker’s Black Advisory Commission.

David E. Pierce PhD’96 recently retired from the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, where he served as director for four years. Pierce began working for DMF in 1972.

Javier Rampolla ’98 was promoted to chief financial officer of Sensus Healthcare. Rampolla, who has been director of accounting and reporting/controller at Sensus since 2015, has also played a role in managing the company’s initial public offering.

Lawrence Sauer G’97 was appointed executive director of the League School of Greater Boston.

Sauer has more than 30 years of experience in the special education field, including service as chief operating officer for the League School for the past two years.

John Sten ’91 has been named partner at Armstrong Teasdale law firm.

Prior to joining Armstrong Teasdale, Sten spent more than 20 years in private practice at other Boston and New England law firms. Before that, he was an enforcement attorney in the SEC’s home office in Washington, DC.

2000s Linda Cahill G’07 was recently named Brockton’s interim executive health officer. Cahill earned her master’s in nursing and is a registered nurse who has worked for the Brockton Public Schools for the last 18 years, most recently as nursing supervisor for the school district.

Bella Disu ’04 was awarded the French national honor of Chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight in the Order of Arts and Letters). Disu was responsible for the coordination of the construction of the Alliance Francaise Mike Adenuga Centre in Lagos, Nigeria.

Richard “Rick” Gifford G’04, who teaches in Provincetown, was named Barnstable County Science Educator of the Year by the Massachusetts

Keith Mascoll ’06 Since graduating from UMass Boston, Keith Mascoll ’06 has found great success in film and theater projects. His credits include appearances in Grown Ups and Grown Ups 2, The Polka King, Hamlet, Dutchman, The Colored Museum, and Intimate Apparel, as well as the lead role in the 2017 independent film Confused by Love. He also starred in commercial campaigns for Dunkin’, Harvard Pilgrim, and the Massachusetts State Lottery. He has since set his sights on different creative outlets, cofounding The Front Porch Arts Collective, a Black theater company whose mission is to promote inclusion and challenge biased narratives of race. In 2017, he launched Triggered Life, a one-man show that explores his past sexual trauma.

Association of Teachers. The association honored Gifford and other award winners at an annual banquet earlier this year. Gifford earned his master’s in education from UMass Boston.

Jeremy Guay ’08 is the career and technical education director for Attleboro High School. Guay has an extensive background in career and technical education, working at Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School and, most recently, at Dighton-Rehoboth.

Melissa Hall ’03 achieved her Certified Financial Planner™ designation.

She currently works at Private Financial Design in South Hadley, MA, as a financial planner, where she provides holistic, lifestyle-based financial and retirement planning.

Eileen Hanson G’07 was named to the Foundation for Belmont Education Committee. Hanson earned her

master’s in elementary education from UMass Boston and works as an ESL teacher in Sudbury Public Schools.

Kate Weldon LeBlanc G’04 is celebrating her fifth anniversary as executive director of Resolve New England (RNE), a nonprofit organization that provides support, education, and advocacy for people struggling with fertility and family-building.

LeBlanc leads the strategic vision of RNE and works to grow the organization’s services throughout the New England region.

Laura Lorenz G’01 coauthored Issue Brief No. 50, titled “A Policy Analysis of Access to Post-Acute Rehabilitation Services for People with Acquired Brain Injury in Massachusetts and Beyond” for the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum. She also founded PhotoVoice Worldwide in 2019.

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A B O U T alumni Brian Reagan G’00 has been named superintendent of Waltham Public Schools. He has been the assistant superintendent for Wilmington Public Schools for the past year and a half.

Before that, he was principal for seven years at Hudson High School and for five years at Shrewsbury High School.

Reagan earned his master’s in education from UMass Boston.

Allyson Quinn ’08, G’08 has been appointed assistant town planner in Milton, MA. She previously worked for the Boston Planning and Development Agency as special project manager for urban renewal.

2010s Alison Babb-Brott G’15, a secondgrade teacher at St. George School in Knox County, was named a finalist for the 2020 Maine County Teacher of the Year Award. Babb-Brott, who earned her master’s in education from UMass Boston, has taught for six years.

Ezra Brown ’14 recently completed his first year at University of Texas Law School. Prior to enrolling in law school, Brown worked for a nonprofit in New York City and then for a tech start-up in San Francisco. Calling law school a “longtime dream,” Brown was accepted to UT Austin Law with a 90 percent merit scholarship.

Nathan Bryant PhD’16 was unanimously approved as North Shore Community College’s interim president.

Bryant has more than 30 years of experience in public higher education, including senior-level leadership in enrollment management, student support services, and fundraising.

Carlos Cappas G’18, who was previously with Boston Children’s Hospital, was hired as Lynn Community Health Center’s chief behavioral health officer.

Cappas has held both clinical and administrative leadership roles at two federally qualified community health centers in Massachusetts.

Chelsea Clarke ’18 is the manager of recruitment and admissions for Per Scholas Greater Boston, an organization that provides tuition-free technology training for individuals from often overlooked communities. In earlier

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roles, Clarke presented college affordability trainings to practitioners and managed a bridge-to-college program for students who had obtained their GED/HiSET or high school diploma outside of the United States.

Melody Fisher G’11, PhD’16 was hired as assistant professor of psychology at Berkshire Community College, where she had taught as an adjunct professor for three years. Recently, Fisher worked at Hillcrest Educational Centers as a clinician and for Williams College running an after-school enrichment program for elementary school children.

Joan Ilacqua G’14 was appointed executive director of The History Project, Boston’s LGBTQ community archives. Most recently, Ilacqua served as co-chair of The History Project’s board of directors and as Harvard Medical School’s archivist for diversity and inclusion. She is a member of the New England Archivists’ Inclusion and Diversity Committee and has a background in advocacy and oral history.

Cagen Luse ’11 and his LunchTime ComiX “The New Normal” comic strip series, which tackles daily life during the pandemic, were recently featured on WBUR. Vincent Meno ’12 was hired by the Long Beach VA Medical Center Emergency Department. After graduating from UMass Boston, Meno pursued his master’s and recently became board certified as a family nurse practitioner.

Jennifer Morgan ’15, a registered nurse working the COVID-19 floor at Massachusetts General Hospital and a sexual assault nurse examiner for the state, won a Mother’s Day giveaway worth $1,000 by Boston travel company Bernard & Hawkes.

Anthony Palladino G’14 was named athletic director at Joseph Case High School, where he also serves as a guidance counselor. He has been head football coach at the school since 2014.

Palladino’s coaching experience also includes basketball and baseball at Joseph Case.

Alex Woo ’15 In December 2019, Alex Woo ’15 fulfilled his lifelong dream of appearing in Cirque du Soleil. Woo appeared in the production of “AXEL,” which came to the DCU Center in Worcester, MA. When Woo saw the Cirque du Soleil performance of “KA” while on vacation with his family, he was inspired to pursue martial arts and soon became a standout in competitive kung fu tournaments.

In recent years, his focus has been on the performance aspect of martial arts, In 2018, he auditioned for Cirque du Soleil and was accepted to take part in the ice extravaganza performance.

Nick Giaquinto G’14 has been hired

by MassDevelopment to serve as the agency’s government relations specialist. Giaquinto was involved in Brockton’s ongoing downtown revitalization and has been hired by MassDevelopment to focus solely on economic development statewide.

Stephen Rollins, Jr. G’12 was promoted to accounting and auditing director at G.T. Reilly & Company of Milton, where he has worked since 2008. He is also a member of the firm’s Financial Institution Services team, working with community banks and credit unions.

Rachel Singh G’11 was welcomed to the board of directors of Island Readers and Writers. A first-grade teacher at Conners Emerson Elementary School in Bar Harbor since 2015, she is an adjunct faculty member at the College of the Atlantic, teaching a course in elementary literacy methods.

Adriana Soto ’12 launched Aragma Swim, an environmentally conscious swimwear line, in November 2018. She also recently completed an internship at Ryan White Immunology Clinic in Puerto Rico and earned her doctorate in psychology. She began working in an OB-GYN clinic in Puerto Rico this year and plans to launch a new line of swimwear this fall.

Michael Sulprizio G’11 began a new job as deputy commissioner of administration and finance for the City of Boston’s Property Management Department. He moves to this position after nearly a decade working at Boston Centers for Youth & Families.

Jason Tower G’16, who earned his master’s in applied physics, recently celebrated his one-year anniversary as cleanroom operations engineer and lab safety director at Stanford Nano Shared Facilities. He previously taught physics for 15 years.

A B O U T alumni IN MEMORIAM Since our last issue, it has saddened us to learn of the passing of the following members of the UMass Boston community.

Alumni Kerry W. Abele ’72 Eileen Gallivan Antaya ’54 Patricia Armstrong G’64 Ann V. Awiszus CER’93 Susanna W. Ayers ’89 David A. Bakis G’01 Dorothy Borriello Balko ’52 Verlynne R. Bame CER’02 Loretta M. Barba ’92 Elaine M. Barry ’60 Margaret M. Battista ’62 George Windrey Battle G’69 Stephen Lawrence Bennett ’74 Jeannette H. Beshwaty-MacDonald ’96 Filomena Biancardi ’82 Donna V. Bogues John J. Bopp ’67 Kathleen Fallon Brennan ’69 Martha E. Brooks ’83 Sara-Ann Buckley ’65 Nicholas A. Buckley ’75 Eileen M. Burke ’04, G’11 Thomas Burke ’78 Ruth M. Caldicott ’60 Mary E. Campbell ’70 Alice F. Casey ’38 Maureen B. Casey ’60, G’63 Paul Cashman ’55 Laura R. Cestari Long PhD’06 Maureen Murphy Charlton ’54 Francis P. Chiampa ’77 Wing Fai Chin ’00 John Henry Clifford G’61 Adele Rosen Cohen ’57 Jake C. Colbert ’16 Edward J. Connolly G’66 Charles P. Cook ’67 Patrick G. Corcoran ’78 Nicholas H. Costanza ’02 Robert M. Coughlin ’97 William E. Creamer ’74 Vincent A. Cristiani ’53 Helena T. Crowley ’84 Richard P. Cummings ’93 William F. Daigle ’86 Earl E. Dalrymple ’60 Dorothy Q. Daly CER’30 Horace A. Delgrosso G’84 Dorothy R. Deluze ’88 John Maynard Demarest ’91

Angela Calistro Derry ’71 Mark J. Desmond ’81 James F. DeVellis ’65 William P. Dever ’66 Francis J. Devine ’62 Mary Travers Diciaccio ’66 Sara Jane DiZinno ’66 Jerard Ryan Doherty ’15 Peter G. Dolloff G’61 Margaret S. Donnelly ’88 Daniel Donny-Clark G’10 Irene Drew ’77 Margaret J. Driscoll ’73 Eugene A. Dunne ’75 Sarah M. Duzan ’73 John Alexander Elia ’68 Naomi G. Ellis ’66, G’73 Mary E. Eppich G’94 Jose D. Evora G’83 Robert A. Fantasia ’68 Edward M. Favreau ’76 Debbie-Ann M. Ferretti ’13 Dorothy Bayard Finkel ’42 Kathleen V. Fitzpatrick ’52 Maryann Flukes ’66 Lawrence J. Flynn ’66 Robert L. Freitas ’91 Mark E. Geib ’85 Michael A. Giardello ’71 Sergio R. Goncalves Frederick D. Greene ’08 Daniel E. Griffin ’68 Mary M. Griffin CER’94 Eva M. Grubinger ’77 Michael J. Harrington ’77 Muriel Kee Harris ’57 Kevin Michael Hart ’74 John Francis Hartnett G’82 Wayne A. Heitmann ’78 Patricia A. Hogan ’52 Eric R. Holt ’90, G’00 John F. Howlett ’58 David Peter Hunter ’98 Diana M. Hyatt-Jones ’82 George Jakub ’73 Paul H. Jeffrey ’69 Dolores H. Johnson CER’96 Janine M. Jordan ’82 Monica A. Juitt ’86 Vali Dagmar Kahn G’07, PhD’12 Katherine F. Keleher ’67

Rita L. Labad ’05 John P. Largey ’78 Thelma Louise Lawrence Jones ’53 Stephen C. Leary ’78 Anna E. Lewdansky ’52 Linda J. Lewis ’70 Olivia C. Linsley G’91 Ann W. Lorden ’84, G’87 George S. MacKay ’67 Christine MacPherson Maguire ’82, G’89 Lori M. Maraglia ’85 Mary Murphy Marcelonis ’53 Marcia L. Mason ’67 Andrew McAvoy ’95 Mary A. McCabe ’58 Margaret M. McDonough ’75 Vincent J. McDonough ’56, G’61 William McIvor ’70 Christine McLaren CER’08 Michael J. McLaughlin ’05 Janice M. McWeeny ’69 Michael Francis Meehan ’69 Laurie A. Melchionda ’84 Charles F. Mickevich ’78 Linda Miller ’62 Paula Marie Molinari ’79, ’83 Mary T. Morgan ’80, ’06 Francis Xavier Mulhern ’70 Barbara A. Neely G’10 Timothy J. Nolan ’92 Brian M. Norton ’92 Mary Frances Norton ’86 Maureen T. O’Brien ’78 Tracey E. O’Brien ’85 Edward J. O’Donoghue ’68 Kenneth W. Oles ’69 Laura Oliveira CER’87 Eleanor Jenkins O’Rourke ’57 Charles Osborne ’73 Mary E. Packer CER’91 Joan L. Parcewski ’69 Marie J. Parente ’86, G’92 Thomas H. Pearce ’86 Robert D. Peisch G’88 Charles E. Penders ’65 James E. Pepin ’80 Gloria S. Phillips G’71 Nicole P. Picard ’04 Albert Porst ’70

Joel D. Pratt ’78 Joseph H. Priscella ’73 Charles Puliafico ’53 Carmen A. Puopolo ’65 Michael J. Quirk ’75 Richard F. Radford ’79 M. Jeanne Raimondi ’57 Diana Rakauskas ’72 Ellen Coady Ramsey ’62 Mark Allen Rapson ’82 Kerin M. Raymond ’96 Claire E. Rodley ’91 Louise Harding Russell G’97 Joseph H. Saulenas ’71 Margaret F. Scahill ’58 Mary B. Schofield ’54 George M. Schuttenberg ’76 Gary Scotland ’74 Susan Scott ’68 Luzell Sealey ’81 Joan Semedo ’77 Carol A. Senter ’72, CER’97 Janet M. Silva ’53 John J. Sindoni ’62 Janelle K. Slobodkin ’80 Travis R. Smith ’10 Barbara F. Solomon ’71 John Louis Spadazzi ’56, G’59 Vito T. Spadea ’71 John Squires ’72 Brian M. Sullivan ’00 Marie C. Sullivan ’02 Marilyn A. Sullivan ’61 Martin J. Sullivan ’71 George T. Talbot, ’68, MD, PhD Rosalie M. Tashjian ’69 Michael R. Tramonte G’63 Richard Louis Travaglino ’83 Hubert C. Travers ’68 Gertrude A. Triller ’47 Jenny Lee Utech G’16 Pauline E. Valois ’55 Shirley L. Wagner, ’70 M. Veronica Weidman ’89 Mary Weissbach ’71 Olive Cunningham Whiting ’58 Harry G. Wilson ’76 Marilyn Wilson-Moore ’65 Jane Wolley ’90 Kenneth F. Woods ’63 Thomas E. Woods ’80

Konstantin Yeliseyev ’19 Angela Yeung ’82 Eric L. Youngblood ’94 Johnny C. Zeigler ’79, ’07 Joanna L. Zilfi ’03

Faculty and Staff Winston R. Chiong, Retired Faculty Carolyn L. Christie, Retired Staff Andrew N. Genes, Retired Faculty Frederick Granato, Retired Staff John A. MacCombie, Former Faculty John E. Moon, Former Faculty David A. Nellis, Retired Faculty Patrick E. O’Neil, Retired Faculty Robert L. Patterson, Retired Faculty Mary Lou Roberts, Retired Faculty George Salzman, Retired Faculty John R. Shane, Retired Faculty Peter J. Taylor, Faculty

Friends Merton C. Bernstein Peter A. Brooke William J. Cavanaugh Richard Collins Joseph E. Corcoran James F. Gavin Thomas Patrick Gilbane Henry L. Gormley Florence Hess Ana Cecilia Hunt Stan J. Kuzborski Enid Lubarsky Patricia L. Murch Ron Nordstrom Patricia E. O’Neill Richard Ortner Lawrence Rasky Jeffrey Saunders Ellen Spaethling Marlina Suryanto Henry Volpe Jack Welch Bancroft R. Wheeler

To send us your news, please visit www.alumni.umb.edu/shareyournews, email alumni@umb.edu, or write Alumni Office, UMass Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125. We’ll include everything that space permits, edited for length and style.

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INVESTING IN UMASS BOSTON

Historic Gift Creates Endowed Visiting Assistant Professorship A group representing more than 600 MIT alumni made a $1.5 million gift to UMass Boston in December 2019, establishing the Robert T. Seeley Visiting Assistant Professorship in Mathematics. It’s a historic gift—the university’s first endowed visiting professorship— with transformative potential. The inaugural Seeley Visiting Assistant Professor, probability expert Alexander Moll, joined the university on September 1.

Rod Taft (pictured left), former corporation president of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity at MIT, proposed the gift after meeting UMass Boston Professor of Mathematics Eric Grinberg, then the chair of the math department, at the Dedham Apple Store. Grinberg noticed Taft’s “brass rat”—the distinctive MIT class ring—and the two struck up a conversation that eventually touched on the late UMass Boston mathematics professor Robert Thomas Seeley, an MIT alumnus who is famous in the field for both his brilliance and his humanity. When Grinberg mentioned that the math department hoped to one day create its first postdoctoral position in Seeley’s name, Taft sensed a perfect fit.

With one gift, “we get to honor MIT academically, honor Robert T. Seeley, and help UMass Boston,” said Taft. “It really added up to a pretty easy decision.”

“One of the catalyzers of becoming a powerhouse in mathematics is establishing a postdoctoral program,” said current UMass Boston Mathematics Department Chair Eduardo Gonzalez. “A gift of this nature puts us on a very different level. We are incredibly excited about having this position.”

One of 102 applicants for the Seeley Visiting Assistant Professorship, Moll stood out for his teaching prowess, active research program, and predilection for difficult projects.

“This position is very special, and it’s an honor to be the first,” said MIT alumnus Moll, who comes to UMass from a postdoctoral position at Northeastern. And though it might be months before he and his colleagues and students can unite on campus, “I know we can make the most of this strange time, and I am very excited to join the community at UMass Boston.”

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State Matching Grant Program Inspires Generous Giving After the Massachusetts State Legislature announced the return of the Public Higher Education Endowment Incentive Program last winter, it unleashed a flood of philanthropic support from UMass Boston donors. Through this program as of June 30, 2020, a total of $2.475 million was invested into the UMass Boston endowment, which signifies a profound commitment to the future of the university.

The donors listed below have either created new endowments or bolstered their existing fund.

Russell Barnaby ’91, G’19, G’23 established the Russell Barnaby Endowed Scholarship Fund to benefit deserving students.

Robert and Diane Hildreth established the Gina M. Cappello Endowed Legacy Scholarship.

Anonymous friends of the Asian American Studies Program bolstered the Asian American Studies Program Support Fund.

Audrey Jasey ’03, G’15, PhD’21 established the Audrey Jasey Endowed Scholarship to Promote Health Equity in Nursing and Health Sciences Fund.

Adam K. Lewis grew the Leiko V. Lumiere ’12 Nursing Scholarship, which supports students for whom English is not their first language.

Professor Manickam Sugumaran and Dr. Geetha Sugumaran grew the University India Scholars Program.

Patricia Flaherty ’81 and Phil Pichulo endowed the Philip E. Pichulo Scholarship Fund for students from New England.

Brennan Adams ’04 established the Professor Elizabeth Bussiere Scholarship for Political Science Fund to honor Professor Bussiere’s profound commitment to teaching.

Former Provost and Professor Emeritus Winston Langley created the Winston Langley Fellowship in Human Security to encourage graduate student research.

Vann Taylor, son of the late professor Peter Taylor, established the Peter J. Taylor Endowed Scholarship for Critical and Creative Thinking in memory of his father’s distinguished career.

Retired Professor Ethan Bolker created the Junior Faculty CSM Mentoring Endowment to support early career development of junior faculty members in the College of Science and Mathematics, nurturing scholarly inquiry and effective teaching.

William Perry ’95, G’98 and Rose Perry established the Bill and Rose Perry Endowment for Student Veterans to aid former and current military personnel.

Judith Hutchinson ’68 and Helen Waldorf endowed the Judith Hutchinson & Helen Waldorf Scholarship for Environmental Science.

Maryann Brink ’79, G’81 and John Chu established The Beacons Finish Line Fund, in support of students in their final year of study who have overcome incredible obstacles to complete their undergraduate degrees.

Endowed funds create tangible benefits. Students Noshin Omar ’21 (left) and Gabe Queiroz ’22 each received support from an endowed fund.

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Beacons All Over the World Stay Engaged The UMass Boston Office of Alumni Engagement has been busy connecting with alumni from all over the world through a variety of events, engagements, and initiatives.

Meeting Beacons Where They Live In addition to meeting more than 100 alumni in Boca Raton, Florida; Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, California; and Washington, DC, the Alumni Engagement team also hosted several events in Boston this year. During fall 2019, alumni of all class years returned to campus for the annual fall festival, as well as the Boston Teachers College luncheon.

Alumni were invited to a networking reception to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Venture Development Center/ Student Entrepreneurship Program in October. Nearly 100 alumni and guests also celebrated the holiday season at the annual Young Alumni Council holiday party at the Parkman House in Boston.

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Shifting Focus to Virtual Engagement In response to the coronavirus outbreak, alumni programming was adapted to provide an array of virtual opportunities. In April, Beacons were invited to put toe to pavement and participate in the first-ever virtual Beacon 5K, raising over $2,000 for the Beacon Student Aid Fund. Later that month, Alumni Engagement hosted a virtual Spring Day of Service, encouraging alumni and students to give back to their community through local volunteer initiatives and share their stories.

The Serving Up Summer live cooking demonstration with New York City hospitality experts went virtual for Beacons who wanted to sharpen their culinary skills. The ongoing Chat with the Dean webinar series featured alumni panelists from the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and the College of Management. Early in the summer, Beacons who needed a laugh were invited to A Night of Comedy with Lenny Clarke ’79, featuring the Boston-based actor, comedian, and UMass Boston alumnus.

Check for upcoming events by visiting alumni.umb.edu/events, and subscribe to the events digest at alumni.umb.edu/subscribe.

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PHOTOS: 1: Alumni in San Diego at a networking breakfast reception. 2: A gathering of alumni in Washington, DC. These events are an excellent way to meet other alumni and learn about university updates. 3: Nearly 200 Beacons put toe to pavement earlier this spring for the virtual 5K! 4: Alumni dining al fresco during our Los Angeles reception earlier this year. 5: Alumni in San Francisco enjoy themselves during a West Coast event. 6: In July, Lenny Clarke ’79 entertained nearly 350 UMass Boston alumni and friends during a virtual performance.

Welcome Chancellor Suárez-Orozco The biggest news on campus this academic year is the arrival of UMass Boston’s new chancellor.

“We are delighted to welcome Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco as the ninth chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Boston,” said DonnaMarie Maguire, G’03, RN, president of the UMass Boston Alumni Association board of directors. “We’re planning engagements and opportunities to introduce him to our alumni family. Please stay tuned….”

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The Alumni Association Supports Current Students

The Alumni Association raised $42,000 to support emergency student aid, scholarship aid, the nursing program, and other initiatives.

The Alumni Association continues its generous support of the diverse UMass Boston student body, while fostering engagement among students and alumni. The Board of Directors celebrated 22 student scholars at this year’s virtual Alumni Association Scholarship Reception in June; awards ranged from $1,600 to $3,200 and will go toward ensuring that students’ financial needs are met for the fall semester. The board felt strongly about acknowledging and celebrating this year’s scholars, which in previous years took place at the UMass Boston Club.

Alumni Association. The $42,000 raised supports emergency student aid, scholarship aid, the nursing program, and other initiatives.

In May, the Alumni Association participated in Giving Tuesday Now, a global day of philanthropy created in response to the unprecedented student need caused by the coronavirus. More than 300 donors came together to raise $27,000, surpassing the goal set by the board and unlocking a match gift of $15,000 from the

In addition, the Alumni Association pledged to match a $225,000 gift from an anonymous donor to benefit students participating in internship opportunities, service learning, and research projects. They also pledge to continue their annual support of student and alumni activities through generous event sponsorships.

Young Alumni Council Connects New Graduates Through Events, Programming

Members of the Young Alumni Council ( from left to right): Gray Milkowski ’18, Michele Trawczynski ’13, Miran Velagic ’12, Marc Antoine ’15, and Heather Powell ’13

Established in 2016, the Young Alumni Council provides representation for UMass Boston’s newest alumni and a platform for alumni who have graduated within the last fifteen years to engage and connect with each other. The council’s nine members meet monthly to plan annual programming such as networking events, trivia nights, a holiday party at the historic Parkman House, and other events and activities.

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“This was certainly a collaborative effort with a shared mission of advocating for a stronger representation of new alumni,” said Charlie Brown ’09, founder and former member of the Young Alumni Council. “By bringing the Young Alumni Council to fruition, we’ve expanded our outreach and ensured that recent graduates are given opportunities to stay Charlie Brown ’09, founder and former connected with their alma member of the Young Alumni Council mater and with each other.”

In 2018, Brown made a lasting impact on his alma mater and its students when he endowed the Young Alumni Council Scholarship with a $25,000 pledge. Since its inception, the scholarship has been awarded to several juniors and seniors whose involvement in the university has set them apart from their peers.

Those interested in learning more about the Young Alumni Council can visit alumni.umb.edu/YAC.

Congratulations CLASS OF 2020!

STUDENTS TODAY. ALUMNI TOMORROW. BEACONS FOREVER.

Congratulations and Best Wishes to the Class of 2020!

As you embark on your next adventure in life, remember that you join a network of more than 110,000 alumni around the world. Students are students for only a few years, but graduates are Beacons for life. Congratulations again, and welcome to our Beacon alumni family!

Stay connected and get involved at umb.edu/alumni.

Office of Marketing and Engagement University of Massachusetts Boston 100 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA 02125-3393

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Reunion 2021 UMass Boston Alumni Engagement is thrilled to welcome all alumni whose class year ends in 1 or 6 back to our harbor campus for Reunion 2021 next spring. We’re planning an exciting weekend with special class gatherings and additional activities for your class. You won’t want to miss it! Watch for more information in the future and get ready for a fun-filled celebration with your fellow classmates.

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THE CLASS YEARS ENDING IN 1 or 6