Around the Campanile: Spring 2008

 

College Now celebrates 40 years

By: Diane Hartnett

The door into College Now has been swinging open for 40 years, helping people attain what they might have otherwise foregone: a UMass Dartmouth education. Launched in the fall of 1968, this alternative admissions program is one of the university's most successful, enduring initiatives. Roughly 1,000 people have gone through College Now, graduated from the university, and enjoy rewarding, productive careers--people such as Nanette Vega, assistant dean of students at the University of Miami; Joseph Latimer, the University of Rochester's director of diversity enhancement; and Crystal Howard, communications director for ESPN's Enterprises division.

Howard, who graduated in '95 with an English degree and earned a master's from Columbia University's Journalism School, has built an impressive career in media relations; before joining ESPN last year, she handled high-level communications and publicity for the likes of New Era Cap Co. and Bad Boy Entertainment, the business venture of Sean "Diddy" Combs.

College Now and UMass Dartmouth can take some credit for her success, Howard said when visiting campus last fall. "I knew I'd always go to college when I was a student (at Middleboro High School), but I never focused on the process of applying. So I came in through College Now and (counselors) Carol Spencer and Wayne Ramos were my mainstays."

Howard was a vocal, visible activist. She helped found United Brothers and Sisters, acted in Theater Company plays, sat on the Student Senate and a chancellor search committee, and worked part-time. Howard became an English major because "I wanted to be Bryant Gumbel. He was the only black man on television and was well thought of. I decided I would write and be on the air...to have black girls and boys see someone like me in that kind of position.

"I absolutely had a great time at the university. You have such easy access to people who can help you go further in life.

"The university empowered me to grow" into someone quite different from the junior high student who fumed when "my teacher singled me out in front of everyone in the class for getting an A on a paper."

Such transformation of attitudes and expectations is the core goal of College Now. While the program's students have varied academic and personal backgrounds, they are alike in one respect: they need a non-traditional route to enroll.

They are students with the desire and ability for college, but certain obstacles have kept them from the normal admissions route, says College Now Director Carol Spencer. They may think college is impossible financially, or they've been told they aren't college material. College Now helps students overcome the obstacles and strengthen the skills and self-confidence they need to earn their degree.

"In its mission statement, the university pledges access and equality. College Now addresses that," says Spencer, who began as a program counselor 16 years ago.

The program has accepted approximately 100 students annually in recent years. Applications are cut off after they reach 300, says Spencer. Applicants must meet a number of requirements, including a minimum 2.0 grade point average and Massachusetts residency.

Tests and interviews are a key part of the application process. "We want to see the student personally," Spencer says. "We look at motivation and desire. We're looking for students who will be able to build their skills within a semester."

That's because the students are "College Now majors" for their first semester, with a specially-tailored curriculum, weekly meetings with a counselor, and a required class on study skills and similar topics. "They work really hard in that class. The deans come to a class and they are always welcoming and encouraging with the students," says Spencer.

Professors who are teaching College Now students maintain close contact with program counselors, frequently reporting on students' performance.

College Now students who pass the first semester with at least a C grade continue on as a traditional student; many need an extra semester or two before graduating.

No matter how it is measured, the program's success rate is impressive. More than 90 percent of College Now students pass their first semester and matriculate into the university. And the data on graduation rates show virtually no difference between the so-called traditional students and those who came to UMass Dartmouth through College Now.

Diane Hartnett is the Publications Office staff writer

 

Feminist icon Gloria Steinem launches Women's Studies scholarship with campus visit

Feminist activist Gloria Steinem, visiting UMass Dartmouth in February, believes that what is generally taught about the history of women reflects only part of the story.

The best-selling author who co-founded Ms. magazine spoke at a daylong event that served to launch the Women's Studies endowment scholarship for students and demonstrate support for the Women's Resource Center. Steinem lauded the recent establishment of the Women's Studies major as a "good- spirited, inclusive kind of study," adding that there was a "kind of world consciousness" on campus that she wished the rest of the world would embrace.

Women's self-esteem is vulnerable, she said, partially because of ignorance of women's accomplishments. Mozart's sister, for example, may have written some of his compositions. A dozen females passed the rigorous tests in the first class of astronauts but were denied space travel. And Native American women who controlled their own fertility, sat on councils, and made decisions about peace and war inspired the suffragettes. "No one ever told me that. History looks at women with one eye closed. If you open the other eye, it shifts and you can see real depth," Steinem said.

She encouraged her audience to document their own, and their ancestors', histories for future generations, "so that we'll begin to know what real human history actually is."

Joining Steinem at the panel discussion were three alumnae:

  • Washawn (Thomas) Jones '00, humanities/social sciences, an account executive for Boston Globe Media who is completing her master's degree in management;
  • Diane Hitchcock '01, sociology with a minor in women's studies, now a master's degree candidate at the University of Colorado Denver, where she will receive a certificate in domestic violence studies; and
  • Nicole Di Fabio '06, women's studies/anthropology, a research assistant at the Commission on Professionals in Science and Technology.

The event was sponsored by the Office of the Chancellor, the Women's Studies Program, and the Women's Resource Center with support from various departments. Dr. Jen Riley, women's studies program director, said, "The rights we have today, especially as women, are due in part to the work of Gloria Steinem and other feminist activists in our history.

"We brought her to UMass Dartmouth to share with our students and the community a sense of the history that stands behind us and that we must not forget and to remind all of us that there is still work to be done."

 

Donzaleigh Abernathy stirs crowd during the sixth annual Martin Luther King Drum Major Award ceremony

The sacrifices of civil rights crusaders must not be in vain, said Donzaleigh Abernathy, during her stirring keynote address at this year's sixth Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast and Drum Major Awards event.

The youngest daughter of civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy recalled his work with close friend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the turbulent '50s and '60s. Today's youth, said Donzaleigh Abernathy, must take heed of the past, embrace education, and commit to lives of non-violence. "I want to inspire young people to do more than shoot each other and kill each other in random acts of senseless violence. We have to teach them black history so they know their responsibilities and on whose shoulders they stand."

Drum Major Awards went to:

  • Dana Mohler-Faria, Governor Deval Patrick's special advisor on education and Bridgewater State College president;
  • Susan Costa '95, former vice chancellor for student affairs at UMass Dartmouth; and
  • the New Bedford Historical Society, represented by Lee Blake '83.

The recipients, by their actions and deeds, demonstrate a commitment to the ideals set forth by Dr. King. The awards' name recalls his famous speech in which he called on citizens to be "drum majors for justice."

Recalling the verbal abuse and intimidation she and her siblings endured as they were integrated into a Georgia elementary school, Abernathy said, "I was setting a precedent for others to follow...We didn't make those sacrifices for segregation to become the way it is today. I studied hard. It was not so people could become complacent."

Ralph Abernathy organized the Montgomery bus boycott with Dr. King. He was secretary-treasurer of the Southern Christian Leadership and became its president following Dr. King's death. 

An accomplished actress, Abernathy wrote Partners in History, in which she documents the courage and endurance of her father and "Uncle Martin." She is a founding member of New Road Schools, which promote cultural, racial and economic diversity.

 

UMass Dartmouth and Brooke Ocean Technology USA partner on underwater research vehicle

"Small, smart and powerful," are a few of the adjectives UMass Dartmouth Marine Science Professor Louis Goodman uses to describe the new device he is building to gather data from the ocean.

Goodman, recipient of a $40,000 Massachusetts Technology Transfer Center grant, is collaborating with Brooke Ocean Technology USA on the one-year project. The partners are designing a prototype of the H-Hybrid Programmable Underwater Profiler--H-PUP--with an eye towards its commercialization.

"We view the H-PUP as a revolutionary new and relatively low cost way of conducting marine measurements," says Goodman, director of SMAST's Marine Turbulence Laboratory. The tool combines the capabilities of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, a torpedo-like robot, with a vertical profiler, a more conventional means of gathering underwater measurements.

Unlike other profilers, the H-PUP can operate both horizontally and vertically while carrying acoustic, video, and environmental sensors. The vehicle also eliminates the need for a line or tether to be dropped to collect data.

Roger Race, general manager of Brooke Ocean Technology USA, located at the Quest Center business incubator in New Bedford, cites a Douglass-Westwood study showing possible market growth into the billion dollar range. "We fully intend to build and market this new hybrid vehicle to the global market. As our company grows, we hope to be able to continue to create more new jobs in New Bedford," he says.

Likely customers include U.S. and foreign military and civilian agencies, homeland security, energy and environmental industries, and research institutes. "It's a wonderful combination of superb engineers and a 'can do' company like Brooke Ocean Technology. We each bring our strengths in science and engineering to make a marriage of different organizations that works," says Goodman.

 

Miss Massachusetts, Valerie Amaral '08, wins scholarships

Forming friendships she expects will last a lifetime was the best part of her participation in the Miss America contest, says Valerie Amaral '08, the reigning Miss Massachusetts.

Winning scholarship money wasn't bad either.

The 22-year-old Acushnet native won the $2,000 preliminary talent award and a $5,000 scholarship for raising the most money for the Children's Miracle Network, the national platform of the Miss America Organization, in addition to other money for making it to the national competition. She was one of nine Quality of Life finalists for founding Youth Sharing Time and Talent, which encourages young people to do volunteer work in their communities.

"I went into the competition with the goal of keeping a positive attitude and making friends throughout the weeks there." Planning to begin law school in fall 2009, Amaral is speaking in schools and at community events to promote her platform of volunteerism.

 

New team to bolster support for university mission

Three new professionals have been hired to build alumni, foundation, and corporate support for student aid, teaching, and research: Alumni Director Mary Ellen DeFrias '94; Assistant Vice Chancellor Michael Eatough; and Assistant Vice Chancellor Louise Mitchell.

DeFrias, who majored in political science at UMass Dartmouth, has been senior outreach coordinator at the university since 2005, a key organizer for major university events, and a longtime Alumni Association member. As alumni director, she will play a leadership role in engaging the university's 40,000 alumni in the life of the campus.

Eatough and Mitchell will focus on major gift development, working with the colleges and the School of Marine Science and Technology to build private support for scholarships and academic programs.

Eatough most recently was assistant director of leadership and planned gifts at the Rhode Island School of Design. He has held development and fund-raising posts at several institutions, among them Roger Williams University and Morton Hospital and Medical Center in Taunton. He earned his bachelor's degree in marine affairs from the University of Rhode Island.

Mitchell joins UMass Dartmouth from SouthCoast Health System where she served as a Capital Campaign Officer. She has worked in the southeastern Massachusetts/Rhode Island broadcasting industry as an advertising sales and business development specialist.

 

From campus to Wall Street: students learn to manage a $25,000 investment fund

A new, $25,000 student-run investment fund on campus is giving its participants firsthand marketplace experience in creating and managing an investment portfolio. The project gives students money management lessons and reflects the increased interest in socially responsible investing, says Vice Chancellor for Advancement Jeffrey Wolfman.

"Basically, it's like a boot camp to teach real-life money management to students," Wolfman says. UMass Dartmouth students, as well as those at the Boston, Lowell, and Amherst campuses, will all gain practical skills and knowledge as they compete against one another, trying to achieve the highest rate of return. The winner will be recognized at an end-of-year banquet.

Alumna Maria Furman, who graduated in '76 with a political science major, is a member of the oversight board mentoring the students. A portfolio manager for 26 years, Furman anticipates that participants will research investments, make asset allocation decisions, and buy any stocks they consider good investments. Both domestic and international markets are open to them.

"It will be real investing, not a paper portfolio. They have $25,000 to invest as they see fit. This will encourage them to read and follow current market events, form an opinion on the economy and possible market behavior, and invest accordingly."

Advising the students is Michael H. Anderson, associate accounting and finance professor. He says that the student-run fund not only "reinforces investment lessons, but also makes them less abstract since we're working with real money. Further, the fund's returns will ultimately be turned into scholarships for UMass Dartmouth students."

Students are also interacting with university leaders and business professionals, thus developing possible future job opportunities. 

The fund is regarded as UMass Dartmouth Foundation assets and is traded in a segregated account set up by that office with JP Morgan. Students will call Boston to place trades and will be able to see their account online.

Senior finance major Liza Lennox hopes "to take away knowledge from those with whom I'm closely working, a great team experience, time management skills, and a better understanding of analyzing the market."

Sarah Killingbeck, a junior finance major from Norton, has minors in economics and international business. "My ultimate goal is to be involved with international finance. I love the global economy and the idea of doing business all over the world. From this experience, I want to gain a foothold in the business of finance, making valuable connections, and learning the necessary things to put me ahead of the competition in the workforce."

"The students are going to learn a lot," says Furman, noting that the project was launched during a bear market. "I expect the students are a little surprised and nervous to be part of this volatile stock market. It is not usually this bad in this short a timeframe, but it is the real world of investing--bull and bear markets in the same year."

 

Business professors organize global innovation and development conference in Brazil

Three Charlton College of Business professors say it took teamwork, focus, and tenacity to direct an international business conference in Rio de Janeiro this past January.

Establishing ties with co-host Fundacao Getulio Vargas of Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and enhancing UMass Dartmouth's global reputation were among the positive results of the event, according to Drs. Steven White, Angappa Gunasekaran, and Godwin Ariguzo.

The Global Business Innovation and Development Conference attracted approximately 90 educators, students, and professionals from numerous countries. Planning the conference began a year ago with a call for research papers that attracted responses from around the world. White explained that an international scientific committee comprising international experts made recommendations on those papers; a database was developed and papers' authors were invited to the conference. Organizers also secured support from Fundacao Getulio Vargas, a public policy and business school in Rio de Janeiro, and the American Marketing Association Global Marketing Special Interest Group.

Organizing an event of this magnitude presented several challenges, said Ariguzo. "The interaction with our Brazilian collaborators was a positive challenge as we learned about the differences in how we value time and about their local customs. Their young people are very motivated and we dealt with a nice combination of youth and maturity."

When participants from Algeria, Colombia, Ghana, and Iran experienced problems, "it was significant to see how access to an international conference was such a meaningful thing for them. Working as a team, we were able to overcome obstacles and bring a lot of talented people together," Ariguzo said.

"We've set the path for future collaborations," said Gunasekaran. "The two Brazilian universities have a keen interest in maintaining ties to UMass Dartmouth," and several Brazilian students have expressed an interest in student exchange opportunities.

Among those attending was Paul Constantine, who graduated in '04 with a marketing degree and earned his MBA a year later. A field service representative in risk management at GE Commercial Distribution Finance, he said the conference "motivated me to reach a new level in creativity and diversity."

One outgrowth of the event was publication by the university professors of the book, Development for Economic Growth in the Global Environment.

 

UMass Dartmouth, government and community leaders forge links with the Azores

Business leaders, educators, and elected officials met with their counterparts in the Azores during a February trade mission to discuss ways to strengthen education and economic ties. Among the 56-member delegation were: Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack, U.S. Representative Barney Frank, Senator Marc Pacheco of Taunton, Representatives Michael Rodrigues of Westport and Antonio Cabral of New Bedford, Bristol Community College President Jack Sbrega, and Fall River business leader Fernando Garcia.

UMass Dartmouth and University of the Azores representatives signed agreements to work together on faculty/student exchanges and research initiatives in the marine sciences, business, nursing, and Portuguese Studies, and to explore the sharing of library and archival resources.

 

Ice hockey and men's basketball teams have impressive seasons; field hockey squad distinguishes itself academically

UMass Dartmouth's student-athletes turned in impressive performances over the past several months, on and off the playing field:

  • The men's basketball team, nationally ranked throughout the season, earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III championships with its 25-3 record. The Corsairs, however, fell to the Coast Guard in the play-off game, 50-47.Senior center Dan Holbrook, a Lexington native, was named a second team State Farm Division III All-American.

  • The ice hockey squad, after another outstanding season, made it to the NCAA Division III play-offs, bringing with it an 18-8-1 record. The men, however, were beaten by Trinity College, 7-3, in the first round.

  • The field hockey team and nine of its members were cited by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association for outstanding academic records. The team was one of 83across the country to have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better, with nine of the players individually achieving that average during the fall semester.
 

January expedition takes students to "enchanted" land

It's not unusual for students to travel during a school break. But it is rare to mingle among blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises, marine iguanas, and other exotic creatures while earning biology course credits. For nine UMass Dartmouth undergraduates, a 10-day, January expedition to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands proved to be the experience of a lifetime.

"I had a great group of UMass Dartmouth students fully committed to experiencing naturalism and evolution in the greatest natural laboratory our planet has," says Biology Professor Guillermo Paz-y-Miño C., who organized the trip in partnership with the Office of International and Exchange Study Programs. Recipient of a Commonwealth of Massachusetts award for his contribution to innovation in science education, he has run similar expeditions in the past.

The Galápagos, 600 miles west of continental Ecuador in the Pacific Island, comprise 13 large islands, 6 small islands, and 40 islets. Paz-y-Miño C. says that their unique natural history makes the Galápagos ideal for studying biology, biogeography, environmental sciences, human ecology, and the history of evolutionary biology. Charles Darwin's visit to the Galápagos in 1835 was crucial to the development of the theory of evolution.

The UMass Dartmouth group, which included Susan Atkins, International and Exchange Study Program director, visited Quito, the capital of Ecuador. They explored the colonial downtown, churches including San Agustín, La Compañía de Jesús, and San Francisco, the main plaza of Independence, and Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, or the "middle of the world city," before navigating around Santa Cruz, Española, Isabela, Fernandina, and Baltra Islands.

There, the students completed 70 hours of intense academic work, including independent projects that culminated in oral presentations and papers. Participants also attended environmental interpretations by scholars from the Charles Darwin Field Station, the Galápagos National Park, the Galápagos Foundation, and the Ecuadorian National Observatory, and wrote journals documenting their reflections.

"My outlook on biology has totally been transformed," says Larissa Basque, a freshman marine biology major from Plainville. "There is an abundance of…animals so exotic and unique to the islands, it has opened my eyes to new understandings and realization of how diverse this world is."

"All of the books you may read and all of the pictures you may see are nothing compared to the actual experience of visiting the islands. You will never see anything more beautiful in your life," says Kayla Braunston, a freshman biology major from Gloucester.

Atkins found it rewarding to watch the students, whose science backgrounds varied, learn and embrace their new surroundings. "There was a sense of adventure and now their perceptions of culture and views of this amazing part of the world have changed. The experience was valuable for students because, for those pursuing environmental sciences or marine biology, this was an opportunity to see firsthand what being a naturalist is like. This (trip) was a path to explore their future careers, a way to translate their academic focus into reality."

For non-biology majors, the trip was equally worthwhile. Bartholomew Walsh, a junior philosophy major from Charlton,  says it allowed him "to study a unique and beautiful place firsthand, gave me a newfound appreciation for science as methodological naturalism, and also, more importantly, left me with a better understanding of evolutionary theory. In the Galápagos, evolution occurs right before your eyes, giving you a rare glimpse into the underlying process of the cosmos at work."

"It's a place unlike any other on this planet with unique and fascinating creatures," says Kaitlin Switzer, a freshman fine arts major from North Kingstown, RI. "You witness firsthand natural phenomena in their most raw form. As this life-changing journey unfolds, nature's processes reveal themselves, opening your eyes to profound truths."

 

Student is grandson of Korean War model

UMass Dartmouth student Dan McSweeny was only nine years old at the time, but he vividly recalls a special ceremony he attended in the nation's capital. It was the ceremony honoring his grandfather William McSweeny, who received numerous honors for his combat infantry service during the Korean War, including his selection as one of the models for the Korean War Memorial in Washington D.C. and his appointment in 1995 as a Kennedy Center trustee. He also held several positions in the nation's capitol, was a foreign correspondent, and authored several books.

"I was excited about going to the White House. It was one of the best moments in my life," says Dan, adding that his grandfather's influence was a factor in his choice of political science as a major.

 

Champion hurdler Jon Garcia: "It's Division III and I love it"

By: Jim Mullins

As he entered the starting blocks of his final collegiate race, Jon Garcia did not have a lot on his mind. As hundreds of other athletes, coaches, and fans swirled around him inside the Ohio Northern University Sports Center in Ada, Ohio, on the afternoon of March 15, the UMass Dartmouth senior was very relaxed.

"This was my seventh national championship race, so I am not nervous. Actually, I'm enjoying it," said Garcia. "I'm thinking that I've grown to love this. I was able to fall in love with my sport. I'm doing this because it's Division III and I love it."

He was 55 meters and 5 hurdles away from capping an outstanding collegiate career, filled with the kind of accomplishments which will certainly land him in the Corsair Hall of Fame when they call the roll for the Class of 2013. 

Working his way into the starting block, which he has done since he started running track at Stoneham High School, Garcia went through the same pre-race habits he has always used. He moved out and touched the first hurdle, jumped up and down a few times to prepare his muscles, slapped his hamstrings a couple of times, and began to settle into the blocks.

By the time the starter called "set," followed three seconds later by the starting gun, Garcia was ready to explode.

It was over in 7.46 seconds.

"At the start, you can hear the people and the officials, but once you start in the race, it's quiet," Garcia said. "Once I hit the third hurdle, I knew I was ahead and all I needed to do was finish safely to win the race."

And that's just what he did. His winning time was three-hundredths of a second in front of second place, enough to firmly establish Garcia's place in the UMass Dartmouth record book. The national championship was his third: two indoors in the 55-meter hurdles, one outdoors in the 110-meter hurdles.

With the national title in hand, and a sixth Division III All-America award to his credit, Garcia has distinguished himself as the most successful student athlete in the more than 40 years of athletics at UMass Dartmouth. Distance runner Jim White won six All-America awards with two national titles in the mid-1980s, and diver Tom Egan did the same in the early 1990s.

With his collegiate competition career over, Garcia is a student volunteer with the track team this spring. He will graduate with a degree in graphic design and a lifetime of memories.

"The part I love the best in track is that moment when they call out your name the way they do at national championship races," Garcia said. "They call your name and say things about you like being a two-time national champion, and your best time, and then they say you're from UMass Dartmouth. At that point, you feel a lot of eyes on you. All that adds to the hype before the race."

Then, in just a few seconds, it is all over. A race. A career. A third national championship.

Jim Mullins is administrative assistant for sports information in the Athletics Department

More in this issue:
A new look for New Bedford
Soldiering on: honoring and serving veterans
TEACH program makes it easier to transition from a military career to the classroom
Two UMass Dartmouth students recognized for the "Under 50" challenge

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