New Dean Takes Over, LARP Joins SBS
July 1, 2009 marked some notable changes in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Robert Feldman, associate dean since 2006, became SBS's new dean, the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning (LARP) joined SBS, and the Department of Psychology moved to the new College of Natural Sciences. Read more...

Econ Prof to Advise California's Cap-and-Trade Emissions Program
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has appointed Professor James K. Boyce (economics) to the Economic and Allocation Advisory Committee, a 16-member panel that will advise the state on implementing a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gases. Three years ago, California adopted the Global Warming Solutions Act, aimed at cutting the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. A key element of that plan is the creation of a cap-and-trade program that is part of a regional market involving other participants in the Western Climate Initiative. Read more...

Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award Goes to UMass Student
UMass field hockey player Amy Novak '10 (political science, English) was honored with the Wilma Rudolph Student-Athlete Achievement Award at the N4A Convention in Miami. Intended to honor an individual that has overcome great personal, academic, and emotional odds to achieve academic success while participating in intercollegiate athletics, Novak is one of six recipients this year chosen from 36 entrants nationwide. Along with a Novak’s acceptance speech, a video was shown that chronicled the challenges she overcame. Read more and watch a video...

• In Memoriam
• Staros Named Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
• A Different Understanding of Privacy
• Today Show's Wedding Couple
• Clegg Drafted by Washington Nationals
• LAX Star Named ESPN All-American First Team

• Grad Certificate in Film Studies Now Available
• Holub Speaks on Paying for College
• Campus Center Hotel Shines after Renovation
• Faculty/Department Notes
• Alumni News
• SBS in the News
• A Word from SBS

In Memoriam
We are sorry to report the untimely death of Saige Reisler, SBS director of development, on June 6, 2009. Passionate and successful in her work as a fundraiser, Reisler joined SBS in 2006 as senior associate director of development, bringing with her more than ten years of nonprofit development experience. Read more...

Staros Named Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
James V. Staros has been named the new provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at UMass Amherst. Robert C. Holub, chancellor, says Staros is “a distinguished scholar, teacher and administrator whose broad range of experience will greatly benefit UMass Amherst as we strive to become one of the nation’s best research universities.” Staros begins his new duties Aug. 2. Read more...

A Different Understanding of Privacy
In a June 29, 2009 New York Times article that takes a closer look at Facebook's new privacy options, a section is devoted to Chris Peterson '09 (legal studies) and his 'very readable" draft thesis "Saving Face: The Privacy Architecture of Facebook" [pdf], that was supervised by Professors Alan Gaitenby and Ethan Katsh. Peterson argues that the idea that anything published ought to be understood as intended for public distribution is an antiquated understanding from the era when publishing was expensive and required a lot of effort. The opposite is true today. Likewise, Peterson argues that the dominant legal framework today "recognizes as private only that which is completely secret." Read the article... Read more about Peterson...

Today Show's Wedding Couple
Alyssa Manzi '01 (sociology) and Gary Ritter '04 (legal studies/sociology) both grew up in North Andover, attended North Andover High School and UMass Amherst, but their paths didn't cross until years later. Now engaged, they were one of four couples chosen from hundreds to compete on the Today Show's 10th annual "Today Throws a Wedding." Alyssa and Gary made it to the final round, but fell short of winning when the viewers' votes were tallied. Instead of a July 15 live wedding on the Today Show at the Plaza Hotel, planned by viewers, Manzi and Ritter will be married on Oct. 15, at St. Michael Church in North Andover. Read more... Watch the video of the Today Show announcement...

Clegg Drafted by Washington Nationals
Mitchell Clegg '10 (economics), who anchored the UMass Amherst baseball team’s pitching staff and led the Minutemen to their first spot in the Atlantic 10 tournament this year, has been drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 21st round of the Major League Baseball draft. Clegg’s record was 7-1 with a 4.15 earned-run average. He struck out 81 in 91 innings, with 35 walks. He is the first Minuteman to be drafted since Matt Torra and Jason Twomley were chosen in 2005. Read more...

LAX Star Named ESPN All-American First Team
Men's lacrosse senior attackman Tim Balise '10 (psychology) of Wilbraham, Mass., was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American First-Team, At-Large. Balise is the first-ever men's lacrosse player from UMass Amherst named to the team and is just the second ever to be honored by the organization. Last year, Balise was a second-team honoree joining 1998 second-teammer Harold Drumm. Balise joins men's soccer goalkeeper Zack Simmons '09 (economics/history) as UMass' only other first-team selection in 2008-09. Read more...

Grad Certificate in Film Studies Now Available
The Interdepartmental Program in Film Studies has launched a new Graduate Certificate in Film Studies, available to students matriculated for the master’s or doctoral candidates in any graduate program at UMass Amherst. The program is coordinated by Anne Ciecko (communication), a core faculty member in film studies program, which also offers an undergraduate film studies certificate. For description, application, and check-sheet for the new Graduate Certificate in Film Studies, please visit the Interdepartmental Program in Film Studies.

Holub Speaks on Paying for College
Chancellor Robert C. Holub was a featured panelist on June 24 at WBZ Radio’s Business Breakfast Series held at Boston's Westin Copley Place Hotel. The session, attended by about 350 people, focused on “Re-engineering Your Future: Paying for College in a Tough Economy.” Other participants included officials from the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority and Boston College as well as reporter Kim Clark of U.S. News & World Report. The session was streamed live on the station’s website, and Holub was interviewed individually by business reporter Anthony Silva. Holub emphasized UMass Amherst’s commitment to accessibility and a substantial increase in financial aid for lower- and middle-income students. Listen to the session [mp3]. Listen to the interview with Holub [mp3].

Campus Center Hotel Shines after Renovation
The Campus Center Hotel has been transformed from a 1970s-era facility into a modern, three-star facility that stands out as a top destination in western Massachusetts, according to campus officials. The renovation of 116 rooms on four floors within the Campus Center complex was accomplished in just under a year through a $9.2 million investment. “We believe we now offer the best rooms in the Pioneer Valley,” says Meredith E. Schmidt, director of the Campus Center. A special aspect of the hotel’s appeal, Schmidt notes, is the facility’s location in the heart of the flagship state university and all of its educational, cultural and athletic activities. Read more...

Faculty/Department Notes
Robert Feldman, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, will appear on "The Colbert Show" on August 3 to promote his new book, The Liar in Your Life: The Way to Truthful Relationships, that comes out that day. He is also scheduled to appear on National Public Radio and “Good Morning America.”

Christopher Overtree (psychology), director of the Psychological Services Center, was recently appointed Internet editor for the American Psychological Association’s Division of Psychotherapy. Read more....

Jeffrey Blaustein (psychology) is president-elect of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology. He will serve two years before becoming president.

News from sociology: Robert Zussman was elected to the American Sociological Association's Publications Committee. Joya Misra was elected chair of the Race, Sex and Class section of the American Sociological Association's Jay Demerath was elected chair of the Religion Section of the American Sociological Association (ASA). Wenona Rymond-Richmond's monograph, Darfur and the Crime of Genocide, coauthored with John Hagan, has been selected to receive the Albert J. Reiss, Jr. Outstanding Book Award for the Crime, Law and Deviance Section of the ASA.

Harris Freeman (labor studies) has left the Labor Center due to his appointment to the Commonwealth Employee Relations Board (CERB) by Governor Deval Patrick. CERB was created in 2007 as part of the governor's restructuring of Massachusetts' labor relations agencies. The 3-member Board will function as an appellate body to resolve labor disputes involving public sector employees. For more information, see the Labor Center blog.

In May, David Mednicoff (legal studies and public policy) participated in a working group on "Migrant Labor in the Gulf" in a Qatar-based conference funded by Georgetown University's Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS). See the write up.

Alumni News
On June 30, 2009 WGBY aired "Diamond Factory" on Nova Science Now. It featured Apollo Diamond Inc., a laboratory that grows perfectly pure diamonds, and is run by Bryant Linares '84 (economics) whose father invented the diamond-growing technique. Apollo cultured diamonds have the same properties as those found in the earth. A limited quantity is now being offered for jewelry and in the technology area as the material operating system of the future. View the program. Visit the Apollo Diamond website.

In July 2004, Springfield, MA, was on the verge of bankruptcy. When Gov. Romney and the Legislature established the five-member control board, headed first by Alan LeBovidge '64 (economics), then state commissioner of revenue, the mayor, City Council and School Committee lost the power to make financial and personnel decisions. The job of the state-appointed controllers was to outline, mentor and guide city leaders. The relationship, somewhat rocky at first, evolved into a partnership based on trust and mutual respect. City councilors who initially criticized the board—and later became members of the control board (by statute the council president serves on the panel)—came to understand why tough medicine was necessary. Disbanded on June 30, 2009 the control board has left the city in sound fiscal shape, having accumulated more than $42 million in reserves plus an additional $48 million set aside to repay the Commonwealth. Read editorial and article.

In June Chris Barry '79 and his business partner Kevin Hildreth opened North End Butchers in Brattleboro, Vermont, to meet the demand for locally produced meats, poultry, cheeses, milk, eggs and breads.They are working with farmers and other purveyors of local products in the tri-state region, and all their local meats and poultry will be free of chemical additives, preservatives, growth hormones and antibiotics, according to their business plan.

Brendan Wilson '99 (communication) is president and owner of Watchdog Consulting Services LLC, a national recycling and disposal outsourcing company dedicated to saving clients time and money while optimizing their recycling and disposal services. By using industry knowledge and experience, Watchdog says it can save clients thousands of dollars off of their monthly operating expenses. Read more...

Shortly after the Advocates 10th annual Art Exhibit opened at the Framingham Public Library in May, Grace Fogarty '01 (political science) screened a documentary she'd made about her battle with depression. Crediting treatment from Advocates, a leading Massachusetts human services provider, as key to her recovery, Fogarty made the 19-minute digital video, "History of a Girl," because "I was very concerned about messages from the community I'd heard about people receiving treatment from Advocates," she said. Now working for Advocates as a peer specialist, the 29-year-old Fogarty expressed hope her film "explains in a human way" that people receiving treatment for different disabilities "aren't bad people." Fogarty said the exhibit and her film share similar messages. "I think if people look into the artwork (in the library) they'll see the people behind it," she said. "They'll see some amazing souls and not just people with mental and physical needs." Click here to see Fogarty's video. Read an article about the exhibition.

Tonya Largy MA ’01 recently finished a three-year term as president of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society which maintains the Robbins Museum of Archaeology in Middleborough.

Robert Beadle '02 (communication, political science), president of Northeast Public Relations, Inc., was named 2009 Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Rhode Island and all of New England this month by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Beadle has developed and implemented public relations and marketing programs for over 40 companies, non-profit organizations and government entities including Arpin International Group, the Boy Scouts of America and the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council. His company specializes in social media applications for public relations and marketing.

Lori (Kessler) Shemtob '77 (communication), divorce and family law attorney, has been recognized as one of the top 50 women attorneys in Pennsylvania by Law & Politics Media, Inc., the publishers of Pennsylvania Super Lawyers magazine. The basis for selection includes noteworthy verdicts or settlements: experience, honors, awards, community service, scholarly lectures, writings and more. Only 5% of lawyers in Pennsylvania were recognized as Super Lawyers for 2009, and of those, Ms. Shemtob was ranked as one of the top 50 women in the "nomination, research and blue ribbon review process".

Jason Rodriguez '09 PhD (sociology) received a post-doctoral appointment at the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research at Rutgers University.

Please send us your news!

SBS in the News
Boston Globe, 6/29/09. Madeleine Blais (journalism) writes a column about her recent uneventful vacation to Mexico. Although she initially worried about swine flu and drug violence, she reports nothing unpleasant happened during her stay. Boston Globe, 6/15/09. The unique aspects of Amherst, recently ranked the top college town in North America, are discussed in a column by Blais. Boston Globe, 6/8/09. Blais writes a column about her recent experience in New York City where she is a judge for the city’s branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ Ken Book Award. She says while people attending the ceremony discussed many issues, including suicide, outside police and firefighters were investigating a case of someone who had jumped to his death. Boston Globe, 6/1/09. Blais writes a column advising the Obamas on things to know about Martha’s Vineyard, where the first family is reportedly going to spend its vacation this summer.

Enterprise [Brockton], 6/29/09; Fall River Herald, 6/26/09. Former Minuteman basketball star Tony Gaffney '09 (sociology) has been asked to attend the Los Angeles Lakers’ summer league in Las Vegas, July 10-19. Boston Herald, 6/24/09; Springfield Republican, ABC40, 6/23/09. Articles about Gaffney speculate about his chances for being selected in the NBA draft on June 25.

Boston Globe, 6/25/09 [scroll down]. Erin Kelley '09 (psychology) of the UMass Amherst women’s crew team has been named a College Rowing Coaches Association National Scholar Athlete.

Dollars&Sense, 6/22/09. Asst. Research Professor Jeannette Wicks-Lim (PERI) says that switching to a clean energy economy will help the environment, alleviate the recession — and create job opportunities for women, too. Wicks-Lim, who co-authored a study for PERI on the subject entitled “Green Prosperity,” points out in an editorial that large-scale, federal building projects (such as ones that will result from clean energy funding) make it possible to implement and enforce affirmative action policies for women and minorities.

The New York Times, Las Vegas Sun, 6/18/09; The Tennessean, The News-Sentinel, 6/19/09. The Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), in partnership with the Center for American Progress, has released a study titled “The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy.” It estimates that proposed federal clean energy bills combined with the economic stimulus program could create 1.7 million new jobs versus what could be created in current energy sectors with the same investments. The study’s findings have been cited widely by national media outlets since its release on June 18.

Fox News, 6/18/09. Some oil companies are greener than others, according to Michael Ash (economics and public policy) who cited a ranking of the 100 worst air-polluting companies compiled by the Political Economy Research Institute at UMass Amherst. The studies were published in 2002 and 2005.

Lax Magazine, 6/15/09. Merritt Cosgrove '10 (psychology and communication) and recent graduate Jaclyn Rosenzweig '09 are playing for Ireland in the Federation of International Lacrosse World Women’s Cup in Prague. [scroll down to #5 under Ten to Watch.]

Houston Style Magazine, 6/11/09; The Cagle Post, 6/8/09. A column by the Rev. Jesse Jackson mentions that Robert Pollin (economics) is predicting that renewable energy and energy conservation will be the focus of the new global economy and the U.S. needs to develop policies that put this country at the forefront of those industries.

Newsweek, 6/3/09; Reuters, 6/4/09. M.V. Lee Badgett (economics), director of the Center for Public Policy and Administration, comments in a pair of stories about the economic impact of gay marriage in states that have legalized it or are considering doing so. Badgett says in New England, legal gay marriage is becoming a recruiting tool for universities, health care companies and financial service firms that dominate the regional economy. Springfield Republican, 5/31/09; News & Observer [N.C.], 5/30/09. Badgett comments in a story about the fifth anniversary of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. A study co-authored by Badgett says the state has seen a $111 million increase in economic activity in the past five years related to the new marriage law. An editorial also cites Badgett’s study.

Z Magazine, June 2009. Dan Clawson (sociology) writes about the battle that is underway within the Service Employees International Union, the fastest-growing and most politically active union in the country. SEIU is being challenged by a breakaway union, the National Union of Health Workers.

Times of India, 6/2/09. Daniel Anderson (psychology) has been involved in a study that shows that allowing infants to watch television may harm their cognitive development. Parents of infants are being urged to minimize exposure to television during the first two years, the study says.

A Word from SBS
This e-letter has been created for alumni and friends of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. SBS includes the degree-granting departments and programs of Anthropology, Communication, Economics, Journalism, Labor Studies, Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, Legal Studies, Neuroscience and Behavior, Political Science, Psychology*, Public Policy and Administration, Social Thought and Political Economy (STPEC), and Sociology. With 38,000 alumni, 5,000 current undergraduate majors, and 500 graduate students, SBS is the largest of UMass Amherst’s colleges. In addition to its departments, it is home to numerous centers and research institutions. Through the general education courses that SBS offers, the College’s 150 faculty members teach one quarter of the nearly 20,000 undergraduates on campus in any given semester.

Gifts from alumni and friends are vital to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Your investment allows us to create remarkable opportunities for today’s—and tomorrow's—students. If you are already a donor, please accept our sincere thanks. If not, please consider a donation to SBS for your department, student financial aid, or a purpose that speaks to your personal experiences and priorities. To make a gift online, click here. Or, send a check to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Draper Hall, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 40 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA 01003-9244. Questions? Call the Office of Development, 413.545.2741.

We welcome feedback related to this newsletter, the college in general, specific concerns, or topics of interest. Please address all correspondence, including story ideas, to Sabine Cray, director of communications and marketing. If you wish to add your name to the mailing list, or if you wish to unsubscribe, please contact us. If you have had a change of address, email or other personal information, you can update it online. The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences respects your privacy. Your contact information will not be shared with anyone unrelated to the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

*Please note: as of July 1, 2009 the Department of Psychology, including Neuroscience and Behavior, moved to the College of Natural Sciences. However, we will continue to send the newsletter to those affiliated with them during this transition.