Study Abroad Scholarship Recipients Selected
The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences understands that many students—now more than ever—need financial assistance to help their dreams come true. And because SBS encourages its students to study abroad for a semester or two, or at least a summer, we are working hard to make more funds available to help support this experience. This year, for the first time, the College was able to give scholarships to four students who will be spending the spring semester abroad (for a number of years we have granted scholarships for summer and fall participants, but program deadlines precluded eligibility for spring candidates). Read more...

Science, Technology and Society Launches e-Newsletter
The first edition of the Science, Technology and Society (STS) e-Newsletter was released on December 12. Based in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and the Center for Public Policy and Administration, the STS Initiative is a catalyst for inter-disciplinary, collaborative research among the natural, physical and social sciences, engineering and public policy and a locus of engagement with governments, NGOs, business and civil society. Much of STS's work is international in scope reflecting the global nature of science and technology. The e-newsletter highlights recent research, teaching and engagement activities in the STS portfolio. The Initiative builds on and amplifies faculty research interests. To read the newsletter, click here. To receive the newsletter by email, send a subscription notice.

Free Memory Screening at Psych Services Center
On Thursday, December 11 the Psychological Services Center on campus will be providing free memory screening to adults who are experiencing difficulties with memory. Often these changes are simply the result of normal aging—though not always. Recent studies conservatively estimate that 12% of people over 70 have mild cognitive impairment, which is known to lead to Alzheimer’s disease. That percentage represents almost 9 million people who might be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Studies suggest, however, that the incidence of dementia could be reduced by as many as a million cases if the disease's onset is delayed by as little as six months in this generation. As Psychological Services Center Director Christopher Overtree notes, “as with any problem, early detection is the key to receiving the best treatment.” Read more...

Anthropologist Assembles and Copies Skeleton of Extinct Lemur
Scientists in Madagascar, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Vienna Natural History Museum and at the Anthropology Department now have a nearly complete skeleton of a rare species of extinct lemur to study thanks to a century-long discovery and reconstruction effort. Laurie R. Godfrey, professor of Anthropology and lemur expert, played a key role in the process. Read more...

Help the Internet Reshape Government
BigDialog.org, a cross-partisan partnership of academics, bloggers, and e-communities, is run by the eCitizen Foundation in partnership with MIT's eCitizen Architecture Program, techPresident.com, Pajamas Media, blip.tv, change.org, boterwatch, UsefulArts.us, civics.com, and the National Center for Dispute Resolution, headed by Ethan Katsh (legal studies). BigDialogue.com is accepting video and text questions for President-Elect Obama as well as votes on current entries through early December and expects to see replies from the President-Elect in December. The questioners behind the top three questions wil be flown to MIT in mid-December, receive a tour of the MIT Media Lab, and engage in a networked event with the Obama transition team, subject to the terms and conditions found on the eCitizen Foundation's website. View a video about this program.

Professors Consider Obama Win
After the election of Barack Obama, the Daily Hampshire Gazette featured nine short essays solicited from area academics. Asked to share thoughts on Obama's historic run to the White House, they wrote about rejoicing at Obama's selection, how he was able to achieve the highest position in the U.S., the historic significance of his presidency and what challenges lie ahead. Among the contributors were two from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences: Jane Fountain (political science), director of the National Center for Digital Government and the Science and Technology Initiative, and Peter M. Haas (political science), a leading expert on global environmental issues. Read the essays...

Students Rock Election Night '08
The Cape Cod Lounge was alive with election fever as students and faculty attended the Election Night '08 event. Sponsored by the Political Science Department and the Political Science Undergraduate Board, with food provided by the People's Market and Sweets N' More, the event featured televisions lining walls, and an area set aside where speakers held discussions with students about issues concerning the election. Read more...

Scholarships for Spring Study Abroad
The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences strongly encourages SBS majors to study abroad for a semester or two, or at least for a summer. Study abroad allows students to immerse themselves in another culture, broadening their perspectives and introducing them to a global community. UMass Amherst offers a wide variety of international exchange and overseas study programs through the International Programs Office, and SBS offers a few scholarships, that are funded by alumni contributions, to help underwrite some of the costs associated with these programs. Applications for students who are planning on studying abroad for the Spring 2009 semester are now available online. Don't delay. The deadline for applications is November 14. Alumni: if you are interested in contributing to scholarships, please give now online, or contact Saige Reisler, director of development, at 413.545.7187.

Prize-winning Poltical Scientist Presents Lecture
On Monday, October 27, 2008 Paul Pierson, professor of political science and Avice Saint Chair of Public Policy at the University of California Berkeley, will present "Winner-Take-All Politics: Governance and the Roots of Rising Inequality in America" at 4:00 pm, Reading Room, Campus Center. Pierson has teaching and research interests in American politics and public policy, comparative political economy, and social theory. He is author of Dismantling the Welfare State? Reagan, Thatcher, and the Politics of Retrenchment (Cambridge 1994), which won the American Political Science Association's 1995 prize for the best book on American national politics. Read more...

On Debate Night, Journalism Classes Aflutter over Twitter
Journalism professors Steve Fox, Scott Brodeur and B.J. Roche had their classes plug in to Twitter during the presidential and vice-presidential debates. The classes—Politics, Journalism and the Web; Multimedia Journalism; and Writing for the Web—made tweets to a group feed throughout the debates. Students posted remarks and questions to the topics and received instant feedback from classmates and professors, without having to leave their dorm. For instance, alexa_m tweeted, “Today my boss said she heard that the questions would be softballs tonight or Palin wouldn’t come. Any truth to that?” and her professor Steve Fox immediately responded, “Good question by Alexa — did Ifill do a good job as moderator or was this softball practice?” Read more...

Pollin to Discuss 'Green Growth' in Distinguished Faculty Lecture
Robert N. Pollin (economics), co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, will speak on “How Green Growth Can Revive the Economy.” His presentation is the first of the 2008–09 Distinguished Faculty Lectures on Monday, Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. in the Massachusetts Room of the Mullins Center. Following his lecture, Pollin will be honored with the Chancellor's Medal, the highest honor bestowed on individuals for exemplary and extraordinary service to the campus. Read more...

Psych Services Center Offers Parents Program for Changing Challenging Behavior in Children
Parents! Do you struggle with your child’s difficult behaviors? The Psychological Services Center on campus can help you reduce conflict, increase positive interactions, and promote family harmony. Whether because of ADHD or other reasons, disruptive behavior can get in the way of family harmony, success in school, and even friendships. Learn the skills you need as a parent to help change these challenging behaviors in the company of other parents who understand! This group is for families with children aged 6?]10 (childcare is not available). Read more...

Amherst Wire Goes Global
"If you have any doubts about the power of UMass Amherst students when they hook up with the web, this should alleviate them," writes BJ Roche (journalism). "Jackie Hai ’09, editor of Amherst Wire [a student-run project of the journalism department at UMass Amherst, dedicated to covering national and global issues from a local perspective] was talking with her mom on the phone over the weekend of September 26 about the economic crisis, and mom suggested she do a story. The team went to work, calling several economics professors, then interviewing and videotaping them. Steve Fox (journalism) advised, and around noon on September 30, I sent the link to an old pal at the Boston Globe who is now head of new media. He called back within minutes after I sent the link and said, 'This is great, can we link to it?' By 2:00 p.m. UMass Amherst journalism students went global. We should all be proud!" Click here to connect to the site.

Attention Students: Intro to Wall Street Presentation
Ever wonder what people mean by “Wall Street”? Have you read about two companies merging but wondered how the whole deal came together? Do you feel that you could work with companies to invest in new technologies and projects? Then come to an info-session, presented by Chris McCabe '81 (political science), at the Isenberg School of Management, room 112, Wednesday, October 8 at 5:30 pm. Read more...

Programs, Events to Mark CPPA’s 10th Year
The Center for Public Policy and Administration (CPPA) will celebrate a decade of accomplishments Oct. 3-4 with a gala weekend that includes panels, receptions and a photo exhibit. Alumna Gail Collins, ’70, a columnist for the New York Times, will cap the event with a keynote address at a dinner for CPPA faculty and alumni on Oct. 4. Read more about the event... Read more about the photo exhibit...

Fountain Appointed to World Economic Forum’s Future of Governments Council
Jane Fountain, professor of political science and public policy, director of the National Center for Digital Government, and director of the Science, Technology and Society Initiative, has been appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Governments. Fountain is one of only fourteen experts worldwide selected for membership on the Council, which is charged to examine how governments globally might better adapt to the rapid pace of technological change while building or maintaining transparency, accountability, and civil society. Read more...

Power Up for Success!
The surveys are in: 98% of UMass Amherst first-year students who have participated in Power Up for College Success! would recommend this program to other entering students. This year more than 300 students enrolled in this fun, three-day orientation to campus, just before the start of the academic year. Developed in 2002 by Robert S. Feldman, professor of psychology and associate dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, this one-credit program helps students make a successful transition from high school to UMass Amherst. Read more...

Politics, Science and Feminism
The Second Annual Alice S. and Peter H. Rossi Lecture will take place on Thursday, September 25, 2008. This year's event, entitled "Alice Rossi: Politics, Science and Feminism" will focus on the accomplishments of renowned sociologist Alice Rossi, who will attend the event. Rossi, who retired from UMass Amherst in 1991 as the Harriet Martineau Professor of Sociology, is a founding member of the National Organization for Women. Read more...

Pulitzer Prize Winner To Speak on Campus
On Monday, September 22 David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize winner and longtime staffer at the Washington Post—who is their biographer for coverage of Presidential candidate Barack Obama—will present a lecture from 4:00–6:30 p.m, Flavin Auditorium, Isenberg School of Management. The event is free and open to the public. Read more...

NSF Grant Goes to Anthropologist Hemment
Assistant Professor Julie Hemment (anthropology) has been awarded an $82,495 grant from the National Science Foundation Cultural Anthropology program for her project,"Youth Organizations, Voluntary Service and the Restructuring of Social Welfare in Russia." Contingent on the first year's performance, she has also been awarded an additional $50,505 for a second year of support. Read more....

Robreno to Present Alfange Lecture
On Wednesday, September 17, 2008, The Honorable Eduardo C. Robreno ’69 (M.S., labor studies), United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, will present the Dean Alfange, Jr. Lecture in American Constitutionalism. His talk, entitled "An Improbable Journey: One Judge’s Path to the Federal Bench" will take place at 4:00 p.m., Amherst Room, Campus Center 10th Floor. Read more...

SBS Survey Results
At the end of the spring semester the SBS Dean's Office sent out its first alumni survey to seek ideas on higher education in general and alumni experiences at UMass Amherst in particular. Capitalizing on these unique insights from former students at UMass Amherst, the College will use survey results to make improvements for current students. Results to some of the questions are now posted and make for some interesting reading. In the future we'll be inviting alumni to select their favorite ideas. Read more... [pdf]

Facebook Group Created for SBS Alumni
In an effort to find more ways to communicate with alumni, and for alumni to communicate with each other, the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences has created a Facebook group. It is dedicated to those who graduated from UMass Amherst with degrees in Anthropology, Communication, Economics, Journalism, Labor Studies, Legal Studies, Neuroscience and Behavior, Political Science, Psychology, Public Policy and Administration, Social Thought and Political Economy, and Sociology. Use this space to network with others, let us know what is going on with your life after UMass Amherst, or just ask questions about the College. To join the group, you must first become a member of Facebook. Once you've joined, go to the SBS Alumni group.

Stifler Receives Fulbright to Teach in Sri Lanka
Senior Lecturer John Stifler (economics) has received a Fulbright Grant to teach for nine months at the University of Peredinya in Kandy, Sri Lanka. He will arrive in Sri Lanka in late December after traveling to India to teach during the fall semester in Chennai, formerly Madras. In Sri Lanka, Stifler will teach an American studies course that focuses on literary works by authors such as Frederick Douglass, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Toni Morrison, and Zora Neale Hurston, and how they illuminate social and economic traditions and differences. He also expects to teach a literary journalism course, developing students' skills in essay, personal narrative and political analysis.

Archaeology Lab at Historic Deerfield Open to Public
Have you ever wondered what archaeology is really like? From July 24 through August 9, Thursday-Saturday, 9:30-12:00 and 1:00-3:30, the general public is invited to visit UMass Amherst archaeologists and 2008 Archaeological Field School students as they research and identify artifacts at their lab in the Moors House at Historic Deerfield. The lab is a great place for adults and children to learn about archaeology in general and see actual artifacts that students are finding throughout the Field School. In addition, a hands-on archaeology lab, Dig Deerfield!, will take place on August 2 and again on August 9, from 1–3:30 p.m. Read more...

Dean Feldman on Mentoring
Earlier this year the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences was recipient of a Mellon Mutual Mentoring Grant. This campus-wide faculty development initiative, funded by a three-year, $400,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, seeks to address through mentoring the numerous challenges that new and under-represented faculty face. Professor of Psychology Robert Feldman, associate dean and strong proponent of faculty and student development, was principal investigator of the SBS Mellon Mutual Mentoring Team Grant. Read an interview with him on the Office of Faculty Development website.

SBS Alumni Survey Sent
On May 28, the Dean's Office began its first survey of SBS alumni. The survey seeks ideas on higher education in general and alumni experiences at UMass Amherst in particular. Capitalizing on their unique insights as former students at UMass Amherst, the College will use survey results to make improvements for current students. Results will be posted on this website and included in an upcoming newsletter. We'll be asking alumni to vote on their favorite ideas. If you haven't received an invitation to the survey and would like to complete it, click here.

Open house at MRI Facility Shared by Hospital, Campus Researchers
Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s magnetic resonance imaging facility at 170 University Drive, which is being shared by campus researchers, is hosting an open house on Wednesday, June 4 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Area residents can take a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility, equipped with the Siemens High-Field Open MRI, view demonstrations of imaging technology and learn how faculty from the Psychology and Kinesiology departments will use the MRI equipment to aid their research. Read more...

Commencement Images from the SBS Tent
Congratulations to all of this year's SBS students who earned their degrees. Following are informal images captured after the ceremony when graduates, their families and friends came to the SBS tent for a reception and a gift sportpack from the College. View the images...

Sociologist's Article Featured in ASA Journal
"Ethnic and Gender Satisfaction in the Military: The Effect of a Meritocratic Institution" by Jennifer Lundquist (sociology) is the feature journal article for June on the ASA webpage. This article reevaluates traditional racial and gender disparities in the work satisfaction literature by examining the U.S. military, an institution that has ameliorated many racial inequalities while exacerbating gender conflict. The military departs from civilian society in some analytically useful ways, making it a unique, though underutilized, setting for examining inequality. Read the article... [pdf]

Tropp Wins Early Career Award from ISPP
Linda Tropp (psychology), director of the Psychology of Peace and Violence Concentration, has received the 2008 Erik Erikson Early Career Award from the International Society of Political Psychology (ISPP). Named for the "Father of Psychosocial Development,” the award recognizes and celebrates exceptional achievement and goes to an individual who is a member of ISPP and within a decade of receiving the Ph.D. First awarded in 1982, the list of recipients of the Erikson Award is a compendium of those who are among the most prominent leaders in political psychology today. Read more...

STPEC Receives $60,000 Grant for Internships
The Samuel Rubin Foundation has granted $60,000 to the Social Thought and Political Economy Program (STPEC) in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences to support undergraduate internships focused on peace and social justice. To graduate, all STPEC majors must complete a three-credit internship. Internships provide invaluable experience that deepens their learning and prepares them for the post-graduation stage of their lives. However, the limited budgets of social justice organizations mean that internships seldom are paid. Read more...

Badgett Plays Role in Golden State Decision on Nuptials
Professor Lee Badgett (economics and public policy), an expert on the economic characteristics of same-sex couples, played a pivotal role the California court's decision to allow same-sex marriage. Not only did she serve as an expert witness in the case, she also co-authored an amicus brief in support of gay marriage that was used numerous times in the California Supreme Court chief justice's oral arguments on the economic characteristics of same-sex couples. Read more...

Students Receive SBS Scholarships
Congratulations to all of this year's SBS students who earned scholarships for internships, study abroad and meritorious academic achievement. Several individuals whose generosity established some of the awards attended this year's ceremony. Among them were Carol and Alan LeBovidge ’64 who witnessed the inaugural presentation of the Alan L. and Carol S. LeBovidge Undergraduate Research Scholarship. Read more...

Sanders Awarded $300K John Merck Grant
Assistant Professor Lisa D. Sanders (psychology) has been awarded a four-year, $300,000 grant by the Boston-based John Merck Fund to support her research on how selective attention deficits contribute to language processing disorders. She is one of two grant recipients selected from 55 applicants nationwide. Read more....

Huston Speaks at Commencement
Katie Huston (journalism), has been selected as this year's commencement speaker. From Royal Oak, Michigan, she has had a stellar career at UMass Amherst. Earlier this year she was one of 40 students nationwide to be named a Marshall Scholar—the first in more than 30 years from UMass Amherst. In additon, the Alumni Association selected her as a 21st Century Leader, an award that goes to seniors who are academically accomplished and who have contributed to the university by exceptional achievement or have enhanced the reputation of the campus. Read more...
Listen to Huston's speech

Science Features Folbre Article
“When a Commodity is Not Exactly a Commodity” by Professor Nancy Folbre (economics) is featured in the journal Science. The article considers the impact of personal interactions and emotional connections on the economics of care services. Folbre focuses her research on the interface between feminist theory and political economy, with a particular interest in caring labor and other forms of non-market work. Read the article...

International Conference on Civil Society Brings Activists from Latin America to Campus
The public is invited to attend Interrogating the Civil Society Agenda: Social Movements Civil Society, and Democratic Innovation, a three-day conference sponsored by the Center for Latin American, Caribbean and Latino Studies. Discussions of issues related to civil society, social movements, and democracy will take place on April 24-25 on campus; a special community dialogue is scheduled for April 27 at Grace Episcopal Church. Read more...

SBS Presents Outstanding Teaching Awards
This year’s SBS Outstanding Teacher Award has been presented to Art Keene, professor of anthropology, and Tamara A. Rahhal, chief undergraduate advisor and lecturer in psychology. This award was instituted in 1995 to augment the University Distinguished Teaching Award in an effort to recognize a larger number of talented teachers. Nominating procedures, however, are different. Read more...

Commissioner Gillett to Speak on Broadband in Massachusetts
On Wednesday, April 30, 2008 from 10:00 am until 12:00 noon at the Campus Center, Room 165-169, the Science, Technology and Society Initiative at the Center for Public Policy and Administration is sponsoring a public Town Hall Forum with Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable Commissioner, Dr. Sharon Gillett. She will dialogue with the public about her office's current agenda and the progress of the state broadband initiative. Click here for more information.

Peace Psychologist Featured in Oprah Magazine
Linda Tropp, director of the Psychology of Peace and Violence Concentration, described in the May 2008 issue of Oprah Magazine as "one of five top peace psychologists," offers some key advice in the article "Let's Not Fight." Read the article [pdf]...

Physical Anthropologist Wins Guggenheim Fellowship
Laurie Godfrey (anthropology) is one of 190 recipients of a 2008 Guggenheim fellowship in Organismic Biology and Ecology. Since 1925 the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation has annually offered fellowships to artists, scholars, and scientists. Guggenheim Fellows are appointed on the basis of impressive achievement in the past and exceptional promise for future accomplishment. This year's awards totalled $8,200,000. Read more... Laurie Godfrey's website.

New Partnership Forged to Aid Families in Crisis over Substance Abuse
A unique partnership between Northampton-based Allies in Recovery (AIR) and the Psychological Services Center (PSC) on campus is bringing new hope and support to area families in crisis over substance abuse. The partnership opens up a host of new possibilities for sharing clinical and academic resources, says AIR ’s executive director, Dr. Dominique Simon Levine. Read more...

Painting from the Same Palette
On Monday, April 28, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. in the Campus Center Room 163C, a historic event will take place with the unveiling of a mural from Belfast, Northern Ireland/the north of Ireland. Recently completed, this mural was painted by two artists whose communities were previously at war: Danny Devenny, former Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner, and Mark Ervine, son of David Ervine, former Progressive Unionist Party leader and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) member. Read more...

Conference: "Landscapes of Violence: Conflict and Trauma through Time"
On April 3 & 4, 2008 this on-campus conference will explore the current and future potential of academe to mitigate human rights issues, provide essential services to local, national and international governments, and broaden the dialog between the academic disciplines. The objective is to engage in an interdisciplinary inquiry of the theoretical and empirical issues around the study of violence, warfare, conflict, and human rights. Free and open to the public, but registration is required. Click here for registration form and more information.

Family Research Scholars Awarded $2.5 million from NIH and NSF
The National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health have awarded six faculty affiliated with the University of Massachusetts Amherst Center for Research on Families (CRF) Scholars Program more than $2.5 million dollars in research support. Psychology professors Paula Pietromonaco and Sally Powers received a five-year, $2.29 million grant for their study of “Biopsychosocial Factors in Depression and Marriage:  Implications for Cancer” from the National Cancer Institute in the National Institutes of Health. Read more...

Dawson's Creek Revisited
Doctoral student Lori Bindig (communication) recently had her master’s thesis published by Lexington Books. Dawson’s Creek: A Critical Understanding offers a detailed analysis of the late 1990s TV show’s representation of gender, race, class, sexuality and consumerism and draws larger conclusions about the social implications of these messages. Read an interview with Bindig...

UMass Amherst Graduate School to Honor Anthro Alum at 100th Anniversary Gala
Marking its 100th anniversary, the UMass Amherst Graduate School will honor a graduate alumnus from each of UMass Amherst's schools and colleges at a gala on April 9. For the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Michael Blakey '85 PhD, '80 MA (anthropology), a National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of Anthropology at the College of William and Mary, has been selected. Earlier that day, from 10-11:30 in Campus Center 904-908, Blakey will present a lecture,"The Idea of Race and the Nature Politic," that is free and open to the public. Read more...

Why Politicians Lie
March 5, 2008. Political Editor Joe Battenfeld of Fox 25 TV News (Boston) interviewed Associate Dean Bob Feldman (psychology), an expert on lying, on how often and why politicians lie, especially during campaigns. Sorry, the interview is no longer available for viewing.

Psychology Professor Named Distinguished Alum
James (Mike) Royer (psychology) will receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Education Alumni Association in April. Royer's research is directed at developing procedures for assessing and treating learning disabilities and developing an understanding of mathematical cognition. He is director of LATAS (Laboratory for the Assessment and Training of Academic Skills) that provides assessment and intervention services to children, youth and adults with learning disabilities and conducts research directed toward developing new procedures for assessing and treating learning disabilities. Royer also works internationally in projects designed to promote literacy in developing countries. Read more...

Field Study in Communication & Journalism: Sligo & West Coast of Ireland
This year's Field Study in Communication & Journalism course is headed to the stunningly beautiful West Coast of Ireland, July 6 - 20, 2008. Led by Karen List, director of the UMass Amherst Journalism Program and Steve Klein, coordinator of the Electronic Journalism Program and the Journalism concentration in the Communication Department at George Mason University, this two week, 3-credit course will explore various aspects of intercultural communication and international journalism. Read more...

Proulx's book cited by Choice
A book by Donald A. Proulx, professor emeritus of Anthropology, has been selected as an “Outstanding Academic Title” by Choice, the journal of reviews for academic libraries. His work, “A Sourcebook of Nasca Ceramic Iconography: Reading a Culture Through Its Art,” is among 646 books and electronic resources named to this year’s list, which was published in the journal’s January issue. Read more...

Truth or Not?
On February 5, Associate Dean Robert Feldman (psychology) was interviewed by Lynn Neary on Talk of the Nation. Discussing "The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth," he explained the psychology behind truth and fiction while syndicated advice columnist Amy Dickinson weighed in on the art of honesty—when it's a good idea to tell the truth and when it's better to fudge the details, and Brad Blanton, a radical truth teller, explained why honesty is the only policy. Listen to the interview.

The Public Engagement Project
A collaboration between the Center for Public Policy and Administration (CPPA), the Center for Research on Families (CRF), the Peace and Violence Concentration in Psychology, and Sociology has led to the new Public Engagement Project (PEP). It will support faculty members who want to take their research outside of the academy through engagement with the media, community groups, policymakers, and others. Read more...

Policy Debate Team Makes Big Forensics Impact
Today, among the college crowd, the word “forensics” typically evokes visions of crime scene investigations. But in earlier times forensics was well known as the art of argumentation and formal debate. While there is evidence of formal debating going on at Mass Aggie as early as 1892, the Forensics Society officially began on campus in 1909 and later was renamed the Debate Union. The group was hugely popular and highly successful as it argued its way to national recognition, often being ranked in the top ten in the 1970s and 1980s. Read more...

Bush Names Sedgwick Acting Assistant Attorney General
President Bush named Jeffrey L. Sedgwick (political science) acting assistant attorney general on January 3. In his new post, Sedgwick oversees the Office of Justice Programs and activities related to major initiatives, including Project Safe Neighborhoods, the President’s DNA Initiative, the Prisoner Reentry Initiative, and Helping America’s Youth. The assistant attorney general also serves as the national Amber Alert coordinator, a role that encourages and facilitates the creation and strengthening of regional, state and local plans to aid in recovering abducted children. The Office of Justice Programs includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, where Sedgwick has served as director since 2006. (1/24/08)

Economics Expert Advises Arizonans on Municipal Finance
Twice each year about 150 Arizona citizens come together for three days to address a topic of major concern to the state’s future. Most recently, the 91st Arizona Town Hall focused on Land Use: Challenges and Choices for the 21st Century and included in the background report a chapter by Professor Carol Heim (economics) on “Taxes, Incentives, and Fiscal Policy Choices.” Read more...