Digital Commons Network^™

Case Study #3 - Mystic College, Sandra Kanter

New England Resource Center for Higher Education Publications

In an effort to develop a more effective niche in a highly competitive higher education market, a tradition bound mid-sized private college known for its professional schools decides to overhaul its general education requirements. After formulating a bold curricular proposal, the institution is buffeted by the various demands and needs of campus politics and the inevitable challenges to tradition that such innovations bring. The proposal is subject to the contrary interpretations of policy and institutional history by board, faculty, and administration.

The Academic Workplace (Fall/Winter 1991): Windmills & General Education Reform, New England Resource Center For Higher Education At The University Of Massachusetts Boston, Zelda F. Gamson, Sandra Kanter

The Academic Workplace

No abstract provided.

Poverty And Health Outcomes Among Hispanics In Massachusetts, Christopher Christian

Gastón Institute Publications

The Hispanic population of Massachusetts is now close to becoming the largest ethnic minority group in the state. The 1990 statewide Census count found that the Hispanic population doubled in the past ten years and now comprises 4.8% of the total state population (287,349 residents) as compared to 2.5% in 1980.

Growth in the Hispanic population has not been coupled with advancements in health status. Hispanic residents are disproportionately affected by many adverse health outcomes, such as high infant mortality, a high incidence of substance abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, homicides, AIDS, and other chronic illnesses. This paper highlights some of …

Blacks In Bridge, Wornie L. Reed

Trotter Review

Two events in the spring of 1991 brought to mind the long battle to integrate the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), which barely beat out the Boston Red Sox in integrating its membership. One was the closing of the famous Cavendish Bridge Club in New York City; the other was a bridge tournament that combined the efforts of ACBL and ABA (American Bridge Association) clubs in the Washington, D.C. area. The ABA is the national association of black bridge players. Both events appear to have been precipitated by a decline in the number of bridge players as the baby boomer …

Trends In Homicide Among African-Americans, Wornie L. Reed

Trotter Review

Homicide is a particularly significant phenomenon for African Americans because it is the leading cause of death for young black men and women. Blacks, who make up some 12% of the population in the country, account for 44% of all murder victims. Thus, reducing homicide deaths among American population groups, particularly among young black males, is a growing public concern. The term homicide refers to any killing of one person by another. In this chapter the phenomenon and the changing trends of homicide among African Americans over the past 30 to 40 years will be examined.

Crime, Drugs, And Race, Wornie L. Reed

Trotter Review

The crime and criminal record statistics of black Americans are frightening; and they keep getting worse. These figures, of course, give us pause. Yet, it must be kept in mind that none of these figures demonstrates that blacks as a race are more prone to crime. Rather, the figures show that the average black person in the United States is more likely than the average white person to be so situated in the social structure that he or she is more likely to be involved in crime, with an even higher likelihood of being arrested, convicted, and imprisoned.

African-Americans And The Administration Of Justice, E. Yvonne Moss, Roy Austin, Nolan Jones, Barry A. Krisberg, Hubert G. Locke, Michael L. Radelet, Susan Welch

Trotter Review

The status of African Americans in relationship to the administration of justice has improved since the 1940s. Significantly, however, researchers continue to find racial discrimination and racial disadvantage operating in various aspects of the criminal justice process in numerous jurisdictions. Such findings are unacceptable in a society that claims to honor equal justice under law.

This article is reprinted from Summary, Volume 1 of the Assessment of the Status of African-Americans series, published in 1990 by the William Monroe Trotter Institute, University of Massachusetts at Boston, and edited by Wornie L. Reed. Materials included in the article were adapted …

Searching For A Umass President: Transitions And Leaderships, 1970-1991, Richard A. Hogarty

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article traces the history of the five presidential successions that have taken place at the University of Massachusetts since 1970. No manual or campus report will reveal the one best way to conduct a presidential search. How to do so is not easy to prescribe. Suitably fleshed out, the events surrounding these five searches tell us a great deal about what works and what doesn't. It is one thing to offer case illustrations of past events, another to say how they might be put to use by other people in another era with quite different situations and concerns. In …

News & Views - Vol. 09, No. 07 - July 19, 1991, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1983-1991, News & Views

No abstract provided.

Patterns Of Race Hate In The Americas Before 1800, Rhett S. Jones

Trotter Review

The recent growth in the study of the African diaspora reflected in a number of comparative studies calls attention to the ways in which the black experience in the United States — and the thirteen British colonies in North America that preceded its formation — differs from that of blacks elsewhere in the Americas. This paper examines the unique form of race hatred that emerged in North America and places that hatred in the cultural context of race relations in the hemisphere.

Still The Long Journey: Thoughts Concerning The State Of Afro-American History, Charles Pete T. Banner-Haley

Trotter Review

Now that Afro-American history is within the mainstream of scholarly discourse, it has become important to take a serious look at the contributions that the last three decades have produced. Of course, that would take more time than I have today, but it may be useful to talk of the latest developments and what they portend for future studies in the discipline and how they have affected my own research and thinking. The areas that I would like to look at today concern the revision of the recent past, the re-emphasis of the centrality of Afro-American history, and the evolving …

News & Views - Vol. 09, No. 06 - May 7, 1991, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1983-1991, News & Views

No abstract provided.

The Status Of Black And Hispanic Faculty In Massachusetts Colleges And Universities, Sandra E. Elman

New England Resource Center for Higher Education Publications

To implement policies and programs that facilitate recruitment and retention of minority faculty, educators and policymakers must first determine the status of Blacks and Hispanics in the Commonwealth's colleges and universities. The principal objective of this report is to provide that knowledge.

The study has a dual purpose: to develop a data base on the availability of and demand for Black and Hispanic faculty in Massachusetts institutions of higher education, and to enhance our understanding of the strategies and programs required to foster recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty. Furthermore, it seeks to identify hiring trends in different types of …

The Academic Workplace (Spring/Summer 1991): Stalking The People's Schools: The Roots And Harvest Of The Comprehensive Sector, New England Resource Center For Higher Education At The University Of Massachusetts Boston, Zelda F. Gamson, Dorothy E. Finnegan, Craig E. Daniels, Janet D. Daniels

The Academic Workplace

No abstract provided.

Tax To Grind: Unequal Personal Income Taxation Of Massachusetts Single-Parent Families And Options For Reform, Randy Albelda

New England Journal of Public Policy

While Massachusetts households headed by single parents have, on average, less income than other types of families, they are subject to the same effective income tax rate as the population as a whole. Consequently, such head-of-household families are victims of inequitable tax treatment in two ways. First, their current personal exemptions result in a higher tax burden on these families than on families of the same size and income who file joint income tax returns. Second, head-of-household families, defined as single filers, must apply a lower no-tax threshold than joint filers, even though the former are also composed of two …

Regional Planning And Land Use Localism: Can They Coexist?, Scott A. Bollens

New England Journal of Public Policy

The potential effectiveness and citizen acceptance of emerging regional and state land use planning programs in New England is examined. To be successful, these programs must find acceptance within a system of historically home-rule, town-based land use governance. This article investigates the interplay between regionalism and parochialism, discusses emerging strategies, and reports on a telephone survey of over three hundred Cape Cod residents that examined local opinion regarding the proposed creation of a regional land use regulatory commission. These citizens were queried about the perceived consequences of greater-than-local land use planning. Although local parochialism was found to be a strongly …

News & Views - Vol. 09, No. 05 - February 19, 1991, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1983-1991, News & Views

No abstract provided.

Black Underrepresentation In Science And Technology, Robert C. Johnson

Trotter Review

The United States is experiencing a crisis in the training of scientific and technical personnel. A recent report from the National Science Foundation (NSF) indicates that the number of U.S. citizens earning science and engineering doctorates has decreased nearly 5% since 1980. The National Research Council's study of the adequacy of research support for the mathematical sciences in the United States reveals that not only has the production of Ph.D.s in mathematics declined since 1969-70, but the percentage of U.S. citizens receiving those degrees fell during the last decade from 78% of all mathematics Ph.D.s to only 61% of all …

The School Choice Issue: Remarks Made At The U.S. Department Of Education's Regional Strategy Meeting On Choice In Education, Phyllis Mcclure

Trotter Review

The term choice as it is used by the current administration with regard to education is a cosmetic, simplistic response to the failure of American schools. Choice has become a catch-all term for a whole variety of programs, plans, and theories. We should not let this meeting or the Department of Education delude us into believing that parental choice holds the promise for poor and minority children. The term is being used to describe not only what is happening in District 4 [public school district in New York City], but a plethora of ideas based on the free market. I …

Blacks In Golf, Wornie L. Reed

Trotter Review

From 1961 until the mid-1980s a weekend ritual was repeated by many African Americans who follow golf. For these individuals, each weekend morning included a peek at the standings of the weekly Professional Golf Association (PGA) tournament printed in the newspaper to see how the black golfers were doing and whether any one of them was the tournament leader or was close enough to the lead to win the tournament. As the 1980s came to an end anyone still practicing the old ritual was doing so in vain. No blacks were winning tournaments on the regular PGA Tour, nor were …

News & Views - Vol. 09, No. 04 - December 19, 1990, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1983-1991, News & Views

No abstract provided.

The Academic Workplace (Fall/Winter 1990): Faculty Shortages: Are They Here? What Can We Do About Them?, New England Resource Center For Higher Education At The University Of Massachusetts Boston, Zelda F. Gamson, Dorothy E. Finnegan, Ted I.K. Youn

The Academic Workplace

No abstract provided.

New Concepts Of Professional Expertise: Liberal Learning As Part Of A Career-Oriented Education, Ernest Lynton

New England Resource Center for Higher Education Publications

The nature of the expertise needed in most professions and higher level occupations is broadening because of changing organization and content of work. Today, a competent practitioner must be more than a narrow specialist. Curricular reviews aimed at ensuring liberal learning should abandon the false dichotomy between career-oriented and liberal education and begin by reexamining and broadening the major.

The Foundation Of American Racism: Defining Bigotry, Racism, And Racial Hierarchy, James Jennings

Trotter Review

Despite the fact that current surveys reveal a decline in the level of white prejudice towards blacks, however, the number of hate groups and incidents of racial harassment and violence is rapidly increasing. In addition, while black and white Americans seem to be interacting more in the work place, residential segregation continues to be a major problem. Furthermore, there are indications that the political attitudes of blacks and whites are not only different on many philosophical and economic issues, but are becoming increasingly divergent.

Recent Changes In The Structure And Value Of African-American Male Occupations, Jeremiah P. Cotton

Trotter Review

The occupational structure of black men has undergone major changes in recent years, shifting from largely blue-collar to white-collar and service occupations. At the same time there has been a decline in both the relative and absolute value of black male occupations. Moreover, it appears that labor-market discrimination still plays a significant role in the disparity between black and white male occupational earnings.

Back Matter: Trotter Review, Vol. 4, Issue 3

Trotter Review

Includes information about the Ph.D. Program in Gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston and about the Trotter Institute's six-volume series entitled The Assessment of the Status of African-Americans.

The Presidential Primary: A Faulty Process, Douglas A. Fraser, Irving Bluestone

New England Journal of Public Policy

The system of presidential primary elections has in effect created a nonsystem for selecting party candidates for the highest office in the nation. Personality has become the substitute for program content, and campaign spending coupled with the influence of the media counts for more than the candidates' experience, knowledge, expertise, administrative ability, and attachment to the policies and programs of their respective political party. In large measure the current presidential primary system has failed in its objective to advance the democratic process within the political parties while undermining the effectiveness of the parties and the importance of activists, the party …

Sports Notes: Blacks And Private Golf Clubs, Wornie L. Reed

Trotter Review

This past summer racial progress in the United States ran head first into the issue of "freedom of association" in the form of private clubs that prohibit membership to "other" folk, i.e., blacks and women. The specific issue in the case of the Shoal Creek Country Club of Alabama was the appropriateness of holding a Professional Golf Association (PGA) tournament at a club that did not accept blacks as members and was so bold as to say so to the press.

News & Views - Vol. 09, No. 01 - September 15, 1990, University Of Massachusetts Boston

1983-1991, News & Views

No abstract provided.

The Faculty Of The Sixties: A Reappraisal, Monroe H. Little

Trotter Review

Between 1967 and 1969 the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education initiated and substantially funded several national surveys of U.S. higher education. One such study of faculty employed a questionnaire that was mailed to approximately 100,000 full-time college and university faculty at 303 schools nationwide. The results of this survey, which solicited more than 300 items of information from each respondent and enjoyed an unusually high response rate of over 60%, contain a wealth of data on a variety of political and social issues that has rarely been subjected to careful analysis by scholars.

This is especially unfortunate in retrospect. The …