Suffolk University - Press Releases

BOSTON - Bay State voters expect Attorney General Martha Coakley to be the next U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, and, while 51 percent say they disapprove of the job Deval Patrick is doing as governor, they expect him to win another term in a three-way race, according to a Suffolk University/7News poll.

On the Democratic side of the Senate race, 44 percent chose Coakley, followed by 17 percent for Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, 16 percent for U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, and 3 percent for City Year founder Alan Khazei. Twenty percent were undecided.

“Steve Pagliuca scored the biggest improvement since September,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “He traveled from zero to second place by flooding the air waves with TV ads. However, he still has not secured the most aware Democratic voters who are choosing Coakley and Capuano before him.”

On the Republican side, state Sen. Scott Brown (45 percent) led Jack E. Robinson (7 percent) with 47 percent undecided.

In General Election head-to-head matchups between the Democratic contenders and the GOP’s Brown, only Khazei fell short, with 33 percent of voters choosing Brown and 30 percent Khazei.

Gubernatorial race
Gov. Patrick’s negative marks have inched up to 47 percent since September, when they stood at 45 percent. Nevertheless, he remains predominant (36 percent) in a contest with state Treasurer Tim Cahill (26 percent), running as an Independent, and Republican businessman Christy Mihos (20 percent).

Republican primary voters give Mihos the edge (33 percent) over Harvard Pilgrim Health Care CEO Charlie Baker (30 percent) in a GOP primary. Baker led Mihos among registered Republicans (33 percent to 28 percent) but Mihos, a former Independent candidate for Governor in 2006, outpolled Baker among Republican-leaning Independents (39 percent to 25 percent).

A general election scenario with Baker in the mix ticks Patrick up to 38 percent; Cahill remains at 26 percent; and Baker gets just 15 percent.

Bellwethers
Using party primary good voter lists from two key towns, the Democratic and Republican bellwethers showed similar results to the statewide U.S. Senate poll. In the Democratic bellwether of Falmouth, where respondents were required to name both the correct election date or month and precinct polling location, Coakley (33 percent) led Capuano (13 percent), Pagliuca (8 percent), Khazei (2 percent) and 39 percent undecided. In the Republican bellwether of Millbury, Brown (42 percent) led Robinson (7 percent) with 49 percent undecided.

The results from Millbury in the 2006 Republican Primary for U.S. Senate closely tracked the statewide percentages for the two Republican candidates Kenneth Chase and Kevin Scott. Similarly, the Falmouth Democratic Primary results for U.S. Senate in 2008 signaled how Democrats statewide voted.

Methodology
The statewide survey of 600 Massachusetts registered voters was conducted Nov. 4-8, 2009. The margin of error is +/- 4 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. Bellwether ID’s were fielded Nov. 9-10. Marginals and 424 pages of statewide cross-tabulation data are posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center Web site: http://www.suffolk.edu/college/1450.html. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310, dpaleolo@suffolk.edu.

Nov. 4, 2009 -- Suffolk U. Professor Available to Discuss New Book, "Joystick Soldiers: The Politics of Play in Military Video Games"

BOSTON -- On Veterans Day, hordes of video game players will engage in virtual warfare as they get their hands on the most-anticipated release of the holiday season, "Modern Warfare 2." But what is the connection between battles fought on screen and those in the real world?

The editors of the newly released book Joystick Soldiers: The Politics of Play in Military Video Games examine the relationship between virtual and real world global conflict.

“Pro-war films, military parades, and even fireworks are early symbolic exhibitions of military power,” according to co-editors Nina B. Huntemann and Matthew Thomas Payne. Yet combining powerful media and play transforms citizens from spectators to participants and “has far-reaching implications for how citizens perceive the role of the military in our society.”

War is an integral theme of the gaming industry and its appeal has seen enormous growth since the invention of the first video game, "Spacewar!" in 1962. Americans spent more than $21 billion on games last year, much of it on combat games, which are used not only for entertainment, but also for military recruitment, education, and even as psychotherapy for soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The book, a compilation of essays, presents a balanced look at the history and culture of the military-entertainment complex and offers in-depth studies of players and political activism.

Loyola University of Chicago Professor Steven E. Jones, author of The Meaning of Video Games, calls Joystick Soldiers “an extremely valuable collection that offers multiple perspectives on the relationship between militarism and video games. The collection as a whole provides the richest and most detailed picture yet of what theorists have called the ‘military-entertainment complex,’ while focusing attention on the specific video games that help to manifest that complex in the culture but also, surprisingly, offer a platform for critique and resistance.”

Huntemann is available for interviews and appearances for perspectives on video games and militarism:

About the editors

Nina B. Huntemann is associate professor of Communication and Journalism at Suffolk University in Boston. She produced and directed the documentary film Game Over: Gender, Race, and Violence in Video Games, distributed by the Media Education Foundation.

Matthew Thomas Payne is a Media Studies doctoral candidate at the University of Texas at Austin. He has served as a coordinating editor for FlowTV -- http://www.flowtv.org/ -- a critical forum for television and new media culture, and is a co-editor of the forthcoming anthology FlowTV: Television in the Age of Media Convergence.

Oct. 29, 2009 -- McDonnell Leads Deeds by 14 Points in Virginia; Suffolk University Poll Also Shows GOP Sweep Down Ballot

BOSTON – Republican Bob McDonnell is just days away from a decisive win over Democrat Creigh Deeds in the Virginia gubernatorial race, according to a poll released today by Suffolk University. McDonnell led Deeds 54 percent to 40 percent, with 5 percent undecided.

Overall 84 percent of Virginia voters said their minds were made up, while 15 percent said they might change their minds before the election. McDonnell was chosen as the candidate with a better plan to deal with the transportation issue (41 percent, as opposed to Deeds’ 26 percent). Voters polled said McDonnell was more trustworthy (47 percent) than Deeds (36 percent) and that Deeds’ campaign has been more negative in tone (43 percent, compared to McDonnell’s 22 percent).

Asked whether Deeds has flip-flopped on the issue of taxes, 43 percent said he had.

“All of the statistical indicators are in place for a decisive Republican win," said David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Center at Suffolk University in Boston. "And it won’t stop in the governor’s office -- it looks like the GOP will win all the statewide offices on the ballot."

In the lieutenant governor’s fight, Republican Bill Bowling led Democrat Jody Wagner 48 percent to 34 percent, while Republican attorney general nominee Ken Cuccinelli led Democrat Stephen Shannon by the exact same margin. The percentage of undecided voters in these races (18 percent) was much higher than for the governor’s race.

Economy/jobs (32 percent) and health care (22 percent) were the most important issues to likely voters, followed by taxes (16 percent), education (14 percent) and transportation (11 percent).

Voters were split about how to deal with the issues of transportation and health care, with young and old at opposite ends.

Overall, 45 percent of voters supported an increase in state taxes to pay for new road and transit projects, while 47 percent opposed. However, among respondents 18-55 years of age, increased taxes for transit was supported by a 54 percent-to-39 percent margin, while among those over 55 years of age a tax increase was rejected 54 percent to 38 percent.

Similarly, 44 percent said that government reform is necessary to control health care costs and expand coverage, while 48 percent said that government action on health care will do more harm than good. Yet in the 18-to-55 demographic, health care reform prevailed 53 percent to 40 percent, while Virginians over 55 viewed government action as more harmful than good by a 54 percent-to-36 percent margin.

Sixty-nine percent of respondents thought the federal government should approve offshore oil drilling, while 20 percent opposed, and 11 percent were undecided.

The 2009 Virginia bellwether of Henrico County showed McDonnell leading Deeds 48 percent to 34 percent, consistent with the statewide margin of 14 points. Bellwether samples, which supplement the Suffolk statewide polls, are designed to predict outcomes -- not margins.

The Suffolk University statewide poll was conducted Oct. 26 through Oct. 28, 2009, using live interviewers. The margin of error on the study of 400 is +/- 5 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. All respondents from the Virginia statewide survey were likely voters. Separate from the statewide study, there were 250 respondents identified from Henrico County on Oct. 27 and 28. Statewide marginals and 140 pages of cross-tabulation data will be posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center Web site – www.suffolk.edu/college/1450.html -- on Thursday, Oct. 29. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310, dpaleolo@suffolk.edu.

Oct. 26, 2009 -- Corzine Leads Christie by Nine Points in NJ; Suffolk University Poll Also Shows Independents Struggling on Confusing State Ballot

BOSTON – Though most polls are showing the New Jersey governor’s race to be dead even between incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine and former U.S. Attorney and Republican challenger Chris Christie, a new poll by Suffolk University signals that Corzine (42 percent) leads comfortably over Christie (33 percent), with independent Chris Daggett trailing with 7 percent. Three percent of voters selected among the other nine independent candidates listed on the ballot, and 14 percent were undecided.

The Suffolk University poll, which included all 12 candidates whose names are printed on the ballot, points to the possibility that the confusing New Jersey ballot ultimately will hurt the campaign of independent Chris Daggett. Daggett is polling 7 percent statewide. His name appears in different locations on the ballot, depending on the county. Some counties list the candidates in rows while others use columns, yet in all 21 counties, the Democrat or Republican is listed first or second in every case.

“Independent Chris Daggett struggles to be found on the ballot, which benefits Jon Corzine, whose campaign is peaking at the right time for him," said David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Center at Suffolk University in Boston. "The poll tells us that voters believe Corzine is the best choice of the twelve candidates and the most comfortable choice of the major three. The bottom line is that, if this trend holds, it will be an amazing comeback for Jon Corzine."

Thirty-five percent of likely voters said that they would be extremely or very comfortable with Corzine, compared to 20 percent for Christie and 9 percent for Daggett. All candidates struggled with personal popularity, with Corzine viewed favorably by 45 percent and unfavorably by 46 percent. Christie polled 34 percent favorable, 46 percent unfavorable, while Daggett scored a 20 percent favorable and 25 percent unfavorable. All three candidates had higher negatives than positives.

Overall 72 percent of New Jersey voters said their minds were made up, while 24 percent indicated they might change their minds before the election. Christie voters were 78 percent determined; 75 percent of Corzine voters were resolved, but only 56 percent of Daggett voters had made up their minds, with 44 percent indicating they might change their minds.

Undecided voters were breaking to Corzine as well. When initial undecided voters were asked whom they would vote for if they were standing in the voting booth right now, 25 percent chose Corzine, 15 percent Christie, 2 percent Daggett, and 55 percent remained undecided.

The positive signs for Corzine come despite overwhelming negativity about the direction of New Jersey and the perception of corruption. Nearly two-thirds of voters (66 percent) said that New Jersey was on the wrong track, and 67 percent said that corruption in New Jersey politics was widespread. Among those who said corruption was widespread, Christie led Corzine, 42 percent to 32 percent.

When voters choosing one of the 10 independents were asked who their second choice was, 29 percent selected Christie, and 24 percent Corzine. But 19 percent chose another independent candidate, disregarding the two major parties, while 29 percent could not name a second choice.

When likely voters were asked if they preferred fewer choices on their ballot, 66 percent said yes, and 34 percent said no.

Corzine is winning the perception game. When voters were asked, regardless of how they intend to vote, who they thought would be elected governor, 58 percent said Corzine, 24 percent Christie, 2 percent Daggett, and 17 percent were undecided.

The 2009 New Jersey bellwether of Gloucester County showed Corzine leading Christie 41 percent to 30 percent, with Daggett getting 11 percent. However, Daggett is listed third on the Gloucester county ballots, right after Corzine and Christie, which may account for a slightly higher number than in the statewide poll, since Daggett is listed lower on the ballot in many of the other counties. In the 2005 New Jersey governor’s race, each candidate’s Gloucester County results were within 1 percent of their statewide numbers. Bellwether samples are designed to predict outcomes -- not margins -- and to supplement the Suffolk statewide polls.

In 2008, Suffolk University bellwethers were 95 percent accurate in predicting straight-up winners in both Democratic and Republican primaries, and, when in agreement with the statewide Suffolk polls of the respective states, were 100 percent accurate in predicting straight-up winners.

The Suffolk University statewide poll was conducted Oct. 22 through Oct. 25, 2009. The margin of error on the study of 400 is +/- 5 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. All respondents from the New Jersey statewide survey were likely voters. Separate from the statewide study, there were 350 respondents identified from Gloucester County on Oct. 24 and 25. Statewide marginals and 186 pages of cross-tabulation data will be posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center Web site – www.suffolk.edu/college/1450.html -- on Monday, Oct. 26. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310.

Oct. 19, 2009 -- Financial Times Ranks Sawyer Business School EMBA Program in Top 95 Worldwide; Suffolk University Program Emphasizes Global Business Leadership

BOSTON – The Executive MBA program at Suffolk University’s Sawyer Business School has been listed in the Financial Times 2009 EMBA rankings as one of the top 95 EMBA programs worldwide.

The Sawyer Business School’s Executive MBA program, the first in New England when it was established in 1975, is the only ranked EMBA program in the region.

The Saturday-only Executive MBA program continually evolves to meet contemporary graduate business education needs. Today it emphasizes global business leadership in response to an identified need to prepare managers who can fill the shoes of retiring “Baby Boom” leaders.

“Making the Financial Times list is a well-deserved recognition for the students, faculty, administrators and alumni of the oldest Executive MBA program in New England,” said Professor Michael Barretti, director of the Institute of Executive Education and academic director of the Executive MBA program. “Everybody has worked very hard to get the program to this level of distinction.”

The Financial Times, an international business newspaper based in London, uses extensive alumni surveys in preparing its rankings. This year’s list was based on interviews with the Class of 2006, evaluating how completion of the Executive MBA program impacted graduates’ career progress, salary growth, and realization of personal and professional goals.

The rankings also reflect faculty scholarship, professional qualifications and international experience; the EMBA curriculum; program management; and University oversight.

“That so many alumni responded so positively to the survey shows that they want to continue to be involved with Suffolk University as emerging business leaders,” said Kristin Polito, Executive MBA program director. “The professional businessmen and women who choose this program – and they do not choose lightly – are prepared to lead despite any hurdles that may confront them. They come away with a strong sense of the many tools they can use to transform obstacles into opportunities.”

“This is an academically rigorous program that demands a significant work-life balance for 21 months,” said Barretti. "However, if you were to ask any of our alumni -- which, by the way, includes me -- I think they will tell you it was very much worth it."

Executive MBA graduates now make up 5 percent of the total 140,000 MBAs who graduate worldwide each year, resulting in a strong point of distinction in the job market. To remedy the continuing demands of students’ work and personal responsibilities, the Sawyer Business School program employs a blended curriculum of in-class and online coursework to provide greater flexibility. Its students are business leaders who choose the program due to its multidisciplinary, cross-functional approach to achieving desired outcomes. They have access to a global alumni network and tuition-free postgraduate learning opportunities. For more on the Executive MBA, see http://www.suffolk.edu/business/1629.html.

Oct. 19, 2009 -- Suffolk University/Boston Globe Poll: Mass. Residents Still Hunkering Down; Most Reining in Spending Despite Optimism on the Economy

BOSTON -- Massachusetts residents say an economic rebound is underway, but they remain hunkered down, cautious about spending and skeptical about the federal stimulus package, according to the latest Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll to be published in tomorrow’s Boston Globe.

While 60 percent of voters polled said they believe an economic upturn has begun, the poll underscores the likelihood of a slow and difficult recovery, with 58 percent expecting that it will take two to three years or more for the economy to bounce back.

“People realize that the profound damage to the economy will require a long time to heal,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “Although hopeful that an economic recovery is underway, people are realistic about the choices they must make day-to-day as well as long term. They are eating at home more, traveling less, giving less to charity, and say they’ll have to work longer to retire.”

And while 39 percent said they have spent less in the past six months, the majority (60 percent) said their spending has been unaffected by the state sales tax increase.

The poll looks at voters’ perspectives on the federal stimulus package – 80 percent said it has made no difference to their households – and on the effectiveness of leadership at the state and national levels.

“Since the financial crisis began, The Boston Globe and Suffolk University have been committed to tracking the impact of this historic economic downturn on Massachusetts residents,” said Globe business editor Shirley Leung. “What they’ve told us has given our readers insight into what is happening in the economy and what to expect in the future.”

Full contents of the Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll will appear in the Oct. 19, 2009 issue of the Globe and will be available online at http://www.boston.com/business and http://www.suffolk.edu/college/1450.html on Monday, Oct. 19. A total of 204 pages of cross-tabs will also be available on the Suffolk site.

The Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll was conducted Oct. 11-13 and includes answers from 400 residents across the state. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percent.

Sept. 24, 2009 -- Suffolk University Receives Federal Grant to Prepare Veterans for College

BOSTON - Suffolk University has been awarded a Veterans Upward Bound grant of $1 million over the next four years from the U.S. Department of Education to help qualified military veterans develop the necessary skills to enroll and succeed in postsecondary education. The University is one of seven colleges nationally to receive the federal grant this year.

Suffolk University’s Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) program will offer free services to 120 low-income veterans from the Metropolitan Boston area who are the first in their families to pursue a college education.

Veterans will receive assessment counseling and an individualized education plan. They will take courses in mathematics, laboratory science, composition and literature, and foreign language. Veterans may participate in study skills, tutoring, academic and personal counseling, financial aid planning, college application seminars and cultural events.

"Suffolk University is proud to be the recipient of the Veterans Upward Bound grant,” said University President David J. Sargent. “We are deeply grateful for the service veterans have given to this country. We also understand that many veterans have a critical need for educational services as they seek to improve their lives.”

The Suffolk University Veterans Upward Bound program is one of two in New England; there are fewer than 50 such programs nationwide.

Suffolk University will begin accepting applications for the VUB program in November.

“We are excited about receiving the Veterans Upward Bound grant and adding this invaluable program to our TRIO family at Suffolk,” said Keren Zuniga McDowell, director of Suffolk University’s Office of Academic Access and Opportunity. “This program demonstrates Suffolk’s continued commitment to serving the Greater Boston community while providing access and opportunity for those who have traditionally been underrepresented and marginalized in higher education.”

In 1972 Congress authorized a Veterans Upward Bound program in response to the large number of veterans returning from the Vietnam War. The Veterans Upward Bound Program is funded through the U.S. Department of Education as a part of the TRIO grant programs, which are designed to increase the rate of enrollment in and completion of postsecondary education programs. Suffolk University also participates in the traditional Upward Bound program and in the McNair Scholars Program, which prepares participants from disadvantaged backgrounds for doctoral studies.

Other colleges that received the Veterans Upward Bound grant are Henderson State University in Arkansas; Yavapai County Community College in Arizona; Georgia State University; Boise State University in Idaho; Bemidji State University in Minnesota; and Redlands Community College in Oklahoma.

Suffolk University also participates in the Yellow Ribbon G.I. Education Enhancement Program offering veterans up to $20,000 in grant money annually while they pursue a degree at the University.

Sept. 23, 2009 -- Poll Shows Patrick Leading Gubernatorial Opponents, Despite Negative Ratings; Voters in Suffolk University/7News Survey Approve Legalizing Medical Marijuana

BOSTON -- Voters giving Gov. Deval Patrick negative marks (45 percent) have overtaken those viewing him favorably (42 percent), yet in head-to-head matchups with declared gubernatorial candidates, he comes out on top, according to a poll released today by Suffolk University/7NEWS.

Fifty-six percent of voters surveyed said that "someone else" deserves to be elected, while 29 percent said Patrick deserves to be re-elected.

Yet in a matchup with Republican Charlie Baker, CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, and state Treasurer Tim Cahill, who has declared as an independent, the Suffolk University/7News poll shows Patrick on top with 36 percent of the vote, compared to Cahill’s 23 percent and Baker’s 14 percent. Twenty-six percent were undecided.

When Republican Christy Mihos is substituted for Baker, Patrick’s share of voters remains the same, while Cahill takes 24 percent and Mihos, a Republican businessman launching his second gubernatorial campaign, is preferred by 17 percent of voters.

In a Republican primary pitting Baker against Mihos, Baker comes out on top with 43 percent of GOP voters polled, with Mihos taking 19 percent, and 38 percent undecided.

The majority of voters -- 54 percent -- said they do not think the state would be better off with a Republican governor.

The poll looked at their second-choice candidates, and regardless of whether voters’ first choice was Patrick, Mihos or Baker, a strong majority chose Cahill as a second choice. Cahill voters would choose Baker as their backup.

"If all three candidates stay strong, Patrick gets another term," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. "This may be the first time in Massachusetts history that a candidate for governor is actually rooting for both opponents to remain strong and equal."

Favorable ratings outweighed unfavorable for the Patrick challengers, yet name recognition was relatively low. While 35 percent of voters view Cahill favorably, 18 percent had not heard of him. Mihos had a 27 percent favorable rating; 22 percent did not know him. Baker, a first-time candidate, was unfamiliar to 45 percent of voters, with 15 percent viewing him favorably.

Voters also weighed in on the following issues:

81 percent approve of allowing medical marijuana sales and usage, with 17 percent opposed.
59 percent favor repealing the sales tax hike, with 36 percent opposed.
35 percent favor eliminating all tolls, with 60 percent opposed.
52 percent favor recognition of legal marriage between same-sex couples, while 28 percent prefer a civil union option, and 13 percent say that same-sex unions should be prohibited.

The statewide survey of 500 Massachusetts registered voters was conducted Sept. 12-15, 2009. Of those polled, 39 percent were registered Democrats, 15 percent Republicans, and 44 percent independent. The margin of error is +/- 4.4 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. Marginals and 170 pages of cross-tabulation data will be posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center Web site – www.suffolk.edu/college/1450.html – at 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310.

Sept. 16, 2009 -- Suffolk University/7News Poll: Coakley has Early Lead in U.S. Senate Race; Survey Shows Support for Appointment of Interim Senator

BOSTON – Voters expect Attorney General Martha Coakley to be elected to the U.S. Senate in the January 2010 special election, but they express a marked preference for Joe Kennedy to succeed his uncle, according to a poll released today by Suffolk University/7NEWS.

Voters also said they support a move to allow the governor to appoint an interim senator, with 55 percent favoring a change in state law to make this possible, and 41 percent opposed.

Fifty-nine percent of Democratic voters polled said they would have voted for Joe Kennedy in the Senate primary race, and 62 percent of all voters have a favorable opinion of the former congressman, who has said that he will not run for the seat left vacant by the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

"If Joe Kennedy runs, Joe Kennedy wins," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. "Across every demographic, Kennedy was strong. In fact, fifty-four percent of Martha Coakley Democratic Primary voters said they would vote for Joe Kennedy, if he ran."

Coakley’s favorability rate is 53 percent. Her favorability was 56 percent in a March 2009 poll by the Suffolk University Political Research Center.

Democratic Congressman Mike Capuano, who is expected to announce his candidacy this week, had a favorability rate of 16 percent, but 33 percent of those polled had never heard of him. Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca’s name was added to the poll on the last of the four days the poll was conducted after his name was floated as a potential candidate. Again, name recognition was a problem: 72 percent had not heard of him, and 3 percent viewed him favorably.

On the Republican side, state Sen. Scott Brown, who has declared his candidacy, had 20 percent favorability; 39 percent did not recognize his name. Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, said to be considering a run, had no trouble with name recognition; 12 percent did not know him. His favorability was 29 percent in the Suffolk/7News poll, outweighed by his unfavorable rate of 39 percent.

Voters were asked to choose from among potential Democratic Primary candidates, some of whom have since withdrawn from the fray. They chose Coakley (47 percent), Capuano (9 percent), U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch (6 percent) and City Year founder Alan Khazei (3 percent). Thirty-three percent were undecided. Voters who chose Lynch were surveyed again after he dropped out of the race on Tuesday.

When asked whom they would choose in a head-to-head race between Coakley and Brown in the final election, 54 percent chose Coakley, and 24 percent chose Brown, with 20 percent undecided.

Voters said the most important issues facing the next U.S. senator from Massachusetts are health care (45 percent) and the economy/jobs (27 percent).

The statewide survey of 500 Massachusetts registered voters was conducted Sept. 12-15, 2009. Of those polled, 39 percent were registered Democrats, 15 percent Republicans, and 44 percent independent. The margin of error is +/- 4.4 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. Marginals and 140 pages of cross-tabulation data will be posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center Web site – www.suffolk.edu/college/1450.html – at 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310.

Aug. 17, 2009 -- The Modern Theatre & the Boston-Hollywood Connection at Suffolk University’s Adams Gallery through November 2009

BOSTON -- The Modern Theatre has played a key role, not only in Boston’s historic Washington Street theater district, but also as an institution that helped establish a link between Massachusetts and Hollywood.

The Adams Gallery at Suffolk University presents an exhibit of old and new photographs, artifacts, video and movie posters that tell the story of The Modern Theatre & the Boston-Hollywood Connection

The exhibit, to run Aug. 31 through Nov. 30, 2009, follows the rise of the Modern Theatre -- from a warehouse built in the ashes of the Great Boston Fire through its heyday as the first Boston movie theater to show “talkies.”

The Modern Theatre & the Boston-Hollywood Connection describes personalities and business innovations that reverberated all the way to Hollywood. One character key to the theater’s history is original owner Jacob Lourie. He introduced the “talkie” to Boston and came up with the concept of the double-feature – which soon had Hollywood studios churning out B movies to meet demand.

Black-and-white photographs show the Washington Street theater district in its heyday, festooned with signs and lit by neon.

And present-day photos document Suffolk University’s ongoing restoration of the theater’s historic facade, which was taken apart stone by stone for repair and will be rebuilt on site as part of a theater/gallery/residence hall complex.

Video clips from films shot in Boston show that the Hollywood connection endures today, and an oral history video now in production will offer a taste of what entertainment was like in the days before television.

The Modern Theatre & the Boston-Hollywood Connection

August 31, 2009 – November 30, 2009
Adams Gallery, 120 Tremont Street, Boston
9 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily
www.suffolk.edu/adamsgallery

July 1, 2009 -- Suffolk Law Professor Warns that Firms Try to Make Patient Data their Private Property: Marc Rodwin’s JAMA Article Prescribes Public Ownership of Data for Good of All

BOSTON -- The advent of the electronic medical record has the potential to launch a new era in public health and patient safety by allowing researchers and public health departments to easily call up data about dangerous side effects of drugs, contagious diseases and therapeutic efficacy. Yet the potential benefits for patients and the public health are being held hostage by private firms that treat patient data as if it were their private property, according to Suffolk University Law School Professor Marc A. Rodwin, writing in the July 1, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Rodwin argues that federal law should require that certain medical data – stripped of all identifying information to protect patient privacy—should be reported to a federal agency for public use. Such data could be used to warn the public about dangerous pharmaceutical products, compare the quality of medical facilities, and improve public health monitoring and medical knowledge.

The law does not make patient data the exclusive property of patients, medical organizations or any other party and it does not allow copyright of patient data, according to Rodwin.

Nevertheless, hospitals, insurers and others now sell aggregate patient data to Medical Information Organizations which resell it to third parties. One firm earned more than $2 billion selling medical data in 2006, according to Rodwin’s JAMA article. These Medical Information Organizations employ contracts and software to limit data access to those who pay them.

Rodwin warns that “if legislation does not create an alternative framework, courts might enforce these contracts, and thereby limit the benefits of patient data.”

“Patients supply the information. Data are collected because patients and the public finance medical care through fees, insurance premiums, and taxes,” writes Rodwin. Therefore, the public has a strong claim to the aggregate data.

Adoption of the electronic medical record had lagged due to cost and privacy issues, but Congress has allotted $19 billion for this purpose. As electronic medical records become more commonplace, aggregate patient data become available. But despite federal funds making this possible, private parties seek to profit from the data at the expense of patients and the public, Rodwin maintains.

Rodwin calls on federal policy makers to require that clinicians and medical institutions submit patient data to the Department of Health and Human Services so that it may be used to “vastly improve patient safety, public health monitoring, and medical knowledge.”

Professor Rodwin, whose teaching at Suffolk Law School is focused in the Health and Biomedical Law Concentration, is available for interviews about the issue of public ownership of patient data. To arrange an interview please contact Greg Gatlin, 617-573-8428, ggatlin@suffolk.edu or Mariellen Norris, 617-573-8450, mnorris@suffolk.edu.

For a copy of Professor Rodwin’s article, please contact the JAMA/Archives Media Relations Department at 312-464-JAMA (464-5262) or mediarelations@jama-archives.org.

June 6, 2009 -- Deeds Clings to Slim Lead in Virginia Democratic Primary Photo Finish: Suffolk University Poll Shows Undecideds Key Heading into the Stretch

BOSTON – Virginia voters give Democratic gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds (29 percent) a slight lead over opponents Terry McAuliffe (26 percent), and Brian Moran (23 percent), leading up to the June 9 Primary, with a significant 22 percent still undecided. The poll shows that all three candidates are within the statistical margin of error and any one of them could ultimately emerge as the Democrat to face Republican Bob McDonnell in November.

"What makes this race even tougher to call is that when undecided voters statewide were prodded to choose one of the three candidates, many were breaking to McAuliffe and, to a lesser extent, Moran," said David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Center at Suffolk University in Boston. "With the remaining undecided at 22 percent, the Deeds lead could be fluid, and the final tally could hinge on last-minute campaign ads, momentum, the weather, and get-out-the-vote efforts from all the candidates."

Of the three candidates, Deeds was the most popular (38 percent favorable-9 percent unfavorable) and was seen as the candidate with more experience, leadership skills and concern about the problems facing Democratic voters responding to the poll. McAuliffe had the highest unfavorable rating, at 21 percent, but his favorable rating was close to that of Deeds at 37 percent. Moran came in at 33 percent favorable-5 percent unfavorable.

McAuliffe was viewed as the candidate who has run the most negative campaign. Still, 26 percent of voters see him as a slightly stronger challenger to Republican McDonnell, compared to Deeds, 25 percent, and Moran, 22 percent.

Voters who consider themselves independents or Republicans are eligible to enter into the open primary in Virginia, and McAuliffe, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee, led among self-identified Republicans with 29 percent, compared to 24 percent for Deeds, and 22 percent for Moran.

"This is interesting, given that Suffolk University polling in spring 2008 identified "meddling" after conservative talk show hosts implored Republicans and independents to vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primaries in Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and other states in a perceived effort to lengthen the divisive nomination process and prop up the weaker of the two candidates in the delegate counts," Paleologos said.

Half of voters said their choice was unaffected by a recent media report alleging that McAuliffe offered money to Ralph Nader to stay off the 2004 presidential ballot in certain swing states. Thirty-three percent said the allegations would make them less likely to vote for McAuliffe, while 10 percent said they would be more likely to vote for him.

Deeds led among most demographics, with McAuliffe a close second, except in the northeast Virginia area where Moran led McAuliffe 38 percent to 22 percent, reflecting home-turf advantage from the 8th Congressional District seat held by Moran’s brother Jim.

Former President Bill Clinton, who is supporting Terry McAuliffe, has widespread popularity (71 percent favorable - 19 percent unfavorable). Among voters undecided for Governor, Clinton’s favorability was 69 percent favorable - 26 percent unfavorable.

In the Virginia Democratic Primary bellwether of Accomack County, the same tight spread was measured. Accomack County, which closely reflected statewide candidate trends in the Lieutenant Governor Democratic Primaries of 2001 and 2005 as well as the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary, showed Deeds leading with 26 percent, followed by McAuliffe and Moran, who were tied with 24 percent, with 23 percent undecided.

The economy/jobs was the most important issue (42 percent) followed by health care (20 percent) and education (11 percent). When first and second issues were combined the following results were measured:

Issue	Most Important	2nd Important	Total
Economy/Jobs	41 percent	28 percent	69 percent
Health Care	19 percent	21 percent	40 percent
Education	12 percent	15 percent	27 percent
National Security	9 percent	12 percent	21 percent
Environment/Global Warming	6 percent	8 percent	14 percent
National Deficit/Debt	3 percent	8 percent	11 percent

Methodology

The Suffolk University statewide poll was conducted June 1 through June 3, 2009 using live interviewers. The margin of error on the study of 500 is +/- 4.4 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. All respondents from the statewide survey were registered voters in Virginia who indicated they would vote in the Democratic Primary and could identify the correct timeframe of the Democratic Primary. The Virginia Democratic Primary Accomack County bellwether included 748 respondents phoned on June 2 and June 3, 2009. Marginals and 238 pages of cross-tabulation data will be posted by noon on the Suffolk University Political Research Center Web site – www.suffolk.edu/college/1450.html. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310.

April 29, 2009 -- Massachusetts & Florida Look Favorably on Obama’s First 100 Days: Suffolk University/7NEWS Polls Show Voters Dislike Business Bailouts Even While Favoring Overall Economic Policy

BOSTON – Florida and Massachusetts voters give President Barack Obama high marks across the board for his professionalism and performance as he reaches his 100th day in office, according to separate polls conducted by Suffolk University/7NEWS.

And even though a majority of voters polled (61 percent in Massachusetts, 60 percent in Florida) disapprove of the stimulus packages given to some banks, financial institutions and auto companies, a majority (53 percent in Massachusetts, 56 percent in Florida) approves of the way Obama is handling the economy. And 56 percent of Massachusetts and 57 percent of Floridians voters polled say the president has a clear plan for solving the nation’s economic problems.

Suffolk University/7NEWS released the polls of Florida and Massachusetts registered voters today. The two East Coast states have different voter profiles: Massachusetts respondents were 48 percent unenrolled/independent, 36 percent Democrat and 15 percent Republican, compared to Florida, where 45 percent of those polled were Democrats, 36 percent Republicans and 17 percent unenrolled/independent. Yet respondents’ views on the issues were similar.

In Florida, 60 percent said they approve of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president, while 66 percent of those in Massachusetts concurred, according to the poll. A majority (68 percent in Massachusetts, 61 percent in Florida) said he is setting the right priorities; and most voters (70 percent in Massachusetts, 61 percent in Florida) said he is meeting expectations.
"Statistically, it doesn’t get much better for an elected official than it is for Barack Obama today," said David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Center at Suffolk University in Boston. "Whether one looks at popularity, performance, the economy or foreign policy, Obama has touched all bases in this poll."
Regarding foreign policy, the Suffolk University/7NEWS poll found:

61 percent in Massachusetts, 57 percent in Florida, approve of the way Barack Obama is handling foreign policy
66 percent in Massachusetts, 64 percent in Florida, said that world leaders respect Barack Obama
69 percent in Massachusetts, 62 percent in Florida, said that President Obama has improved the nation’s image overseas
91 percent in Massachusetts, 87 percent in Florida said that Obama made the correct decision in using lethal force on Somali pirates who had attacked a U.S. merchant ship

"Foreign policy, which was a traditionally weaker poll issue for Obama during the presidential campaign, is now a strong suit for the new president," said Paleologos.

However, the news isn’t all good for Obama, who deals with a struggling economy. Despite overall approval of his economic policies, there are concerns about the types of steps the government has taken:

41 percent in Massachusetts, 47 percent in Florida, said big government is the biggest threat to the country in the future, compared to big business (23 percent) or big labor (17 percent)
54 percent in Massachusetts, 60 percent in Florida would rather have a smaller government providing fewer services
61 percent in Massachusetts, 60 percent in Florida, disapprove of monetary packages for banks, financial institutions and auto companies

"Voters acknowledge that stimulus packages and bigger government are a necessary economic fix for the short term, even though they disapprove,” said Paleologos. “But if Barack Obama’s administration calls for bigger government and stimulus solutions for all problems, his favorability may decline in the long term."

Further, 60 percent of Florida voters said they believe that the standard of living for the next generation will be the same or worse, while 35 percent said it will be somewhat or much better. In Massachusetts, 69 percent said the standard of living will be the same or worse, while 27 percent said it will be somewhat or much better.

The Suffolk University/7NEWS polls of Massachusetts voters was conducted April 24 through April 27, 2009. The Florida poll was conducted April 26 through April 28. The margin of error on each study of 400 is +/- 4.9 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. All respondents from the statewide surveys were registered voters. Marginals and cross-tabulation data will be posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center Web site – www.suffolk.edu/college/1450.html – at 10 p.m. April 29, 2009. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310.

April 29, 2009 -- President Obama’s High Favorability Surpassed by that of First Lady & Secretary of State

BOSTON – President Barack Obama’s personal popularity of 64 percent was surpassed only by the favorability ratings of the two most prominent women in his Washington circle, according to poll of Massachusetts registered voters released today by Suffolk University/7NEWS.

First Lady Michelle Obama was looked on favorably by 70 percent of those polled.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was preferred by Massachusetts voters in last year’s Democratic presidential primary, retains a slightly higher favorability rate than the president (68 percent).

Massachusetts voters give President Barack Obama high marks across the board for his professionalism and performance as he reaches his 100th day in office, according to the poll.

April 21, 2009 -- Koppel and Coakley to Speak at Suffolk University Commencement Exercises; 1,800 Students to Receive Degrees on May 17

BOSTON – Award-winning journalist Ted Koppel and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley will be the speakers as more than 1,800 students are awarded degrees at Suffolk University commencement exercises on Sunday, May 17, 2009, at the Bank of America Pavilion on Boston’s waterfront. Coakley and Koppel will be among nine honorary degree recipients at commencement.

The Law School ceremonies will be held at 9:30 a.m., with Coakley speaking. Koppel will address the College of Arts and Sciences and Sawyer Business School ceremonies at 2 p.m.

Ted Koppel is a senior news analyst for National Public Radio and a contributing analyst for BBC America’s World News America. From 2006 to 2008, Koppel served as Discovery Channel’s managing editor and anchored Koppel on Discovery, a series that examined major global topics and events. Koppel spent the first 42 years of his career at ABC News. From 1980 until 2005, he was the anchor and managing editor of ABC News Nightline, one of the most honored broadcasts in television history. A member of the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Koppel has won every major broadcasting award, including 42 Emmy Awards (one for lifetime achievement), eight George Foster Peabody Awards, 10 duPont-Columbia Awards, and two George Polk Awards. His 10 Overseas Press Club Awards make him the most honored journalist in the club’s history. He will receive the honorary Doctor of Journalism degree at the afternoon ceremony.

Coakley began her legal career in 1979, practicing civil litigation with the firm of Parker, Coulter, Daley & White and later at Goodwin Procter LLP, both in Boston. She joined the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office in 1986 as an assistant district attorney in the Lowell District Court office. Coakley served on the U.S. Justice Department’s Boston Organized Crime Strike Force for two years. After returning to the District Attorney’s Office, she was appointed chief of the Child Abuse Prosecution Unit. Coakley investigated and prosecuted hundreds of cases of both physical and sexual abuse of children, including Commonwealth v. Louise Woodward. In 1998, Coakley was elected Middlesex District Attorney. During her eight years as district attorney, she established herself as a passionate advocate for public safety. She was elected attorney general in 2006. Coakley will receive the honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the morning ceremony.

In addition to Coakley and Koppel, the following will receive honorary degrees at commencement:

• Hon. Robert L. Carter, U.S. District Court Judge, Southern District of New York, honorary Doctor of Laws
• Massachusetts House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, honorary Doctor of Laws
• U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Newton, honorary Doctor of Laws
• Peter Brooke, Advent International Corporation chairman and CEO, honorary Doctor of Commercial Science
• Angela Diaz, MD, MPH, director of Mt. Sinai Adolescent Health Center and Jean C. and James W. Crystal professor of Pediatrics at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, honorary Doctor of Science
• David Hoberman, Manderville Films, honorary Doctor of Humanities
• Josh McCall, chairman and CEO of Jack Morton Worldwide, honorary Doctor of Commercial Science
Suffolk University’s Graduate School ceremonies will take place on Saturday, May 16.

March 29, 2009 -- Suffolk University and The Boston Globe Conduct Exclusive Poll on Financial Crisis: 40 Percent of Bay Staters Fear for Jobs but Many See Economy Improving by Year’s End

BOSTON – More than three out of four Bay State residents are worried about maintaining their standard of living, and more than 40 percent fear they may lose their jobs, the latest Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll will reveal in tomorrow’s Boston Sunday Globe.

The poll underscores deep concerns about the current state of the economy and its impact on Massachusetts residents. Many (37 percent) say they’re spending less than they were six months ago, and a majority (53 percent) project that they may have to work longer than they had expected before retiring.

Despite those concerns, the Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll also suggests that Bay State residents see some light at the end of the tunnel. While many still view economic recovery in the distant future, the number of respondents who expect the economy to improve by the end of the year has jumped to 43 percent. That’s a shift from a Suffolk/Globe poll released six months ago, when 21 percent of respondents expected improvement by year’s end.

“Massachusetts residents remain deeply concerned about their jobs and their standards of living, but they don’t think the economic downturn will last forever,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center. “They have changed their spending habits and their expectations, but they’re starting to express a hint of optimism about the future.”

Full contents of the Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll will appear in the March 29, 2009, issue of the Boston Sunday Globe and will be available online at www.boston.com/business and www.suffolk.edu/college/1450.html Sunday March 29.

"This poll is part of the Globe’s commitment to covering the financial crisis and its impact on the Massachusetts economy and its residents," said Globe Business Editor Shirley Leung. "It shows that at its essence the recession is a human story, one the paper is trying to tell as completely as possible.”

The Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll was conducted March 22-March 24 and includes answers from 400 residents across the state. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percent.

March 25, 2009 -- Voters Voice Concern about Ethics in Mass. Government in Poll from Rappaport Center at Suffolk Law School

BOSTON – Massachusetts voters have serious concerns about honesty, ethics and influence in state government, according to a new poll from the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service at Suffolk University Law School.

The poll finds that 89 percent of respondents rate the level of ethics in state government as either fair (49 percent) or poor (40 percent). Two percent gave the level of ethics in state government an excellent rating, and 10 percent of respondents rated it good.

The poll results will be released Wednesday, March 25, at a Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service roundtable discussion on “Ethics and Lobbying Reform in Massachusetts,” to be held at Suffolk University Law School.

Forty-seven percent of those polled said ethics and honesty in state government have decreased over the last decade, compared to 14 percent who said ethics and honesty increased, and 37 percent who said they remain the same.

A majority (51 percent) said they were “very concerned” about the influence of lobbyists and special interest groups over state government, while an additional 36 percent said they were “somewhat concerned.”

"These results bolster the case for the proposed overhaul of the state’s ethics and lobbying laws," said Alasdair Roberts, the Rappaport Professor of Law and Public Policy at Suffolk University Law School. "But the poll also shows justified skepticism about the effect of legal changes alone. Continued leadership will also be critical."

Registered Bay State voters are mixed on whether proposed legislation to toughen rules on ethics and lobbying would help. Of those polled, 46 percent said the legislation would be “somewhat likely” to improve how state government works, while 21 percent said it would be “somewhat unlikely” to improve the situation, and 20 percent said improvement would be “not at all likely.”

The poll was conducted March 17 through March 20, 2009, by the Suffolk University Political Research Center for the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service at Suffolk University Law School. The margin of error on the study of 400 is +/- 4.90 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. All respondents from the statewide survey were registered voters in Massachusetts.

March 25, 2009 -- 7NEWS/Suffolk University Poll Shows Frustrated Voters Turning on Patrick and State Government

BOSTON – Gov. Deval Patrick is bearing the brunt of a frustrated electorate, with nearly half of registered voters polled – 49 percent – disapproving of his job performance, according to a poll released today by 7NEWS/Suffolk University. Forty percent approved of the incumbent governor’s performance, figures that don’t bode well in the year before an expected reelection bid.

Forty-seven percent of registered voters surveyed said that it is time to elect someone else as governor, while 34 percent said that Patrick deserves to be reelected. The numbers have shifted somewhat from a June 2008 Suffolk University survey, when 41 percent said it was time to give someone else a chance, 39 percent said that Patrick deserved a second term, and 20 percent were undecided.

When voters were asked to choose between Patrick and Treasurer Tim Cahill in a hypothetical general election match-up, 30 percent picked Patrick, 35 percent chose Cahill, and 30 percent were undecided.

The 7NEWS/Suffolk University poll was conducted March 17 through March 20, 2009.

"All the major statistical indicators – favorability, job performance and electability – are looking bleak for Patrick," said David Paleologos, director of the Political Research Center at Suffolk University. "The question is whether Governor Patrick can find bottom and rally back in time for the election next year."

The negative perceptions reflected on Beacon Hill in general:

51 percent of respondents said the state is on the wrong track
59 percent are not confident that state government will resolve the financial crisis
When asked whether they believe Massachusetts will again become "Taxachusetts," 71 percent said yes
74 percent do not expect real reform on Beacon Hill this year

"The common thread throughout the survey is lost confidence," said Paleologos. "The last two cycles at both the state and federal levels were fundamentally about voters’ hunger for change. Now, in the run-up to 2010, voters are disappointed and frustrated. The lost confidence from each survey answer signals challenging times for any incumbent officeholder."

Voters also supported the idea of recall elections by nearly a 3-1 margin. Seventy-two percent favored adding a recall vote for removing elected officials perceived to be underperforming, while 25 percent did not, and 4 percent were undecided.

Eighteen states, including neighboring Rhode Island, permit the recall of state officials; Massachusetts is not one of them.

The 7NEWS/Suffolk University poll showed some support (32 percent) for an increase in the sales tax to help solve the state’s fiscal crisis. Twenty percent supported hiking the gas tax, and 12 percent favored raising the state income tax. Twenty-nine percent said they do not favor raising any of these taxes.

Sixty-one percent of voters support casino gambling, while 34 percent opposed it. These figures are similar to results from an August 2008 Suffolk University poll, which showed 59 percent supporting casino gambling and 29 percent opposed.

Slot machine parlors were supported by a 50 percent-to-48 percent margin in the most recent poll.

The margin of error on the statewide survey of 400 Massachusetts registered voters is +/- 4.90 percent at a 95 percent level of confidence. Marginals and 228 pages of cross-tabulation data will be posted on the Suffolk University Political Research Center Web site – www.suffolk.edu/college/1450.html – at 10:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 25. For more information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310.

March 25, 2009 -- Fathers of Conscience: Mixed-Race Inheritance in the Antebellum South: Suffolk Law Professor’s Book Analyzes Court Decisions on Planters’ Attempts to Free Slave Partners and Mixed-Race Children

BOSTON – Suffolk Law School Associate Professor Bernie D. Jones explores the social implications of court contests over wills attempting to bequeath property, freedom or both to white slaveholders’ partners of color and their mixed-race children in her book “Fathers of Conscience: Mixed-Race Inheritance in the Antebellum South.”

Some white planters in the antebellum South used trusts and estates law to give their slave partners and children official recognition and thus circumvent the law of slavery. “Fathers of Conscience” examines high-court decisions that resulted when extended families contested the wills, judgments that determined whether that elevated status would be approved or denied by courts of law.

Jones argues that these will contests indicated a struggle within the elite over race, gender and class issues -- over questions of social mores and who was truly family.

Judges acted as umpires after a man’s death, deciding whether to permit his attempts to provide for his slave partner and family.

“Fathers of Conscience” is one of the series “Studies of the Legal History of the South.” Each book in the series explores a single aspect of the law or the development of the legal system in the South.

The analysis of differing judicial opinions on inheritance rights for slave partners in “Fathers of Conscience” makes “an important contribution to the literature on the law of slavery in the United States,” according to Mark Tushnet, author of “Slave Law in the American South: State v. Mann in History and Literature.”

Jones teaches Property and American Legal Thought at Suffolk University Law School. She received her undergraduate degree from Hunter College and her law degree from New York University School of Law. She also earned a Ph.D. in History from the University of Virginia.

Jones has served as an assistant corporation counsel in New York City and spent an academic year as a visiting fellow and Dorothea S. Clarke Scholar at Cornell University Law School. Before joining Suffolk Law School, she taught in the Department of Legal Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

March 13, 2009 -- Managing Your Career in a Crisis Economy: Mass. Labor Secretary Suzanne Bump to Deliver Keynote Address at Suffolk University Seminar

BOSTON - Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Suzanne M. Bump is the keynote speaker for the second session of the "Managing Your Career in a Crisis Economy" seminar series presented by Suffolk University’s Advancement Office.

Session Two will once again gather Suffolk University faculty, alumni, and experts in career management and the labor market to share their expertise. The session will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 21, 2009, in Suffolk University Law School Room 265, 120 Tremont St., Boston.

Bump, who co-chaired the Committee on Commerce and Labor during her tenure as a state representative, is a graduate of Suffolk University Law School. As one of the five members of Gov. Deval Patrick’s “development cabinet,” she works across agency and department lines to spur economic and job growth.

Bump will discuss:
• What Massachusetts will look like when the current employment crisis is over
• Where growth opportunities are expected
• How workers can prepare now for future opportunities

Additional speakers include:
• Suffolk University Professor Michael Arthur, a nationally known expert in contemporary “intelligent” careers, project-based enterprises, knowledge management and strategic management.
• Laurence J. Stybel of Stybel Peabody Lincolnshire, an Arbora Global Company, who is Executive in Residence at Suffolk University, will discuss "Having a strategic approach to managing your association memberships."
• Alumnus Ken Mattsson, a career & professional development consultant for Resonare Consulting and assistant director of alumni and graduate student career services for Emerson College, who will discuss "How are you telling your story and, are you telling well?"

Session 1 of the series took place in February.
###

March 6, 2009 -- Adams Gallery Hosts 2 Installations as Part of "Here, There and Everywhere: Anticipating the Art of the Future"

BOSTON -- Two installations at the Adams Gallery are among more than 60 simultaneous Transcultural Exchange presentations worldwide, bringing together artists from various cultures and disciplines in a project called Here, There and Everywhere: Anticipating the Art of the Future. The exhibit will be at the Adams Gallery April 1 through May 7, 2009.

Two artists involved in the Adams Gallery exhibit, Audrey Goldstein and Ilona Anderson, are members of the faculty of the New England School of Art & Design at Suffolk University.

The exhibit coincides with the Conference on International Opportunities in the Arts, presented by Transcultural Exchange April 3-5, 2009, in Boston.

Goldstein worked with Dennis Simms of Berlin to create the installation Point to Point.

Point-to-Point consists of a sculptural backpack Goldstein wore at the DUMBO Arts Festival in Brooklyn. Video of the DUMBO event will be projected onto the backpack, and the notebook Goldstein used to collect signatures of people she met while wearing it will be displayed.

Simms’ soundtrack is a compilation of sounds culled from musicians in Berlin’s clubs, street noise, and the heartbeat.

The work reflects Goldstein’s fascination with the full spectrum of interpersonal relationships, from chance encounters and familial ties to the disembodied and remote intimacy of the online world.

For the installation Common Ground, Anderson collaborated with Janet Callinicos of Brisbane, Australia, and Liza Callinicos of London.

The artists, all of whom have lived in Africa, employed the call and response of African musical tradition to bring to mind the fragile balance in negotiating between cultural contexts. Their installation consists of a romantic embroidered silk petticoat (Anderson), a “memory of a memory” floating above a pile of discarded objects on the floor (Janet Callinicos), and the sound of breath emanating from within (Liza Callinicos).

Images are available.

Here, There and Everywhere: Anticipating the Art of the Future,
featuring the installations
Common Ground and Point-to-Point

Adams Gallery, Sargent Hall, Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston
Free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily

March 4, 2009 -- Suffolk Law School Presents “Freedom of the Press and Individual Privacy”: Anthony Lewis is keynote speaker at Masterman Institute Inaugural Symposium

BOSTON -- Suffolk University Law School’s Masterman Institute on the First Amendment and the Fourth Estate will present a symposium, “Freedom of the Press and Individual Privacy,” from noon to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5, 2009.

The inaugural symposium will feature two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Lewis, who will discuss “Journalistic Freedom and Privacy: A case of relative compatibility.”

His keynote luncheon speech will address the issue of when or whether the legal and moral interests in individual privacy should constrain the broad First Amendment freedom to speak or publish.

The afternoon will feature a panel discussion on “Freedom of the Press and Individual Privacy,” moderated by Alasdair Roberts, the Jerome L. Rappaport Professor of Law and Public Policy at the Law School.

Panelists include:

Jonathan Albano, an attorney specializing in media law at Bingham, McCutchen LLP
Scott Armstrong, executive director of the Information Trust; former Washington Post reporter; co-author of The Brethren; founder of the National Security Archive
The Hon. Nancy Gertner, U.S. District Court Judge, District of Massachusetts
Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe Columnist and Suffolk Law School graduate.
John Reinstein, senior counsel and legal director, ACLU Massachusetts

The symposium will take place at the Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston.

About Anthony Lewis

Anthony Lewis was a columnist for the New York Times from 1969 to December 2001.

As a reporter for the Washington Daily News, he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1955 for national reporting for a series of articles in on the dismissal of a Navy employee as a security risk. The articles led to the employee’s reinstatement.

In 1955, Lewis joined the Washington bureau of the New York Times. In 1956-57, he spent the academic year studying at Harvard Law School as a Neiman Fellow. On his return to Washington, he covered the Supreme Court, the Justice Department and legal matters, including the government’s handling of the civil rights movement. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Supreme Court in 1963.

He became the chief of the Times London bureau in 1964 and began writing his column from London in 1969. Since 1973, he has been based in Boston.

In 2001, he was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal.

Lewis is the author of four books: Gideon’s Trumpet, about a landmark Supreme Court case; Portrait of a Decade, about the great changes in American race relations; Make No Law: The Sullivan Case and the First Amendment; and Freedom for the Thought That We Hate: A Biography of the First Amendment.

For 15 years, Lewis was a lecturer on the law at Harvard Law School, and since 1983 he has held the James Madison Visiting Professorship at Columbia University.

About the Masterman Institute

Suffolk Law School alumnus Edward I. Masterman, JD ’50, LLD ’90, and his wife Sydell established The Masterman Institute on the First Amendment and the Fourth Estate to provide a forum for robust debate and exchange of ideas on freedom of the press and its attendant responsibilities.

The Institute will host a symposium each year that will bring together representatives from government, the legal profession and the press for the purpose of informing, educating and engaging those who care deeply about these issues.

Law School Professor Karen M. Blum, JD ’74, who teaches in the areas of federal courts and civil rights and liberties, is director of the Masterman Institute.

March 3, 2009 -- Suffolk Law School Launches Masterman Institute on the First Amendment and the Fourth Estate

BOSTON -- Suffolk Law School alumnus Edward I. Masterman, JD ’50, LLD ’90, and his wife Sydell have established The Masterman Institute on the First Amendment and the Fourth Estate at Suffolk University Law School to provide a forum for robust debate and exchange of ideas on freedom of the press and its attendant responsibilities.

“Some of the most polarizing and provocative issues of our time involve matters rooted in the First Amendment,” said Professor Karen M. Blum, director of the Masterman Institute. Blum teaches in the areas of federal courts and civil rights and liberties. “We at the Law School appreciate the Mastermans’ foresight in establishing an institute that will bring cutting-edge issues related to the First Amendment to the public eye.”

The Institute will host an annual symposium bringing together representatives from government, the legal profession and the press for the purpose of informing, educating and engaging those who care deeply about First Amendment issues.

Edward Masterman is the founder Masterman, Culbert & Tully LLP. He has served as assistant corporation counsel and as zoning commissioner for the city of Boston. He was Consul General of Austria from 1968 to 1987. He was a director of The Boston Foundation and the New England Legal Foundation and served as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers; American Bar Foundation.

Sydell Masterman is an artist who exhibits regularly in Massachusetts and Florida.

The first symposium, “Freedom of the Press and Individual Privacy,” will take place from noon to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5, 2009, at Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston.

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Anthony Lewis will give the keynote address, discussing “Journalistic Freedom and Privacy: A case of relative compatibility.”

A panel discussion and reception will follow.

March 2, 2009 -- Suffolk Commissions New Musical Adaptation of Lorca Classic: Award-winning composer and playwright join with Suffolk students in "Blood Wedding"

BOSTON – The Suffolk University Theatre Department has commissioned a new musical adaptation of Federico García Lorca’s classic tale of forbidden love, Blood Wedding. The text is newly translated and adapted by award-winning playwright and Suffolk faculty member, Melinda Lopez. Argentinean jazz fusion artist Claudio Ragazzi composes the score.

Blood Wedding runs at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, April 2-3, 2009, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, April 4, and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 5 in the Studio Theatre, located on the fourth Floor of the Archer Building at 41 Temple St., Beacon Hill, Boston.

Marilyn Plotkins, chair of the Theatre Department and Founding Director of the Boston Music Theatre Project (BMTP), spearheads the endeavor. Inspired by her summer Flamenco study abroad program, Plotkins wanted to tie her work at Suffolk’s Madrid campus in with the next BMTP piece. Lorca, Spain’s most important poet-playwright of the 20th century, was an obvious fit.

Lopez interprets the rhythms of the original Spanish for an American audience. By weaving in Spanish selectively, as one might hear in a bilingual household, she creates a recognizable world that still honors Lorca’s intentions. Ragazzi similarly integrates traditional and contemporary sounds in his music. He infuses traditional flamenco with contemporary jazz, folk, blues and rock rhythms.

“We wanted to connect with the passion and the poetry of the original but have it feel natural and necessary for our actors today,” says Plotkins.

Based on a newspaper account of a young woman who left her fiancé at the altar for another man, Lorca’s Blood Wedding explores the primal needs of a young couple who rebel against the proscriptions of a repressive society with tragic consequences. The play disturbingly foreshadows the author’s own fate. Lorca was executed at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War as a homosexual and outspoken critic of the fascists. He was 38.

Blood Wedding concludes a year of special programs presented by the Suffolk University Theatre Department that explore the diverse cultural traditions of the Spanish-speaking world, including flamenco music and dance and Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebration.

Melinda Lopez is an actor and playwright. In addition to her recent fellowships at the Huntington Theatre Company and the Sundance Institute, she was the first recipient of the Charlotte Woolard Award, given by the Kennedy Center to a “promising new voice in American Theatre.” Her plays include Sonia Flew (Elliot Norton Award: Best New Play, IRNE: Best Play and Best Production) God Smells Like a Roast Pig (Women on Top Festival, Elliot Norton Award: Outstanding Solo Performance) and Caroline in New Jersey (Williamstown Theatre Festival). She has performed in regional theaters across the country and is featured in the movie Fever Pitch. She resides in Bedford, Massachusetts.

Claudio Ragazzi is an award-winning composer and guitarist who has written for television, film and theatre. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, he has received the prestigious Duke Ellington Master’s Award, a Boston Music Award, and a regional Emmy. His work can be heard in the films Next Stop Wonderland, Something’s Gotta Give, and The Blue Diner and in programs on the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and PBS. A native of Argentina, Ragazzi resides in Belmont, Massachusetts.

Admission is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. To make a reservation, please call the Theatre Department at 617-573-8282. All reservations expire 10 minutes prior to curtain. A limited number of seats may be available at the door.

Please note: this production contains adult themes and language that may not be suitable for all audiences.

Feb. 18, 2009 -- Suffolk Announces Second Athletic Hall of Fame Recipients

BOSTON – The Suffolk University Athletic Department and Alumni Association has announced its second Athletic Hall of Fame class. Seven individuals and one team will be honored during a Hall of Fame Induction Dinner on Thursday, May 7, 2009 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge. The reception will begin at 6 p.m., followed by the dinner and induction ceremony at 7 p.m.

Suffolk University will induct six athletes, one coach, and one team into its second Athletic Hall of Fame class.

Jack Resnick, of Revere, who is 75 years young, heads the list of inductees. One night in 1953, Resnick incredibly scored 75 points in one game for Suffolk University while playing against Burdett College. He is also the University’s first 1,000-point career scorer.

Joining Resnick in the University’s second Athletic Hall of Fame class are:

Christos Tsiotos, of Winthrop, the only player in Suffolk history to record both 1,000 points (1,639, fourth on the University’s all-time scoring list) and rebounds (1,016). A two-time Division III All New England selection, he helped to lead the Rams to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances (1975-77). He is also a member of the Winthrop High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

Kathleen Norton, of Randolph, a 2001 Suffolk alumna, best known for her impressive accomplishments in basketball (the University’s all-time leading women’s scorer with 1,516 points) and softball (2002 NCAA National Division III batting champion with a .606 batting average).

Fred Knox, originally from Medford who now lives in York Beach, Maine, was a premier pitcher between 1958-1961, helping the baseball team succeed with his various skills and durability. As a relief pitcher, he preserved Suffolk’s victory over Division I and College World Series participant Boston College.

Brian Gruning, originally from Somerville who now resides in Tewksbury, is Suffolk’s second all-time hockey career and scoring leader with 226 total points (119 goals, 107 assists). He was also a Division III ECAC All-Star Selection.

Ernst Cleophat, originally from Dorchester who now lives in Augusta, Georgia, averaged a goal a game during his stellar career on the soccer field – highlighted by his three-goal game in a 3-0 defeat of Division I Northeastern University. He is now head coach of the women’s soccer team at Suffolk University.

Joe Walsh, originally from Dorchester who now lives in Chester, New Hampshire, was head coach of the Suffolk baseball team from 1982-1995. During that time, he led the Rams to a 218-167-1 record with three ECAC tournament appearances. He also was head coach of the Suffolk women’s basketball and cross country squads. He is the current head baseball coach at Harvard University.

The 1984 Suffolk baseball team made school history by being the first squad to qualify for Eastern College Athletic Conference post-season play with a record of 15-9. The Suffolk nine produced convincing victories over many worthy opponents throughout the season, including Division II foes Bentley College, Bryant College, and Merrimack College.

Tickets for the 6 p.m. reception and 7 p.m. Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony are $50 per person and $35 for alumni from 2004-2008. To purchase tickets to the dinner or for more information, contact Ellen Solomita at 617-573-8514 or esolomit@suffolk.edu. The Royal Sonesta Hotel is located at 40 Edwin Land Boulevard in Cambridge.

Feb. 12, 2009 -- Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University Presents 2009 Louis P. and Evelyn Smith First Amendment Award Honoring Gwen Ifil

BOSTON -- Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University presents a lecture by Gwen Ifill, recipient of the 2009 Louis P. and Evelyn Smith First Amendment Award, moderated by journalist Callie Crossley, from 6:30 to 8 pm Thursday, March 5, at the Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington St.

An open discussion and book signing will follow. Admission is free and open to all.

For the past 28 years, the Ford Hall Forum’s Louis P. and Evelyn Smith First Amendment Award has honored individuals or organizations that demonstrate extraordinary commitment to promoting and facilitating the thoughtful exercise of our right to freedom of expression. Previous recipients include, among others, Rosa Parks, Pete Seeger, Maya Angelou, Anita F. Hill, and Daniel Schorr. This year, the Forum honors Gwen Ifill.

Ifill is moderator and managing editor of "Washington Week" and senior correspondent for "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." She frequently is asked to moderate debates in national elections, including the vice presidential debates during the 2004 and 2008 elections. Ifill is also the author of The Breakthrough: Politics in the Age of Obama.

Now in its 40th year, “Washington Week” is the longest-running news and public affairs program on public television. Each week, Ifill brings together some of the best journalists in Washington to discuss the major stories of the week. She has bolstered the program’s journalistic roots and its commitment to hearing from the reporters who actually cover the news. Ifill joined both “Washington Week” and “The NewsHour” in 1999, interviewing newsmakers and reporting on issues ranging from foreign affairs to politics.

Callie Crossley is a seasoned broadcast professional whose portfolio includes commentary, media criticism, and speaking, as well as producing and directing television and film. Crossley is a regular panelist on the WGBH-TV program, "Beat the Press." Most recently she’s appeared on CNN and NPR as a commentator. Crossley spent 13 years as a network television producer for ABC News "20/20." She was also a producer of the documentary “Eyes on the Prize,” the award-winning series on the civil rights movement produced in the mid-1980s. Her award credits include a national Emmy, an Edward R. Murrow award, an award from the American Women in Radio and Television, and the Alfred I. Dupont-Columbia award. Callie Crossley is a graduate of Wellesley College and was a Neiman Fellow at Harvard University.

The Ford Hall Forum is the nation’s oldest free public lecture series. The Forum promotes freedom of speech and fosters an informed and effective citizenry through the public presentation of lectures, debates, and discussions. Its events illuminate the key issues facing our society by bringing to its podium knowledgeable and thought-provoking speakers, including some of the most controversial opinion leaders of our times. These speakers are presented in person, for free, and in settings that facilitate frank and open debate.

For more information on the Ford Hall Forum, contact Director Alex Minier, 617-557-2007, alex@fordhallforum.org or visit www.fordhallforum.org/. Information about Suffolk University’s partnership with the Ford Hall Forum may be obtained by contacting Mariellen Norris, (617) 573-8450, mnorris@suffolk.edu.

Feb. 10, 2009 -- Managing the Bailout Event at Suffolk University Law School to Address Financial Crisis Response

BOSTON – Top Treasury, Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) Congressional Oversight officials will gather at Suffolk University Thursday, February 12, 2009, from 4:00-5:30 pm, to address the Federal response to the financial crisis, including its successes and failures.

“Managing the Bailout: Execution and Oversight of the Federal Response to the Financial Crisis” will be hosted by The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service at Suffolk University Law School and the American Bar Association.

“The financial collapse has created enormous challenges for federal policymakers,” said Alasdair Roberts, the Jerome L. Rappaport Professor of Law and Public Policy at Suffolk University Law School. “They’ve had to create massive new programs quickly, under constantly shifting conditions. Now that TARP is almost four months old, we’ve gathered some of the key players to discuss what went right, what went wrong, and what needs to be done next.”

Panelists taking part in the program include:

• Robert F. Hoyt, former general counsel, U.S. Department of Treasury (December 2006 - January 2009). Hoyt managed the legal work involved in government bailouts of American International Group, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the auto industry, and the capital purchase program set up under TARP.

• Damon Silvers, associate general counsel, AFL-CIO and member, TARP Congressional Oversight Panel , which is examining how Treasury is spending taxpayer money in the bailout of the financial system

• Thomas McCool, director, Government Accountability Office center for economics.

• William. F. Kroener III, co-chair, ABA Task Force on Financial Markets Regulatory Reform

• Professor Cornelius Hurley, director, Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law, Boston University Law School

"The stakes couldn’t be much higher,” Roberts said. “The country is in the worst economic condition in six decades. Job losses continue to pile up. We need to learn and adapt quickly to achieve a solid recovery."

The event runs Thursday, February 12, from 4:00-5:30 pm in room 285, Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont Street in Boston. Members of the media are welcome.

The Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service was established in 2006 through a generous gift from the Jerome Lyle Rappaport Charitable Foundation and Jerry and Phyllis Rappaport. The Rappaport Center fosters innovative thinking on public policy and promotes emerging leaders who are deeply committed to public service.

February 2, 2009 -- The Box and the Curve: Modern Furniture Exhibit at the Gallery of the New England School of Art & Design at Suffolk University

BOSTON -- "The Box and the Curve," an exhibit at the New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University Feb 2 through 16, 2009, features the work of two furniture designers who combine art and artisanship in their work.

Mark Del Guidice and David Sears, cutting-edge designers of modern furniture, will discuss their work from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10 at the art school gallery.

Sears designs furniture with a mind to both the environment and superb design. His recent work explores modularity, and the exhibit will feature his Cube furniture collection. Sears’s lecture will focus on the importance of material selection and manufacturing techniques for his eco-conscious line.

Del Giudice’s furniture designs emphasize form, surface and distinctive content. He carves hieroglyphic-like markings and quotations in Morse code into the furniture’s surface and employs both color and fine woods.

Both Sears and Del Guidice have taught in the Interior Design Program at the New England School of Art and Design.

"The Box and the Curve"
New England School of Art & Design at Suffolk University
75 Arlington St., 2nd floor, Boston
Free and open to the public
8-11 a.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, noon-6 p.m. Sunday
After 7 p.m. enter at Main Lobby at 10 St. James St.

Lecture by artists Mark Del Guidice and David Sears
1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10

Images available, please contact mnorris@suffolk.edu

Feb. 2, 2009 -- The Boston Athenæum and Suffolk University Present Civic Discourse: Media and Democracy, a Series of Panels, Lectures and Films; Featured Speakers Include David Gergen, Lewis Lapham and Charles Burnett

BOSTON -- Civic Discourse is a new initiative sponsored by The Boston Athenæum and Suffolk University. The institutions will jointly present a series of programs each year, devoted to a topic of national significance. The inaugural series will focus on Media and Democracy and will include lectures, panel discussions and films. Events are free and open to the public by advance reservation and will take place at the Boston Athenæum and on Suffolk University’s Beacon Hill campus.

“With the civic discourse initiative, our goal is to reactivate the role of the Boston Athenæum as an institution in which the most pressing issues of the day would find a full and intelligent hearing,” said Stanford Calderwood Director and Librarian Richard Wendorf. “We would like to make the Boston Athenæum synonymous not only with our collections and programming in the humanities, but also with the discussion of important political, social and scientific concerns. We are very fortunate to have been able to forge a relationship with the College of Arts and Sciences at Suffolk University, a major institutional presence in our neighborhood.”

Kenneth S. Greenberg, Dean of Suffolk University’s College of Arts and Sciences, said: “Our goal with the civic discourse initiative is to treat significant – and significantly complex – issues as thoroughly as possible and from a variety of perspectives. We believe the topic Media and Democracy will provide great resonance following the recent national elections. In addition to talks by leading national political and media figures, the series will feature many of Suffolk’s faculty members, particularly professors in the Communication and Journalism Department.”

Funding for the Civic Discourse Initiative has been provided by the Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Programming Fund at the Boston Athenæum and by Suffolk University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

6 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 11, 2009
Inaugural Lecture: The Press - Turning Foe into Friend
David Gergen
Suffolk University, C. Walsh Theatre, 55 Temple St., Boston

Television and the Internet have become indispensable tools for presidential leadership. In fact, the media are a primary institutional force an effective president must manage by cooperation, charm and persuasion. The Obama administration’s future success will be partly measured by its ability to manage the media in order to communicate its legislative goals to the nation. David Gergen is an experienced journalist, presidential adviser and sought-after political analyst. In this talk, he will share his views on how the media have an impact on our nation’s policy focus; what the Obama administration must do to ensure that the members of the media do not resist the president’s goals; lessons to be learned from presidential media greats, such as Roosevelt; and mistakes to avoid.

David Gergen is editor-at-large at U.S. News and World Report, a Senior Political Analyst for CNN, a professor of public service at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and director of its Center for Public Leadership and author of the best-selling book Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton. Gergen is a former adviser to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton.

Reservations: 617-720-7600

Noon Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009
Film Screening: Citizen Kane (1941)
Boston Athenæum, 10½ Beacon St., Boston

Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane is an Oscar-winning biography of newspaper baron Charles Foster Kane (in essence, a thinly veiled portrait of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst), who becomes one of America’s most influential men.

The film will be introduced by David Reeder, visiting assistant professor in the Communication and Journalism Department at Suffolk University. Reeder earned his B.F.A. from the University of Kentucky in 1985, specializing in photography and sculpture and worked as a camera assistant for 20 years, perfecting his craft as a filmmaker. His credits include Driving Miss Daisy, Fried Green Tomatoes, Ace Ventura 2, RoboCop3 and the NBC television series In the Heat of the Night.

Reservations: 617-720-7600.

6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009
Film Screening: The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Suffolk University, Donahue Building, Room 311, 41 Temple St., Boston

Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers is based on the Algerian struggle for independence from French colonial rule. In particular it follows one fighter of the National Liberation Front (FLN) who turns from being a criminal to leader of the FLN. The film won several awards, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1966.

The film will be introduced by Monika Reasch, assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at Suffolk University. She teaches both video production and film studies, including a course in World Cinema. She is a native of Germany and holds degrees from four different countries.

Reservations will be accepted starting Feb. 4 at 617-720-7600.

6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009
Panel Discussion: New Media, Democracy and Technology
Gloria Boone, Linda Gallant and Nina Huntemann
Boston Athenæum, 10 ½ Beacon St., Boston

Does the Internet make citizens more engaged in the democratic process? How do online social presence, community formation and party identification on social media sites such as Facebook and MySpace affect the political process? Have sites like The Huffington Post, Politico, or The Drudge Report changed political coverage? What impact did online messaging, advertising, or public relations had on the 2008 elections?

Gloria Boone is a professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at Suffolk University. She teaches classes in advertising, new media, Web design and rhetoric and consults with businesses and health care organizations on advertising, usability, communication and integrated marketing.

Linda Gallant is an assistant professor of Communication Studies at Emerson College. Her teaching and research interests include the application of research methods to social computing and the maximization of information and communication technology (ICT) to advance human communication in multiple contexts – health care, politics and the workplace.

Nina B. Huntemann is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication and Journalism at Suffolk University. Her research interests include communication policy and history, political economy of communication, new media technologies, game studies, critical cultural studies, feminist media studies and media literacy.

Reservations will be accepted starting Feb. 12 at 617-720-7600.

Noon Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009
Film Screening: The Candidate (1972)
Boston Athenæum, 10 ½ Beacon St., Boston

Director Michael Ritchie and executive producer/star Robert Redford explore the machinations and manipulations of media-age political campaigns in this cynical political drama. With an Oscar-winning screenplay and appearances by real-life reporters and politicians, The Candidate takes a biting look at the nature of politics.

The film will be introduced by Boston Athenæum member and Emerson College screenwriting Professor Diane Lake. Lake had a previous career as a political consultant in Iowa and has been a working screenwriter since 1993, writing screenplays for Columbia, Disney, Miramax and Paramount.

Reservations will be accepted starting Jan. 29 at 617-720-7600.

Noon Saturday, March 14, 2009
Film Screening: Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
Boston Athenæum, 10 ½ Beacon St., Boston

This six-time Oscar-nominated 2005 docudrama chronicles how, in the mid-1950s, Edward R. Murrow and his “See It Now” producer, Fred Friendly, helped to bring an end to the tyranny of the blacklist and the House Un-American Activities Committee’s anti-Communist hearings.

The film will be introduced by Dan Kennedy, an assistant professor of journalism at Northeastern University. He writes for the Guardian (U.K.), CommonWealth and the Boston Phoenix and is a regular panelist on WGBH-TV’s “Beat the Press,” hosted by Emily Rooney. His blog, Media Nation, is online at medianation.blogspot.com.

Reservations will be accepted starting Jan. 29 at 617-720-7600.
6 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Panel Discussion: The Shrinking World of Print Journalism: A Danger to Democracy?
Bruce Butterfield, Cullen Murphy, Bob Rosenthal and Joan Venocchi
Boston Athenæum, 10 ½ Beacon St., Boston

For more than two centuries, America’s newspapers have been the public’s primary source of information about our government. As circulation and staffs shrink, there are significant implications for democracy, which is dependent upon an informed public.

Bruce D. Butterfield is assistant professor and professional journalist in residence in the Department of Communication and Journalism at Suffolk University. He spent 16 years as a staff writer for the Boston Globe, where he covered national labor issues and was an investigative reporter on the newspaper’s Spotlight Team. A two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, he has won numerous major awards for his reporting.

Cullen Murphy is the editor-at-large of Vanity Fair magazine and was, for two decades, the managing editor of the Atlantic Monthly. Murphy’s articles and essays have appeared in many publications, including the Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, the New Republic, Slate, the New York Times, the Wall St. Journal, the Boston Globe, American Heritage and Smithsonian. His most recent book is Are We Rome?, which he wrote, in part, at the Boston Athenæum.

Joan Venocchi writes regularly about national and local politics for the Boston Globe and also covers issues relating to business, law and culture. She began her career at the paper as a researcher on the Spotlight Team, the newspaper’s investigative unit, and shared in a Pulitzer Prize awarded to the team for local investigative reporting.

Robert Rosenthal is chair of the Department of Communication and Journalism at Suffolk University. He is an international consultant specializing in strategic communication, with a core emphasis on institutions subject to government regulation. A specialist in the field of political communication, Rosenthal is a frequent guest on radio talk shows and television newscasts.

Reservations will be accepted starting March 12 at 617-720-7600.

6 p.m. March 31, 2009
Lecture: Take Back the Media: Policy, Protest and Protecting American Democracy
Josh Silver
Boston Athenæum, 10 ½ Beacon St., Boston

Josh Silver argues that the media policies made in Washington D.C. are the cause of corporate programming on radio and TV, fake news that fails to inform, slow, overpriced Internet service and struggling public media. His organization, Free Press, calls for media that give the American people quality news and programming, reflect the nation’s diversity, meet the information needs of local communities and support democracy. Silver will discuss important current policy debates and how individuals can get involved in the public policies that shape our media system.

Josh Silver is the executive director and co-founder of the nonpartisan media policy reform organization Free Press. He previously served as campaign manager for public funding of elections in Arizona and as the director of development for the cultural arm of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Silver publishes frequently on media, campaign finance and other public policy issues.

Reservations will be accepted starting March 11 at 617-720-7600.

6 p.m. Thursday, April 2, 2009
Film Screening: Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (2003)
Suffolk University, C. Walsh Theatre, 55 Temple St., Boston
Presented in conjunction with the Ford Hall Forum

Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property analyzes Turner’s slave rebellion of 1831 and its aftermath in American memory. The film explores many interpretations of the event, including William Styron’s controversial 1967 Pulitzer-Prize-winning The Confessions of Nat Turner and the deep racial divisions that it exposed. What is the distinction between a freedom fighter and a terrorist? The debate over the meaning of Nat Turner has been at the heart of race relations in the United States for the past 178 years.

Charles Burnett is a MacArthur-Award-winning American filmmaker. Major films include Killer of Sheep, The Glass Shield, To Sleep with Anger, Nightjohn, The Wedding, The Annihilation of Fish and Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation. He is co-writer and director of Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property.

Frank Christopher is an award-winning producer, director, writer and editor whose major film credits include Fei Hu: The Story of the Flying Tigers, In the Name of the People and the PBS series Remaking American Medicine. He is currently at work on a film about the explorer Samuel de Champlain. He co-wrote and co-produced Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property.

Kenneth S. Greenberg, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Suffolk University and distinguished professor of history, has authored Honor and Slavery, as well as Masters and Statesmen. He is the editor of Nat Turner: A Slave Rebellion in History and Memory and of Thomas R. Gray’s original The Confessions of Nat Turner. He co-wrote and co-produced Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property.

Reservations will be accepted starting Feb. 4 at 617-720-7600.

This film is presented in conjunction with The Ford Hall Forum, a partner of Suffolk University. The Ford Hall Forum is the nation’s oldest free public lecture series. Its mission is to foster an informed and effective citizenry and to promote freedom of speech through the public presentation of lectures, debates and discussions.

6 p.m. Monday, April 6, 2009
Panel Discussion: The Role of Television Journalism in a Democratic Society
Robert Rosenthal, Moderator
Suffolk University, C. Walsh Theatre, 55 Temple St., Boston

Broadcast journalists have been praised for breaking important news stories and criticized for breaking political candidates. Is the role of television news in our democracy to present politically neutral information or to provide informed opinion?

Robert E. Rosenthal is chair of the Department of Communication and Journalism at Suffolk University. He is an international consultant specializing in strategic communication, with a core emphasis on institutions subject to government regulation. A specialist in the field of political communication, Rosenthal is a frequent guest on radio talk shows and television newscasts.

Reservations will be accepted starting March 20 at 617-720-7600.

6 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Lecture: Mixed Media
Lewis H. Lapham
Boston Athenæum, 10 ½ Beacon St., Boston

The media today speak in so many forked and foreign tongues — film, book, video game, broadcast, blog — that without a dictionary or a concordance it’s hard to know who is saying what to whom. Over the past 50 years it has come to pass that on an examination paper at the end of a year’s course in the history of western civilization a sophomore at a high-end New England university can give as his answer: “The Greeks invented three kinds of columns — Corinthian, Doric and Ironic. They also had myths. A myth is a female moth.”

How does a writer tell a straight story to readers who think in circles? Maybe by sending smoke signals.
Lewis Lapham is editor of Lapham’s Quarterly, the national correspondent for Harper’s Magazine and the author of 13 books, including Money and Class in America, The Wish for Kings, Theater of War and, most recently, Pretensions to Empire. For Bloomberg Radio he hosts a weekly program, “The World in Time.”

Reservations will be accepted starting April 16 at 617-720-7600.

Jan. 29, 2009 -- BRA Approves Suffolk University Academic Building for 20 Somerset Street: New Structure to House Classrooms, Art School

BOSTON -- The Boston Redevelopment Authority board today unanimously approved Suffolk University’s plans for a flagship academic building at 20 Somerset Street that will provide state-of-the-art classroom space as well as a permanent home for the New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University.

The BRA board approved a plan that calls for the removal of the abandoned structure that once served as the Metropolitan District Commission headquarters and the construction of a unique and vibrant building that will bring an active use back to the site, while remaining respectful of the surrounding neighborhood.

The University also plans to transform the adjacent Roemer Plaza into a welcoming open space and will use the plaza to commemorate the MDC’s storied history of conserving parkland and green space in and around Boston.

The BRA’s approval of the $68 million project caps a four-year development process for the 20 Somerset site. Suffolk University worked closely over the past two years with a BRA-appointed task force made up of members from surrounding neighborhoods, as well as with its neighbors on Beacon Hill and representatives of the abutting Garden of Peace. Task force members, a building design subcommittee and neighbors all contributed to the design of the building and the adjacent plaza.

“This building will be a shining example of the community process at its best,” said John Nucci, Suffolk University’s vice president for External Affairs. “It has been designed in close collaboration with task force members and neighbors who have shared the goal of creating a building that will benefit Suffolk students and the city of Boston for generations.”

The proposed building’s design includes:

A vibrant glass façade on the south side of the building designed to enliven an improved Roemer Plaza
A quiet façade on the opposite north side, designed to be respectful of the neighboring Garden of Peace memorial to homicide victims
State-of-the-art classrooms for students in the College of Arts and Sciences that will feature full media technology and energy-efficient lighting and heating
Art studios for instruction in painting, drawing, sculpture, and printing, along with electronic classrooms for computer instruction in graphic design and interior design
Faculty offices
A public art gallery displaying student and professional work as well as critique spaces

“I want to thank Suffolk University for working cooperatively with the community and the BRA to come up with the right project for this site,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “This new academic building will allow Suffolk to remain competitive and enhance its students’ educational experience.”

The 20 Somerset project is part of an Institutional Master Plan that was approved by the BRA last summer. That master plan creates a blueprint for Suffolk University’s growth in Boston over the next 10 years and also includes the Modern Theatre and residence hall project on Washington Street, which is now under construction. The Modern Theatre project will bring a new 185-seat theater to Downtown Crossing and will allow Suffolk to house more of its students.

The planned academic building at 20 Somerset Street will allow the University to remove additional classroom seats from its Temple Street academic buildings, lightening its student load in the residential part of Beacon Hill.

The University is in the process of finalizing an agreement with the Massachusetts Historical Commission that would allow for the removal of the former MDC building.

Suffolk University’s 20 Somerset building is being designed by the renowned Cambridge-based architectural firm of Chan Krieger Sieniewicz, the same firm that helped the university create its Institutional Master Plan. Suffolk hopes to begin construction by fall 2009 and open the building in 2011. The project will create 150 construction jobs.

Jan. 23, 2009 -- "On Equal Terms: Women in Construction 30 Years & Still Organizing," Installation by Susan Eisenberg at Suffolk University’s Adams Gallery

BOSTON -- The exhibit On Equal Terms: Women in Construction 30 Years & Still Organizing, at the Adams Gallery Jan. 26 - March 17, 2009, celebrates 30 years of women in construction.

On Equal Terms, an installation by artist, poet and educator Susan Eisenberg, grew out of her effort to learn from tradeswoman pioneers about the struggle to bring women into the construction trades. The personal testimonies of the many women she has interviewed inform her work.

Federal policy changes in 1978 opened construction jobs and apprenticeship programs to women, with projections that women would make up 25 percent of the construction work force by now. Yet today women hold only about 2 percent of jobs in the building trades.

Eisenberg was one of the first women in the country to achieve journey-level status as a union electrician, and she worked on construction sites for 15 years. She is the author of We’ll Call You If We Need You: Experiences of Women Working Construction, a New York Times Notable Book.

Her installation employs soft sculpture, found objects, poetry, story, photography, and audio to explore issues of power and social policy.

The public is invited to an opening reception from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, with a brief program at 6 p.m. Area tradeswomen, whose voices and experiences animate the exhibit, will be available to the media.

On Equal Terms: Women in Construction 30 Years & Still Organizing
Jan. 26 - March 17, 2009
Adams Gallery, Sargent Hall, Suffolk University Law School, 120 Tremont St., Boston
Free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily

Images available

Jan. 13, 2009 -- Suffolk University Brings 90 Students to D.C. for Presidential Inauguration Seminar

BOSTON -- Ninety Suffolk University students and five faculty leaders traveled to Washington this week for a 12-day Presidential Inauguration Seminar on “Media and the Presidency” offered in conjunction with The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars.

The seminar focuses on the 2008 presidential election, the media’s impact on the election process and the transition to a new administration, all in the context of the inauguration of Barack Obama and Joe Biden as a milestone in American political history.

The Suffolk students are participating in the Jan. 10-21 seminar as part of their requirements for a course offered by the Government Department.

Students will hear from leading government, political and media figures, such as Ambassador Hussain Haqqani of Pakistan and Sam Donaldson of ABC News. Daily small discussion groups with Suffolk University faculty complement site visits to federal agencies, think tanks, and embassies and attendance at a variety of inaugural events.

“The seminar offers Suffolk students a rare opportunity to experience the historic transition of power from one administration and party to another and the key role the media play in shaping and describing the inaugural process,” said Assistant Professor of Government Brian Conley, one of the faculty leaders. “The small-group discussions, guest lectures and site visits will give students a hands-on introduction to official Washington, the inauguration and the operations of the fourth estate.”

Additional faculty leaders who are leading the daily small-group sessions are Professors Teri Fair and Roberto Dominguez, Meri Power and Erin Cheuvront.