Q & A
Barry Bluestone begins work this month as the Russell B. and Andreé
B. Stearns trustee professor of political economy. He is also a tenured
professor in N.U.'s sociology and anthropology department. Bluestone formerly
served for twelve years as the Frank L. Boyden professor of political economy
at the University of MassachusettsBoston, where he was founding director
of the school's Ph.D. program in public policy. Prior to that, he taught
economics at Boston College and was director of the university's Social
Welfare Research Institute.
How did a world-renowned economist end up a
tenured professor in the sociology and anthropology department?
When the Stearns chair was established, President
Freeland told the campus that individual departments could bid on it. So
Tony Jones, the chair of sociology, got together with [chairs] Chris Bosso
from political science and Steve Morrison from economics and said, "Look,
we don't have a chance of getting this alone. Why don't we go in together?"
And since Tony led this crew, he really wanted me in the sociology department.
And I said, "Why not?" So I've gone from the economics department
at Boston College to the political science department at UMassBoston
to the sociology and anthropology department here. I tell my friends I'm
completing my hat trick of academic institutions in Boston.
What attracted you to Northeastern?
My impression is that this is a school that's
on the move. Its leadership has real vision. And the challenge of seeing
a school transform itself and at the same time remain true to its roots
of cooperative education, of wanting to provide educational opportunities
for students who weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouth, has always
appealed to me.
What will your duties be?
My main responsibility is to be director of the
new Center for Urban and Regional Policy. Its function is to bring together
people from around the campus who have real urban-regional interests and
who would like to work together. We'll be doing research, publishing working
papers, holding conferences, conducting seminars. I hope it will be a hotbed
of ideas open to faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students
throughout the campus. In addition, beginning spring quarter, I'll be teaching
a graduate course in public policy and an undergraduate course in political
economy.
You serve as a policy adviser to the Democratic
leadership in Congress. What do Democrats know that Republicans don't?
That despite all the hoopla about this great economy,
there are a lot of people who feel incredibly insecure and a lot of people
who are not sharing in this great economy. And they understand that you
need to have a government presence in the economy to assure more rapid
growth and to assure more equitable distribution of incomes.
What's the danger if the disparity between
rich and poor continues to grow?
One of the dangers is that it becomes a pretty
cranky society when you have gated communities to protect people from those
who are left behind. But the worst problem is that when you have people
who become part of a permanent underclass, it builds tremendous cynicism
about society. You look at Europe, and the unemployment rates are higher
[than in America], but there's a greater feeling of social solidarity,
a greater feeling of "I'm not going to be left behind."
You have close ties to Congressman Richard
Gephardt, who's mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2000.
What role would you have in a Gephardt for President campaign?
I will continue to feed ideas and I presume I
would continue to have access to him. But I certainly would not consider
leaving my responsibilities at Northeastern to go on the campaign trail.
Would I have any interest in taking a six-month leave and working for him
should he become president or vice president? If he invited me and it was
an appropriate position, I would consider it.
Which is more true: Bill Clinton has been good
for the economy, or the economy has been good for Bill Clinton?
I wouldn't say "more true"; I'd say
the latter is the truth. There's not much a president can do in four years
to turn the economy around. It's very clear to me from the evidence that
a turnaround in the economy was overdue [when Clinton became president
in 1992].
How long can the good times roll?
It can roll for a good long time, but that doesn't
mean we won't have recessions. I think we have the potential for long-term
growth at about three percent [a year]. And if we play our cards right,
we'll have something close to the glory days after World War II.
What publication would you recommend for the
lay person who's interested in economics?
On a regular newspaper column basis, I'd recommend
Bob Kuttner of the Boston Globe. He also edits a journal called the American
Prospect. I think it's the finest journal out today that takes on the issues
and puts them in perspective.
N.U. takes lead in fight against student
drinking
In a collective show of force,
the presidents of Northeastern and two dozen other Boston-area institutions
signed an historic pact last month aimed at reducing underage and binge
drinking by college students.
The fifty-point pact, spearheaded by the Boston
Coalition's Task Force on Underage and Problem Drinking, which is chaired
by President Freeland, calls for prohibiting alcohol in first-year student
dorms, banning liquor from rush events at fraternities and sororities,
and developing action plans to curb alcohol abuse among athletes.
To achieve those goals, the presidents said they
would enlist the help of a host of internal and external constituencies,
from community groups, police officials, and liquor store owners to parents,
students, and alumni.
"Today is a remarkable day," Freeland
said at the December 7 news conference. "We have come together to
commit ourselves to a common approach to the issue of alcohol consumption
on campus, including the very serious serious challenge of underage and
problematic drinking."
Alcohol and drug prevention experts have tied
alcohol abuse to poor grades, acts of rape and vandalism, even death. The
twenty-four schools signing the pact agreed to promote and increase alcohol-free
programming for underage students, work to control alcohol sales and consumption
at athletics events, and provide on-campus alcohol awareness programming
and counseling. They also pledged to encourage the development of peer
support services for off-campus students and to develop a series of training
programs for faculty, residence hall staff, and peer educators.
Dormitory-housing project moves forward
Northeastern and city officials joined developers and community activists
in signing a landmark agreement last fall to build a $46 million apartment
and condominium complex on Columbus Avenue that will provide home ownership
to area residents, create retailing opportunities on Tremont Street, and
provide housing for nearly 600 university students.
The pact was acknowledged by all of the signatories as a compromise-spearheaded
by Boston mayor Thomas Menino-between Northeastern and a coalition of community
activists who had vigorously opposed the plan for almost two years. The
neighborhood representatives argued for fewer students and more homeowners
than Madison Davenport, the Northeastern-backed development team, had originally
proposed for the complex.
In the end, the two groups found what President Freeland called "common
ground." He hailed the agreement as testimony to the power of listening
to one another and of compromise.
"Everybody's got to win when you try to come together around a
project of this complexity," he said. "We've got an outcome here
in which everybody has won."
The proposed project, called Davenport Commons, will be built on four
city-owned parcels, currently used for university parking. At least 120
of the 180 units in the complex will be used to house 595 Northeastern
upperclass and graduate students, and 60 will be sold at affordable prices
to income-eligible community residents. The agreement also calls for 4,000
square feet of commercial space on Tremont Street.
Take a BOW!
Twelve N.U. sophomores have been named Presidential Scholars, entitling
them to full-tuition scholarships for the remainder of their undergraduate
careers. Recipients are: Jigar Bhatt, who majors in finance and
management information systems; Danielle Couturier, music industry;
Celina DeLeon, journalism; Tarek El Sherif, finance and international
business; James Falabella, chemical engineering; Monté
Foster, business administration; Kyle Haraldsen, Kristen
Hoc, and Anne LeBlanc, medical laboratory science; Krista
Kramer, criminal justice; Francis "Hank" Sola, electrical
engineering; and Peter Wu, physical therapy.
Arnold Arluke, professor of sociology, was given the Distinguished
Scholar Award by the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction
Organizations for his study of how medical students cope with the experience
of conducting research on dogs. He is the first sociologist to receive
the triennial award.
Moving Up
Robert Lowndes, former dean of arts and sciences, has been named
a special assistant to President Freeland for strategic research and graduate
program development. He will be charged with preparing a report that assesses
the expertise and reputation of N.U.'s faculty and researchers, delivers
a prognosis for future accomplishments, and provides an overview of the
wider research climate.
Patrick Plunkett, associate professor of cardiopulmonary sciences
and associate dean of pharmacy and health professions, has been tapped
by President Freeland and Provost David Hall to serve as acting dean of
the new Bouvé College of Health Professions, which comprises the
former Bouvé and Nursing colleges. A permanent dean is scheduled
to be named by next academic year.
Freeland gets three-year contract extension
The Board of Trustees voted unanimously last fall to extend President
Freeland's contract for three additional years, until August 2002.
"I'm delighted the board has given this vote of confidence not
merely to me personally but to the faculty, students, administrators, and
staff who have played so critical a part in strengthening the university
over the past two years," Freeland said.
The extension comes following completion of a five-month review of Freeland's
performance by a special committee of the board, chaired by trustee Robert
Marini, E'54, H'97.
"The members of the special committee unanimously feel that the
board made the correct decision two years ago when we elected Richard Freeland
as our sixth president," Marini said in a news release from the board.
"We believe that he will be one of our greatest presidents, and, as
members of the board, we look forward to working with him in the years
ahead."
The committee found that Freeland has a clearly articulated vision for
the university and that he has demonstrated "the courage and will"
to take on a number of very difficult challenges to implement that vision.
Sport in Society honors New England "heroes"
Boston Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez and former Olympic rower Holly
Metcalf were presented New England Hero Awards by the Center for the Study
of Sport in Society at its fourteenth annual Awards Banquet and Hall of
Fame Induction ceremony last fall.
The late tennis star Arthur Ashe was posthumously inducted into the
Sport in Society Hall of Fame, joining previous inductees Muhammad Ali,
Arnold "Red" Auerbach, Wilma Rudolph, and Jackie Robinson.
The Hero Awards recognize area athletes who make an outstanding commitment
to promoting the positive aspects of sport through community service, sportsmanship,
and courageous achievement.
Martinez, who finished as runner-up in the 1998 American League Cy Young
Award balloting, was recognized for his humanitarian works in his native
Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, where he has funded construction
of a church, a school, and a child-care center. He also recently formed
a partnership with BankBoston to establish the Pedro J. Martinez and Brothers
Foundation to provide assistance to area groups that focus on youth, family,
and education.
Metcalf, a gold medal winner in the women's eight at the 1984 Olympics,
was honored for founding and heading up rowing camps for master's women
at her alma mater, Mount Holyoke College, and for young girls in the Boston
Public Schools.
Sport in Society, in conjunction with the School of Journalism, also
presented Excellence in Sports Journalism awards to Sam Lacy of the Baltimore
Afro-American newspaper; Michelle Saton of WBUR's Only a Game; and HBO
Sports, for its documentary "City Dump: The Story behind the 1951
CCNY Basketball Scandal."
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