UMASS BOSTON ANNOUNCED the appointment of Sharon Kennedy as the new Director of Marketing and Communications. Prior to coming to UMB, Kennedy worked in the White House as Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Social Secretary for Communications, followed by a four-year period as Assistant to the President of Special Events at Harvard. Kennedy’s role is to manage and enhance the image that UMB presents to the outside community as well as intra-University communications.

GET FREE GAS!! The first 200 people to show up to the Bayside Expo Center on September 29th will get free gas courtesy of The Building and Design Expo, and Exxon-Mobil. Director of Marketing for the Expo, Clemson Jasso, said they are excited to team up with Exxon-Mobil to help construction industry professionals save money. “Our exhibitors feel this is a great reason to come down to the show.” Gas vouchers will range from $10 to $100.

The Building and Design Expo is a regional tradeshow that allows companies to display their products and service to regional buyers. For more information visit the website at www.thebdx.com or call 888-371-9013 to register to attend and get your free gas.

MTV EXPANDS, BUT STILL NO MUSIC. mtvU, the 24-hour college network affiliated with the former music channel, will aquire Y2M: Youth Media & Marketing Networks. Y2M owns College Publisher, the largest interactive network of online college newspapers in the U.S. (and publishes The Mass Media’s web-site) This makes mtvU the largest content provider for college students. For more information, visit www.mtvU.com.

UMB NAMES DR. LAURA BOZEMAN director of the Regional Teacher Education Programs in Visual Impairments at UMass Boston. Through the Institute for Community Inclusion’s Northeast Regional Center for Vision Education (NERCVE), Dr. Bozeman will provide academic and program support to the Teachers of the Visually Impaired and Orientation & Mobility M.Ed. programs.

Dr. Bozeman also has a black belt in karate, and conducts self-defense workshops for those with visual impairments. “It’s truly exciting…to be part of the diverse and vibrant community at UMass Boston,” she says.

For information about visual impairment services, visit www.nercve.umb.edu or call 617-287-6232.

Have some brief news to share? E-mail: [email protected].