The new ranking system, providing an alternative to US News & World Report’s annual ranking, evaluates each school’s performance by focusing equally on community service, commitment to educating lower income students, and training students for graduate study.

For the complete listings and methodology see the Rankings Chart  or www.washingtonmonthly.com.

“How wonderful to see that you have created such a magical environment for aspiring writers in gorgeous Chestnut Hill,” said Lisa Atkinson, a Connecticut resident who attended the second annual Solstice Summer Writers’ Conference from June 16 through 24, 2006.

Thirty-seven students from 11 different states attended this year’s Solstice Conference, which featured readings, lectures, panel discussions, and workshops in poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction. Attendees studying fiction were able to focus on the short story, the novel, or the popular novel, including detective stories and mysteries.

“We hope to have more students attend next summer’s conference, but I was amazed and really delighted by this group of participants, who were so passionate about their art and so supportive of each other,” said Meg Kearney, Director of Creative Writing Programs at PMC. “And we did have a number of students interested in our MFA Program, which is what I was hoping would happen.”

The Solstice Conference offers a welcoming, dynamic atmosphere and a distinguished roster of writers as instructors. This year’s faculty included: David Bradley (PEN/Faulkner winner, fiction); Stephen Dunn (Pulitzer Prize, poetry); Julia Glass (National Book Award winner, fiction); Patricia Henley (National Book Award finalist, fiction); Lee Hope (Theodore Goodman Award, fiction); Barbara Hurd (Pushcart Prize winner, creative nonfiction); Jacqueline Johnson (White Pine Press Award, poetry); Jack Ketchum (Bram Stoker Award, fiction); Elizabeth Powell (New Issues First Book Prize, poetry); Michael Steinberg (Foreword Magazine’s Memoir of the Year Award); Sheree R. Thomas (Ledig House/LEF Foundation Prize, fiction); and Mark Turcotte (Lannan Foundation Literary Completion Grant). Critically acclaimed guest writer Rick Moody (author of The Ice Storm) gave a reading from his new book, The Diviners, on June 22.

Tanya Whiton, a fiction writer who teaches at the University of Southern Maine, was Meg Kearney’s “right hand” in running the nine-day conference. Brenda Prescott, a fiction writer and a 2005 Conference participant, served as assistant faculty during Julia Glass’s workshop and also helped out with various conference-related tasks. “Things would not have run as smoothly without the help of Tanya and Brenda,” said Kearney, who also extended her thanks to everyone at PMC who helped behind the scenes to make the Conference a success.

“I got to mingle with some very congenial people, teachers and students alike…and was energized by the whole thing,” said Jack Ketchum, a member of the fiction faculty. “I felt creative throughout.”

Creative Nonfiction faculty member Barbara Hurd echoed his sentiment: “It was a rich experience for me and, I think, my creative nonfiction students. Thanks for inviting me.”

A typical day at the conference features a morning lecture or panel discussion, followed by lunch and then creative writing workshops in the afternoon. Readings by faculty and guests took place virtually every evening. This year’s morning sessions included talks on “Writing in Multiple Genres,” “The Tyranny of Talent,” and “Writing About Unlovable Characters & Other Nefarious Goings-On.” One panel discussion, moderated by Lee Hope, focused on “Fact or Fiction? The Idea and Use of Truth in Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, and Fiction.” A special panel on publishing was moderated by Mary Beth Chappell of Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency and included Rob Arnold, managing editor of Ploughshares literary magazine and editor and co-founder of the online literary journal Memorious; Anton Mueller, a Senior Editor at Houghton Mifflin Publishing House; and Michael Steinberg, founding editor of the literary journal, Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction.

“I have been to many conferences—and clearly, this is the best in terms of breadth of content, competence of faculty and its egalitarian spirit,” said Faye Snider of Waban, Massachusetts. “The absence of elitism and the relaxed availability of faculty and staff provided a rich atmosphere for give-and-take learning. I feel like I entered a community with a big welcome sign on its door!”

Evening readings by the faculty were attended by both PMC faculty and staff as well as people from the outside community. An audience of approximately 100 turned out for Dennis Lehane’s reading, which had been highlighted in the Boston Globe. Each reading was followed by a book signing and cash bar, allowing students, audience members, and faculty to meet informally.

“As one of the few participants who had never attended an event like this, Solstice is the perfect introduction to the writing community beyond my zip code,” said Penny Piva Rego of Fall River, Massachusetts. “The kindness and helpfulness of Meg, Tanya, and everyone else made a scary (for me) time into an exciting learning (and more) adventure. How many days until next year’s begins?”

The 2007 Solstice Summer Writers’ Conference will take place from June 17 through June 23.

This article originally appeared in the Boston Globe Names section on July 12, 2006, by Carol Beggy and Mark Shanahan.

Even with Ben Affleck in town making a movie based on one of his books, Dennis Lehane's been keeping a low profile. In part, we're told, that's because the Dorchester native is hard at work on his next book. But it's also because he's busy with a new gig. Lehane has quietly joined the faculty at Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, teaching wannabe writers enrolled in the school's low -residency MFA program. (Low-residency merely means you don't have to give up your day job to attend.) This isn't the first time Lehane has been paid to be a professor. The man who wrote "Mystic River" spent last year teaching creative writing at his alma mater Eckerd College in picturesque St. Petersburg, Fla. We couldn't reach the "Gone, Baby, Gone" author, but Pine Manor's peeps had a minute. "He's such an amazing writer and a very generous teacher," said Meg Kearney, director of creative writing programs at Pine Manor. "It's thrilling to have someone with his name recognition and talent. It's certainly a big draw for students." Wondering about Lehane's next book? He'll preview it Saturday, when he reads at Pine Manor.

The most impressive thing about Ashley’s statistics is the fact that that she missed two weeks and ten games due to a severely sprained ankle. Despite missing those two weeks, she was second in the GNAC conference in strikeouts and led the league in batting average against. Woodward graduates as the most successful pitcher in the history of Pine Manor softball, holding 11 Pine Manor pitching records. Ashley graduated this past Sunday with a degree in Psychology and was the senior class speaker.

Ashley originates from Cherryfield, ME and was a graduate of Narraguagas High School. Her parents are Deborah and Homer Woodward. Ashley was married in June 2005 to Brad Cirone.

More than 200 people - including local and national friends of PMC, alumnae, faculty, and staff - celebrated the tenth anniversary of Gloria Nemerowicz's presidency at a gala evening at the Colonnade Hotel in Boston on May 4. The event, which included a reception, dinner, and awards presentation, raised more than $150,000 for student scholarships. A slide show and a video highlighting Pine Manor College and the achievements of the past ten years set the ton of the evening by being both retrospective and celebratory.

The evening concluded with remarks by President Nemerowicz about Pine Manor College, its mission, and its role in the future of American higher education. She began by remind the audience that "more than 25 percent of high school students drop out before they graduate, and of those who go on to college, more than one third don't complete their degree within ten years.

"Many talented young men and women are discouraged from developing their true potential because they don't have the funds that would give them access to educational opportunities," Nemerowicz continued. "Although money is a major issue, familial and societal attitudes also play a crucial role in higher education, and all too often the poor, minorities, and women get left behind.

"There is a need for what Pine Manor College brings to the table and what we are trying to do," the President added, "and all of us - alumnae, administrators, faculty, staff, and students - need to be proud of what we are accomplishing, we need to be proud of being part of the Pine Manor Community, and we need be proud of Pine Manor.

"Building an inclusive community is clearly essential in today's world," Nemerowicz pointed out, "and building an inclusive community on many levels can serve as a global model We need to learn to be inclusive in our educational system, in our decision making, in our interactions. We need to be open, and we need to have understanding and tolerance.

"We need to reach out of our families, to our communities, and to our world," Nemerowicz concluded. "We need to continue to provide quality education that is relevant to the needs of today's world and today's women and that helps give them the tolls to make a difference tomorrow."

During the banquet, PMC's Award of Inclusive Leadership and Social Responsibility was presented to two institutions and their leaders for their ongoing commitment to the community and to higher education: Liberty Mutual and the Nellie Mae Education Foundation and its president, Blenda J. Wilson.

Throughout its history, Boston-based Liberty Mutual, a leading global insurer, has helped "people live safer, more secure lives." Under the leadership of LMG Chairman Edmund F. Kelly, the Liberty Mutual Foundation was established in 2003 to support communities and improve lives. Its grant-making priorities are education - especially educational programs that encourage disadvantaged youth to excel in grade school, high school, and/or secondary education - and broad-based health and human services. Special focus is on health care for low-income individuals, cultural organizations, and youth mentoring programs.

In accepting the award on behalf of Liberty Mutual, Director of Corporate Public Affairs, Melissa MacDonnell said, "We at Liberty Mutual are so grateful that a place like Pine Manor College exists, a place that comes alongside of young scholars of all backgrounds, a place that infuses its students with hope, and a place that helps them all to succeed. It is my great honor to thank Gloria Nemerowicz and Pine Manor College for your inclusiveness, your social responsibility, and your leadership in showing us the way."

The Nellie Mae Education Foundation, located in Quincy, MA, was created in 1998 to provide grants and other support to institutions and organizations in New England that help improve academic achievement and access to higher education for underserved students. The foundation is New England's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to "opening doors" to education achievement and equity for New England's underserved populations. Its focus includes adult literacy, college preparation, minority high achievement, and out-of-school programs that improve in-school achievement. Blenda J. Wilson, a nationally-know authority on higher education policy issues, served as the first president and chief executive officer of the Foundation, leading it in defining its vision as a major grant maker, research organization, and convenor and policy-maker in New England.

In accepting the award on behalf of the Foundation and Blenda Wilson, Senior Program Officer, Jay Sherwin said, "I can't think of any institution of higher education in New England that better exemplifies the ideals of the Nellie Mae Foundation than Pine Manor College. And I don't know any who exemplifies the principles of inclusive leadership better than its president, Gloria Nemerowicz. No one brings more passion to that cause or pursues it with greater conviction."

PMC's 94th Commencement took place a week early this year, on the first Sunday in May. The day was bright, but not too hot, and the campus looked its best. The only things missing were flowering rhododendrons, which were late this year because of rainy early spring weather.

The lawn near the pond was tented to provide shelter both from the sun and the possibility of rain. Nearly 1,000 people gathered under the marquis, with several hundred additional family members and friends outside on the lawn.

President Nemerowicz welcomed everyone and addressed the graduating senior, describing the occasion as a celebration of "our learning community and your accomplishments." She added that "At this joyous occasion it is appropriate to remember that people are suffering every day from exclusion, hate, and violence in our Boston neighborhoods, in our immigran communities, in the streets of Iraq, in the country of Sudan.

"As we celebrate today, we take heart that your willingness to get involved with others who are different from you - to learn with them and solve problems with them - will demonstrate that the power of inclusion can alter the course of events and make our world a better place."

Graduating senior Iliana Vega sang "Shout to the Lord" as a tribute to the Class of 2006, and Yasmine Noza sang PMC's Alma Mater. Senior Class President Lisa Rodrigues told the class, "We are here because we have accomplished something that many of us thought was impossible. We are here to remember the past four years at Pine Manor College and feel good about the fact that 99 percent of us know one another's name, that the cooks know what we like and what we don't like, that Dean Alleyne stocks our favorite candy for our vists to her office, and, most important, we are here to reflect on the fact that we are now part of the larger PMC family."

In her remarks, senior class speaker Ashley Woodward Cirone said, "You can do anything you sent out to accomplish if you hold that desire with singleness of purpose." She reflected on common experiences over the last four years and emphasized that the members of the Class of 2006 were leaving PMC as educated individuals, thanks to PMC's outstanding faculty.

Among the honorary doctoral degree recipients were Leslie Allen, international tennis star and fouder and executive director of the Leslie Allen Foundation; Dr. Johnetta B. Cole, president of Bennett College for Women; and alumna Emily Kernan Rafferty '69, president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Allen urged the graduates to "dream, diversify, do for others, and drive small cars." She called upon the students to work in their communities and said they could reach their goals if they followed a second set of four Ds: drive, determination, discipline, and dedication.

Cole said that, since commencements were about giving and getting advice, as an anthropologist she would honor the tradition and advised the students "to never stand behind anyone, even your man, because then you can't see where you're going; to stand up for what you believe in and work to make a difference; and to reach back and pull somebody up with you." She concluded by saying that she was counting on the graduates to "get this world right side up again."

Metropolitan Museum President Emily Kernan Rafferty '69 encouraged the graduates to "explore if you need, find your passion for sure, work fiercely hard, ever mindful of reaching new levels of learning and a consuming awareness of your place at this moment in time." She concluded by saying "Consider yourself warmly welcomed to a world that needs all your energy, intellect, and vision."

This year's ninety PMC graduates received Bachelor and Associate degrees in Biology, Business Administration, Communication, English, History and Culture, Liberal Studies, Psychology, Social and Political Systems, Psychology, Theatre, and Visual Arts.

Following the ceremonies, a reception was held for the graduates, their families, and guests on the terrace of the Ashby Campus Center. The Hess Gallery of the Annenberg Library was also open to view the Senior Visual Arts Thesis Exhibition, which included drawings, mixed media, photographs, graphic designs, and artists' books.

Achievement Day is a time to recognize and showcase the academic and co-curricular successes of Pine Manor students. In the afternoon, there is an opportunity for students, either individually or in groups, to present their work to the community--whether through a display, interactive project, or performance. In the evening, academic awards in each field are given out to students at a community dinner. In the spirit of inclusiveness, the Achievement Day Committee encourages the involvement of students who may not be receiving an award for being the most outstanding in her field, but whose hard work deserves recognition and exposure.

Pine Manor will be hosting its first Changing Lives Through Literature course this semester in conjunction with the West Roxbury District Court, so Waxler and Trounstine will be joined by PMC members Teakia Brown, Kathleen Aguero and Jean Flanagan.

The event will take place on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 at 7:00 pm in the Founder's Room in the Ferry Administration Building.