Boston College Chronicle

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

OCTOBER 12, 2023 VOL. 31 NO. 4

The Class of 2027: Beyond the Numbers

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

The Boston College Class of 2027 is impressive on its own terms: a 2,335-strong group of academically excellent young people, the majority of whom ranked within the top 10 percent of their high school class, one-fifth of whom are graduates of Catholic/Jesuit high schools, and who represent all 50 of the United States.

In a wider context, the current first-year class—now in its second month at the Heights—represents continued validation of the University’s undergraduate admissions strategy, specifically its adoption of an Early Decision (ED) program in 2019 to

meet the growing preference of high school students and to enroll more applicants for whom BC was a first choice. This move has paid immediate dividends, administrators say, while also putting BC in a favorable position ahead of a demographic transition certain to affect American colleges and universities. ED applicants make up 55 percent of the Class of 2027.

“Not only has the quality of our ED pool continued to grow, but the quality of our overall application pool has as well,” said Dean of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid Grant Gosselin. “Even more notable is that the interest among applicants in the Regular Decision pool

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Morrissey College Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., said the pair’s “tireless work and significant contributions to curriculum design, program development, and innovative engineering pedagogy” have been instrumental to the success of BC’s Human-Centered Engineering Program.

Govindasamy, Hira Are First Sabet Family Faculty Fellows

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

Professor of Engineering Siddhartan Govindasamy and Assistant Professor of Engineering Avneet Hira have been named the inaugural Sabet Family Dean’s Faculty Fellows in Engineering, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., announced recently.

The appointments were made possible by a gift from Boston College Trustee Bijan Sabet ’91, P’21 and his wife, Lauren P’21.

INSIDE 3x A Headline Breakthrough

BC economists aid first four-way xxxxx. liver transplant.

x Headline 4 Three Honors xxx.

Keum recognized by APA.

x Headline xxxxx.

8 Monan Professor

Larry Sousa brings his many talents to BC for 2023-2024 academic year.

Members of the Boston College Class of 2027 posed for the traditional group photo at Alumni Stadium in August prior to the start of classes. photo by frank curran

WCAS Dean Muncaster to Retire at End of Semester

BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Karen Muncaster, dean of the Woods College for Advancing Studies since 2019, has announced that she is retiring at the end of the fall semester after a long and distinguished career in higher education.

During her tenure as dean, Muncaster expanded the Woods College’s online course offerings and launched an array of new programs, including undergraduate majors in applied liberal arts and cybersecurity, a master’s degree program in applied analytics, a dual master’s degree in applied economics and cybersecurity, and graduate certificates and concentrations in diversity, equity, and inclusion within the school’s M.S. in Leadership and Administration program. Under her leadership, the Woods College also developed a service-learning option for Woods students who want to give back to the community—one of the few such programs in the nation for nontraditional students.

She also forged ties between the Woods College and local community colleges, government agencies, and area businesses interested in improving their workforce through online and hybrid educational programs. Among her successes were new Continued on page 5 strategic partnerships and tuition incentive

The appointments are for five years and are accompanied by $20,000-per-year in discretionary funding to support research, said Fr. Kalscheur.

“I am deeply grateful to Bijan and Lauren Sabet for their generosity in naming and endowing two Sabet Family Dean’s Faculty Fellowships in Engineering,” he said. “Their support for faculty excellence in our Human-Centered Engineering [HCE] Program is having tremendous impact as we continue to advance this distinctive new program.”

The University launched the first engineering program in its history three years ago. The first engineering majors started in the fall of 2021.

“It is most fitting that we are able to recognize Siddhartan Govindasamy and Avneet Hira as the inaugural Sabet Family Dean’s Faculty Fellows. Siddhartan and Avneet were among the earliest faculty colleagues hired by our new Engineering Department, and their tireless work and significant contributions to curriculum design, program development, and innovative engineering pedagogy have been instrumental to the successful start that the HCE

Karen Muncaster has been dean of the Woods College since 2019. photo by lee pellegrini

agreements for employees of the Boston Public Schools, MassBio, and the National Junior College Athletic Association, among others.

Most recently, she launched the Finish Strong program to encourage individuals who had not yet completed their undergraduate degrees to do so at Woods College. The program has attracted professional athletes from BC who left school before

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October 12, 2023

Around Campus

Ricci Institute Exhibition Documents Catholic Faith in Rural China An exhibition of powerful images documenting the lives of Catholics in rural China is now on view at Boston College, presented by the University’s Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History and co-curated by three School of Theology and Ministry students.

“On the Road: The Catholic Faith in China”—which runs through December 22—comprises 60 images taken between 1992 and 1996, when world-renowned photographer Lü Nan traveled on the road through 10 Chinese provinces to document the lives of Catholic villagers, visiting more than 100 church buildings. Fifty images are on view at the School of Theology and Ministry Library Atrium; 10 are displayed at the O’Neill Library Gallery.

One of the most respected photographers in China today, Lü is considered unrivaled in his capacity to capture and reveal human dignity and the poignancy of the human condition, according to exhibition organizers.

“Lü Nan’s corpus of work is very striking,” said Ricci Institute Director M. Antoni J. Ucerler, S.J., a provost’s fellow and associate professor of history. “His focus, with this project and others, is to explore minorities and communities on the margins of Chinese society. Christians in general and Catholics in particular in remote rural areas, from Yunnan to Tibet, are the focus of this collection of photographs.”

The Ricci Institute, an internationally recognized research center for the study of Chinese-Western cultural exchange, collaborated on the BC display with Michael

A visitor examines one of the photos in the Ricci Institute’s “On the Road” exhibition. photo by lee pellegrini

Agliardo, S.J., director of the U.S.-China Catholic Association in Berkeley, Calif., and Jamason Chen at Loyola University Chicago. Chen, who often represents and speaks on behalf of his friend Lü, will take part in a panel discussion on the exhibition, on October 25 at 4:30 p.m. at the Theology and Ministry Library.

Amid the economic and social complexities of the time, “Lü witnessed nothing short of a miracle,” the curators note in an exhibition description: “people of deep faith, despite constant strife in ev-

‘Thinking Like a Cybercriminal’ Oct. 17 As part of Boston College’s observance of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Information Technology Services (ITS) and the Woods College of Advancing Studies will host “Thinking Like a Cybercriminal,” a one-hour presentation by BC adjunct faculty member and cybersecurity expert Etay Maor, on October 17 at 3 p.m. in the Yawkey Center’s Murray Room.

Maor will offer insights into basic hacking techniques, hackers’ tools, the scope of such attacks, and best practices for protection against them; he also will explore OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), ransomware, defense evasion tactics, and other topics. Senior director of security strategy at Cato Networks, Maor

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Jack Dunn

SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Patricia Delaney EDITOR

Sean Smith

is an industry-recognized cybersecurity researcher and keynote speaker. His experience also includes leading strategic cybersecurity research as chief security officer for InSights, numerous leadership and research positions at IBM, and heading the RSA Security Cyber Threats Research Lab. He often provides commentary to the media on cybersecurity-related news and issues.

Other highlights of Cybersecurity Awareness Month at BC include weekly emails with tips on cybersecurity basics, and the chance to win an iPad by taking an online security quiz. See the ITS home page at bc.edu/its.

—University Communications

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan PHOTOGRAPHERS

Caitlin Cunningham Lee Pellegrini

eryday life, on the road to heaven.” This collection—arranged in five categories that depict different aspects of the life and faith of the people he encountered—is his “attempt to convey to the world the miracle he witnessed.”

“The visual exploration of the profoundly human experiences of these Christian communities in rural China is very specific in terms of time and place. And yet these stark photographs speak eloquently of a common human condition and of the reality of a lived faith across cultures and borders,” Fr. Ucerler said.

He described each photograph as “a mini-meditation that invites the viewer to become attentive to and respectful of the message that it is conveying. Each image

reveals the complex reality of the Christian faith well beyond the familiar confines of the Western world, while at the same time appealing to universal themes that are part of a shared humanity.”

Following a five-year affiliation with China Pictorial, Lü worked as an independent photographer and produced a trilogy of acclaimed works that made his international reputation. The second comprises the works in this exhibition; many of them have been displayed around the world and have been published in the book On the Road. Fr. Agliardo assisted Lü in its publication, and wrote an afterword to the volume. “[Lü’s] aim is to show that inner divinity is imbued in the everyday life of these believers, and that their time on Earth is but a tempering trajectory: Through enduring the trials of life’s fortunes and mishaps, they are able to find true values in divine grace,” according to a description of the book.

“We sincerely hope that those who view this exhibit will experience a common bond with those who are depicted,” said Fr. Ucerler, “and allow themselves to be transported to these faraway communities so that they can learn something from their visual witness.”

“On the Road: The Catholic Faith in China” is co-sponsored by the Ricci Institute and Boston College Libraries, with funding from the EDS-Stewart Endowment for the Study of Chinese-Western Cultural History at the Ricci Institute.

—Rosanne Pellegrini To see a longer version of this story (including details of the October 25 panel discussion), which ran in the summer of 2023, go to bit.ly/ricci-catholic-faith-in-rural-china

BC Purchases Former Mt. Alvernia Site Boston College has purchased the 23acre Mount Alvernia High School campus and convent property at 790 Centre Street in Newton from the Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, the University announced recently.

The Franciscan Sisters made the decision to close the school and sell the property due to enrollment and financial challenges at Mount Alvernia High School.

They reached out to Boston College, with which they have maintained close ties for

Chronicle www.bc.edu/bcnews chronicle@bc.edu

more than 85 years, with the goal of keeping the property in the hands of a Catholic educational institution. The sale was completed on October 3.

Associate Vice President for University Communications Jack Dunn said Boston College intends to use the property for educational and administrative purposes.

The parcel contains three buildings and a garage comprising 73,850 gross square feet, and is located directly across Centre Street from the Newton Campus.

—University Communications

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Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.

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Chronicle

October 12, 2023

Researchers Enable Breakthrough in Liver Transplants

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

In a breakthrough in liver transplantation that may lead to the ability to connect more living donors and patients, a new matching system designed by a team led

by Boston College economists enabled the world’s first four-way liver exchange and a cascade of additional matches, researchers reported recently in the American Journal of Transplantation.

The results show that expanding the capacity of the donor-patient matching mechanism beyond the traditional twoway change—matching two patients with two donors—can increase the number of transplants that can be matched among a larger group of participants, according to the study, co-authored by Professors of Economics Tayfun Sönmez and M. Utku Ünver.

Specifically, in 2022 the liver-paired exchange (LPE) facilitated one four-way exchange and four two-way exchanges for a total of 12 living-donor liver transplants (LDLT) performed at the Liver Transplant Institute at Malatya Inonu University in Turkey.

“With only two-way exchanges, only 10 of these patients would receive a LDLT,” the researchers report. “The number of LDLTs from LPE can be increased by developing the capacity to perform larger than two-way exchanges in either highvolume centers or multicenter programs.”

Since June 2022, the program has been using a matching procedure that maximizes the number of LDLTs to the patients in the pool subject to the ethical framework and the logistical constraints of the program.

Professors of Economics Tayfun Sönmez and M. Utku Ünver photo by lee pellegrini

Sönmez and Ünver are recognized world-leading experts and developers of matching mechanisms, particularly in the area of kidney exchange and transplantation. Their work in “matching markets” has also focused on how to improve K-12 school choice algorithms and the assignment of cadets to military specialties in the United States Army.

Living-donor liver exchanges are rare.

Following the increased role of kidney paired exchange (KPE) in transplantation in the mid-2000s, similar liver-paired exchange programs have been launched in a few countries. In January of this year, a national pilot LPE program was established in the U.S. Four years ago, Sönmez and

Ünver started working with Sezai Yilmaz, M.D., the institute director and a renowned surgeon, to launch one of the few living-donor liver exchange programs in the world, Ünver said.

The work carries special meaning for Sönmez. The LPE program at Malatya Inonu University is named after his late wife, Dr. Banu Bedestenci Sönmez, who died in 2016 following a long battle with breast cancer. The donor exchange system now bears the title the “Banu Bedestenci Sönmez Cross Transplant Program.”

Sönmez said naming the exchange program was a fitting tribute to his wife, a dentist in their native Turkey who gave up her career to move with her husband to the

U.S. “My beloved wife, Banu Bedestenci Sönmez, made a huge sacrifice and left her homeland to support my aspirations to make the world a better place with my research,” said Sönmez, who joined the Boston College economics faculty in 2005.

“Until that time a successful dentist in Istanbul, she became a housewife in the U.S., leaving both her career and social life behind. As my policy aspirations started to materialize soon after taking a position at Boston College, Banu was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite the severe health challenges life threw her way, she never stopped supporting my dreams.”

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the launch of the program, but has since made history, said Sönmez and Ünver.

“Last summer it facilitated several lifesaving donor exchanges, including a worldfirst four-way liver exchange,” Sönmez said.

“Last month we published the first results of the Banu Bedestenci Sönmez Liver Exchange Programour collaboration in the American Journal of Transplantation.”

The two economists noted they were glad to make a difference in their home country, particularly at a hospital close to the country’s southeast region, which was devastated by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in February.

Said Ünver: “The institute already has the world’s second largest living donation transplant program volume, and our exchange program will hopefully help many other people with end-stage liver disease to live.”

Read the article on the liver exchange at amjtransplant.org/article/S16006135(23)00547-6/fulltext

Fr. Herrmann Named Faculty Director for BC Companions Boston College Law School Professor Emeritus Frank Herrmann, S.J., has been appointed as the inaugural faculty director of the Boston College Companions program, which will begin in January.

Boston College Companions is a yearlong immersive education program for individuals looking to renew purpose, explore discernment, and deepen their spirituality at one of the world’s leading Jesuit, Catholic universities. The program combines academic study at BC with elements of Ignatian spirituality and is designed for accomplished leaders and professionals who want to reflect on their experiences, find deeper meaning and purpose, and consider the next chapter their life journey.

Fr. Herrmann, a 1977 graduate of BC Law, joined the faculty in 1991 after more than a decade as a criminal defense lawyer involved in trial and appellate cases.

During his career at BC Law, he taught Evidence, Advanced Criminal Procedure, Criminal Process, and Introduction to Lawyering and Professional Responsibility; he also taught clinical programs at the Center for Experiential Learning. Although he retired in 2021, Fr. Herrmann contin-

Frank Herrmann, S.J.: “I am grateful to be part of a program that will assist persons who are, or have been, engaged in fulfilling careers but who now desire to explore possible new directions in which to deploy their talents.”

photo by lee pellegrini

ues to share his knowledge and experience, preparing students to represent inmates seeking parole from life sentences or on medical grounds.

In addition to his BC Law degree, Fr. Herrmann holds a bachelor’s degree from Fordham University and a master of divinity degree from Woodstock College.

A cohort of approximately 15 to 20 Fellows will be selected each year to participate in BC Companions. Fellows

can choose courses in law, business, the humanities, science, education, social work, or theology and ministry, among other disciplines, providing an invigorating academic experience. Jesuits and BC faculty will serve as advisors, helping Fellows select courses and pursue their goals. The program offers guided conversations, retreats, and Masses. Throughout the year, participants of all faiths and spiritual backgrounds have the option to work with a spiritual director. Fellows will also participate in an Ignatian pilgrimage to Spain and Italy to learn about St. Ignatius and the distinctive Jesuit heritage. Upon returning, Fellows have the option to participate in a five-day silent retreat.

“Having helped students consider their pathways in the legal profession, I am grateful now to be part of a program that will assist persons who are, or have been, engaged in fulfilling careers but who now desire to explore possible new directions in which to deploy their talents,” he said.

“The Companions will be able to draw upon the academic and spiritual resources of the University, engaging with faculty and staff from across the University in weekly seminars, courses, and reflection.”

Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley said, “The design of the Boston College Companions program has benefited from the wise advice and support of a number of University faculty over the past few years. Fr. Frank Herrmann has been a visionary partner in imagining the possibilities for this new initiative. Frank’s standing as a master teacher and exceptional conversation partner makes him the ideal choice to serve as the program’s inaugural faculty director.”

For more information about the Boston College Companions program, see bc.edu/ companions.

—University Communications

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October 12, 2023

Class of ’27 Reflects Institutional Goals

Continued from page 1

continues to increase, as well, which speaks to BC’s continuing popularity among high school students of a high academic caliber.”

The overall yield for the class was 41 percent and the overall admit rate dropped to 15 percent, confirming the University as one of the country’s most selective institutions. Both are believed to be records for Boston College—at minimum, said Gosselin, they are records in modern BC history.

“As the nation’s high school/college population is projected to decrease in the coming years, Boston College is well positioned among the nation’s elite universities.”

Ninety percent of the first-year class were ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school’s graduating class, while the standardized profile for enrolled students submitting tests is 1450-1520 for SAT and 33-34 for ACT—solid indicators of the class’s academic excellence, Gosselin noted.

The progress toward diversity in BC’s undergraduate enrollment is evidenced by the percentage of AHANA students, said Gosselin, which in recent years has been consistently in the middle to upper 30s and hit a record 38 percent for the Class of 2027. Another positive trend has been the increased presence of students who are the first in their families to attend college: They make up 12 percent of the Class of 2027.

Gosselin also pointed to the success of BC’s partnership with QuestBridge, a nonprofit program that helps high-achieving, low-income students gain admission and scholarships to the country’s top-ranked colleges and universities. A total of 105 students enrolled via QuestBridge for the Class of 2027, 90 of whom were admitted through the National College Match

program, for which students are awarded full scholarships without loans. In just three years, Gosselin said, BC has become one of the largest college partners in the QuestBridge Match program.

For only the second time in BC history, all 50 states have at least one student in the first-year class. The Mid-Atlantic and New England (both at approximately 29 percent) are the top geographic regions for the Class of 2027, followed by the West, Midwest, and the South/Southwest. Massachusetts (460), New York (293), New Jersey (197), California (178), and Connecticut (120) are the most represented states among BC’s first-year students. The most represented countries of origin for the 162 first-years with international citizenship include China (39), Canada (14), South Korea (13), the United Kingdom (11), Germany (7), Indonesia (7), and the United Arab Emirates (7).

Every first-year class, at BC or elsewhere, brings with it a set of shared experiences tied to major historical events or cultural movements; these are common to all undergraduates of the same generation, of course, but each class tends to have its own unique perspective. The first two years of high school for the Class of 2027, for example, were dominated by COVID-19 and the national response to the George Floyd murder, as well as the Election 2020 controversy, culminating in the January 6 insurrection.

Within the college admission process, the changes have been equally robust. In the past four years, the field has seen the introduction of test-optional admission at the nation’s most selective universities,

First-year students at the University Welcome event at Conte Forum in August. Ninety percent of the class ranked in the top 10 percent of their graduating class. photo by caitlin cunningham

the growing popularity of early-admission programs, the U.S. Supreme Court’s ban of race-conscious admission practices, and the rapid evolution and increased use of artificial intelligence, especially ChatGPT and similar programs. These and other issues not only have repercussions for the next group of first-year students, but for the high school guidance counselors advising them on their college-related decisions, according to Gosselin.

“We’re finding that school counselors are increasingly challenged to understand the complexities in higher education, specifically with regard to colleges’ changing policies and practices. In order to provide good counsel to their students, it is critical for them to have open lines of communication with admission professionals. Unfortunate-

ly, we also know that as college admission officers face their own challenges, many have turned to technology to communicate with school counselors, as opposed to engaging in conversation.

“This is where Boston College benefits from the personal connections our Admission staff have forged over the years with high school counseling staff across the country. When school counselors have a question or a problem, they know they can deal with us directly, instead of having to use an application or platform. We value the relationships we keep with schools. Not only do they provide an important service to school counselors, but they make us better admission professionals in the process.

It’s an illustration of how BC’s cura personalis is an institution-wide philosophy.”

A Trio of APA Honors for LSOEHD’s Keum Lynch School Buehler Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor Brian Tae Hyuk Keum

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Brian Tae Hyuk Keum, the Buehler Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, was recently honored with three notable early career awards from the American Psychological Association (APA).

Keum, who joined the Lynch School Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology faculty this past summer, was recognized with the Distinguished Early Career Professional Contributions to Media Psychology and Technology Award

by Division 46, the APA’s Society for Media Psychology and Technology, which acknowledges outstanding contributions to the field during the professional’s first decade after earning a doctorate.

Division 45, the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race, bestowed the Emerging Professional–Contributions to Research Award on Keum for his outstanding research contributions in the promotion of ethnic minority issues. The society is the major representative body

photo by caitlin cunningham

for psychologists who conduct research on ethnic minority concerns or who apply psychological knowledge and techniques to ethnic minority issues.

In addition, Keum, who earned a doctorate in counseling psychology at the University of Maryland-College Park, was pre-

sented with the Fritz & Linn Kuder Early Career Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Counseling Psychology

by APA Division 17, the Society for Counseling Psychology.

In 2022, Keum—then an assistant professor at the Luskin School of Public Affairs in the Department of Social Welfare at UCLA, where he worked for three years—was the recipient of the Rising Star Award by the APA-hosted National Multicultural Conference Summit, which honors the efforts and contributions of early career psychologists in multicultural research, teaching, advocacy, policy and/or clinical care.

Keum’s research focuses on mental and behavioral costs of online oppression; intersectional perspectives in mental health and socialization among Asian Americans; multicultural and social justice issues in clinical training, and culturally congruent and

culturally relevant psychological measure development/evaluation; and promotion of cross-racial anti-racism solidarity. In these areas, he has published 70 peer-reviewed articles and delivered over 80 refereed presentations. He has received more than $1 million in external funding to support his research.

Keum also heads the Lynch School’s Digital Equity & Anti-Oppression Lab, which studies health and mental health disparities among marginalized individuals and communities using intersectional, contemporary, and digitally relevant approaches.

“We are thrilled that Brian Keum has joined our faculty,” said Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School. “His work on race, justice, and virtual environments addresses critical issues in contemporary society, and exemplifies the mission of the Lynch School and our counseling program.

It’s wonderful and impressive to see that his outstanding work has been recognized by several different units of the major professional association in his discipline.”

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October 12, 2023

Kirschner a Welcome Addition to Student Affairs Ira Kirschner, an accomplished leader, educator, and student affairs professional with a history of success in engaging and supporting students of diverse identities, has joined the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center (BAIC) in a new associate director position. Kirschner leads programming, resources, and support initiatives for LGBTQ+ students and their allies on campus, as well as for all students at the center.

Discussing Kirschner’s role, Vice President for Student Affairs Shawna Cooper Whitehead said that in Student Affairs’ meetings with students, the LGBTQ+ population consistently requested more dedicated staff for support.

“We are pleased to have Ira’s talent in the Division of Student Affairs, particularly as it relates to building community among historically marginalized populations,” said Cooper Whitehead. “Ira brings a myriad of professional expertise from working internationally at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem to his research interests in understanding intersectionality and the undergraduate experience. The care he has shown to our students and the knowledge he has shared with colleagues across campus has already advanced our goals of students being seen, heard, and well served.”

Cooper Whitehead said that Kirschner is actively engaged in enhancing existing, and creating new, programmatic initiatives; coordinating campus resources; working with campus partners across the University to support students; providing continuing opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to engage in dialogue around LGBTQ+ issues; and supporting individual students with appropriate resources.

BAIC Director Yvonne McBarnett expressed appreciation for the “exceptional work” Kirschner has done in the short time

since joining the center. “Ira has consistently demonstrated outstanding dedication, commitment, and professionalism to the LGBTQ+ and the historically marginalized students,” she said.

“His contributions have had a significant positive impact on the students and BAIC team. Ira maintains a positive and uplifting attitude, which greatly contributes to a pleasant and productive work environment for everyone. I have no doubt that his contributions will continue to drive success for BAIC.” Kirschner brings to the University more than a decade of experience in supervisory roles in higher education, including eight years in international education, with a focus on diversity and inclusion. He most recently worked in the University of Kansas (KU) administration.

“I’ve been at Boston College for less than three months, but it feels like much longer because it is such a good fit,” he said. “The transition to Boston [from Kansas] has been hard. But working at Boston College—at the BAIC, with all the students who are part of the BAIC—has been the highlight. Everyone I have met on campus has been so friendly, welcoming, accepting, and happy to have me here. It is a really great feeling, and I can’t wait to make students and other new colleagues feel that way as well.”

Kirschner said that when he tells people at his synagogue that he works for a Jesuit, Catholic college, he is met with surprise “because I am Jewish, and because I am gay. What is interesting is that I am working at Boston College because of my identities and not despite them.”

Throughout its programs and services, BAIC promotes equity and opportunity, and builds community by providing support and resources for BC students with a

Ira Kirschner photo by lee pellegrini

focus on students of color, LGBTQ+, and historically marginalized individuals. It also educates faculty, staff, and students on how to build a community of belonging by celebrating identity and culture, building relationships, and fostering mentorship.

“I love being in positions that allow me to build community, cultivate relationships, and facilitate growth experiences,” Kirschner said. “I hope to increase visibility of LGBTQ+ resources, programming, and support, as well as invest in an LGBTQ+ community which is inclusive and open to all students.”

Kirschner grew up outside of Jerusalem in a modern Orthodox Jewish community; he completed a five-year service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)—interacting with Israeli Arabs who were Christian, Muslim, Bedouin, and Druze, as well as with Palestinians—and later served in the IDF reserves.

Sabet Fellows Continued from page 1

Program has enjoyed.”

Hira’s work focuses on engineering education and educational technologies, not only in higher education but for K-12 schools. While she does devote research to topics in human-centered engineering and design thinking, Hira looks for educational methods that will invite students’ lifelong fluency in engineering and technology irrespective of their professional pursuits.

“I would like to thank the Sabet family for their support of this fellowship and I’m grateful that they recognize we are building a new department and see the potential of what we are doing,” Hira said.

“An endowed fellowship position in any department, much less a new one, is a really good sign of the support we have from the trustees, the dean, the provost, and our department.”

Hira said the financial support can assist in her community-centered research with domestic and international partners.

Already, Hira’s research is supported by the National Science Foundation’s Engineering and STEM Education Directorates. She

Avneet Hira and Siddhartan Govindasamy photo by caitlin cunningham

teaches courses including Introduction to Human Centered Engineering, a required course for majors, and Innovation Through Design Thinking, which has drawn both engineering majors and non-majors.

Govindasamy’s research is in the areas of signal processing and wireless communications. He is currently examining how

machine-learning techniques can improve the energy efficiency of future generation wireless communications systems, improve privacy in systems involving wireless communications, and be used for sensing physiological signals and for positioning.

“I am honored to be named as one of the inaugural Sabet Family Dean’s Faculty

He relocated to the United States in 2019 to join KU as assistant director of KU Hillel, where he made available professional development opportunities and collaborated with colleagues to develop a culture of inclusion and community. From 2022-2023, as assistant director for student engagement in international support services, he managed a team which provided for the diverse needs of international students, including social and educational programming, and cultural and academic support resources.

Kirschner earned a doctorate in education from KU, and both a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in policy, administration, and leadership in education from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where he was Office of Student Life director at its Rothberg International School from 2016-2019. In that role, he welcomed and supported students from more than 100 countries, and all religions, orientations, ethnicities, and identities.

From 2013-2016, he served as the school’s undergraduate program coordinator of student life.

Kirschner recognizes the challenges, opportunities, and potential need for compromise in his position, and looks forward to working within the University community to uphold the Jesuit, Catholic values of the institution, and meet the needs of LGBTQ+ students.

“I feel very humbled and fortunate to work at the BAIC, and to be part of the process that leans into and centers the BAIC’s intercultural aspect to support all minoritized students on campus,” Kirschner said. “I don’t just feel welcomed with my holistic identity, I feel celebrated for it—and I want all students on campus to feel the same way.”

—University Communications Fellows and am excited to pursue opportunities that this fellowship will provide,” he said. “I would like to thank the Sabet family for their support.”

Among the courses Govindasamy teaches are Physical Modeling and Analysis Laboratory, Engineering Foundations Studio II, and Engineering Computation and Programming. He said he plans to use the additional financial support to explore new areas of research, attend conferences in new fields, and bolster his research projects.

John W. Kozarich Chair of Engineering and Professor Glenn Gaudette congratulated both faculty members.

“The support provided by the Sabet family is essential in recruiting and retaining outstanding faculty, like Avneet and Siddhartan,” Gaudette said. “As founding members of the department, both Avneet and Siddhartan have made significant contributions to help students become engineers for others, staying true to BC’s mission. Being named Sabet Family Dean’s Faculty Fellows in Engineering provides Avneet and Siddhartan with financial support to continue their impactful research and teaching, while letting them know their contributions are valued by BC and the BC community.”

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Chronicle

October 12, 2023

A Focus on Systemic Racism and Educational Measurement

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

A new book by Lynch School of Education and Human Development Professor Michael Russell calls for purging inherent racial bias and injustice from the educational assessments that shape the trajectories of American students.

Systemic Racism and Educational Measurement, released in August, confronts the race sciences, white supremacy, and other injustices in the field’s research and practice that, according to Russell, lead test instruments, interpretation of test scores, and critical decisions such as college or high school admissions to perpetuate the nation’s racialized social structure.

“While issues of race, discrimination, and social justice have generated increased national attention, a sharp focus on racism has eluded the field of educational measurement,” said Russell, the author or co-author of four previous books on educational assessment. “As evidenced by the many lawsuits and the large body of research focused on potential racial bias in testing, there is little doubt that issues of race and racism have been, and continue to be, a critical concern for the use of test scores to inform admission and scholarship decisions.”

Michael Russell photo by caitlin cunningham

Russell traces how the “White Racial Frame”—a theory espoused by sociologist Joe R. Feagin asserting that systemic and structural discrimination is deeply entrenched in American minds and institutions—legitimizes and maintains structural and systemic racism in the testing, measurement, and assessment of human learning and performance.

“The White Racial Frame functions as

Book Launch to Highlight STM 15th Anniversary Event Oct. 19

Colleen Griffith and Hosffman Ospino will discuss their co-edited book, FormativeTheological Education. photos by caitlin cunningham, lee pellegrini

The School of Theology and Ministry will celebrate its 15th anniversary on October 19 with an event that also marks the launch of a new book comprising scholarly contributions from several STM faculty members.

STM faculty, students, alumni, benefactors, and other members of the University community will gather in Gasson 100 for the celebration, which begins at 5:30 p.m.

Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley and STM Dean and Professor Michael C. McCarthy, S.J., will offer remarks.

The evening will feature a panel discussion on formative theological education, the same title of a new book co-edited by Professor of the Practice of Theology Colleen Griffith and Associate Professor of Hispanic Ministry and Religious Education Hosffman

Ospino. Joining the co-editors for the discussion will be STM faculty members who have contributed to the new volume: John F. Baldovin, S.J.; Andrew R. Davis; Thomas Groome; Callid Keefe-Perry; Melissa Kelley; Rev. Richard Lennan; and Theresa A. O’Keefe.

Formative Theological Education examines the renewal in theological education characterized by a change in approach from the predominance of rational and abstract reasoning for the sake of cognitive knowledge about matters of faith to one that emphasizes spiritual and ethical formation, according to Griffith and Ospino.

Advanced registration is requested. Go to the STM Continuing Education website at bc.edu/stmce for a link to the registration.

—Kathleen Sullivan

an apparatus that plays an essential role in maintaining systemic racism by perpetuating and recreating racialized narratives that elevate white people, and denigrate nondominant racialized groups,” explained Russell, a faculty member in the Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics & Assessment Department. “Just as it influences all facets of social, economic, and political functioning in the United States, it, too, has impacted—and continues to impact— educational measurement.”

Even among well-meaning stakeholders who aim to improve humanity and address inequities, the White Racial Frame nonetheless shapes the field’s research questions, the methods utilized, the data valued, the interpretations made, and the language used throughout, according to Russell.

An article in the March 2021 issue of the NEA News, the newsletter of the National Education Association—the nation’s largest labor union representing public school teachers—noted that “since their inception a century ago, standardized tests have been instruments of racism and a biased system. Students of color, particularly

those from low-income families, have suffered the most from high-stakes testing in U.S. public schools.”

To address these influences, Russell advocates for the adoption of alternate perspectives that counter the White Racial Frame’s impact on measurement and evaluation, and offers several actions that could shift educational measurement toward anti-racism and increased fairness, such as strengthening diversity in the field; making the context of test items characteristic of the experiences of underrepresented students; and employing more sensitive techniques for detecting bias in tests, among other actions.

“The field of educational testing must first acknowledge that in its current form, it functions within, is influenced by, and contributes to systemic racism,” said Russell, a Lynch School faculty member for 17 years, with nearly 10 years of private sector assessment experience. “The field must be prepared to pivot from service as an agent in systemic racism to an institution engaged in anti-racist endeavors that support the pursuit of racial justice.”

Muncaster Announces Retirement Continued from page 1

graduating, as well as adults across the country with no BC affiliation interested in degree completion.

She is also credited with improving the University’s Summer Session, which offers a wide variety of online courses for BC undergraduates and students from other colleges and universities, enabling domestic and international learners to complete their summer courses from anywhere while working or traveling, and Boston College Experience, which gives motivated high school students an opportunity to preview college life on the BC campus.

Prior to her deanship at Boston College, Muncaster served as vice president of the Rabb School of Continuing Studies at Brandeis University; commissioner of the Commission of Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges; vice president of professional and continuing education at the Boston Architectural College; associate vice president for academic technology and program planning at Lesley University; and dean of continuing education at Southern New Hampshire University.

Muncaster said her decision to retire at the end of the semester was influenced by a desire to spend more time in Southern France, where she and her husband Peyton Paxson, a recently retired faculty member at Middlesex Community College, will be purchasing a home.

“Working as the dean of Woods College has been a grand experience,” said Muncaster. “It has been an honor to have led a school within such an esteemed university, particularly a school that aligns with my life’s work of ‘leveling the playing field’ for talented students who cannot access a traditional educational program. Woods students embody the original and enduring

mission of BC—to serve bright, underserved individuals who have the potential to benefit from a high-quality education that is informed by Ignatian values.”

Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley said he was grateful to Muncaster for the work she did in advancing the Woods College and advocating for students during her tenure as dean.

“Having received her doctorate from the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Karen Muncaster returned to Boston College in 2019 after a distinguished career across higher education in New England,” said Quigley. “In all her work, and especially at the Woods College, Karen has displayed a resolute commitment to underrepresented and first-generation college students. I am grateful for the many ways in which her tenure as dean has resulted in a renewed commitment to both access and excellence for Woods undergraduate and graduate students.”

Quigley said that Akua Sarr, vice provost for undergraduate academic affairs, will serve as interim dean beginning in January.

A search committee will be formed with the goal of naming a new dean in 2024.

“I want to extend my thanks to David Quigley for offering me the opportunity to serve as dean,” said Muncaster. “I have appreciated his counsel and support. I also want to thank the Woods staff for their dedication and commitment. They were willing to adapt to the creation of a new culture, and stuck with us through COVID and into this new post-pandemic world.

The team in place is strong, smart, hardworking, and committed to the mission of the school. I am confident that all the work we have done and the plans we have created will be continued in an effort to grow Woods and even better serve our students.”

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Chronicle

October 12, 2023

Digital Project Tells Story of Immigrant-Owned Eateries

BY ALIX HACKETT SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

In 1894, a person walking down Hanover Street in Boston’s North End might have taken note of the city’s only Jewish restaurant, located down the street from a local synagogue. But by 1920, a Jewish eatery or grocery store was a common site, with more than 300 establishments offering delicacies like borscht, potato knishes, and bagels and lox.

This rapid growth coincided with an influx in migration from Russia and Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which resulted in a growing orthodox community in Boston and increased demand for kosher foods. Immigrants from other parts of the world were opening restaurants as well, eventually outnumbering native-born owners and transforming Boston’s food scene into a multicultural hot spot where diners could sample cuisine from around the world without venturing beyond city limits.

“The top group were Russian immigrants followed closely by Greek immigrants who were a fairly small group in the city and yet they owned a huge number of restaurants,” said Professor of History Marilynn Johnson, who specializes in urban and immigration history. “A lot of them served Greek dishes but you could also get hamburgers—they were trying to provide something for everyone.”

This summer, Johnson launched a new digital project showcasing several years’ worth of research into the fascinating his-

Professor of History Marilynn Johnson, founder of the “Global Eats” project, which offers insights into the history of Boston’s immigrant-owned restaurants. “It’s a lot of fun and you never know what you’re going to discover.” photo by caitlin cunningham

tory of immigrant-owned restaurants in Boston. Titled “Global Eats,” the website [globalboston.bc.edu/index.php/restaurants-protype] contains interactive maps showing the names and locations of ethnic eateries in 1895 and 1926, as well as a chart showing the shifting ethnic makeup of the city’s restaurant owners between 1909 and 1937.

In addition to numerical data, Global Eats also features carefully researched pages chronicling the establishment, growth, and public perception of six ethnic restaurant categories in Boston—German, Italian, Chinese, Jewish, Greek, and Syrian—during the early 20th century. Interesting facts abound: Boston’s first Italian restaurant, Vercilli’s, served mainly French and American food, a trend among Italian restaurants until the 1890s, when southern Italian immigrants flooded the city; and “Greenie,” one of the city’s earliest Jewish grocery stores, grew to become the modern-day Stop & Shop.

To gather data for the project, Johnson and a team of 30 students enrolled in her Street Life: Urban Space and Popular Culture course combed through city directories and the Boston Licensing Board records, compiling a list of restaurant owners for each year and then matching them with census and immigration records to determine their nativity. After the course concluded, one of Johnson’s students stayed on as a research assistant to continue the search, going through city tax records to determine the ownership of restaurants the class had missed.

Despite her expertise in Boston’s immigration history (her book, The New Bostonians: How Immigrants Have Transformed the Metro Area Since the 1960s, was published in 2015), Johnson found some of the data surprising. Going into the project, she expected to see the names of Irish immigrants well represented among local restaurant owners, but they barely registered.

“It turns out they were not big in the food business,” she said. “They owned a lot of taverns and saloons but they don’t show up in the restaurant business until those older pubs started turning into family restaurants in the 1930s and ’40s.”

Global Eats is the latest addition to Johnson’s larger project: Global Boston [globalboston.bc.edu], a digital collection of research and resources related to immigration in Greater Boston. After launching the site in 2016 as a companion to The New Bostonians, Johnson has been partnering with students and faculty to add original content ever since. Lately, she’s been adding pages to the site’s section on immigrant neighborhoods to include nearby cities and suburbs like Cambridge, Lynn, and Chelsea, all of which have rich immigrant histories.

Some of the most intriguing projects have come about by happenstance. When a student mentioned she was from Maynard, Mass., a former mill town located 20 miles west of Boston, Johnson suggested she write a page on it. To her surprise, the student discovered that the town had once been home to a large and thriving Finnish community, which had established saunas, food co-ops, and other institutions. A Finnish-American society still exists in the area today.

“It’s a lot of fun and you never know what you’re going to discover,” Johnson said. “It’s great to be able to put this history to use and make it visible for people.”

Alix Hackett is a senior digital content writer in the Office of University Communications

University Hosting Major Regional Jobs Irish Studies Conference Oct. 13-14 The following are among the recent positions posted by the Department of Hu-

The Boston College Irish Studies Program hosts a major regional conference this weekend featuring keynotes and panel discussions with scholars in various disciplines who will discuss the idea of “de-Hibernicizing Irish Studies”: focusing on how Ireland and Irish diasporas relate to global and international issues.

The New England & Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference of the American Conference for Irish Studies—a multidisciplinary scholarly organization with approximately 800 members in the United States, Ireland, Canada, and other countries around the world—will highlight topics of race, migration, environment, and geopolitics in exploring the implications of such currently relevant issues for redefining Irishness.

Two featured speakers at the conference include University of Massachusetts-Amherst Associate Professor of English Malcolm Sen and Zélie Asava, an acclaimed writer, academic, and researcher on questions of race, gender, and visual culture in several parts of the world.

Sen’s research interests focus on matters of justice, statecraft, and postcolonial politics as they emerge in the midst of the climate crisis. He teaches courses on environmental humanities and postcolonial studies at the graduate level, and Irish literature,

global Anglophone literature, and climate fiction at the undergraduate level.

Asava is the author of The Black Irish Onscreen: Representing Black and MixedRace Identities in Irish Film and Television, the first major study of Black and mixedrace themes in Irish screen studies, and Mixed-Race Cinemas: Multiracial Dynamics in America and France, which charts race relations onscreen from the birth of cinema to the present day on both sides of the Atlantic. She also designed the first Irish university module to explore race and film through an intersectional lens.

The conference will experiment with “unconference” formats, in which participants present their work in a variety of interactive sessions that organizers hope will facilitate more in-depth discussion, greater peer collaboration, and increased crossdisciplinary conversations.

“At this conference we hope to initiate critical discussions and broaden the horizons of Irish Studies by exploring topics of current relevance to our world, for which developments in Ireland and redefinitions of Irishness can make innovative contributions,” said Sullivan Millennium Chair Guy Beiner, director of Irish Studies at BC. The Irish Studies website is bc.edu/irish.

—University Communications

man Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/jobs or scan the QR code at right.

Assistant Director, Corporate Sponsorships Assistant/Associate Leadership Giving

Director,

Parent

Software Release Analyst Conservation & Preservation Manager Dining Services Assistant Manager Evening Access Services Assistant Facilities Assistant Staff Assistant, Lynch School of Education and Human Development Associate Director, Communications and Marketing Life Skills Coordinator Public Safety Dispatcher Staff Psychologist or Staff Social Worker/Clinician Design & Prototyping Manager Teacher Assistant Senior Assistant Director, Financial Aid

Special Education Teacher Speech & Language Pathology Assistant Assistant or Associate Director, Organizational Effectiveness Service Center Representative, School of Theology & Ministry Fiscal & Events Specialist, Center for Centers Assistant Director, Admissions Research Technician Assistant Director, Counseling Practicum Experience Staff Nurse Post-doctoral Research Fellow (multiple positions)

8

Chronicle

October 12, 2023

BC Arts

Monan Prof. in Theatre Arts Has Multifaceted Talents

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

Interdisciplinary theater artist Larry Sousa—whose extensive career as a director, choreographer, designer, educator, and performer has spanned Broadway, regional theater, television, film, and higher education for more than 30 years—has joined Boston College’s Theatre Department this academic year as the Monan Professor in Theatre Arts.

Sousa has directed and choreographed musicals on professional stages from coast to coast, including the Garry Marshall Theatre in Los Angeles, the New York Fringe Festival, Musical Theatre West, and many more.

At Boston College, he will direct and choreograph a production of the groundbreaking rock musical “RENT,” which will be presented November 15-19 on the Robsham Theater Arts Center main stage (see separate story).

“We are especially lucky to have Larry Sousa as our Monan Professor,” said Theatre Department Chair and Professor of the Practice Luke Jorgensen. “Under his direction, with his choreography, we are expecting a new and amazing take on this classic production, which tells the story of a group of struggling young artists who attempt to persevere under the shadow of AIDS/HIV.” Next semester, Sousa will teach Musical Theatre Performance, a course for actors who sing, and singers who act: “With storytelling at the center of our work, this course explores acting through song and

Snapshot

“Red Shoe Night”

O’Neill Library hosted “Red Shoe Night” on September 28, celebrating the life and career of Dominican-American poet Rhina Espaillat and the donation of her archives to the University. Author and translator of dozens of award-winning poetry collections, Espaillat is a founding member of the Fresh Meadows Poets and a founding member and former director of the Powow River Poets. The title of the event—which included poetry, music, and various tributes—was a reference to one of her most famous poems.

Larry Sousa’s roles in theater have included performer, director, choreographer, designer, and educator. photo by elle wes

crafting an authentic voice as a musical theater artist,” according to the Theatre Department description.

“Larry has a keen ability to bring musical theater to life, with energy and vibrant storytelling that will benefit our students in this production [of ‘RENT’] as well as in his Musical Theatre Performance class,” said Jorgensen. “Larry is a veteran of the Broadway stage and brings a professionalism and level of talent from which we will all benefit.”

In Boston, Sousa’s professional credits

photo by frank curran

include productions at Speakeasy Stage Company, Lyric Stage, The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, and Reagle Music Theatre.

In 2018, he became the director and choreographer of Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Show. The oldest existing theater organization in the United States, Hasty Pudding Theatricals creates a new, fulllength musical comedy every year, with more than 50 performances annually in Cambridge, New York City, and Bermuda.

The recipient of the prestigious Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, the Los Angeles Ovation Award, multiple Independent Reviewers of New England Awards, and the OnStage Critics Award, Sousa also has been honored twice by The American Dance Awards as “Choreographer of the Year,” and has been a nominee for the NAACP Theatre Award, the LA Weekly Theatre Award, the Elliot Norton Award, and others.

Sousa is in his 13th year on the musical theater faculty at Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music, where he has directed and choreographed productions including Sondheim’s “The Frogs” and Bernstein’s “Mass.” He also choreographed “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” “Shrek,” and several new works for the Conservatory’s Musical Theatre Dance Intensive.

A frequent guest director, choreographer, and instructor for many college theater programs—including Boston College—he also is a sought-after master class teacher at performing arts conventions, competitions, and dance studios across the U.S. and Canada.

Sousa’s designs for scenery, lighting, and multi-media projections have appeared on

numerous New York stages including The Joyce Theatre, Jerry Mitchell’s Broadway Bares, and Perry St. Theatre; the Celebration Theatre, The Complex, and others in Los Angeles; and in Boston at the Wimberly Theatre, the Tsai Center, and several BC productions.

Sousa began his professional career as an actor, singer, and dancer. In 1992 he was pursuing his M.F.A. when cast in his first Broadway musical, the Lincoln Center Theatre’s workshop production of “My Favorite Year.” He went on to perform in other Broadway companies including “The Goodbye Girl” with Martin Short and Bernadette Peters; Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of “She Loves Me” and “Busker Alley” starring Tommy Tune; and “Wonderful Town” at New York City Opera. Sousa also was a featured actor in regional productions, films, commercials, and sitcoms on network and cable television.

Sousa holds a B.F.A. in theater from Ithaca College and pursued an interdisciplinary M.F.A. at the University of California-Irvine, combining his passions of directing, choreography, theatrical design, and musical theater performance. [Go to larrysousa.com for more.]

The Monan Professorship in Theatre Arts was established in 2007 by a gift to Boston College in honor of the late University Chancellor and former BC President J. Donald Monan, S.J. The position, which also commemorates the late trustee E. Paul Robsham, enables the Theatre Department to bring nationally and internationally known professionals to Boston College to teach and work with undergraduate students.

Robsham Fall Schedule The Robsham Theater Arts Center (RTAC) and Theatre Department will launch its fall main stage performance schedule next week with “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” from October 19-22.

Directed by Theatre Department Chair and Professor of the Practice Luke Jorgensen, the play focuses on 15-year-old Chris, who is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. Chris falls under suspicion for killing a neighbor’s dog and sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery and a life-changing journey.

Based on the novel by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephens, the Broadway production of “The Curious Incident” debuted in 2014 and ran for two years and won awards including the Tony Award for Best Play.

From November 15-19, Robsham will present the rock musical “RENT,” directed and choreographed by interdisciplinary theater artist Larry Sousa, the 2023-24 Monan Professor in Theatre Arts (see separate story).

With music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson, “RENT” is based loosely on Puccini’s opera “La Boheme.” The show follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York City’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “RENT” debuted in 1996 and became a pop cultural phenomenon.

“We are very excited to be producing ‘RENT,’” said Jorgensen. “Now, 30 years after its first workshop performance, ‘RENT’ is still as poignant as ever.”

For more on fall Theatre Department/ Robsham Theater Arts Center main stage productions, including performance times and ticket prices/information, see bc.edu/ theatre. For tickets go to bc.edu/tickets or call ext.2-4002.

—Rosanne Pellegrini