NOVEMBER 8, 2018 VOL. 26 NO. 6
PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Faculty, Student Interest Buoy Core Renewal
INSIDE 2 International Education Week
The week of Nov. 12-16 will see a host of panel discussions, lectures, and other events on campus on the theme of “Embracing Challenging Conversations.”
5 Historian Wins Award
Assoc. Prof. Cynthia Lynn Lyerly (History) earns honor for co-writing guide on teaching American slavery.
8 Window on the World
Students and faculty have relished the opportunity to hold video discussions with people in countries like Honduras, Afghanistan, and Kenya via the Global Engagement Portal.
Forum Focuses on Catholic Belief During a ‘Time of Turmoil’ Boston College’s Church in the 21st Century Center will host a major event later this month, “Why I Remain a Catholic: Belief in a Time of Turmoil,” a panel discussion that will examine a question voiced by many Catholics in recent months, following a Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing decades of clergy sexual abuse, and the resignation of Theodore McCarrick from the College of Cardinals amid sexual abuse and harassment allegations. The event, to be held on Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. in Robsham Theater, will be moderated by R. Nicholas Burns ’78, Hon.’02, a professor of the practice at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a former U.S. Am-
Continued on page 3
BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
Boston College’s Core Curriculum Renewal initiative is in its fourth year of offering new Complex Problems (CP) and Enduring Questions (EQ) courses. Many faculty have embraced the opportunity to teach a CP or EQ course and created innovative new courses, say core administrators, who report a heightened student interest in the core that is reflected in impressive numbers Show Time and positive responses. With this transition in progress, MorThe curtain went up last month on the 2018-19 Robsham Theater Arts Center season with rissey College of Arts and Sciences Associa performance of “Invisible.” For more, see www.bc.edu/robsham. photo by lee pellegrini ate Dean for the Core Brian Gareau notes that he and his colleagues are working to ensure that students experience the full benefits of the core. For example, students may take CP or EQ courses in both the fall Two weeks working with and spring semesters and also enroll in the Perspectives class even if they are taking CP North Korean defectors or EQ courses in the same semester. “It is exciting that students are talking opened the eyes of BC about the core with one another alongside other programs such as The Courage students Jieun and Jueun Lee to Know and Freshmen Topic Seminar; they are all interconnected,” says Gareau, BY CHRISTINE BALQUIST an associate professor of sociology and InSTAFF WRITER ternational Studies, who became associate dean for the core this past spring. “StuWhen Carroll School of Management dents often approach me to discuss what sophomore Jieun Lee and her sister, Morthey learned and to tell me how much they rissey College of Arts and Sciences junior enjoyed these courses.” Jueun Lee, volunteered to teach English Boston College began its effort to renew to North Korean defectors in the Lees’ naand reinvigorate the undergraduate Core tive South Korea this past summer, their Jieun Lee ’21 photo by lee pellegrini Curriculum in the fall of 2012 with meetmother made no secret of her fear for the ings among faculty, administrators, staff, family’s safety. students and other stakeholders in the Uni“My mom disagreed with our decision Korean people—which aids in the education versity about the core, which had last been because she was scared that the North Ko- of North Korean refugees. During their two revised in 1991. Among other changes, the reans might be spies and possibly put my weeks of service, the Lee sisters assisted in initiative led to the establishment of a Unifamily’s security in danger,” said Jieun. the creation of an English textbook based on versity Core Renewal Committee (UCRC) On the recommendation of a friend the experiences of the North Korean defec- to provide governance for the core. That who had worked there, the sisters voluntors, taught English lessons, and conducted same year, 2015, saw the start of a pilot teered at an organization in Seoul called one-on-one tutoring sessions for approxiprogram to introduce new interdisciplinary Woorihana—a Korean word meaning “to- mately 30 college students. core courses in two categories: Complex gether as one,” referring to the unity of the Continued on page 5 Continued on page 4
Insight into the ‘Other’ Korea
“Intellectually, we know people from other countries and societies share common ideas, hopes, and dreams, but there is still a tendency to see them as ‘others.’ With the portal, we can explore, and better understand, the connections we have to one another.” –International Studies Program Director Erik Owens, page 8
Chronicle
2
November 8, 2018
Around Campus
Dining Services’ Vision Takes Prize BC, in partnership with Tufts and Harvard, recognized for innovative project to offer more regionally-produced food Boston College Dining Services’ innovative and collaborative efforts to bring more quality local fare to campus menus, and to create a more sustainable food system in the region, have been recognized by the Henry P. Kendall Foundation. BC, with partners Tufts and Harvard universities, is a winner of the 2018 New England Food Vision Prize, a $250,000 award that aims to raise awareness of the environmental, economic, and health impact of food choices, support regional agricultural resiliency, and use the purchasing power of institutions to influence consumers. “I am very proud that our talented Dining Services team is being recognized for the great work that they do to provide great food and service to the BC community each day,” said BCDS Director Elizabeth Emery. “Our team has implemented a number of innovative programs that have been well received such as mobile ordering, and FRESH to Table. Our Pop Up events—‘The Ultimate Dessert Experience’ and ‘PlantBased Dinner’—and our annual Sunday Jazz Brunch are very popular with students. Our entire team has worked hard to reduce food waste campus-wide and partnered with student organizations and faculty on a few of these initiatives.” The Kendall Foundation challenged
more than 200 college and university dining service teams across the region to identify collaborative solutions to shared challenges of offering more regionally-produced food on their menus. Five teams were selected for the prize. To implement the team’s winning proposal—titled “Farming More Land & Extending the Season”—BC, Tufts, and Harvard will work with the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Costa Fruit & Produce, and Commonwealth Kitchen, to bridge the region’s seasonal growing gap with strategic storage and processing solutions. New England farmers will be incentivized to expand acres of farmland in production and campus consumers will be able to enjoy more of the region’s bounty year-round. “This prize is significant because it recognizes BC Dining, and our partners at Harvard and Tufts, as leaders and innovators in our region who are seriously committed to increasing the capacity of New England farmers to feed our region,” said Julianne Stelmaszyk, Dining Services manager of regional and sustainable food systems. “To be awarded this prize halfway into the grant we received from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation in 2017, we feel more motivated than ever to continue
Farmer’s market in the Corcoran Commons Dining Hall—an example of how Boston College provides the University community with opportunities to buy local produce. photo by lee pellegrini
pushing the envelope.” The proposal, according to Stelmaszyk, addresses the challenges of New England farmers’ short growing season and lack of access to land, by leveraging the universities’ collective purchasing power to support new or emerging farmers in extending their growing season through augmenting storage equipment and storage capacity, and to extend the growing season through greenhouses and more land. The prize money will be used to build capacity among shared suppliers to meet the produce needs of the three institutions. The foundation—a New England phil-
anthropic enterprise that is part of a network seeking to create a resilient and healthy regional food system—received submissions from teams representing 37 New England higher education institutions. Fourteen teams representing 30 schools and community partners were invited as finalists to submit full proposals—which were required to be collaborative, replicable, sustainable, measurable, and movement-building—from which the five winners were selected. For more information on the Food Vision Prize, and a list of 2018 prize winners, see kendall.org/prize. —University Communicationsi
International Education Week Has a Full Calendar of Events at BC Boston College will celebrate International Education Week from Nov. 12-16 with a slate of events that includes panel discussions, lectures, and social gatherings, centered around the theme of “Embracing Challenging Conversations: Moving Towards Reconciliation Locally, Nationally, and Globally.” Organizers say this year’s focus presents an opportunity “to consider how we, as a community, might come together to approach global issues that are uncomfortable, contentious, divisive, and/ or troubling—on campus and beyond.” Initiated in 2000 by the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Education, International Education Week emphasizes the importance of increasing knowledge and awareness of the world’s cultures, peoples and languages, and affirms ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Jack Dunn SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
the critical role international education plays at Boston College. Among the events at BC’s IEW this year: •“In the Wake of the Fall of the Berlin Wall: Germany, Immigration and Nationalism Today,” Nov. 12, 4-6 p.m., Devlin 026—A screening of the 2009 documentary, “Writing on the Wall: Remembering the Berlin Wall,” co-produced by Professor of Film Studies John Michalczyk, who will be a panelist in a discussion following the film. •“Refugees and Higher Education,” Nov. 13, noon, Murray House—This panel discussion will explore trans-national efforts supporting refugees in accessing higher education, as well as promoting student success once enrolled. Lynch School of Education Professor Hans de Wit, director of the Cen-
CONTRIBUTING STAFF
Christine Balquist Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan
Chronicle
PHOTOGRAPHERS
www.bc.edu/bcnews chronicle@bc.edu
Patricia Delaney EDITOR
Sean Smith
ter for International Higher Education, will serve as moderator; panelists include Lynch School graduate student Araz Khajarian, who will talk about her work with the Syrian Youth Empowerment initiative supporting Syrian refugees. •“Utilizing Diversity Through Faculty-Student Partnership,” Nov. 14, location TBA—The meaning of the term “partnership” in the international teaching and learning literature will be the topic of this session, which will examine ways in which faculty have partnered with students to improve student engagement in the curriculum and co-curriculum, and the principles and processes that support mutually advantageous faculty-student partnership through engagement with diversity.
Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini Peter Julian
•“Fitting into the Landscape: Helping Students Navigate the BC Experience,” Nov. 15, noon, Devlin 10—A panel of BC administrators will share stories of challenging conversations they have had with AHANA, first-generation, low-income, LGBTQ, and international students about fitting into the “BC culture.” They will also discuss how to provide support and guidance to help these students better navigate these various experiences. In addition, an exhibition of photos submitted by international students is on display until Nov. 30 at the Level One Gallery in O’Neill Library. For more about International Education Week at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/ offices/international/events/iew.html. —University Communications
The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (617)552-3350. Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135. A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail. Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.
Chronicle
November 8, 2018
3
‘Why I Remain a Catholic’: Nov. 27, Robsham Theater
An Opportunity for ‘Questioning and Engaging’ Continued from page 1
bassador to NATO and Greece, and will feature a panel of faculty and students: Professor of Theology Stephen Pope; BC School of Social Work Professor of Macro Practice Tiziana Dearing, former president of Catholic Charities, Boston; Sean Barry, a sophomore in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences; and School of Theology and Ministry student Stephanie Sanchez, who earned a master’s in social work degree from BC in May. “There is strength in gathering as a Catholic community and sharing our hopes for the Church and our resolve to do what it takes to set things right,” said C21 Director Karen Kiefer. “It’s certainly powerful to bear witness to the voices of fellow Catholics and why they choose to remain. Listening to other people’s testimonials, ideas, and insights helps in the healing process and also helps us imagine what change in the Church could look like.” “I am grateful for the chance to be part of the panel,” said Dearing. “I think being Catholic, in part, means being in community. I welcome the chance to reflect with my community on the tension of joy in my faith during a very difficult time in
Snapshot
my Church.” “I think we are often so afraid to question our faith because it would show some kind of weakness, but that’s not it at all,” said Sanchez. “Questioning and engaging is our way of diving deeper into what it means to be a part of the Church, and so it is my hope that this event can help people feel comfortable to do that.” “Pope Francis calls us to be a listening Church,” added Kiefer, who noted that with this event the C21 Center is honoring its mission to be a catalyst and resource for the renewal of the Catholic Church. “We need to pray for the victims and our Church, listen, and act. Together we can find a new way forward.” “Why I Remain a Catholic,” which is co-sponsored by the School of Theology and Ministry and the Theology Department, will be followed by a series of lectures and discussions during the spring semester that will examine practical steps the Church needs to take to restore credibility in its organization and leadership. The event is free and open to the public, but has limited seating. For more information, visit the C21 website at www. bc.edu/C21. –University Communications
PHOTO BY LEE PELLEGRINI
VIP Visit
Irish Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone PhD, STM ’86, at right, met with Boston College students and listened to them describe their research projects during her visit to campus last week. Zappone was the keynote speaker for the conference “Towards Transitional Justice: Recognition, Truth-telling, and Institutional Abuse in Ireland.” The conference organizer, Associate Professor of English and Irish Studies James Smith, is next to Zappone in the photo. [To read more about the conference, see http://bit.ly/towardtransitional-justice and bit.ly//transitional-justice-conference.]
(Clockwise from top left) Participants in “Why I Remain a Catholic”: R. Nicholas Burns ’78, Hon.’02; Boston College School of Social Work Professor of Macro Practice Tiziana Dearing; Professor of Theology Stephen Pope; School of Theology and Ministry student Stephanie Sanchez MSW’18; and Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Sean Barry.
$2.4m Grant Will Bolster BC Ctr. for Retirement Research The Center for Retirement Research (CRR) at Boston College, a non-profit research institute affiliated with the Carroll School of Management, was awarded a five-year continuation grant, including a $2.4-million award for the initial year, from the U.S. Social Security Administration’s Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics (SSA). “This major award from the Social Security Administration, which will provide critical core support for our center over the next five years, is a testament to our effectiveness at advancing the debate on retirement income security,” said CRR Director Alicia H. Munnell, the Peter F. Drucker Professor of Management Sciences at the Carroll School. “It also reflects the tremendous backing that we have received from the entire Boston College community.” Established in 1998 as part of the SSA’s Retirement Research Consortium, the center produces policy-relevant research on Social Security and retirement income issues, educates and trains new researchers in the field of retirement income policy, and disseminates research findings to the research community, policymakers, and the general public. All of the CRR’s research and publications are available to the public on its website [crr.bc.edu]. To enlarge the pool of qualified researchers in the field of retirement income
CRR Director Alicia Munnell says the grant will provide “critical core support” to the center over the next five years. photo by jared leeds photography
policy, the CRR manages SSA’s Steven H. Sandell Grant Awards for junior scholars or non-tenured scholars, and dissertation fellowships for Ph.D. students with all-butdissertation status. Research findings are disseminated though the center’s working papers and biweekly issue in brief series, delivered via e-mail to over 10,000 recipients, and as articles in peer-reviewed journals. The CRR has also successfully leveraged SSA’s investment by attracting funding from other sources. –Phil Gloudemans
Chronicle
4
November 8, 2018
Lynch Leadership Academy Offers Off-Campus Program New ‘micro academy’ working with school leaders from Massachusetts’ South Coast region BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
Boston College’s ground-breaking Lynch Leadership Academy, which sharpens the skills of current and future leaders of public, charter, and Catholic schools, has launched its first off-campus program, a “micro academy” serving school leaders in the South Coast region of Massachusetts. The three-year South Coast Micro Academy will work with three school leaders each from New Bedford Public Schools and Fall River Public Schools; two leaders each from schools in the Diocese of Fall River, and the New Bedford charter schools City on A Hill and Alma del Mar; and a leader from both Nativity Preparatory School and Our Sisters’ School, Catholic schools located in New Bedford. The micro academy participants meet for full-day and half-day workshops in the fall, winter, and spring and receive two inperson coaching sessions at their schools during the 2018-19 academic year, said Lynch Leadership Academy Executive Director Jenne Colasacco. “The South Coast Micro Academy will provide these leaders with high-quality professional development and leadership coaching that enables them to build capacity as school leaders in order to increase student achievement and lead their organizations through positive change,” said Colasacco. “We want to help them disrupt inequity and change the system to the
Discussion at a Lynch Leadership Academy micro academy workshop.
benefit of their students, teachers, staff, and school communities.” The first educational leadership development program in the country to bring together principals from public, charter and Catholic schools, the Lynch Leadership Academy was founded in 2011 through a $20 million gift from the Lynch Foundation, created by University Trustee Peter S. Lynch ’65 Hon. ’95, P’01, and his late wife, Carolyn Hon. ’09, P’01. “The Carney Family Charitable Foundation strongly believes that leadership development is a key component of improving
education outcomes for the students in New Bedford, Fall River and the Diocese of Fall River,” said Glenn Oliveira, director of foundation programs. “We are excited to collaborate with Boston College’s Lynch Leadership Academy to provide education leaders in our region a leadership development opportunity they would not otherwise receive. We anticipate the development of a rich collaborative environment rooted in the three core components of the Lynch Leadership Academy: instructional leadership, organizational management, and equity.” The micro academy was piloted last
year with several principals from schools of the Diocese of Fall River. The success prompted Colasacco to expand the effort to include public and charter schools with financial support from the Carney Family Foundation and BankFive, a Fall Riverbased bank. The Lynch Leadership Academy has brought eight classes of Lynch Fellows to BC for its 14-month leadership development program that employs a combination of lectures, course work, leadership coaching, and peer mentoring. To date, the academy has served more than 191 principals and aspiring principals, who provide leadership to schools that educate approximately 80,000 students combined. The micro academy sessions will focus on the theme “Leading Through Change,” said Colasacco. Subject areas include data-driven assessment, adaptive leadership, managing change, and a range of leadership issues. Participants in the micro academy are eligible to apply for the full fellowship program at BC. “For us, the key is the integration of high-quality professional development and coaching, targeted to the needs of the leader and the school community,” said Colasacco. “We offer something many professional development options don’t: workshops and guaranteed multiple oneto-one coaching sessions. It’s that feature which allows leaders to implement new learning in their schools immediately.”
Collaboration, Creativity Seen as Energizing Core Continued from page 1
Problems, which are large team-taught, sixcredit classes that address a contemporary problem from an interdisciplinary perspective; and Enduring Questions, linked pairs of three-credit classes that meet separately and are each taught by a faculty member from different departments but are connected by a common topic and set of universal questions as well as some shared readings and assignments. Approximately 2,200 first-year students have taken the new core courses, with an additional 475 students expected to do so next spring; by then, 113 faculty from all BC schools and most Morrissey College departments will have participated in the Core Renewal. But Gareau notes that statistics only express part of the initiative’s success, through its key role in supporting BC’s 21st-century vision of a liberal arts education in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition. “Core Renewal is not limited to the popularity of, and enthusiasm for, CP and EQ courses,” he explains. “Departments and programs are evaluating their approach to the core, and coming up with new courses or modifications and restructuring of existing ones that reflect the intent of Core Renewal.” As an example, Gareau points to the
Associate Dean of the Core Brian Gareau says the Core Renewal’s interdisciplinary focus has galvanized both faculty and student interest across the University. photo by peter julian
International Studies Program, which has introduced a new foundational course, built on the CP model, that satisfies the Core Curriculum requirements for cultural diversity, history, and social science. CP and EQ courses to be offered this coming spring once again reveal the reser-
voirs of imagination among BC faculty, according to Gareau. In the EQ category are the paired classes such as Modern Science and Ancient Faith, which examine the religion/science question through philosophical and neuroscientific perspectives taught by Daniel McKaughan (Philosophy) and Jessica Black (Social Work). Powering America: Energy, Tech, Environment, a CP course led by John Ebel (Earth and Environmental Sciences) and Conevery Valencius (History), explores U.S. energy—how it is produced, distributed and used; how technological and economic choices have shaped energy systems and affected the environment; and what the future may hold as a result. Jonathan Krones, a visiting assistant professor and Core Fellow, teaches the lab for Powering America. The EQ pairing of Inspiration in Imagination (Michael Naughton, Physics) and Reading the Impossible Universe (Joseph Nugent, English) delves into the role of imagination in science and the humanities, and how one can inform the other, while God and Politics (Alice Behnegar, MCAS Honors Program) and God and Love (Christopher Constas, Morrissey College Honors Program) focus on conceptions of the divine in the realms of love and desire, and justice and politics.
“It’s been encouraging to see how faculty from such different disciplines have found connections around which to share their expertise, and give students the opportunity to see compelling issues in multiple dimensions,” says Gareau. “And this interdisciplinary approach has moved not only beyond the Morrissey College to BC’s other undergraduate schools, but now to the graduate/professional schools.” Gareau believes that another factor in the success of Core Renewal is the introduction of the Core Fellows Program, which enables early-career scholars from across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences to develop their research and teaching potential. Fellows are attached to home departments as visiting assistant professors and typically teach lab sections for CP courses and an elective in his or her field, and pair together to design and teach an EQ course. “The Core Fellows are chosen via a national search, and must have a solid track record in research and teaching,” he notes. “Through the program, BC students learn from outstanding young scholars who experience what it is like to teach in a Jesuit institution. There is benefit all around.” For more about the Boston College Core Curriculum, and the Core Renewal initiative, see www.bc.edu/core.
Chronicle
November 8, 2018
5
Teaching Slavery Historian Lyerly wins award for co-authored book on how teachers should handle a still-controversial subject BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
The controversy over slavery’s history in, and impact on, the U.S. has not dimmed with time, says Associate Professor of History Cynthia Lynn Lyerly, and the challenge of teaching high school and college students about it has only grown. “It’s a topic that can fuel strong emotions: guilt and discomfort among white students, shame and trauma among black students,” says Lyerly. “At the same time, some students have serious misconceptions about slavery, and others don’t understand how something that ‘ended’ more than 150 years ago has any relevance to American society today.” So, in 2016, Lyerly and Bethany Jay, a former Boston College doctoral student who is an associate professor of history at Salem State University, published a selection of essays offering advice and direction on how to teach the many historical, political, and social dimensions of slavery, and spur candid, constructive discussion among their students. Their book, Understanding and Teaching American Slavery, has been selected for the 2018 James Harvey Robinson Prize by the American Historical Association, the largest professional organization serving historians in all fields and all professions. Awarded biennially since 1974, the Robinson Prize recognizes a teaching aid which has made the most outstanding contribution to the teaching and learning of history in any field for public or educational purposes. “As an educator, you always want your
Cynthia Lynn Lyerly: “When it comes to slavery, America has a habit of seeing constant progress, but without a reckoning of the impact and legacy. It’s a long overdue discussion.” photo by peter julian
teaching to have an impact beyond the classroom,” says Lyerly, who joined the Boston College faculty in 1995. “So you can’t help but feel pleased when you get a note that says, ‘I’m a teacher from Minnesota, and I use your book for my class.’ So now, to have our book honored by an association of our peers is even more gratifying.” Understanding and Teaching American Slavery is divided into three sections: “Slavery and the Classroom,” “Teaching Specific Content,” and “Sources and Strategies for Teaching Slavery.” Its 19 essays were written by leading historians and history educators; the foreword was by the late Ira Berlin, a highly regarded pioneering researcher on slavery. According to Lyerly, the depiction of
slavery—whether in non-fiction, literature, or popular culture—has often tended to focus on compelling, dramatic elements, such as the experiences of runaway slaves or the physical abuse meted out by slaveowners. What’s lost, she says, are the complex, everyday realities of slavery and the efforts of slaves to retain their humanity and dignity. Nor is the wider context of slavery in the U.S., and the degree to which it became embedded in America’s economic, political, and social landscape, adequately conveyed. “There are a number of myths and mistaken ideas that have emerged over the years, and students may bring these with them to the classroom,” says Lyerly. “One is that Frederick Douglass was a ‘typical’ escaped slave—in fact, few actually made it. We’re certainly drawn to the drama and poignancy in slaves’ attempts to run to freedom, but the institutional brutality, and the everyday resistance to it, offers a far more accurate portrait of slavery. “There are other fictions, such as that the Civil War wasn’t about slavery, or the Founding Fathers wanted to abolish slavery—or, perhaps most of all, that slavery was a specifically southern institution, when in fact it was an American one.” In addition to writing the book’s introduction, Lyerly and Jay each contributed a chapter. In hers, Lyerly discusses one re-
source she has used in class: the series of interviews with former slaves undertaken by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. As she explains, students learn to discern the shortcomings in the narratives as reliable source material: They were not verbatim transcriptions of interviews but after-the-fact renditions by WPA workers, for example; and most interviewers were white—in fact, some of the former slaves had even been owned by interviewers’ relatives—which, in the 1930s Jim Crow era, almost certainly affected how the subjects would respond. Students also compare the content of WPA narratives with those of autobiographies by former slaves. “They learn to be good historians, to challenge sources, discard some interviews as too biased, to read between the lines, to understand context,” Lyerly says. “They also learn a great deal about slavery—some of it only after in-depth study of these sources, their creation, and the historiography.” Other methods and approaches discussed in the book include teaching about slaves’ determination to maintain a cultural identity distinct from that of their owners; how the 13th Amendment fell short in abolishing slavery; and using film, music, and other forms of art to illuminate the era of slavery. “Slavery cast a long shadow over American history, and it’s vital that students— and teachers—understand this,” says Lyerly. “When it comes to slavery, America has a habit of seeing constant progress, but without a reckoning of the impact and legacy. It’s a long overdue discussion.”
Sisters Moved by Experience with North Korean Defectors Continued from page 1
Three of the students the Lees taught over the summer visited Boston last week as part of a tour of U.S. universities, organized through Woorihana, to give presentations about their personal experiences living in North Korea, China, and South Korea. Although the sisters were unable to attend the event, they are grateful for the memories they have of those two weeks, and for what they learned about the defectors’ lives. “It was an amazing experience learning about the reality of North Korea and the challenges these North Korean defectors faced crossing the border,” said Jieun. “The situations these students talked about were very different from what I learned from the news. It was an eye-opening experience.” The Lees had never met anyone from North Korea, but their interest in doing this type of volunteer work was partly rooted in family history: Their grandmother had lived in what is now considered North Korea before the country was divided. During their service, the sisters heard stories of the North Koreans’ journeys to South Korea and their efforts to keep in limited contact with family and friends—
utilizing Chinese phones and keeping calls under five minutes—who remained in North Korea. If the North Korean government detected one of their calls, the North Korean students told the Lees, the soldiers might come to search their family’s apartment. The defectors also tried to support their families by sending money once a year. “These defectors don’t come to South Korea directly; they first go to China,” said Jieun. “Defectors crossing the 38th parallel [the line that divides South and North Korea] are very rare. Many defectors buy a broker whom they meet in front of the Yalu River, in order to cross the border into China together. One student crossed the border with a soldier whom she bribed. “After they get to China, they need to be very careful because if they get caught by a Chinese soldier they are automatically sent back to North Korea. Once defectors arrive in South Korea by way of China, the South Korean government brings them to a confidential government location to undergo a thorough investigation to find out whether they are spies or not. If the defectors pass the investigation, they
are given government aid such as college tuition, food, and housing. They are also given South Korean citizenship and their passports say Republic of Korea, not North Korea.” Jieun’s previous familiarity with North Korea consisted mainly of dictator Kim Jong-un and the controversy over North Korea’s nuclear weapons, she said, because these were the central topics regarding North Korea covered in South Korean news. Curious about North Korea and its people, she watched YouTube videos to see what she could learn about everyday life in North Korea. “But the only videos available were of the lives of the wealthy class who go grocery shopping, live in newly furnished apartments, and so on,” she said. “By watching these videos and the news, I believed North Koreans’ living conditions had improved and that the citizens were happy with their system of the government. “My thoughts changed entirely after talking to the students. I learned how striking the poverty still is, how average citizens are facing starvation daily due to
low wages, and how military control is restricting the citizens from watching nonNorth Korean television or wearing what they want to wear. One student told me that she received a Japanese skirt as a gift from her aunt who escaped many years ago. She wore it to school and on her way back home a soldier shredded it with scissors. Another student told me he and his family escaped just to get a hot meal.” Jueun was similarly moved “to appreciate what I have” after her volunteer work with the refugees, who “basically had no freedom at all in North Korea”—at a very young age, she noted, they were assigned to do work after the school day ended. “I think it’s really sad how two groups of people who reside in a relatively small area of the world live completely different lifestyles.” However much the North Koreans want the country reunited, Jieun sees their views as very different than those of most South Koreans. “The majority of South Koreans, especially the younger generation, don’t really want reunification because of many obvious economic and political challenges that would come.”
Chronicle
6
November 8, 2018
After Almost 50 Years, Tresch Says Goodbye BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
Richard W. Tresch, a beloved economics professor and former state collegiate Professor of the Year, was recently honored by more than 125 colleagues, former students, and his family for 49 years of teaching at Boston College. “Dick is a great teacher; Dick inspires,” declared former student and retired Ropes & Gray partner John Kenneth Felter ’72, MA’72 at Tresch’s retirement party on Oct. 22 in Gasson 100. “He has inspired me and thousands of other BC students to learn. To me, that is the essence of a great teacher, and Dick’s teaching is what inspired me to establish the Richard W. Tresch Fellowship in the Economics Department in his honor.” Felter then presented Tresch with a citation from Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, which acknowledged the professor’s “49 years of dedicated service to Boston College as a preeminent teacher, stalwart administrator, contributor to the social science of economics, an esteemed author and public-sector theorist.” The East Cleveland, Ohio, native began his Economics Department career as an instructor in 1969, becoming a full professor in 2002, and served as department chair in three stints totaling more than 10 years, as well as director of graduate studies for eight years, and director of undergraduate studies for one year. It’s estimated that he taught more than 12,000 students during his time at BC. A public-sector economy expert, Tresch has authored five textbooks focused on
Snapshot
Professor of Economics Richard Tresch at his Oct. 22 retirement party. “He inspired an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving, requiring you to think about them outside of the realm in which they were first conceived,” said a former student. photo by lee pellegrini
public finance and economics, the most recent in 2015; another textbook, Principles of Economics (1994), is in its 15th edition. In 1996, Tresch was named Massachusetts Professor of the Year, an honor conferred by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, one of the most prestigious awards bestowed upon university professors nationwide. Nominated by BC, Tresch was one of 18 candidates representing 15 Massachusetts-based institutions of higher education to vie for the distinction, which is based on dedication to undergraduate teaching; impact on and involvement with students; scholarly approach; service to undergraduates, the institution, community and profession; and PHOTO BY PETER JULIAN
STM Dean’s Colloquium
The School of Theology and Ministry celebrated the publication of The Paulist Biblical Commentary, a significant new compendium of the very best in contemporary biblical scholarship, at a Dean’s Colloquium on Oct. 25 and 26. A panel at the colloquium included (L-R): School of Theology and Ministry Assistant Professor of Old Testament Michael Simone, S.J., Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Richard J. Clifford, S.J., and Dean Thomas D. Stegman, S.J., professor of New Testament, all of whom are contributors to the commentary. For more on the event, see bit.ly/stm-deans-colloquium-2018.
endorsement from colleagues and current and former students. “I am quite humbled by the award, and extremely grateful to the Carnegie Foundation,” said Tresch, interviewed by Boston College Chronicle after being selected. “The greatest honor, however, is to have been nominated by Boston College. There are so many good teachers here and to be chosen to represent them in the program is something I truly value.” Describing his teaching approach, Tresch added, “It really all comes back to content. We’re not entertaining the students, but they have to be convinced you care about what you’re presenting. You want to give them analysis, show them
how economists think and analyze problems. That’s why it’s critical to spend time organizing the material into a framework that students can grasp.” Tresch also served as president of BC’s chapter of the national honor society Phi Beta Kappa for 25 years, for which he was acknowledged at a 2002 ceremony. “Over the years, many of our best graduates have been those who took Dick Tresch’s Principles of Economics course,” said Professor Christopher Baum, current Economics chair. “Beyond his consummate skill in a 300-seat classroom, we can all be thankful for the pressure he successfully exerted while in charge of our undergraduate program to expand the number of full-time faculty in our department. His efforts helped us keep up with the unprecedented demand for our major, which continues to thrive today.” “Professor Tresch is an incredible teacher,” said Christopher Dalla Riva ’16, an analyst at Boston-based global consulting firm Charles River Associates; Tresch served as his senior thesis advisor. “His lectures were peppered with anecdotes and humor as well as informed by political science, philosophy, and psychology. He inspired an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving, requiring you to think about them outside of the realm in which they were first conceived. “It should come without surprise that our thesis meetings usually went far beyond the scope of my research! It was truly a pleasure to get to know Professor Tresch during my time at Boston College.” Read a Q&A with Tresch at http://bit.ly/ tresch-retirement.
Lecture and Film Series Will Trace Life, Legacy of Artist and Visionary Tadeusz Kantor A four-day lecture and screening series from Nov. 15-18 will focus on one of the most influential multi-disciplinary artists of the 20th century: Tadeusz Kantor (19151990), a painter, theater director, stage designer, actor, writer, and theoretician. “Tadeusz Kantor: A Brief Topography of Representation” will be presented by Boston College Scholar-in-Residence Michal Kobialka, an internationally acclaimed authority on Kantor. In addition to Kobialka’s talks, the series includes screenings of “The Dead Class,” “Wielopole, Wielopole,” and “Today is my Birthday.” “Tadeusz Kantor is considered among the most influential theater directors of the past century, yet his work is relatively little known in the United States compared to Europe and the Far East,” said series organizer and Music Department Associate Professor Ralf Gawlick. Kantor’s stage works synthesize drama, staging, spectacle, and music, articulate new conceptions of time and space and of the object, and challenge history caught in
the act of archiving the events in absolute space and absolute time by articulating the materiality of memory, according to Gawlick. “Audiences unfamiliar with Kantor’s work will be given the opportunity to immerse themselves in his theater of memory and death/personal reflections, in order to consider critically the core competencies that open the humanities to transdisciplinary concepts such as affect, environment, time, space, matter, image text, movement, sound, thought, and gesture.” The series will be framed by discussions of Kantor’s machines and objects, the idea of mnemotechnics and historiography, as well as the exploration of late style. A University of Minnesota theater professor, Kobialka is the author of two books on Kantor’s theater. His campus residency is sponsored by the Institute for the Liberal Arts. The free, public lectures and screenings will be held in Devlin 101. For times, topics and more information, see https:// tinyurl.com/yd2czl9g. –University Communications
Chronicle
November 8, 2018
WELCOME ADDITIONS
OBITUARY
Joyce Robsham, Theater Benefactor
An Introduction to New Faculty at Boston College MONICA O’REILLYJACOB Assistant Professor Connell School of Nursing DEGREES: University of Portland (BS); Boston College (MS/MA); Brandeis University (MA, PhD). WHAT SHE STUDIES: Health care workforce, particularly the quality and efficiency of nurse practitioner-provided care. WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: Nursing Health Assessment/Life Span/Clinical Lab
You have master of science in nursing/ master of arts in pastoral ministry from BC. What drew you to that dual degree program? “The dual degree program in nursing and pastoral ministry was both a professional and personal pursuit. Prior to my graduate studies, I worked at an orphanage in rural Honduras for two years. This experience sealed my commitment to the underserved and raised my awareness of social injustice. Upon my return, I sought to better understand my role in poverty—both as a Catholic and nurse practitioner. The courses at the former IREPM [Institute for Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry] provided me with a theological framework that grounded my work within immigrant communities.”
TYRONE PARCHMENT Assistant Professor Boston College School of Social Work DEGREES: Hunter College (BS, MSW); New York University (PhD) WHAT HE STUDIES: Male caregiving/fathers; family behavioral health; child/adolescent behavioral/mental health; global research; evidence-based family interventions; implementing evidencebased family-based interventions; mixed methods research; clinical practice with individuals and groups; research methods; anti-oppressive social work practice. WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Clinical Interventions with Children and Families
In 2016, you were awarded a Strengthening Mental Health and Research Training (SMART) fellowship to aid in developing behavioral health services for children in African countries. What kind of work have you been doing through this fellowship? “Currently, I am working with BCSSW colleague Theresa Betancourt on a project focused on engaging fathers in family-based preventive interventions in Sierra Leone.
7
This summer I presented my dissertation research at a conference in Uganda as well as co-led a workshop for our Ghana and Kenya teams regarding best practices in implementing a Multiple Family Group intervention in their settings. Specifically, the workshop involved coaching the Ghana and Kenya teams to anticipate challenges and proactively determine solutions in regards to training facilitators on the intervention, and to create a space to envision their facilitator training.”
Joyce (Loring) Robsham of Wayland and North Palm Beach, Fla., a philanthropist who along with her husband was a key benefactor of Boston College’s Robsham Theater Arts Center, and a respected horse breeder whose line of thoroughbreds were among the most-sought after in the industry, died on Oct. 20 after a long illness. She was 89.
In 1983, following the death of their son, the couple became involved in the thoroughbred horse industry, breeding Pretty Discreet, which became a foundation for the Robshams’ homebred operation, Robsham Stables. Throughout the years, their horses enjoyed considerable success, as their maroon and gold colors— in honor of the Boston College Eagles—
HSIN-HAO SU Assistant Professor of Computer Science Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences DEGREES: National Tsing Hua University (BS); University of Michigan (PhD) WHAT HE STUDIES: Intersection of theoretical computer science and distributed computing; biologically-inspired algorithms and their connection with distributed computing. WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Algorithms
Some of your research has involved observing ants in different situations— how are ants relevant to computer science? “Biological systems have huge influences in computer science. For example, the creation of artificial neural networks—widely used in machine-learning—was inspired by the way neurons work in the brain. Collective insects such as ants do very well in achieving tasks collaboratively without a centralized controller, even when there are uncertainties and failures. For instance, ants are known to be able to estimate density by using a very simple measurement: the encounter rate. We came up with a model and analyzed how well the ants estimate density based on the encounter rate by using tools from theoretical computer science. “Moreover, we showed how estimating the density based on local rules can be used to estimate the size of a social network (e.g. Facebook network). The idea is to put the ‘artificial ants’ on the network and have them estimate the density. Then we can translate it back to an estimation of the size of the network easily, because we know how many ants there are. Such a method turns out to perform better than state-of-the-art network size estimation algorithms in many classes of networks. This is just the tip of an iceberg. There are many behaviors in foraging, task allocation, and collective transport that are yet to be investigated.”
–Kathleen Sullivan, Sean Smith PHOTOS BY LEE PELLEGRINI AND PETER JULIAN
Due to the Thanksgiving break, the next issue of Boston College Chronicle will be published on Thursday, Nov. 29.
Joyce Robsham and her husband became respected horse breeders.
The daughter of Arthur and Muriel Loring, and a graduate of Simmons College, Mrs. Robsham was married for 53 years to the late Einar Paul Robsham, the former president and chairman of the board of Robsham Industries, Inc., a prominent real estate development firm based in Framingham that developed and built extensive residential and commercial properties throughout eastern Massachusetts. Noted philanthropists, the couple were the benefactors of Robsham Theater, the University’s venue for theatrical and special events and the home to BC’s Theatre Department and the Boston Liturgical Dance Ensemble. Constructed in 1981, the building was dedicated in 1985 in honor of their only son, E. Paul Robsham Jr., a member of the BC Class of 1986 who died in an automobile accident in the summer of 1983 following his freshman year. In addition, they funded a professorship in theater arts at Boston College that brings nationally recognized professional theater artists to work with and teach BC undergraduates. “Joyce was a kind, caring person who took quiet joy in giving to others, especially to family and friends,” said University President William P. Leahy, S.J. “She and her husband Paul were generous benefactors of Boston College and true philanthropists.” Active in educational affairs, the Robshams also donated the Visitors Center at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the Arts Center at Belmont Hill School, and the Scout Reservation at Camp Resolute.
were carried to victory at racetracks nationwide, including the Kentucky Derby and the Breeder’s Cup. A private burial was held in late October. –University Communications
Jobs The following are among the most recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/offices/hr: Manager, Digital Communications, Center for Corporate Citizenship Director, Stewardship and Donor Engagement, University Advancement Assistant/Associate Director of Annual Giving, BC Law School Senior Data Analyst, University Advancement Development Assistant, Athletic Advancement, University Advancement Associate Director for Selection, Development and Formation, Student Affairs/ Residential Life Web, Social Media & Events Specialist, Academic Affairs/Provost Post-Doctoral RPCA, Academic Affairs/ Provost Law Library Assistant, Academic Affairs/ Provost Senior Business Intelligence Analyst/Developer, University Advancement Assistant Director, Alumni Affinity Programs, University Advancement
Chronicle
8
November 8, 2018
BC Global
Faraway, So Close BC’s Global Engagement Portal project has given students a window on the world BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
For the past few weeks, Boston College students and faculty have held extraordinary conversations about everyday things, from video games to the cost of living to the value of education, with people in faraway places like Mexico City, Nairobi, Amman (Jordan) and Herat (Afghanistan)—all without leaving campus. These discussions have taken place via the Global Engagement Portal, a shipping container converted into a videoconferencing chamber that has been temporarily located outside O’Neill Library near the Higgins Stairs since late September and will remain there until Nov. 16. The portal is one of several dozen designed by Shared Studios and made available around the world as a means to help people learn more about one another. Carroll School of Management senior Kelsey Kosten and two fellow members of BC’s student-run conservation club EcoPledge chatted with Eloi and Elie, two young women from Kigali, Rwanda, who share their interest in environmental issues. The students listened to them describe Kigali’s recycling programs and the trash clean-ups held on Rwanda’s monthly mandatory day of community service, and compared their educational experiences. The five agreed that participating in ecologically-related activities has made them conscious of their own habits as consumers. “It felt like we were sharing one space,” said Kosten, “instead of being 7,000 miles away from each other.” It’s the second time in as many years BC has hosted a portal. As part of last fall’s International Education Week, the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life organized a series of discussions between members of the University community and Iraqi, Kurdish, and Syrian refugees and displaced persons. This year,
the International Studies Program—aided by an Academic Technology Innovation Grant from the University—expanded the length of the portal’s stay as well as broadening the project’s scope. The 2018 theme of global citizenship is a particularly relevant topic, organizers say, especially for a university seeking to increase its international presence and impact. “The portal was an effective way to make the refugee crisis more meaningful to our community,” said Associate Professor of the Practice of Theology Erik Owens, director of International Studies, who organized the portal project this year and last, when he was associate director at the Boisi Center. “So the idea was to build on that kind of engagement in the context of global citizenship. Intellectually, we know people from other countries and societies share common ideas, hopes, and dreams, but there is still a tendency to see them as ‘others.’ With the portal, we can explore, and better understand, the connections we have to one another.” Natana DeLong-Bas, an associate professor of the practice in theology and an Islamic Civilization and Societies Program faculty member, observed that her students’ eyes, and minds, were opened considerably in the session with Herat residents. They spoke with a young doctor about dating and marriage, and the difficult choice he and his wife faced: staying in Herat, where they can afford to live in a home with multiple bedrooms, or moving to London, where a one-bedroom apartment costs many more times his approximately $700-a-month salary. Other students got into a lively chat with a group of 14-yearold boys about video games, music, and movies. The boys also expressed pride in a group of female Afghan students who had won second place in an international robotics competition. While there were questions as to how representative the Afghans on the portal were of their country—no women The portal session with Amman was a class assignment for these BC undergraduates: back row, L-R, Marcus Backhorst, Kyra Horton and Madeline VanHusen (out of view); middle row, L-R, Kaylie Ramirez and Megan Richards; and Bryan Scordino.
Students of Asst. Prof. Lauren Honig (Political Science) spoke with a group of residents from Amman, Jordan, in the Global Engagement Portal. photos by lee pellegrini
participated in any of the sessions—the experience was still a valuable one, said DeLong-Bas. “The most striking part of these conversations from the students’ perspective was how normal they were. They were not talking to terrorists or dirt-poor people in rags sobbing about violence and poverty as we see in the news. They were talking to normal, everyday people with hopes and dreams of one day coming to America. Whatever the current politics in this country, the American dream and the vision of America from abroad remain intact. My students saw first-hand the ability of people in Afghanistan to separate the American people from American politics—and now believe in the importance of doing the same when encountering people from other countries.” That many U.S. citizens’ impressions of Afghanistan are faulty or at best incomplete became obvious to Eilidh Currie ’20, a student in Assistant Professor of Political Science Lauren Honig’s Comparative Politics of Development course, during her portal session with Herat residents. “They asked us, ‘What do you know about Afghanistan?’ and we realized that the only things we know are related to our military involvement there.” Currie and other students split up into small groups for their sessions with Nairobi, Kigali, Herat, Amman, and San Pedro Sula, Honduras, which were guided discussions: The BC undergraduates asked their portal partners to define the word “development” as it applied to their respective countries, and to identify the economic, political, and social issues of most importance in everyday life. There were recurring themes throughout the student groups’ presentations in class last week on their portal discussions. Political corruption was an often-voiced concern (a Nairobi participant called it “the root virus that is killing us”), as was the quality of education (which may be relatively “dirt cheap” in Honduras, reported one San Pe-
dro Sula resident, but still costly, especially if you add the cost of food). Investment in infrastructure and health care, especially for the poor and in rural areas, were among the big needs. While doubts were expressed about government’s ability—or willingness—to serve its people, the Kigali portal visitors noted that Rwanda had made strides to promote greater transparency and accountability in its institutions. The Amman contingent, meanwhile, told the BC students that a country’s progress cannot be measured simply by numbers, such as the employment rate or per capita income: “Development must be qualitative, not quantitative.” Another illuminating conversation took place when Associate Professor of the Practice of History Karen Miller and her students spoke with a Nairobi student. “My students asked about identity-formation and distinctions in a country where most of the population are African-descended people. She talked about their national identity as Kenyans but also about the various ways that historical and cultural identities impact employment, politics, and even social taboos. In other words, there were some aspects of cultural differences that played out in the way that race has in the U.S.” Because BC itself increasingly reflects a diverse world, the Global Engagement Portal offered other kinds of unexpected revelations: As Honig’s student Kyra Horton ’19, from Peachtree City, Ga., listened to Amman residents lament the impact of impact of tribalism on life in Jordan, she recalled her father describing similar conditions in his native Nigeria. “It really resonated for me,” she said. “Different countries, same problem.” For more about BC’s Global Engagement Portal project, see bit.ly/global-engagementportal-2018.