CSOM Program Fosters Community for First-Gen Students
Initiative seeks to help undergrads’ academic, career, and cultural paths
BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
A new initiative in the Carroll School of Management has been launched to enhance academic and career success for first-generation and high-financial need students, creating an intentional learning community with a focus on quantitative courses and programming designed to build cultural capital.
Led by Associate Director of Undergraduate Career Engagement Andrew Barksdale, the program provides a range of supports to help students navigate the academic, career, and cultural paths ahead.
“We are always focused on our students and their success,” said Senior Associate Dean for the Undergraduate Program Ethan Sullivan. “We constantly assess to
see what the data tells us. What we found looking at prior years was that some students were struggling, especially in the quantitative courses.”
Those classes include Statistics, Introduction to Financial Accounting, Fundamentals of Finance, Operational Management, and Coding for Business, said Sullivan.
A review found first-gen students in previous years achieved grades that were below their overall GPA and compared to their broader CSOM class.
Barksdale has been teaching a course called Career Bridge since 2021, providing added exposure to job searching, networking, and the careers students are being prepared for by the Carroll School curriculum.
“We noticed a trend of students facing difficulties in quantitative subjects,” he said. “Through detailed analysis, we identified significant performance outliers and realized that students needed more than
Continued on page 6
Fond Farewell for Facilities Management VP Bourque
BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
After 16 years of helping ensure the moving parts of Boston College run as well as possible, Vice President for Facilities Management Daniel Bourque is preparing to turn off his office lights and depart the Heights at the end of this semester.
Bourque is capping off a productive and successful career managing the nonacademic, infrastructural aspects of higher education that began in 1982 at Northeastern University, where he worked for 26 years before joining Boston College.
As the University’s chief administrator for facilities management, Bourque’s portfolio has included the day-to-day operations on BC’s four campuses and its other properties, such as energy and engineering, landscape services, custodial services, and mail services. The division also encompasses capital projects, trades services, athletic maintenance, sustainability, business service, and support services and University properties.
In other words, Bourque and his team—a word he invokes often—make sure that campus buildings have electricity and heat, doors have locks and keys, mail gets delivered, trash and recycling is picked
up and properly disposed of, campus roadways and sidewalks are clear of snow and ice, and plants and flowers are well maintained. If there are repairs or renovations to be done in an office or residence hall or athletic facility—painting, plumbing, carpentry, HVAC; if there is a small intracampus moving job needed; if a depart-
ment can use actively managed storage and warehousing space, Facilities Management gets the call.
One Facilities Management to-do list, from the summer of 2014, included such tasks as constructing the Center for Teaching Excellence in O’Neill Library; installing new playing surfaces in Conte Forum’s Power Gym and the Newton Campus Field Hockey Complex; making improvements to the Eagle’s Nest and Addie’s Loft serving areas; upgrades to Welch and Roncalli residence halls’ student lounges; and work on Brighton Campus sidewalks, the Gasson Hall belfry, and stairways in McElroy Commons and O’Neill Library Atrium.
And if there is a new building or other major form of construction planned for BC, it’s Facilities Management that is responsible for the planning, design, and management of such projects. The division also has been the driving force in devising and implementing sustainable, environmentally-friendly practices and policies in University operations.
Ultimately, somebody has to be in charge of all this, and for the last 16 years it’s been Bourque, who is quick to praise the 388 employees in his division.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with this support team, from de-
partment heads to staff, at all levels,” he said. “This place is basically a city, going 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and you need dedicated people who really care about the job they do, about their coworkers, and most of all, about the students, faculty, staff, and administrators of Boston College.”
Bourque added that collaborating with University President William P. Leahy, S.J., and Executive Vice President Michael Lochhead “has been an honor and a privilege.”
The sentiment is the same for Loch-
Continued on page 8
Undergraduates in the Carroll School of Management at a recent “etiquette dinner,” which offered an overview of social graces germain to the business world. Above, Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Services Patricia Bando demonstrated the use of chopsticks to Alessandro Jn Baptiste ’28.
photo by lee pellegrini
Daniel Bourque joined BC in 2008.
photo by lee pellegrini
Around Campus
Group of Retired Faculty Relishes Reading, and Talking About, Good Books
A small but dedicated organization is keeping connections to the Boston College community strong for a group of retired faculty members who share their taste in literature, and celebrate the memory of a cherished colleague.
The Jean Mooney Retired Faculty Book Club, a program of the BC Association for Retired Faculty (BCARF), provides participants an opportunity to gather for socializing and discussion on their current favorite book.
So far this academic year, the club— which meets monthly in the BCARF office at 300 Hammond Pond Parkway—has wrapped up discussion on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel G-man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century by Beverly Gage and Digging to America by Anne Tyler. This month’s meeting will include discussion on Homecoming by Kate Morton.
The book club is named for Lynch School of Education and Human Development Associate Professor Jean Mooney, former BCARF president and executive committee member, who founded and chaired the group and served as one of its greatest supporters. She died in 2021.
Connell School of Nursing Professor Emeritus Laurel Eisenhauer, who assumed the role as club chair after Mooney, is appreciative of the group’s camaraderie and ability to maintain community connections.
“It’s always great to be in a group of people with different backgrounds who can
summarize book reviews, and then they’ll ask questions to get the discussion going,” said Eisenhauer.
“I joined because I knew and admired so many of the members—and also, of course, because I like to read,” said Associate Professor Emeritus of Economics Harold Petersen, who joined after retiring in 2016. “I find that a book becomes so much more meaningful when a group of us meet to share our reactions. I invariably get something from the discussion that I had missed up to that point. I immensely enjoy the company and the camaraderie of the group.”
Prior to the pandemic, the club also regularly added field trips to their meeting calendar to coincide with the theme or topic of a book. Two notable destinations, according to Eisenhauer, included outings to the New Bedford Whaling Museum—the city is a key setting in Sena Jeter Naslund’s Ahab’s Wife; Or, The Star-Gazer—and a day trip to Newport, RI, after completing The Gods of Newport by John Jakes.
share different perspectives on something you read,” said Eisenhauer. “A lot of the time we will have a 30-minute ‘chit-chat’ session before the actual start of the meeting so we all get to socialize a little before we get into the book.”
The club’s reading agenda is decided at the beginning of each year through a survey sent out to the group. Members nominate books on the survey that they are interested in pursuing for the upcoming year. A voting process then takes place
for the nominated selection. The club has 35 registered members, although not all of them regularly attend its gatherings. While meetings are typically unstructured with free-flowing conversations, one member of the group is appointed to introduce the book and guide the discussion. “If you nominate a book and it gets chosen, usually that is the person who will lead the discussion. There’s no prescribed format, but oftentimes the person will begin with information about the author,
The BCARF hosts an annual banquet in the Yawkey Center Murray Function Room, at which the club gives out copies of the books read during the year as door prizes.
For more information on the Jean Mooney Retired Faculty Book Club, go to the BCARF website at bc.edu/bc-web/academics/sites/retired-faculty.html, or email laurel.eisenhauer@bc.edu.
—Audrey Loyack
Irish Ambassador to U.S. Coming to Campus for ‘Fireside Chat’ on Dec. 2
Boston College Irish Institute Executive Director Mary Murphy and Irish Ambassador to the United States Geraldine Byrne Nason, an experienced diplomat and public servant, will reflect on 100 years of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the U.S. at a December 2 “fireside chat” at 4 p.m. in the Burns Library Thompson Room.
On June 28, 1924, the U.S. became one of the first countries to recognize the Irish Free State—created as a result of the 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty—as a state with autonomous control over its foreign relations. Diplomatic relations between the two were established in October of that year; Ireland formally became a republic in 1949.
“I am delighted that Geraldine Byrne
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Jack Dunn
SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Patricia Delaney
EDITOR Sean Smith
Nason will relaunch the Irish Institute of Boston College during her visit to the BC campus,” said Murphy, who joined the University last summer and also is a professor in the Political Science Depart-
ment. “The ambassador’s support reflects an appreciation for all that the Irish Institute has pioneered and accomplished since its creation in 1998. It also highlights the value placed on the Irish Institute’s ongoing work to deepen understanding here in the U.S. of a changing Irish political landscape, and to support peace and prosperity across Ireland, north and south.”
Byrne Nason was appointed as the Irish ambassador to the U.S. in 2022, after having served for five years as Ireland’s ambassador to the United Nations, during which time she led Ireland’s successful campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council. Among her many other positions, she was Irish ambassador to France from 2014-2017,
the second secretary-general in the Department of the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) from 2011-2014—making her the highest-ranking female public servant in Ireland at the time—and ambassador and Ireland’s deputy permanent resident to the European Union from 2005 to 2011.
A member of the Royal Irish Academy, Ireland’s highest academic honor, Byrne Nason holds an honorary doctorate of law from Maynooth University as well as master’s and bachelor’s degrees in literature from Saint Patrick’s College in Maynooth.
Registration is necessary to attend the event; see the Irish Institute website at bc.edu/content/bc-web/academics/sites/ irish-institute.html.
—Sean Smith
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.
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Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.
Geraldine Byrne Nason
Members of the BC Retired Faculty Book Club include (L-R, front) Rita Olivieri, Maria Estela Brisk, Loretta Higgins, and Eileen Plunkett; (back) Harold Petersen, Margaret Murphy, Robbie Tourse, Rosemary Krawczyk, and Robert Taggart; on the computer screen is Zoom attendee Laurel Eisenhauer.
photo by lee pellegrini
Thompson Is Named VP for Development
BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Boston College has named Beth Bolyn Thompson, the assistant dean of development in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) at Harvard University, as vice president for development, effective February 3, 2025.
A skilled and accomplished fundraising professional with more than 30 years of experience in higher education, Thompson currently leads a team of 65 front-line professionals in FAS in the cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of alumni and parent donors for principal, major, and planned gifts.
In this capacity, she helped the FAS to reach $400 million in annual giving and played a key role in the planning and execution of a $3.3 billion Campaign for Arts and Sciences, as part of Harvard’s most recent $9.6 billion capital campaign.
Throughout her career at Harvard, she has advanced in leadership positions with an expanding portfolio of responsibilities ranging from academic and development planning and engagement to building and nurturing highly effective fundraising teams.
Most recently, she conceptualized and led the introduction of a new regional leadership model focused on building strategies, activities, and structures to engage alumni and donors, and the creation of a new team focused on annual and major gift fundraising for the Department of Athletics. She has also assisted in fundraising programs for the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences within FAS and spent eight years earlier in her career at Harvard Business School, working in major and principal gifts and donor stewardship and supporting its $500 million campaign.
In announcing the appointment, Senior Vice President for Advancement Andrew Davidson praised Thompson as a person whose expertise and values align perfectly with Boston College and the role of the vice president for development.
“For decades, Beth has demonstrated an impressive ability to succeed in a large, complex organization that operates at a high level and a fast pace—exactly what Boston College needs,” said Davidson. “She brings skills that will have an immediate impact on our work in Advancement, particularly through her extensive experience collaborating with academic leadership and partnering on fundraising strategy. More importantly, Beth leads with exceptional character and will add to the community and culture of BC.”
Thompson said she is excited to join Boston College and work in support of the University’s mission and its $3 billion
Soaring Higher campaign.
“In my experience, every graduate of Boston College I meet tells me how much they love BC,” said Thompson. “They talk about the close-knit community and transformative education they received here. Andrew Davidson, with whom I had worked at Harvard for seven years, encouraged me to learn about BC’s Jesuit, Catholic mission and culture, and the University’s commitment to the liberal arts, formation, reflection, and service. When I did, I realized that this is a moment in society in which BC’s enduring values have never been needed more. I am delighted to come to Boston College, and to work in advancing its institutional ideals and public impact.”
A graduate of Smith College, Thompson received a master of arts degree in political science from Ball State University, and an M.B.A. from Simmons University.
The mother of five, she lives in Belmont with her husband Dan, a faculty member at the Berklee College of Music. She has served on the board of EV Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing academic tutoring and mentoring services and summer camp experiences for at-risk youth in the Boston area and is active in volunteer work to promote adoptions from the foster care system.
“I look forward to joining the outstanding Advancement team at Boston College in fulfilling the goals of the Soaring Higher campaign,” said Thompson. “Campaigns provide an opportunity to bring together a university community around a common vision. Our work is about connecting the enthusiasm of alumni and donors to the University’s greatest aspirations. I am excited to do that at Boston College.”
Changes Announced in University Advancement
Senior Vice President for Advancement Andrew Davidson announced the promotion of Margaret McCorkle, the former associate vice president for annual giving, to associate vice president for major gifts, effective October 1.
McCorkle, a respected fundraiser with 26 years of experience at Boston College, oversees a team of 37 in the solicitation of major gifts from alumni, parents, and friends of the University.
While at BC, McCorkle has held positions with increased responsibility in programs and events, annual giving, class giving, and leadership giving and benefactor events. She was named AVP of annual and leadership giving in 2018.
“Peggy’s professional legacy to date includes the development and launch of the Graduates of the Last Decade Leadership Council, hiring and investing in the professional development of Advancement staff, capitalizing on new and emerging technologies in support of her team’s work, and leading the fundraising efforts behind the annual Pops on the Heights: The Barbara and Jim Cleary Scholarship Gala,
one of the biggest and best philanthropic events in Boston,” said Davidson. “She is a proven leader who knows our organization and our constituents. I am confident of her continued success in this new role.”
In addition, Davidson has named Kathy Raute as the new associate vice president of annual and leadership giving. Raute joins BC Advancement from Children’s Hospital in Boston, where she has served as an AVP and senior director of major and principal gifts since 2014. Prior to her work at Children’s Hospital, Raute worked in fundraising at Dana-Farber and Harvard Business School.
She will begin her new job at BC on December 2 and will oversee a staff of 40 tasked with securing annual gifts for the University.
“We are very fortunate to have Kathy joining our program,” said Davidson. “Not only does she bring years of fundraising and management experience, but she will also bring a strategic focus to our annual programs, building on Peggy’s good work. I look forward welcoming her to BC in December.”
—Jack Dunn
Margaret McCorkle, left, and Kathy Raute
An experienced fundraising professional in the higher education field, Beth Bolyn Thompson will join Boston College in early 2025.
Prior to their November 8 game against Maine in Conte Forum, the Boston College men’s hockey team held a special ceremony honoring the memories of former Eagles’ standouts Tony Voce, Johnny Gaudreau, and Matthew Gaudreau. Voce and Gaudreau family members took part in a puck drop, and during warm-ups, BC players wore jerseys bearing the number 13 (worn by Voce and Johnny Gaudreau) or 21 (worn by Matthew Gaudreau). BC won, 5-2.
photo by meg kelly
Senior Combines Love of Music with a Drive for Justice
BY ELLEN SEAWARD SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
In the hours and minutes before Sofia Burke ’25 took the stage at this year’s Pops on the Heights: The Barbara and Jim Cleary Scholarship Gala—a celebrated BC tradition that was the biggest solo performance of her life—she sat quietly in the wings.
That September night, she waited, watching the Goo Goo Dolls—the Grammy-winning rock band that headlined Pops on the Heights—and taking deep breaths. When it was finally time to go on, she felt an intense rush of nerves as she walked through a sold-out Conte Forum. But as she reached the stage, Burke knew she was ready.
After all, she has been singing her whole life. Years before she earned a solo spot for Pops on the Heights, before that gala night when thousands of people took their seats in Conte Forum, and before that moment when conductor Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops were poised to begin accompanying her singing of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Burke was already making music.
“I don’t know if it’s true, but my mom likes to say I could sing before I could talk. She says she was working one day and heard the melody of ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ floating over, and that I was humming it,” said Burke.
A life of music followed from that first melodious moment: piano and flute classes, singing and competing in school choirs, and formal lessons. When Burke
first started looking into colleges, she seriously considered music conservatories but ultimately decided she’d prefer to keep music as a hobby. Her sister had gone to a Jesuit university too and told Burke about the importance of service in a Jesuit education. That resonated deeply; their father had worked with Cesar Chavez in the Farm Workers Union to advocate for farm workers’ rights.
BC was the only school Burke toured in person because of COVID. “I loved it when I first saw it.”
Although she didn’t choose BC for
Holiday (and Non-Holiday) Campus
BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER
The holiday season on the Heights will be in full swing when students return to campus from the Thanksgiving break. A look at upcoming events—including the annual Christmas tree lighting, concert performances, and celebrations, which are free unless otherwise indicated.
December 1: McMullen Museum Holiday Celebration
McMullen Museum of Art, Brighton Campus, noon to 4 p.m.
As part of its annual holiday celebration, the McMullen Museum will host festive seasonal activities, including music, hot chocolate and holiday treats, exhibition tours, games, and arts and crafts activities throughout the museum. The current exhibition, “States of Becoming,” remains on display through December 8.
its music scene, Burke has balanced her musical talent with her drive for justice. A sociology major on the pre-law track with minors in Managing for Social Impact and the Public Good and philosophy and theology, Burke followed her interests through service experiences like Appalachia Volunteers and the PULSE Program, an internship with the Center for Human Rights and International Justice, and the BC bOp! jazz ensemble.
“There were a lot of hard days at the beginning of college,” said Burke. “bOp! was the only musical group I had time for. I’m so happy I stayed with it because the community is great and it’s the perfect combination of instruments and vocals for me.”
Within the classroom, she’s found philosophy and theology classes to be among the most meaningful because they’ve helped her see an intersection between music and human rights.
“We talk about entering into communion with people, about humanizing the other, and about seeing human dignity in any scenario. Because American music is so connected to issues of race and class, it’s really what I’m studying all the time as a sociology major. And when I’m performing, music is how I experience human dignity most strongly.”
That passion for the human experience was given life through Burke’s soulful rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in her Pops on the Heights performance. She had known she would audition for the coveted solo since her sophomore year when she first attended the event, and finally, last spring after the two-part audition process,
Events Wind
December 3: Christmas Tree Lighting
The Plaza at O’Neill Library, 5 to 7 p.m.
Santa Claus makes his annual visit from the North Pole to the Boston College campus—not by sleigh, but by special BC Police Department escort. He will celebrate the Christmas tree lighting with BC revelers at this annual event officiated by University President William P. Leahy, S.J. Sponsored by the Campus Activities Board, the event features caroling and performances by student groups. BC Dining Services will be on hand with treats and hot chocolate will be available to warm the crowd.
December 6 (7:30 p.m.); December 7 (3 and 6:30 p.m.): Christmas on the Heights
Trinity Chapel, Newton Campus
A performance of seasonal music— including holiday favorites and familiar carols—with audience participation, by the University Chorale of Boston College (Riikka Pietilainen-Caffrey, conductor) and the Boston College Symphony Orchestra (Anna Wittstruck, conductor). Tickets purchased in advance of each performance are
Burke landed the role. After working with a vocal coach, Burke settled on “Bridge Over Troubled Water” because of its grandiosity.
“The rendition we did hadn’t really been done before,” Burke explained. “It was with a full orchestra and influenced by soul, a genre of music that has a lot to do with United States history.”
By the time Burke completed her Pops on the Heights performance, letting the song build before finishing it softly and displaying her incredible range, the audience was already applauding. Amid the glow, Burke recalls racing backstage to her friend for a hug.
“It was a really sweet moment. From there I found my family, and it was a really fun night,” said Burke.
As she draws closer to her graduation in May, Burke is figuring out her next act.
“I just finished applying for a Fulbright grant. It’s so competitive, but we’ll see,” said Burke, who is particularly interested in Ghana because of the West African region’s rich history of musical traditions. “I applied to Ghana because it’s an Anglophone country. With English as the first or second language for many, the focus will be building solidarity with students. What better way to do that than through the exchange of music?”
And if the Fulbright doesn’t happen?
“I have a million backup plans,” said Burke with a smile. “That’s life, and I’ll figure it out.”
Ellen Seaward is a senior digital content writer in the Office of University Communications
Down
required; general admission $20: bc.edu/tickets. Ticket sales began on November 15. Contact: bcchorale@bc.edu
December 6: Advent Lessons and Carols Clough School of Theology and Ministry Chapel, 5-6 p.m.
December 7: “O Emmanuel: An Advent Choral Concert”
St. Ignatius Church, 7 p.m.
The St. Ignatius Church Concert Series presents an evening of medieval chant, Christmas carols, and organ reflection to set the tone for the Advent and Christmas seasons. Suggested donation: $20 at the door.
December 14: Winter Wonderland
Cadigan Alumni Center, Brighton Campus, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Boston College Alumni Association invites alumni, family, and friends to experience the magic of the season at Winter Wonderland, a longstanding campus tradition with activities for all ages. Festivities will include appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claus; interactive performances; visits with
Fall Semester
baby animals; holiday train rides; cookie decorating, and more. Attendees are encouraged to bring new, unwrapped toys for boys and girls (ages six to 14) which will be donated to a local charity. Admission is $15 per person and children under three years of age are free. Register at: rb.gy/j7hftp; Contact: bcaa@bc.edu
Also coming next month
December 6 and 7: Week of Dance Performances
Robsham Theater Arts Center main stage, 7:30-10 p.m.
The culmination of BC’s annual Week of Dance: a two-night showcase of Boston College student dance groups performing a variety of styles, from swing and step to modern and bachata. Buy tickets at: bc.edu/tickets. During the week-long event leading up to these performances, the groups offered dance workshops to students, on the RTAC main stage.
Other upcoming concert events include musical performances by Astaza, the Middle East Ensemble at Boston College (December 2); BC Chamber Music and Liederabend (December 8); and BC Chamber Music and Cello Ensemble (December 9). For more information on these and other events, see the University Calendar [events.bc.edu].
Sofia Burke ’25: “Music is how I experience human dignity most strongly.”
photo by lee pellegrini
photos by lee pellegrini and
Book Launch Tonight Hosting Earth Seeks to Put Climate Crisis in New Light
BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER
A timely and vital new volume in the emerging literature of environmental philosophy—Hosting Earth: Facing the Climate Emergency—draws on art, science, and politics to explore alternatives to the traditional domination of nature by humans. Co-edited by Richard Kearney, Boston College’s Charles Seelig Chair of Philosophy, the book engages the question of ecological hospitality: What does it mean to be guests of the Earth as well as hosts?
A publication of the Guestbook Project [guestbookproject.org], of which Kearney is the international director, Hosting Earth features dialogues from the University’s 2022 Guestbook conference of the same title (tinyurl.com/v2t89p7c). An edited transcription of its keynote event, a conversation between Kearney and former President of Ireland and climate justice advocate Mary Robinson, leads the book.
Hosting Earth will be launched at 6 p.m. tonight at a Guestbook Project event in Devlin 101. “Narrative Hospitality” features National Book Award-winning author Colum McCann in conversation with Kearney. McCann—co-founder of the global non-profit Narrative 4, which uses storytelling to inspire action and to create community change—will be presented with the Guestbook Project Award for Narrative Hospitality.
“The most pressing question for our time,” Kearney said, “is ‘How do we save the Earth?’ Environmental philosophy is crucial for our time, a dangerous time— described by Mary Robinson, in our interview in the book, as not just a climate crisis but a ‘climate emergency.’”
While most books to date on the climate emergency focus on science and politics, Kearney explained that “in addition to these crucial disciplines, our volume also invites artists, poets, and philosophers to add new light and depth to this urgent ecological debate.”
BC Scenes
Honoring Veterans
Following a preface by Kearney, the book is divided into five parts: “On Climate Justice; Poetics of the Earth”; “Psychologies of the Earth”; “Philosophies of the Earth”; and “Ecologies of the Earth.”
BC contributors include Matthew Clemente, a part-time Woods College of Advancing Studies faculty member; and Philosophy faculty members Associate Professor of the Practice David Storey and Assistant Professor of the Practice Stanley Uche Anozie.
As climate change impacts intensify, young people increasingly join the movement for positive change. Among those leading the discussion around the topic, to spread awareness and motivate others to take action, are Hosting Earth’s co-editors, Peter Klapes ’19, M.A. ’21, who earned degrees in philosophy, and Urwa Hameed ’22, who studied political science, international relations, and managing for social impact and is now a BC Law student. She graduated from the University at 18, and as an undergraduate wrote Steering Towards Change: first-person accounts of 45 women challenging patriarchy, class, and power in Pakistan [tinyurl.com/yk6phpx6].
While some of the voices in Hosting Earth are high-profile international figures, in addition to Robinson and former Church of England principal leader Rowan Williams, the book also features young scholars and artists from the emerging generation, for whom the existence of the planet is a matter of life and death—for themselves and for their children.
“As a young law school student, I have always engaged with climate change from a political, scientific, or a legal lens,” said Hameed. “This book introduces a new philosophical lens with which to view climate change informed by the voices of several artists, poets, and philosophers to deepen and enrich the ecological debate, while also showcasing prominent politicians and scholars who share how their personal philosophy has informed their climate change efforts on a global scale.
“Science and philosophy must walk hand in hand so the young generation can be involved in a well-rounded effort to address climate change,” she added. “I hope that the new generation addresses climate change from a scientific lens supported by morals and values that they hold dear. Only a combination of both can produce a zeal that can finally tackle climate change as a worthy match.”
According to James L. Taylor, director of the European Center for the Study of War and Peace, Hosting Earth is “a timely interdisciplinary response to our ecological emergency. This volume proposes a new paradigm shift: that we change course from exploiting the Earth we inhabit to hosting it as it hosts us.”
“The book represents a vital conversa-
tion between the natural life sciences and the humanities, which have so often been kept apart—the so-called hard sciences dealing with ‘facts’ and the arts with ‘values.’ We advocate for both a ‘politics of action’ and a ‘poetics of earth’ as complementary ways of saving our planet,” said Kearney.
“This new conversation between art and science opens horizons and calls us beyond the old ‘anthropocene’—where ‘man’(anthropos) ruled as a ‘master and possessor of nature,’ as Descartes infamously put it—to a new ‘symbiocene’ where humans and non-humans alike may relate in a mutually enhancing sharing (‘symbiosis’) of our common Earth.”
(Clockwise from top left) Hosting Earth: Facing the Climate Emergency co-editors Richard Kearney, Urwa Hameed ’22, and Peter Klapes ’19, M.A.’21. The book will be launched at an event featuring acclaimed author Colum McCann (lower left), tonight at 6 p.m. in Devlin 101.
kearney photo by lee pellegrini
Mary-Anne W. Benedict ’67, P’96 saluted the flag during the Boston College Veterans Mass and Remembrance Ceremony, held November 8 in St. Mary’s Chapel and on the Burns Library Lawn. Far right, a vocal ensemble performed “The StarSpangled Banner.”
photos by lee pellegrini
Historian Earns Kudos for Book on a City’s Ordeal
BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
As an undergraduate, Associate Professor of History Nicole Eaton started out majoring in biology, but always found herself looking forward to her history class—so much, in fact, that she wound up making history her academic focus, and then her vocation.
Eaton never regretted that decision, and a trio of recent honors along with the fellowships and grants she’s received—from the United States Holocaust Museum, the Harriman Institute, Fulbright-Hays, and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, among others—have provided plenty of professional validation.
Her 2023 book, German Blood, Slavic Soil: How Nazi Königsberg Became Soviet Kaliningrad—an examination of the Baltic Sea port city’s ordeal through brutal 20th-century geopolitics—was the winner of the Reginald Zelnik Book Prize in History, presented annually by the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies for an outstanding monograph published on Russia, Eastern Europe, or Eurasia in the field of history. ASEEES also awarded her an honorable mention for the W. Bruce Lincoln Book Prize, which recognizes an author’s first published monograph or scholarly synthesis that is of exceptional merit and lasting significance for the understanding of Russia’s past.
In addition, Eaton received an honorable mention for the German Studies Association DAAD/GSA Prize for the Best Book in History and Social Science.
The Reginald Zelnik Prize was particularly gratifying for Eaton: Its namesake, a distinguished scholar of Russian labor and social history, was her mentor at the University of California-Berkeley; he was killed in a traffic accident while Eaton was work-
ing on her doctoral degree.
“Reggie took an interest in my application, even though my background was in German studies,” said Eaton, who joined the Boston College faculty in 2015. “He encouraged me to start learning Russian and hired me to serve as a teaching assistant for his Russian history course. As a first-generation college student, I really appreciated that support, so to have won the award named for him means a lot to me.”
In German Blood, Slavic Soil, Eaton examines how one city endured life under the 20th century’s most violent revolutionary regimes, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. As Königsberg, it served as the easternmost point of Hitler’s Third Reich and the launch point for the Nazis’ genocidal war in the East. Decimated by the war and occupied by the Soviets, the 700-year-old city—renamed Kaliningrad—then became
the western edge of Stalin’s empire. Eaton goes beyond military history, using eyewitness accounts and other contemporary sources to show how German and Soviet/Russian attitudes toward, and beliefs about, one another shaped everyday life in the city. She also relates how, despite their brutal conquest of Königsberg, the Soviets made an effort to integrate the city’s German population into the Soviet empire— an effort that proved tragically short lived.
For Eaton, the story of Königsberg/Kaliningrad, compelling in and of itself, also provided a means to study wider questions around identity and place, and how these may be complicated by regional or international politics.
“My book is different from many urban histories in that it engages with two historiographies, Russian and German,” she explained. “I felt that the story of this city would be a way to examine transnational history in one place, in one context. I’ve always been drawn to the complexities of belonging, of identity and how societies understand who gets to belong and who doesn’t.
“The Nazis defined the boundaries of the German community around the socalled Aryan racial type, in opposition to people such as Jews and Slavs, whom they thought of as racially inferior. The Soviets, meanwhile, defined belonging in terms of class rather than by race—they imagined socialism to be the antidote to race-based nationalism.”
The Soviets set out to rebuild the ruins of Königsberg into socialist Kaliningrad, and they at first tried to incorporate their former German enemies into the socialist system they were building. But by 1947, overwhelmed by the wartime devastation and the high rate of death of disease in the region, the Soviets scapegoated the Germans as irredeemable fascists who were
preventing Kaliningrad from being rebuilt. They expelled the surviving German population by late 1948, after nearly 40 percent of the Germans had died.
“The Soviet Union’s declaration during the war had been, ‘We’re fighting fascism in the name of socialism.’ But the new Soviet population in Kaliningrad after the war came to think of ‘fascist’ or ‘Nazi’ as the same as ‘German,’” noted Eaton, “and ‘socialist’ came to mean the same as ‘Russian.’
“This conflation of Russian ethnic identity with socialism continues to affect Russian self-understanding today. When Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022, he presented the nationalist defense of ethnic Russians as a virtuous second battle against fascism—this time against supposed Ukrainian Nazis.”
As part of her research for German Blood, Slavic Soil, Eaton lived for a year in Kaliningrad. Today, the region is once again a semi-closed zone because of NATO sanctions and Russian security restrictions. When Eaton lived there before the war in Ukraine broke out, she appreciated the rich and vibrant cultural life of the city that grew out of Königsberg’s ruins.
“What’s fascinating is to see, literally, the layers of history in Kaliningrad,” said Eaton. “There are vestiges of the German era all over the city: Some buildings still have traces of German ornamentation or prewar architectural styles. Even the cast iron manhole covers and the cobblestone streets evoke Kaliningrad’s German prehistory. The rhythms of that former life still shape the present.
“Berlin, by contrast, is very ‘museumized’: Its public history is organized in a scripted way to convey a particular story of the Third Reich and the Cold War. Kaliningrad’s visible traces of history seem, by contrast, more raw and unscripted—but at the same time, more evocative of the messiness of lived experience.”
CSOM Aims to Enhance First-Gen Student Experience
Continued from page 1
just academic training to succeed.”
Focusing on three pillars—Academic, Community, and Career—the program includes an additional one-credit seminar each semester, where students build confidence, time management, and study skills. These seminars are modeled after successful programs like BC’s Gateway Scholars for pre-med students, said Sullivan. The order of the five required courses is designed to ensure students are well-prepared for increasingly early recruitment cycles, especially in finance, accounting, and consulting.
The additional one-credit seminar focuses on the one quantitative course the students take together. This semester the course is Statistical Analysis, taught by Professor of the Practice of Business Analytics Linda Boardman Liu. In addition to the weekly lectures, Boardman Liu conducts the seminar on Fridays.
“The seminar brings us all together to focus on that subject, but I feel like I’ve been able to connect with Professor Boardman Liu on another level,” said Jeilyn Mar-
tinez ’28, who grew up in Brighton and graduated from Boston Latin School.
A key component of the program is building cultural or social capital through peer support and group activities. The Career Bridge seminar brings the students together to share experiences and learn from each other. Weekly sessions include talks by students who have taken the class previously, sharing insights and advice on navigating academics and social life.
Gabriel Galloza ’28, of Morristown, NJ, who is considering concentrating in both finance and accounting, said he and many of his peers face an added pressure.
“My parents sacrificed a lot for me,” said Galloza. “As first-gen students, especially at BC, we have to perform well. Not because our parents are pressuring us, but because we want to pay our parents back for all they have done for us.”
Martinez agreed. To earn money and help her family, she started her own business in high school.
“Like many Hispanic students, growing
up I was the translator for my parents. I would never ask them for money. I started my own business to help pay the bills.
Family is a big motivator for me,” said
“I have made some amazing friends and already done some things I would never have done if I went to a different college.”
—Maya Bahr ’28
Martinez, whose experience building her business led her to concentrate in marketing.
The program also fosters a sense of community through various outings and social events, such as ice cream socials, Red Sox games, Boston Duck Boat tours, apple
picking, and formal dinners. These activities aim to reduce isolation, broaden the University experience, and offer some fun.
For Maya Bahr ’28, the BC campus and Boston in general are a lot different than her hometown of Houston. She has found in the cohort a tight-knit group of friends that has smoothed the transition to New England and college life.
“It makes me feel like I am in an equitable community,” said Bahr, an accounting student on the CPA track. “BC is primarily a white institution and sometimes it feels like you’re surrounded by people from very different backgrounds. That’s not always the case, but it can be the feeling. I love the opportunity to be around students— first-gen, low-income or working class, AHANA—who are like me. We can talk to each other and the Carroll School has helped us do that. I have made some amazing friends and already done some things I would never have done if I went to a different college.”
Assoc. Prof. Nicole Eaton (History), author of German Blood, Slavic Soil: How Nazi Königsberg Became Soviet Kaliningrad.
photo by caitlin cunningham
OBITUARIES
Christopher Bruell, Political Science
Christopher Bruell, a retired professor in the Political Science Department who taught and wrote about classical political philosophy—notably Ancient Greek philosophy—died on November 6 in Los Alamos, NM. He was 81.
Dr. Bruell came to the Boston College faculty in 1969 with a strong background in the early foundations of political thought, as represented by the works of such notable figures as Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and Xenophon. As an undergraduate at Cornell University, he had studied under Leo Strauss, who was largely credited with sparking a renewed interest in classical political philosophers in contemporary American higher education. Over the next four decades, Dr. Bruell—who served for four years as graduate director for Political Science—shared his knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, classical political philosophy with BC students and other faculty members.
“Chris Bruell was equipped with an extraordinarily powerful—even formidable—intellect,” said Behrakis Professor of Hellenic Political Studies Robert Bartlett, who wrote his doctoral dissertation under Dr. Bruell. “What is more, he brought that intellect to bear on the handful of questions that really matter in a human life: what is just, what is good, what is true. He formed the core of the graduate program in political philosophy for some 40 years, and he leaves behind many students and friends deeply indebted to him. I consider myself blessed to be one among them.”
Professor of Political Science Susan Shell called Dr. Bruell “an extraordinary scholar and teacher who was as responsible as anyone for making our department a center for the serious study of political philosophy and its history. His unparalleled ability to open up the major political and moral questions set the life course of many, some of whom have become important scholars and teachers in their own right.”
His 1999 book On the Socratic Education, An Introduction to the Shorter Platonic Dialogues was Dr. Bruell’s attempt to locate classical political philosophy in the modern debate on liberal education, at a time when many intellectuals (“the guardians of our opinions,” he referred to them in the book’s introduction) had concluded that “we ourselves have nothing of importance to learn from the thought of the past.” Dr. Bruell examined 16 Platonic dialogues, considering each on its own while also placing them within the context of Plato’s account of the Socratic quest.
Writing in American Political Science Review, Peter Emberley praised the book: “The value of Bruell’s portrait of Socrates extends beyond classical Athens and sheds light on contemporary platitudes that range from cultural relativism, legal positivism, and psychological reductionism to how to respond to the seductive appeal of sham teachers and the prolixity of those academics who lack the self-conscious, moderating reluctance to teach and open themselves to
learning something from their students.”
Dr. Bruell also published Xenophons Politische Philosophie and contributed chapters to numerous books, among them The Recovery of American Education: Reclaiming a Vision, Political Philosophy and the Human Soul, and Recovering Reason. His writing also appeared in journals such as American Political Science Review, The Review of Politics, and Interpretation: A Journal of Political Philosophy.
In 2014, four years after he retired from BC, Dr. Bruell published Aristotle as Teacher: His Introduction to a Philosophical Science, an account of Aristotle’s Metaphysics that attempted to come as close as possible to the original text.
In 1986, Dr. Bruell and Professor of Theology Ernest Fortin, A.A., founded the Institute for the Study of Politics and Religion as a means to examine the intersection of theology and political theory. The pair received funding from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation to support research, provide fellowships for doctoral students, and organize speaking events.
Among the institute’s most successful ventures was the Bradley Lecture Series, which during its 24-year run invited experts in theology, political science, and philosophy to create a mix of practical and philosophical viewpoints. Speakers included Mary Ann Glendon, Allan Bloom, Saul Bellow, Charles Taylor, Francis Fukuyama, and Leon Kass.
“Chris Bruell had extraordinary qualities of mind, heart, and soul,” said Professor of Political Science Marc Landy. “He was relentless in his search for the truth. He let nothing get in his way. He had no interest in, or respect for, fashion or careerism. His laser-like mind allowed him to penetrate to greater depths of understanding than anyone else I have ever known. His legacy includes not only his written work but the excellent students he trained. He was a loving friend and remarkably patient with this friend, who sought to benefit from his wisdom and who peppered him with naïve questions.”
In addition to a bachelor’s degree from Cornell, Dr. Bruell—who also attended Yale University—held master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago. He was a junior fellow at Cornell’s Society for the Humanities during 1972-1973 and a Carl von Siemens Fellow in Munich from 1996-1997.
Dr. Bruell is survived by his wife, Marjorie; his children Harry and Katie; and three grandchildren.
—University Communications
Read more at bit.ly/christopher-bruell-obituary
Judith Wilt, NC Alumnae Chair
A funeral Mass was held on November 8 in St. Ignatius Church for Judith Wilt, Boston College’s Newton College Alumnae Professor Emerita, who died on November 1. She was 83.
Highly respected by her English Department colleagues, Dr. Wilt also collaborated with faculty members across University academic areas, and served as a valued mentor to a multitude of Boston College students during her long tenure.
“Judith was a longtime colleague who was extraordinarily committed to the BC English Department and to Boston College,” said English Department Chair and Professor Min Hyoung Song. “She believed strongly that the study of literature, very capaciously defined, is fundamentally important and matters to the lives of our students in ways they may not yet have come to appreciate. She dedicated herself to this belief, tirelessly attending department meetings, serving on committees, and then leading as chair of the department. Even when she retired, she continued to teach courses as a professor emeritus” for as long as her health permitted.
“When I first arrived in the department as an assistant professor, Judith was one of the faculty members in English who made me feel welcome by engaging me in serious conversation and never missing a chance to talk about a book that she had read and thought I might be interested in,” Song added.
Dr. Wilt taught at Princeton University before coming to BC in 1978, where she was a founding member and director of the Women’s Studies Program in 1983. The year prior, an interdisciplinary minor in Women’s Studies was established; the program was renamed as the Women’s and Gender Studies Program in 2009 to reflect the evolving scope of study.
She served two terms as chair of the English Department, from 1990 to 1996, and became the inaugural Newton College Alumnae Chair in Western Culture in 2002—a position she held until 2012.
During her long and prolific BC tenure, she taught and wrote on 19th-century British fiction, women writers, religion and literature, and popular culture genres, with a newer interest in Neo-Victorian studies.
Dr. Wilt was the author of six books, including Women Writers and the Hero of Romance (2014) and Behind Her Times: Transition England in the Novels of Mary Arnold Ward (2005). She also wrote dozens of essays and reviews for prominent professional journals.
She taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Her more recent undergraduate courses included Storytelling and Catholicism, War Stories, and Great Adaptations.
Dr. Wilt worked full-time as a journalist while attending night classes at Duquesne University, from which she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1967. She went on to pursue a doctoral degree in English at Indiana University.
A resident of Chestnut Hill, Dr. Wilt is survived by her brother John Wilt and his wife, Mary Jo, of Houston, TX, as well as by many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brothers Thomas, Robert, Peter, and William Wilt, and by her parents, Thomas and Katherine (Steffen) Wilt.
—Rosanne Pellegrini
Read more at bit.ly/judith-wilt-obituary
The following are among the recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/jobs or scan the QR code at right.
Director of Assessment and Accreditation, Lynch School of Education and Human Development
Law Library Assistant
Classroom Technology Specialist
Credit & Collection Associate
Middleware Systems Administrator
Temporary Office Pool
Physical Security Technician
Liaison Librarian for Nursing and Health Science
Custodian III, Monday-Friday
Vocal Director
Fiscal and Grant Specialist
Director, Research Information Systems & Education
Lead Catering Staff
Senior Budget Financial Applications Analyst
Patrol Officer
Facilities Maintenance Supervisor
Research Scientist, Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society
photo by lee pellegrini
Goodbye After 16 Productive Years
head: “When Dan first approached me about his decision to retire, I immediately found myself simultaneously feeling happy and a little bit sad. I was, of course, happy for Dan that he will have time to spend with his family and enjoy the fruits of his labor in retirement. I was sad because I have really enjoyed working with Dan for the last 10 years. Dan is a wonderful person who cares very much about his people and advancing the mission of Boston College. He has always performed his duties with the utmost professionalism, humility, and a sense of humor.”
Associate Vice President for Capital Projects Mary Nardone said, “Dan always ‘leads with his feet.’ Whether in the halls of our Hammond Pond Parkway offices or anywhere else at BC, Dan is all about seeing firsthand the campus, the grounds, the projects, and especially the people who make it all happen. I learned early on that if you hitch a ride with Dan to a meeting, be ready to make a few stops on the way.
“Dan’s presence will be greatly missed in Facilities, and on campus.”
Capital projects are just one facet of Facilities Management, but they offer ample evidence of Bourque and his division’s achievements. During his tenure, the University has added—among others—the science facility 245 Beacon Street, which won awards for architecture and sustainability; Stokes Hall, which houses academic departments and classrooms; the Connell Recreation Center; the undergraduate residence hall Thomas More Apartments; the St. Peter Faber Jesuit Community; the Harrington Athletics Village at Brighton Fields; and the Pete Frates Center (which won an engineering award). Other major projects have included the relocation of the McMullen Museum of Art to Brighton Campus; renovations to Devlin Hall, Simboli Hall, and St. Mary’s Hall; and the creation of the Plaza at O’Neill Library.
Bourque compiled a similarly impressive record of achievement at Northeastern, where he started as director of plant maintenance. As vice president for facilities, he was responsible for implementing its 10-year Master Plan, which included more than $650 million in campus development projects and construction of 2.6 million square feet of new residential, academic, and recreational space. He was also credited with creating a customer-service network that focused on responding to the needs of students, faculty, and staff, and improving Northeastern’s environmental sustainability effort.
“I enjoyed working at Northeastern, but when there was a change in leadership, I decided to look for a new challenge,”
“I
Among the many responsibilities of Boston College’s Facilities Management are housecleaning and custodial services, landscaping, and snow and ice removal. The division has 388 employees. “You need dedicated people who really care about the job they do, about their coworkers, and most of all, about the students, faculty, staff, and administrators of Boston College,” says Bourque.
photos by lee pellegrini and gary wayne gilbert
recalled Bourque, who had worked as a project manager for the Perini Corp. and as an engineer with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Quality Engineering. “I certainly knew about BC: I thought the campus was well managed and looked beautiful, especially the architecture. I talked with [then-Vice President for Human Resources] Leo Sullivan about working at BC, and the more I learned, the more it seemed like an ideal place for me.
“Everyone was welcoming and supportive, and in particular, I appreciated working closely with Fr. Leahy: I saw how much he cares about the community and the campus.”
Another valuable source of BC insights was his brother, Michael, who is BC’s vice president for information technology. The two, who grew up with eight siblings, have a close, loving relationship, and while their jobs haven’t made much time for socializing on campus, they’ve been able to
would hope that we have been good stewards of the University’s campus and physical plant, not only for this generation but those to come,” says Bourque. “That’s what it’s all about.”
support each other—and, as Daniel notes, indulge in a little brotherly “tweaking.”
“I’m surprised he hasn’t already applied for my job,” quipped Daniel.
“Dan was a pretty competitive guy—he wound up playing college basketball, not because he was a great athlete, but because he had that competitiveness,” recalled Michael. “Yet he really is the ultimate team player.”
The test for any organization is how to handle unforeseen or unique challenges, and Bourque and his team have certainly faced a few, such as the summer 2013 project for the Plaza at O’Neill Library and the related task of refurbishing the walkways between Gasson, Lyons, Fulton, and Devlin halls. Crews had to deal with a tight construction site, the unexpected location and elevation of existing utilities, and a limited timeline, but finished before the academic year began.
“Sometimes you simply run into issues you don’t expect, such as finding utility duct banks or drainage systems not where they were thought to be,” Bourque explained in a 2013 interview with Chronicle “But the team was able to work around it such as by changing some of the grades— and everyone did a great job. And the result is a very attractive, and more usable, open space.”
New England weather is the ultimate wild card for Facilities Management, and severe winters in the early 2010s demanded a lot from its employees, especially those who drove plows, wielded shovels, and spread sand at all hours—including overnight—to keep clear BC’s some 215 staircases, 40 acres of parking lots, and 11 miles of sidewalks. The University administration showed its appreciation to staff from Facilities and other departments for their efforts by feting them at special receptions and, at one point, taking out an ad in The Heights.
“Across the whole University, people have recognized your effort,” said Bourque at a 2011 event. “Whether it was the Higgins stairs, cleaning out around the [Alumni Stadium] ‘Bubble,’ cleaning Linden Lane or the stairs at Hillside, it was a massive effort.”
COVID was another test for Facilities, Bourque said. “This was a whole new territory for us, as it was for the rest of the University. Our staff had to follow the special precautions and procedures in keeping the campus as clean and safe as possible, even though classes were cancelled from mid-March on. They were there on the front lines, even while they, too, were dealing with the challenges of the pandemic at home and at work—but were always here at BC to provide the necessary services.”
While some crises can be especially grueling, Bourque said that the “unpredictability” has been part of the job’s appeal for him. “It keeps you on your toes, keeps you from being over-confident. I never wanted to be tied to a desk—I like going out and about to see what’s happening, ask people what they’re seeing, what needs to be done. You have to stay in touch.”
Looking back at the many projects, big and small, Facilities Management has undertaken during his time at BC, Bourque has a big-picture view: “I would hope that we have been good stewards of the University’s campus and physical plant, not only for this generation but those to come. That’s what it’s all about.”
