JANUARY 17, 2019 VOL. 26 NO. 9
PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Name Change
Jan. 30 symposium will formally usher in Lynch School of Education and Human Development BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
A Jan. 30 symposium on the social context of development will mark the official launch of the Lynch School of Education’s new name, the Lynch School of Education and Human Development—an acknowledgement of the school’s strength in applied psychology and whole-person approaches to human development. “The name enhancement reflects our faculty strengths and substantial research and teaching expertise in counseling and developmental psychology, an academic area not formally recognized in our school’s name until now,” said Stanton Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., dean of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development. “The new designation merg-
INSIDE 2 Around Campus
Law’s Wirth attends major climate change forum; BC basketball’s “Mandarin Minute”
3 Faculty Achievements
Peer recognition for Joy Field (CSOM) and Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes (BCSSW).
4 St. Columbkille Endowment
The endowment fund for the Saint Columbkille Partnership Fund will be named for former school trustee Peter McLaughlin ’59.
8 BC Global
Student interest in MENA (Middle East/North Africa) is growing.
es the outstanding work we do in teacher education, educational leadership, higher education, and curriculum and instruction with our distinguished capabilities in human development, thereby better reflecting the school’s focus and resources.” BC’s first coeducational school on the Chestnut Hill Campus, the School of Education opened in 1952 to 176 freshmen. Its academic reputation was rewarded in 1999 when philanthropists Carolyn Lynch Hon.’09 and Peter Lynch ’65, Hon.’95 contributed more than $10 million to the school, resulting in its formal renaming in their honor in November 2000. Today, more than 1,425 undergraduate and graduate students attend the Lynch School, ranked 21st among graduate
Looking Ahead Sophomores came back to campus early last week for Endeavor, Boston College’s career exploration program, which featured talks, workshops, and opportunities to practice networking with alumni, faculty, and staff. More on page 8. photo by lee pellegrini
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New Rec Center to be Named for Margot Connell BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Boston College’s new recreational facility will be named the Margot Connell Recreation Center in honor of one of BC’s most generous benefactors, whose civic and philanthropic endeavors have made her a role model for BC students, the University announced today. A trustee associate, honorary degree recipient, mother of six—all of whom are BC graduates—and the grandmother of 17, including four alumni grandchildren, Connell has been described by University President William P. Leahy, S.J., as a “matriarch of the BC community,” whose $50 million leadership gift—one of the largest in University history—enabled the recreation center to shift from a longstanding campus need to a gleaming reality that will open on the Lower
“I truly believe that athletics and academics go hand in hand and that fitness and recreation lead to a healthier lifestyle...Having already supported an academic endeavor through the Connell School of Nursing, I thought it was a good idea to touch a different base and support a recreation facility at Boston College.” –Margot Connell
Campus this summer. The only unresolved issue was what to call the 244,000-square-foot, four-story facility that stands on the former site of Edmond’s Hall on Thomas More Road. The six Connell children—Monica
Healey ’88, Lisa McNamara ’89, Courtenay ’91, William C. (Bill) ’94, Terence ’02 and Timothy ’03, JD ’12—all wanted to have the facility named after their mother. Margot, however, preferred that it be called the
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“Our students are more curious and willing to explore outside of their comfort zone than ever before. They can have an immersive experience in the language and culture, and really feel that they are experiencing something different and unfamiliar, which broadens their horizons.” –Prof. of the Practice Kathleen Bailey (political science), Page 8
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January 17, 2019
Around Campus
Law Professor Had Ideal Vantage Point at Climate Change Conference A Boston College Law School faculty member was witness to last month’s international 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change—an event that “fell well short of the breakthrough that scientists say is needed to avoid the cataclysmic impacts of a warming planet,” according to the Washington Post. The two-weeklong conference, known as COP24, brought more than 25,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries to Kowatice, Poland—in the heart of Polish coal country—to formulate a “rulebook” for the 2015 Paris Agreement that pushed the world toward curbing carbon emissions. BC Law Professor David Wirth, who specializes in international environmental law, attended the conference during its second week as an official observer.
David Wirth
photo by suzanne camarata
COP24 delegates sought to define the means by which governments will measure, report on, and verify their emissionscutting efforts, so as to ensure all countries are held to proper standards. In 2020, countries must show they have met goals for cutting their emissions, and they must affirm new, tougher targets. Despite the respective country pledges, the world is on track for warming between 3-4 degrees Celsius (approximately 5.4-7.2 degrees F) by the end of the 21st century, far above the 1.5 degrees C (approximately 2.7 degrees F) threshold that the United Nations-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—an international group of more than 1,000 climate scientists—had warned last October would trigger mass food shortages, migration criASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Jack Dunn SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
ses, and ecosystem death if left unchecked. “The IPCC’s stern warning to the world that we risk climate catastrophe was met with hostility from the U.S., Russia and Saudi Arabia during COP24,” reported Wirth. “In a sharp rebuke to those countries, IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee distinctly declared that ‘It is up to you—governments—to act. Every year, every choice matters. Urgent and unprecedented action is now required to achieve the goal of net zero carbon dioxide emissions.’” Wirth also noted that Lee, a South Korean economist, had underscored that emissions must begin a downward trajectory “well before 2020, with a minimum of 45 percent global reduction by 2030,” which is considerably more aggressive than anticipated by the Paris Agreement. After that, Lee admonished, even the most stringent reductions will be inadequate because of the long atmospheric lifetimes of greenhouse gasses. Al Gore, the mid-week keynote speaker, delivered a fiery and thunderous speech during which he denounced the U.S., Russia, and Saudi Arabia for “insulting” the IPCC’s report, according to Wirth. “Gore reminded the attendees that the U.S.—despite President Trump’s erroneous and overstated claims—will continue to be a party to the Paris Agreement until at least the next presidential election,” noted Wirth. “Gore linked climate change to 2017’s Hurricane Maria [the worst natural disaster on record to affect Puerto Rico and Dominica], which he characterized as ‘environmental racism.’” Wirth, who appeared on New England Cable News’ “The Take” following his return from Poland, expressed optimism despite the frustrations resulting from the protracted wrangling among COP24 delegates and the climate change-skeptical nations, including Brazil, which withdrew its offer to host COP25 in a fit of pique. “I think one always needs to be hopeful,” said Wirth during the NECN interview, when asked to summarize COP24. “I think governments need to move very quickly now. Our own government needs to look beyond this presidency. At the time of the next presidential election, the U.S. will still be a party to the agreement, so whomever is elected just needs to stay ‘We’re still in.’” –Phil Gloudemans
CONTRIBUTING STAFF
Sean Smith
Building Their Audience YouTube series brings BC hoops to China Internet-based highlight shows for college basketball teams are nothing new—but not many are narrated in Mandarin, China’s most widely spoken dialect. Last month, Boston College men’s basketball introduced a new video series on YouTube, “The Mandarin Minute,” hosted by team student manager Siqi Wang ’19 and Eagles guard Jordan Chatman ’19. Wang, a Shanghai native majoring in communication, said she had always wanted “to introduce BC basketball to people in China, but never had a chance. This was the perfect opportunity.” Chatman learned Mandarin as part of his two-year mission in Taiwan with the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints prior to enrolling at BC. It is the language he primarily speaks at home with his wife Chelsea. “It’s always special anytime I have the opportunity to speak the Mandarin language, knowing the struggles it took to learn it,” Chatman said. “This is a fun opportunity for me to share BC basketball with my Mandarin-speaking friends in Asia, the U.S., and many others.”
Christine Balquist Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan
Chronicle
PHOTOGRAPHERS
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Patricia Delaney EDITOR
BC men’s basketball player Jordan Chatman ’19 and team student manager Siqi Wang ’19 hosting an episode of “The Mandarin Minute.”
Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini Peter Julian
Two episodes—subtitled in English— were released prior to the semester break, with Wang and Chatman discussing the team’s recent games (video clips of the Eagles in action were included) and offering a preview of upcoming contests. Chinese students make up close to 50 percent of BC’s total international student population, with 469 undergraduates and 927 total, including graduate programs, noted Boston College Athletics administrators. “This is a unique opportunity to promote Boston College men’s basketball’s brand—locally and internationally,” said Mike Laprey, BC Athletics’ associate director of communications. “Basketball is immensely popular in China and Boston has a robust Chinese population. We hope this is a way to combine all of these elements in a positive way and introduce BC men’s basketball to a new population of fans.” “Mandarin Minute” is available via the BC Athletics YouTube channel, youtube. com/bceagles. —Boston College Athletics
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
January 17, 2019
French Appointed to Direct Academic Services in OSS Vice Provost for Enrollment Management John Mahoney has named Mary French, associate director of transfer admission, as director of academic services in the Office of Student Services. French, a respected administrator with 24 years of experience in Undergraduate Admission at Boston College, will join University Registrar Kathleen McGuinness’s staff, where she will assist in the implementation of the EagleApps Enrollment Module, part of the University’s multi-million-dollar investment in a state-of-the-art enrollment and student services system. In making the announcement, Mahoney praised French as a versatile and skilled colleague with a proven track record of success. “Mary has managed the transfer student selection and enrollment process, participated in the orientation and advisement of transfer students, and established herself as a top professional in the field of college admission,” said Mahoney. “Her experience with credit evaluation and Advanced Placement policy has brought her close contact with deans, department chairs, faculty, and the University Registrar. She is already engaged with Student Services in implementing the Transfer Articulation Module of EagleApps Enrollment. I know the BC community will join me in congratulating Mary and supporting her in her new role.” French said she was thrilled to take on this new position within Student Services
Mary French
photo by peter julian
and to devote herself to the successful implementation of EagleApps. “Building on the relationships I have developed with the academic community at Boston College will be a priority in my new role,” said French. “This will be an important time as Student Services continues to work toward the implementation of its new University operating system. I look forward to being a part of the team working on this project, as well as continuing to provide the best possible service to students, faculty and staff at Boston College.” –University Communications
CSOM’s Field Wins High Honor Carroll School of Management Associate Professor Joy Field has received the highest honor bestowed by the Decision Sciences Institute (DSI), a global society of more than 1,800 scholars dedicated to fostering knowledge that improves managerial decisions. A member of the Operations Management faculty, Field was named the 2018 co-recipient of the Dennis E. Grawoig Distinguished Service Award, named for a founder of the 50-year-old institute. She and her co-honoree, Morgan Swink of Texas Christian University, received their award at the DSI annual conference in Chicago in November. This is a “highly competitive distinction” awarded to those who have made a “continual impact on the Institute and the disciplines” it serves, said the organization’s president, Johnny Rungtusanatham of Ohio State University. “DSI has been a major contributor to all aspects of my professional development—publishing, teaching, and service— and I am delighted to have been chosen to receive this award from among the many colleagues who have also contributed so much to DSI,” said Field, whose two decades of involvement in the institute have included roles as associate editor of Decision Sciences Journal, the institute’s flagship journal, as well as vice president and presi-
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Carroll School Among Top 10 in Undergrad Business Schools Survey The Carroll School of Management was ranked among the top 10 Best Undergraduate Business Schools by Poets&Quants, a website and social network that offers information, resources, and advice on undergraduate business school education. Appearing for the first time in the Poets&Quants rankings, which debuted in 2016, the Carroll School placed ninth out of the 88 schools included in the survey. The rankings are based on an equal weighing of admission standards, academic experience, and employment outcomes from data specific to each business program, rather than the university to which it is attached. The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School was first in the rankings, followed by the University of Virginia Mc-
Intire School of Commerce, Washington University Olin Business School, University of Michigan Ross School of Business, and the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame. One particular asset for the Carroll School was “a strong and engaged alumni presence,” according to Poets&Quants: Survey respondents gave high marks to the school’s alumni network and connections, and the accessibility and willingness of Carroll School alumni in helping students connect with potential employers; only the Mendoza College reported higher rates of satisfaction in those two areas. For more about the rankings, see poetsandquantsforundergrads.com. —University Communications
Pitt-Catsouphes Named AASWSW Fellow Boston College School of Social Work Professor Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes has been named a fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) for her distinguished accomplishments as a scholar and practitioner. Pitt-Catsouphes has devoted her career to studying factors that affect the employment experiences of vulnerable populations. She founded the Work and Family Research Network, which has evolved into the premier, multi-disciplinary research association for a range of work-family issues. She also cofounded and served as director of the Center on Aging & Work at Boston College, which conducts research and promotes the quality
of employment for older adults. Pitt-Catsouphes also co-founded the Center for Social Innovation, which has conducted studies and has gathered data about the engagement of non-profits in social innovation initiatives, and established the Social Innovation Lab at Boston College which worked with non-profits and supports their social innovation initiatives. Pitt-Catsouphes will be inducted into the academy during this week’s Society for Social Work and Research Annual Conference, joining BCSSW faculty members James E. Lubben, Kevin Mahoney, Ruth McRoy, and David Takeuchi as AASWSW Fellows. –University Communications
USA Northeast Province Posts Names of Jesuits Accused of Abuse
Assoc. Prof. Joy Field (CSOM).
dent of the DSI Northeast region. Field’s research has focused on the design and management of processes to improve operations, which dovetails closely with the institute’s mission to improve decision making about such matters as operations performance. In 1998, she won DSI’s doctoral dissertation competition, and three years later received the organization’s Best Theoretical/Empirical Paper Award. —William Bole, Carroll School of Management
The USA Northeast Province of Jesuits this week posted on its website [www.jesuitseast. org] the names of Jesuits and former Jesuits, living or deceased, with one or more credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors in its territory since 1950. The province released the names, it said, as part of its commitment to “prevent abuse and contribute to the process of restoring trust.” The list includes two Jesuits who worked at Boston College more than 70 years ago. The alleged incidents involving the two Jesuits, now deceased, did not occur while they were assigned to Boston College. Joseph Fox, S.J., taught at Boston College before ordination between 1931 and 1934, and then returned as a priest from 1939-1943. Misconduct claims were raised against him in 2012 regarding incidents that occurred in 1956-1957. He died in 1988. Joseph McInnes, S.J., was at Boston College between 1946 and 1947, and left the Society of Jesus in 1950, but remained a priest. Allegations were raised in the 2000s regarding conduct between the 1960s and
1980s. He died in 1986. The posting noted that since 2002, when the Catholic Church established the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, the Northeast Province has developed clear procedures to respond to allegations of sexual abuse of minors brought against its members: “Our awareness of the nature and effect of abuse of minors has changed dramatically over the years. We are diligent in investigating all accusations of abuse of a minor, and we do not allow anyone with a credible allegation to engage in public ministry. We recognize now our failures of the past in this regard, and we are deeply sorry.” The statement also urged those who may have been abused by a Jesuit or a province employee to contact Kristin Austin, Victim Assistance Coordinator for the Northeast Province, at 443-370-6357, or write to the USA Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus, 39 East 83rd Street, New York, NY 10028. —University Communications
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January 17, 2019
Connell School’s Lee Presents Talk at NIH BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
Connell School of Nursing Professor and Associate Dean for Research Christopher Lee provided an overview of his innovative approach to the study of chronic illness—what he calls “biobehavioral profiling”—before an audience of prominent science and health care professionals at a recent event held at the National Institutes of Health. A cardiovascular nurse scientist, Lee uses biobehavioral profiling to look at patterns in clinical characteristics to help identify subgroups of patients who have different experiences and could potentially benefit from different therapies. “A lot of the science focuses on persons with heart failure, for example. But there’s no one-size-fits-all intervention. Not everyone’s experience is the same,” said Lee in an interview after the lecture. “We are getting much more precise about the way we think about chronic illness, the way [patients] experience it, and then potentially what we can do to make [patients’] lives better living with it.” Lee gave his lecture, “Integrative Biobehavioral Research in Heart Failure,” as part of the prestigious National Institute of Nursing Research Director’s Lecture Series, which brings the nation’s top nurse scientists to the NIH campus in Bethesda, Md., where they present their work to an interdisciplinary audience consisting of NIH
Connell School of Nursing Professor and Associate Dean for Research Christopher Lee on his use of biobehavioral profiling: “There’s no one-size-fits-all intervention. Not everyone’s experience is the same.” photo by lee pellegrini
intramural scientists, leaders of other NIH institutes, grant program officers, physicians, nurses, and other clinicians. “I was honored and humbled to be asked to give this NINR Director’s Series talk,” said Lee, a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, American Heart Association, and the Heart Failure Society of America. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to bring some attention to the Connell School of Nursing. There are many people at the school who are generating great science and practicing and leading great interdisciplinary research. I was very honored to do this on behalf of the school.” Lee’s talk focused on his program of research on chronic illness, which has three dimensions: self-management, symptom science, and dyadic science. Self-management involves what people living with chronic conditions can do to improve their own outcomes, from diet and exercise to medication compliance and responding to signs of change more quickly. Symptom science is the connection between things that can be measured about the human body and the experience of living with the condition. Often, according to Lee, there is a disconnect between the biological measures and how the patient actually feels. Dyadic science looks at the management of chronic illness within a family context, whether it’s a couple or older adult with an adult child. Lee and Connell School Associate Professor Karen Lyons have generated the
Theory of Dyadic Illness Management. In an article published last year in the Journal of Family Nursing, Lee and Lyons contend that illness management is a dyadic, interdependent phenomenon and said clinicians should optimize the health of both members of the dyad. The patient and care partner should be seen as a unit and their appraisal of the illness, their behaviors to manage the illness, and their health are all interconnected. The emergence of the critical part played by care partners in treating people with chronic conditions is a significant change in perspective, according to Lee. “I am a nurse and the way I was trained was very patient-focused, to take care of people individually. Our health care system is set up to focus on the one person who is there with a compliant or illness.” But he said there is “growing awareness that we have to consider the health of the person living with the illness and the health of the care partner equally.” Lee also took the opportunity during his lecture to highlight the work of four trainees. He said that generated a lot of interest and questions from the audience on what makes a good scientific mentor. “To mentor somebody well, you have to be mentored to do it,” said Lee. “I’m someone who benefitted tremendously from interdisciplinary mentoring. But mentoring is a learned process, a skill set that has to be developed.”
Saint Columbkille Endowment Fund Named for BC Alumnus BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
Through the generosity of Boston College benefactors Robert ’60 and Judy Winston, an endowment fund, named in honor of longtime member and former chair of the Saint Columbkille Partnership School Board of Trustees Peter McLaughlin ’59, has been established to supplement existing financial aid for families whose children seek to attend the pre-K-8 Catholic school in Brighton. Founded in 1901, Saint Columbkille (STCPS) has partnered with BC, Saint Columbkille Parish, and the Boston Archdiocese since 2006 to provide additional resources for a new national model of excellence in Catholic early childhood, elementary, and middle school education. Last March, the Lynch School of Education designated STCPS a laboratory school to enhance opportunities for student-teacher training, educational research, and professional development. “We are very grateful to the Winstons for their most generous donation in Peter’s name,” said STCPS Head of School William Gartside. “Bob and Judy, who were initial donors to our school, are passionate about Catholic education in our community, and we sincerely thank them for significantly ad-
vancing our mission.” For the past eight years, McLaughlin, now STCPS chair emeritus, a fellow in the Office of the President at BC, and former interim executive director of the BC Alumni Association, was instrumental in generating funds to support families in need of tuition assistance. Each year, STCPS raises more than $600,000 for student financial aid to remain true to the school’s mission to provide high quality Catholic education to all, regardless of their economic status. “No students are denied admission to STCPS due to an inability to pay,” noted Gartside. “Peter’s fundraising skill and deep commitment were essential to the school’s growth and development. We are very proud of what we have been able to accomplish during the past 12 years, including increasing enrollment from 175 to more than 400, and our students consistently performing well above the national average on all testing measures.” Robert Winston is a retired senior vice president and director of Capital Group subsidiary American Funds Distributors LLC, a Los Angeles-based mutual fund family. A Dedham native, he served as a BC trustee for three years and received BC’s most prestigious alumni honor, the William V. McKenney Award, and the James F. Cleary Master
Peter McLaughlin ’59, far right, at a reception in his honor held last month at Saint Columbkille Partnership School, with (L-R) Saint Columbkille Board Chair Patricia Casey, Head of School William Gartside, and Boston College President William P. Leahy, S.J. photo by rose lincoln
Fund Raising Award. Judy Winston is a graduate of Merrimack College and taught in high schools in Massachusetts and California. In the spring of 2006, the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics, housed within BC’s Carroll School of Management, was founded through the Winstons’ largesse. The center engages students, faculty, staff, and alumni in the intellectual exploration of leadership and ethics in business and society. Said Winston, “My wife Judy and I wanted to honor Peter and create a permanent tribute to him for his outstanding commitment to and energy on behalf of the school, and for quarterbacking the campaign to ful-
fill the vision of [Boston College President] William Leahy, S.J., for Saint Columbkille as a highly respected and acclaimed model of Catholic K-8 education. We challenged the BC community to match our dollars, and we’re very happy that they’ve achieved it.” “I can’t thank Bob and Judy Winston enough for their generosity and initiative in establishing an endowment in my name for financial aid at St. Columbkille School,” said McLaughlin. “This endowment will further the mission of our school to provide a top-notch Catholic education in a caring and supportive environment for needy students.”
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January 17, 2019
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Margot Connell Namesake for New Rec Center Continued from page 1
Connell Family Recreation Center to honor the whole family and complement the Connell School of Nursing, named after her late husband and former Trustee William F. Connell ’59. In the end, the Connell siblings won out. “Mom attributes a lot of our family’s good fortune to our time at Boston College,” said Bill Connell, a partner at High Road Capital Partners in New York City and member of the BC Board of Trustees. “Having witnessed firsthand the impact the BC experience has had on our entire family, she wanted to do something to further enhance the student experience, and felt that the recreation center was a great way to do so. As a parent, athlete, and sports fan, she was thrilled to help BC enhance its recreational offerings through this new facility. She deserves to have the building bear her name. We could not be more proud of her.” “It is a perfect fit to have our mother’s name on something that epitomizes fitness, health, and wellness,” said Lisa McNamara. “Our mother loves BC and everything about it. She tailgates with us, and sits in the stands at every football game. Her grandkids’ friends call her ‘Nana,’ because she takes such an interest in them and their experience as students. It is a wonderful tribute to have her name on a recreational facility that will serve the entire campus. I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more.” Added Monica Healey, “The Margot Connell Recreation Center is a testament to a family’s fierce loyalty for all that is Boston College. I love that my mother will share with my father the distinction of having her name grace something so important to BC. Having parents who regularly demonstrated the significance of family, faith, and education is a gift, one that will sustain a legacy for the Connell family well into the future.” The Margot Connell Recreation Center will feature an aquatics center with lap and
Architectural rendering of the Margot Connell Recreation Center, slated to open this summer.
instructional pools, a gymnasium for basketball, volleyball, badminton, fencing and general recreation, indoor jogging track, tennis courts, spin studio, climbing wall, mindbody studio, and fitness neighborhoods where guests can pursue their own workout routines. It is double the size of the 47-year old Flynn Recreation Center, and will provide an additional 60,000 square feet of usable program space. An avid golfer and sports enthusiast who has observed many of BC’s most memorable sports moments alongside her family, Connell said she chose to fund the recreation center to provide an outlet for today’s students engaged in the rigorous demands of a BC education. “I truly believe athletics and academics go hand-in-hand, and that fitness and recreation lead to a healthier lifestyle,” said Connell. “I grew up in a sports-minded family where everyone played sports, watched
sports, and talked sports. This custom continues today with my immediate family. This beautiful facility will enhance the sense of community and camaraderie that is ever present on the Boston College campus. This recreation center is so much more than just a workout facility. It’s a place to meet up with friends; join a team; be a part of something; have fun. I have faith that this recreation center will be a place to enhance the body, mind, and spirit.” Director of Campus Recreation Caitriona Taylor said that the recreation center will have a transformative effect on the Boston College campus, providing state-of-the-art facilities to be used by students, faculty and administrators, as well as BC’s 27 club sports and 997 intramural teams. “The Margot Connell Recreation Center will be a key gathering space for students and the entire BC community,” said Taylor. “It is a place where we will care for our physical fitness, but also for each other,
reinforcing the values of teamwork and collaboration that are at the heart of the BC experience.” In a university where many buildings bear the surname of past Jesuit presidents, the Margot Connell Recreation Center is the first major building constructed on campus to be named for a female benefactor. “It is a strong and nurturing building, which epitomizes Margot Connell,” said Taylor. “That it will help to cultivate a commitment to health and wellness and an active lifestyle among BC students is a fitting symbol and appropriate tribute to its namesake.” A native of Ossining, NY, Connell attended Michigan State University and taught math and science in New York and California. Most recently, she served as chair of the Advisory Board of Connell Limited Partnerships, a company founded by her late husband, and as a convening co-chair of Boston College’s Light the World campaign. In addition to her support of Boston College, she established the Connell Nursing Research Scholars Program and the Connell Ethics Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Institute for Patient Care and, along with her husband, funded the Connell and O’Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, and the Connell Family Fund for Melanoma Vaccine Development at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “Margot Connell is such an inspiration to all of us at Boston College,” said Senior Vice President for University Advancement Jim. Husson. “In all that she has done as a trustee, volunteer, philanthropist, BC parent, and grandparent, Margot’s priority has always been our students. So it’s especially fitting that BC’s new recreation center, a building made possible thanks to Margot’s generosity and perhaps the most studentoriented space on our campus, will now bear her name.”
Grant Aids BC Psychologist’s Research on Regulation of Memories BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER
An examination of the successful regulation of negative emotional memories—efforts which could eventually aid individuals with such affective disorders as post-traumatic stress or depression—is under way in the Boston College lab of Assistant Professor of Psychology Maureen Ritchey. The new study by Ritchey, whose research focuses on the psychology and neuroscience of human memory, is aided by a prestigious 2018 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. She is investigating cognitive reappraisal, a strategy that has been associated with mental health improvements. Negative memories have a powerful influence on current emotional states, and controlling the way individuals remember certain events could help treat their depressive symptoms, Ritchey explains. “So far, our lab has primarily focused
Maureen Ritchey
photo by lee pellegrini
on the brain processes supporting episodic memory—memory for a specific event in time—and how memories for emotionally significant experiences are different from memories for everyday experiences. “In this project, we’re tackling a new
question: How do memory processes support our ability to regulate our emotions? Specifically, we’re interested in how people can change the way that they feel about the past by using different types of regulation strategies while they recall a negative memory.” Ritchey is interested in how cognitive reappraisal may reactivate the brain’s hippocampus to modify memories in a lasting way, and will analyze functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data to measure this brain activity while study participants retrieve emotional and neural memories. “Because we’re interested in the basic mechanisms supporting this process, our project will focus on healthy young adults recalling videos that we’ve shown them in a controlled laboratory setting. “I’m excited about the potential clinical significance of this work: Our basic science will help to inform future research on memory-focused interventions that could help individuals with affective disorders such as
depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress,” she says. NARSAD Young Investigator Grants, which provide recipients with up to $35,000 per year for two years, cover a broad spectrum of mental illnesses and serve as catalysts for additional funding, providing researchers with “proof of concept” for their work. The program’s goal is to help promising early-career researchers in neuroscience and psychiatry and gather pilot data to apply for larger grants. [NARSAD refers to National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia & Depression, the original name of the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.] Ritchey teaches Cognitive Neuroscience, a research practicum in Cognitive Neuroscience Methods, and The Hippocampus. She was named a “Rising Star” in 2015 by the Association for Psychological Science, a designation which recognizes researchers whose innovative work has already advanced the field and signals potential for continued contributions.
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January 17, 2019
‘A Living Tribute to Heroism,’ Now in English Shrayer helps publish new edition of his father’s novel about the Jewish exodus from the USSR BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER
A major work of late 20th-century Russian and Jewish literature—the first novel to depict the experience of the Jewish exodus from the former USSR—has been released for the first time in English: Doctor Levitin, edited by bilingual author and scholar Maxim D. Shrayer, a Boston College professor of Russian, English, and Jewish studies, who also oversaw the translation and contributed a commentary. First published in Israel in 1986, with three subsequent Russian editions, the work was written by Shrayer’s father, David Shrayer-Petrov: a well-known contemporary Russian-American writer and medical scientist. The first in Shrayer-Petrov’s trilogy of novels about the struggle of Soviet Jews and the destinies of refuseniks, Doctor Levitin draws on the personal plight of his Jewish-Russian family. “My father’s novel is a living tribute to the heroism and self-sacrifice of Jewish refuseniks, whose children and grandchildren have become proud new Americans and new Israelis,” said Shrayer, who translated
Snapshot
BC Professor Maxim D. Shrayer with his father, David Shrayer-Petrov.
the work with University of New Hampshire professors Arna B. Bronstein and Aleksandra Fleszar. “Over the past 10 years, I have been privileged to work jointly with two marvelous and dedicated translators on ‘Englishing’ this saga about the Jewish exodus from the USSR.” A significant contribution to the works of translated literature available in English, Doctor Levitin is a panoramic portrayal of the Soviet Union during the late 1970s and PHOTO BY PETER JULIAN
Exploring Religious Identity
Phan Ngoc Minh, a renowned independent artist from Vietnam who spent last semester as a Visiting Fellow of the Boston College Jesuit Institute, with some of the works he displayed at a Dec. 14 event in the Corcoran Commons Heights Room. Minh has studied the religious heritage of the ancient Champa civilization, and his paintings of Champa icons bring back the religious treasure of a forgotten civilization of Vietnam. During his time at BC, he explored many aspects of the University’s religious heritage, and presented his observations and appreciation of its Catholic identity.
photo by karen lasser
early 1980s, when the USSR invaded Afghanistan and Soviet Jews fought for their right to emigrate. Conceived by ShrayerPetrov soon after he had been become a refusenik in 1979, the book “focuses on one of the most turbulent and tragic periods in the post-World World II Jewish and Russian history,” explained Shayer, who was born in Moscow in 1967 and spent nearly nine years as a refusenik with his parents before the family left the USSR for the
United States in 1987. The novel’s protagonist, Doctor Herbert Levitin, is a professor of medicine in Moscow whose non-Jewish wife comes from the Russian peasantry. Shrayer-Petrov documents the unbreachable contradictions of the Levitins’ mixed marriage, which becomes an allegory of Jewish-Russian history. The antisemitism of the Soviet regime forces them to seek emigration. Denied permission, the family is forced into the existence of refuseniks and outcasts, which leads to their destruction and Doctor Levitin’s final act of defiance and revenge on the Soviet system. “Almost 300,000 Jews left the former Soviet Union from 1970-1988. Russia didn’t let her Jews go without having first subjecting them to targeted repressions and disenfranchisement,” said Shrayer. “Tens of thousands of Jewish refuseniks were made pariahs and herded into a political ghetto. “As a child and raw youth living with my parents through almost nine years of refuseniks’ limbo, I witnessed the inception and composition of my father’s refusenik saga. Its publication in English translation bears special significance not only because it fills a gap in our understanding of modern Jewish history and culture. It also transforms the refuseniks’ collective experience into an American story.” A symposium and book launch to mark the English-language publication of Doctor Levitin will take place April 16 in Devlin 101. See https://bit.ly/2CqaYYG.
Board of Regents Welcomes New Members, Sets Agenda for 2019 The Boston College Board of Regents, formed in 2017 to advise the University President and Board of Trustees on strategic priorities and matters essential to the University’s future, recently held its annual meeting to welcome new members, hear reports of board activities, and set goals for the coming year. The Board of Regents, led by Trustees Vice Chair John Fish, provides opportunities for alumni, current and former BC parents, and friends of BC to serve as University ambassadors and thought leaders. Regents, who convene on campus once a year, are selected on the basis of their professional, charitable, and civic pursuits, and for their capacity to bring diverse and unique perspectives to the work of the University. They are expected to experience and model practices of reflection and discernment, and to prioritize philanthropic support of the University’s current-use needs as well as significant longer-term commitments. At its 2018 meeting, the board added 13 new members to bring its total membership to 94. Two members, Kevin Smart and Jon Rather, were appointed to the University Board of Trustees. In addition to participating in periodic conference calls and off-campus experiences
that enrich their learning and demonstrate the vibrancy of the Boston College community around the world, regents serve on advisory committees, each working with a senior administrator or academic leader and focused on a priority area of the University. One committee, on Entrepreneurship and Innovation, completed its charge during the first year and presented its recommendations at the annual meeting. Three other committees—Integrated Science and Society, Formation, and Global Engagement—are continuing their work this year, and two others have been formed: Leadership Development and Financial Aid. During the past year, regents served as speakers, hosts, and conveners for Boston College around the world, including for a visit to Asia this past fall by University President William P. Leahy, SJ. A small group of regents also attended an Ignatian Pilgrimage in Spain last June, accompanied by Fr. Leahy, Vice President for University Mission and Ministry Jack Butler, SJ, and Vice President and University Secretary Casey Beaumier, SJ. The Board of Regents membership list is available on the Boston College Trustees webpage [www.bc.edu/bc-web/about/trustees]. –University Communications
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January 17, 2019
WELCOME ADDITIONS
BC in the Media
An Introduction to New Faculty at Boston College William AttwoodCharles
Visiting Assistant Professor for the Core Curriculum, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
DEGREES:
Westminster College (BS); Boston College (MA, PhD)
WHAT HE STUDIES:
Social theory; political economy; economic sociology; organizations and work. WHAT HE’S TEACHING: From #BlackLivesMatter to #MeToo (Lab); What Can Machines Do? Automation in Society; Social Movements; The Craft of Ethnography.
What effects can new technologies (AI, digitization, automation) have on people in the workplace?
“New technologies have the potential to reshape the way many people work, but I’m skeptical of predictions of a totally automated future. Even the sophisticated algorithms that power contemporary AI, like Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, are powered by the hidden interpretive labor of humans who tediously label audio, video, and pictures, thereby feeding the machine usable information. Past research on automation has found that it often involves a dual process of upskilling and deskilling, with some work becoming more intellectually demanding, while other work is made rote. I think much of the anxiety around the current wave of AI and automation has to do with these technologies being applied to non-industrial, white-collar occupations that were previously believed to be immune from technological disruption. However, as previous research also demonstrates, technologies can be adapted to new contexts and implemented in a variety of ways, with various implications for workers and society more generally. The effects of new technologies are therefore just as much political as they are about economics and engineering.”
Jonathan Krones Visiting Assistant Professor for the Core Curriculum, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
DEGREES:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, PhD); Columbia
University (MS)
WHAT HE STUDIES: Industrial ecology; Waste accounting.
WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Environmental Crisis: Sustainability and The Future; Alternative Energy; Powering America
What is “societal metabolism” and what can we learn from it?
“‘Societal metabolism’ is an analogical model for thinking about the material and resource requirements and environmental burdens of human systems. Like the biological antecedent, cities, firms, and even whole countries ‘ingest’ nutrients in the form of fuels, construction minerals, and agricultural products, transform them to satisfy a variety of societal aims, and ‘excrete’ what remains back into the environment in the form of air and water pollution and solid waste. By better quantifying these material flows, we are establishing a whole-systems view that can reveal new solutions for meeting human needs that are fundamentally more environmentally sustainable than the present.”
Betty S. Lai Assistant Professor, Lynch School of Education and Human Development Columbia University (BA); Pace University (MST); University of Miami (PhD) WHAT SHE STUDIES: Youth exposed to stressors (e.g., disasters, war, peer victimization) and how these relate to subsequent psychological distress symptoms (post-traumatic stress, depression, anxiety), health behaviors (sedentary activity, physical activity, diet), and health outcomes (cardiovascular risk factors, blood pressure). WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: The Impact of Psychosocial Issues on Learning
Why study children’s reactions to disasters?
“Disasters, especially weather-related calamities such as floods, are increasing in frequency and intensity. Children who are exposed to disasters may exhibit significant signs of distress. This distress has the potential to interfere with children’s functioning in school, at home, and with friends.”
–Phil
Gloudemans, Ed Hayward, Kathleen Sullivan, Sean Smith
photos by lee pellegrini
Jan. 30 Symposium Will Launch Name Change for Lynch School schools of education by U.S. News & World Report, and first among Catholic schools of education. The Jan. 30 symposium, which takes place at 4 p.m. in the Yawkey Center’s Murray Family Function Room, will feature Lynch School faculty members Belle Liang, a professor of counseling psychology; Eric Dearing, a professor of applied developmental and educational psychology; and Rebecca Lowenhaupt, an associate professor in the Educational Leadership &
WBZ TV-CBS Boston ran a segment on UniMarkit, an app that connects students seeking to buy items with other students seeking to sell, which was founded by Class of 2018 graduates Mark Dimeglio, Teddy Burns, and Zack Wilner of the Carroll School of Management with Joe Taveras ’18 and Michael Thomas ’19—being interviewed above—of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.
DEGREES:
“The name enhancement reflects our faculty strengths and substantial research and teaching expertise in counseling and developmental psychology, an academic area not formally recognized in our school’s name until now.” –Lynch School Dean Stanton Wortham
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Higher Education Department. The panelists will discuss the Lynch School’s research on social contexts of development, how that research informs practice, and how the resulting lessons contribute to strengthening community and fostering justice. “We look forward to introducing our new name and hosting the symposium during an afternoon of celebration,” said Wortham. “It will be a great day for the Lynch School of Education and Human Development.”
Since Social Security was devised for an era when the nature of family and employment patterns were totally different, it’s time for an update, wrote Carroll School of Management Drucker Professor Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research, in The Wall Street Journal. Boston College Law School Distinguished Scholar Mary Ann Chirba spoke with The Boston Globe about federal judge’s ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. Chicago guitarist and singer-songwriter Otis Rush set the standard for the slow blues in his life as well as in his music, according to Prof. Carlo Rotella (English), writing for the annual “The Lives They Lived” issue of the New York Times Magazine. America’s workers deserve a tax system that creates a level playing field for manufacturing in the U.S., wrote Kenealy Professor of Law James Repetti in an op-ed for The Hill. Assoc. Prof. of the Practice Sam Richardson (Economics) was interviewed by WBUR News on the impact of state health care developments in 2018. Asst. Prof. Jeremy Shakun (Earth and Environmental Sciences) discussed the discovery of a recent Antarctic ice sheet collapse and the probability of a new global flood, in interviews with Science Magazine, USA Today, and International Business Times. U.S. media is often clueless about foreignlanguage journalism funded by its own government, contended Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences faculty member Martha Bayles in a piece for the American Interest.
Assoc. Prof. of the Practice Natana J. Delong-Bas (Theology) offered her views on
the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia for New England Cable News’ “The Take.” Asst. Prof. Cal Halvorsen (BCSSW) offered comments to Forbes magazine on the challenges and pitfalls of starting a business after age 50. Assoc. Prof. Priya Lal (History) contributed video commentary to an Al Jazeera report on the removal of a statue of Mahatma Ghandi from the University of Ghana campus following faculty and student complaints that the Indian independence leader was racist toward black Africans.
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, Annual and Leadership Giving, University Advancement Assistant/Associate Director of Annual Giving, BC Law School Senior Data Analyst, University Advancement Development Assistant, Marketing and Participation, University Advancement Chef Manager, Dining Services, Dining & Catering/Auxiliary/Public Safety Student Services Associate, Academic Affairs/Provost Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Academic Affairs/Provost Electronic Resources Access and Discovery Librarian, Academic Affairs/Provost
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January 17, 2019
BC Global
‘MENA’ Becoming Popular Destination for BC Students Gifts fund fellowships that inspire BC undergrads, alumni to explore Arab societies and the Islamic world BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
It was just 12 degrees above freezing in Boston on Nov. 28 when Kyle Costa ’20 shared his story of studying Arabic at the American University of Beirut’s Center for Arab and Middle Eastern Studies this past summer, where daytime temperatures consistently hovered in the 80s—both then and now. Nonetheless, he quickly warmed to his topic during the “Student Panel on Research and Study in the Middle East” in McGuinn Hall, an annual event cosponsored by the Islamic Civilization and Societies Program and the Office of International Programs. Costa, who is studying Islamic Civilization and Societies and political science in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, was awarded Mizna and Omar A. Aggad Travel and Research fellowships for his Arabic language study in Beirut. While there, he volunteered to aid Syrian refugees and wrote a report, “A Summer in Beirut: Change, Hope and Confusion.” Summing up his Beirut experiences and his impressions of the city, Costa said, “Beirut shines on its own; a place swirling with problems as vibrant as its diversity, and enigmatic in the most beautiful way.” The fellowships that supported Costa and his fellow student panelists were established through gifts from Boston College alumni and friends to inspire BC graduates and undergraduates to expand their understanding of Arab societies and the Islamic world. Fellowship recipients write reports on their experiences abroad; these are available online through the Islamic Civilization and Societies website at http://bit.ly/icsstudent-news. The number of BC students studying within the Islamic world—through BC and approved external programs—has steadily hit double digits of late, with more
BC Scenes
(L-R) Rebecca Reilly ’19, Sarya Baladi ’19, and Kyle Costa ’20 discussed their experiences in the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region. The number of Boston College students studying within the Islamic world has been growing steadily. photo by hannah cazzetta
than 20 students learning, interning, and conducting research in the region this past summer and during the 2018-19 academic year, according to Christina D. Hatzipetros, OIP associate director for health & safety and communications. “I think the reason there’s so much interest in the MENA region [Middle East and North Africa] is that it’s intrinsically an interesting place with a rich history and tradition of hospitality and generosity,” said Political Science Professor of the Practice Kathleen T. Bailey, co-director of the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program. “However, it was such a foreign place for so long and largely so misunderstood that students didn’t consider studying there, but
PHOTOS BY LEE PELLEGRINI
Endeavor
Endeavor, Boston College’s annual career exploration program for sophomores pursuing a liberal arts degree, took place Jan. 9-11, featuring a keynote address by Ariel Belgraves ’11, a senior project manager at Facebook. Over the course of three days, students reflected on their skills and interests during workshops, practiced networking with alumni, faculty, and staff, and took a “career trek” to various Boston companies and organizations. [Read more about Endeavor at www.bc.edu/endeavor.]
now that we have an ICS program, and a long list of students who traveled there, it’s become much more desirable. “Our students are more curious and willing to explore outside of their comfort zone than ever before,” added Bailey, who has organized and led numerous MENA study-abroad experiences. “They can have an immersive experience in the language and culture, and really feel that they are experiencing something different and unfamiliar, which broadens their horizons. Plus, we offer several fellowships for travel, research, and language immersion that make it financially possible for students to go. “ Senior Rebecca Reilly, also an Aggad Fellowship recipient, used her Arabic skills
to conduct preliminary research for her Scholar of the College thesis on the Third Crusade, an attempt by European Christian leaders to reconquer the Holy Land in 1187. “I studied at the Qasid Institute for Arabic in Amman, Jordan, and simultaneously used my Arabic skills for my research,” said Reilly, a history and International Studies major. “The Aggad Fellowship has been invaluable in giving me the language skills to access historical sources I could not have otherwise.” The third panelist, Islamic Civilization and Societies major Sarya Baladi ’19, was an Aggad Fellow for her 2017 summer study in Beirut, where she studied Lebanon’s Syrian refugee crisis and volunteered with Jusoor (“bridges”), a non-profit refugee education program, in addition to completing the Arabic Language and Culture course at the American University of Beirut. “The course is designed for Arabic learners from around the world to immerse themselves in an Arabic and Lebanese environment,” said Baladi. “The program also has a strong emphasis on exploring the culture, including multiple lectures about Middle East society, art, and politics, Lebanese movie screenings, and outings in Beirut, as well as trips to Byblos, the Chouf and the Beqaa region. AUB is one of the region’s most prestigious universities, and they made sure that all students felt welcome and safe in and outside their gates. “ Costa provided a coda for the event by quoting the late chef, author, and travel documentarian Anthony Bourdain, whom he said was an inspirational figure: “‘Travel isn’t always pretty; it isn’t always comfortable; sometimes it hurts, [and] even breaks your heart, but that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. You take something with you; hopefully you leave something good behind.’”