The Boston College
Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs december 4, 2014 VOL. 22 no. 7
•Fine Arts faculty member helping Sudanese send a message, page 2 •New digs for Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center, page 2
•Photo: BCTalks, page 2 •Encouraging signs for LSOE-Russell School partnership, page 3 •First Research and Scholarship Day to be held Dec. 11, page 3 •Photo: Accolades for Michael Resler, page 3
•Helping students understand immigration issues, page 4 •New leadership for BC’s center for participant-directed services, page 5 •Photo: International Prom, page 5 •Q&A: BC Jesuit Community Rector Fr. Keane, page 6 •BC’s Global Health Program, page 6 •Welcome Additions: new faculty members, page 7 •“Come to the Table” exhibit, page 8
•Photo gallery: Time of celebration at the Heights, page 8
By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
How the new McMullen Museum of Art at 2101 Commonwealth Avenue will look when completed in 2016. (Image courtesy of DiMella Shaffer Associates)
New Home for McMullen
Gift will enable University’s art museum to move to roomier quarters on Brighton Campus By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer
The McMullen Museum of Art, which has offered world-class exhibitions in Devlin Hall since 1993, will soon occupy a new and enlarged space on Boston College’s Brighton Campus. Thanks to a lead gift to the “Light the World” campaign from the McMullen Family Foundation, construction is now underway at 2101 Commonwealth Avenue for a new McMullen Museum of Art, located in the former residence of Boston’s Cardinal Archbishop. The new venue, projected to be
completed in 2016, includes more than 26,000 gross-square feet of space and nearly doubles the current exhibition area in Devlin. “We are grateful to the McMullen family for their contribution, which will provide a wonderful resource for Boston College and the region,” said Senior Vice President for Advancement James Husson. “The new museum will be a welcome addition to the BC campus,” he said, adding that “there are still a number of naming opportunities available for those interested in supporting this important endeavor.” The McMullen Museum has Continued on page 4
Gabelli Family Foundation Gift Boosts Presidential Scholars Program By Jack Dunn Director of News & Public Affairs
Boston College’s Presidential Scholars Program, which provides an integrated educational experience within the University’s honors program for approximately 72 of BC’s most accomplished students, has been named the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program, as a result of a major gift from the Gabelli Family Foundation. Mario Gabelli, a Boston College trustee and chairman and CEO of GAMCO Investors, has been one of the program’s most generous and ar-
dent supporters since its inception in 1991. The Boston College Wall Street Council, founded in 1986, provides substantial support for the Wall Street Council Presidential Scholarship Fund through its annual dinner in New York City. The Presidential Scholars are also supported by other named scholarships. The Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program each year enrolls a select group of incoming freshmen who are chosen on the basis of academic excellence, demonstrated leadership ability and significant community service. The Scholars enter the honContinued on page 3
QUOTE:
Erik Jacobs
BCSSW’s Sudders Will Be Massachusetts HHS Secretary
INSIDE
Marylou Sudders, an associate professor and chair of the health and mental health program at the Boston College School of Social Work, will join the cabinet of incoming Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker as secretary for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Sudders will officially begin her new post effective Jan. 8, marking a return to public service for the former Massachusetts commissioner of mental health. “The honor of serving the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is just too great to refuse,” said Sudders, interviewed last week in McGuinn Hall. “You don’t apply to become secretary for health and human services, the governor asks you to serve. It is a challenge, to be sure, but also an ideal opportunity to utilize my background and experience in social work. “That said, one of my few regrets about accepting the job is having to leave teaching, and the BC School of Social Work,” added Sudders, who
Marylou Sudders
joined BCSSW as a full-time faculty member in 2012 after teaching on an adjunct basis for five years. “The school is such a wonderful environment, and it’s been a privilege to work with the great caliber of faculty and students who are part of the BCSSW community. I’ve grown and learned a lot here, and my expectation is that EOHHS will be a training and employment site for the school. “My hope is to reach out to BCContinued on page 5
Lochhead Is New Exec. VP By Jack Dunn Director of News & Public Affairs
Boston College has named alumnus Michael J. Lochhead, vice president for administration and finance and treasurer of the College of the Holy Cross, as executive vice president, effective Feb. 9. He succeeds Patrick J. Keating, who is retiring after having served as EVP since 2001. A respected university administrator whose career in higher education began at Boston College as a senior financial analyst in the Controller’s Office in 1995, Lochhead brings a wealth of experience in Jesuit education, including 10 years as the chief financial officer and treasurer at Holy Cross and three years as assistant vice president for business and finance at the University of San Francisco. While at Holy Cross, Lochhead oversaw the departments and divisions of Administrative Services,
Michael J. Lochhead
Auxiliary Services, Finance and Budget, General Counsel, Information Technology Services, Investments, Physical Plant, and Planning and Institutional Research. He was a key contributor to the development of the college’s strategic plan and was directly responsible for the developContinued on page 6
“Returning to the Nuba Mountains was a dream come true, and a life-changing experience. I have learned from the people of Kauda, and those in Yida and Maban refugee camps, as much as I have shared with them. These are people who show courage, dignity and resilience in the face of terror.” –Khalid Kodi, part-time Fine Arts faculty member, page 2
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Chronicle december 4, 2014
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A ROUND
C AMPUS
ART WITH A MESSAGE
The works of Sudanese-American artist Khalid Kodi, a part-time Fine Arts faculty member, have highlighted both the atrocities and dreams of the people in war-affected areas of Sudan. Kodi collaborated with Sudan Democracy First Group (SDFG) over the summer on the “Arts as Resilience” project, to offer art therapy workshops for teachers, social and humanitarian workers at many communities that included Muslims and Christians. The goal was to use local materials in art projects to address the stress and trauma with which bombing survivors – the women, men and children in Sudanese war zones – cope on a daily basis. Kodi traveled to refugee camps in war-affected areas in South Sudan, three months after the government of Sudan launched its “Decisive Summer” operation, intended to end the insurgencies in Darfur, Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan. “Returning to the Nuba Mountains was a dream come true, and a life-changing experience,” said Kodi. “I have learned from the people of Kauda, and those in Yida and Maban refugee camps, as much as I have shared with them. These are people who show courage, dignity and resilience in the face of terror.” More than a quarter of a million refugees inhabit these camps, in addition to camps in Ethiopia. According to the SDFG, refugees have fought with their host communities over scarce resources. As a result, Kodi worked with young people in the camps to produce artwork from recycled and found objects, two-dimensional artwork and environmental art. In Kauda, he organized a fourday workshop attended by more
than 60 women, children and men. Participants under age 10 produced art about their dreams, fears and concerns, while the adults used the language of art to freely express their ideas. When Kodi asked the refugees what they wanted most, they expressed their wish for an end to the bombardment. In response, Kodi created an anti-bombardment campaign called “Stop Bombing Civilians in Sudan.” Kodi worked with community members to identify bombed civilian and religious structures and locations, made signs to advocate the end of violence, and stood in front of them to display these powerful messages – an activity appreciated by those in the bombarded areas, he said. As part of “Arts as Resilience” funding from the SDFG, which aims to empower Sudanese people by working with them to promote democracy in its intersection with peace, justice and human rights, Kodi will produce a short documentary; that project also has support from BC through a grant. Kodi interviewed numerous community and religious leaders. When he visited the Catholic parish founded and run by Bishop Macram Grassis, he interviewed the education coordinator and the media officer, who had witnessed bombings and were bombed several times by the Sudanese government. Kodi may be contacted directly at khalid.kodi@bc.edu. For more information on “Stop Bombing Civilians in Sudan,” see facebook.com/ StopBombingCiviliansinSudan. –Rosanne Pellegrini Read the full version of this story at http://bit.ly/1zuNSaa
Director of NEWS & Public Affairs Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS Patricia Delaney Editor Sean Smith
Contributing Staff Melissa Beecher Ed Hayward Sean Hennessey Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Michael Maloney Photographers Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini
AHANA Student Programs Director Ines Maturana Sendoya cuts the ribbon at the rededication ceremony for the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center.
[African, Hispanic, Asian, Native American], multicultural, multiracial and Options Through Education students,” Sendoya said. “It’s in a more student-friendly location, which will make it easier for them to stop by. There is also much more usable space: We now have dedicated workstations for our students, and there is a lounge where students can do homework, hold meetings or just hang out.” In 1988, then-University President J. Donald Monan, SJ, named the building at 72 College Road, which housed OASP, after Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA, who was renowned for her efforts to encourage diversity and cross-cultural collaborations. Sister Bowman, although terminally ill, attended the
University’s formal dedication of the Sister Thea Bowman AHANA Center in October of 1989, where she was awarded an honorary doctorate in religion; she died the following March. Earlier this year, OASP completed an administrative program review that resulted in the center’s new name and its relocation to Maloney Hall. “We’re also closer to our colleagues in the Student Affairs division,” Sendoya noted. “This will encourage more engagement and collaboration on a regular basis. It’s a very important move for us in many ways.” For more on the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center, see www.bc.edu/ahana. –Sean Smith
Brown Award Candidates Sought
Frank Curran
Fine Arts faculty member Khalid Kodi (at right in BC shirt) this summer, collaborating with Sudan Democracy First Group.
Boston College rededicated the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center at its new location in Maloney Hall on Nov. 13, 25 years after first bestowing Sister Bowman’s name on the headquarters for its efforts to promote diversity in the University community. Julianne Malveaux ’74, MA’76, economist, author, media commentator and Bennett College president emerita, was the featured speaker at the event, at which AHANA Student Programs (OASP) Director Ines Maturana Sendoya helped unveil an oil painting of Sister Bowman commissioned for the new space. Resident Minister Michael Davidson, SJ, led a blessing ceremony that was followed by a Voices of Imani performance. “It was a great day,” said Sendoya last week. “Having Julianne on campus, sharing her experiences and memories as a BC student, was very inspiring. Fr. Davidson and Voices of Imani did a wonderful job in following the example of Sister Bowman, who used song to help bring people together.” The more centralized site and expanded facilities will strengthen the Bowman Center in its continuing mission of “supporting the undergraduate community, with a particular focus on AHANA
Lee Pellegrini
‘A GREAT DAY’
Boston College undergraduates presented lectures on topics ranging from prison reform, tobacco, terrorism to the Ebola crisis at this fall’s “BCTalks” event, held Nov. 17 in the Walsh Hall Function Room. BCTalks [www.bctalks.org], modeled after the popular TEDTalks series, enables undergraduates to share their research, knowledge and interests in a social setting. The program was established three years ago by Education for Students by Students. This edition of BCTalks featured: Alis Dicpinigaitis ’17, “Exploring the Frontier of Tobacco Alternatives”; Kalyn Wiese ’18, “Redefining Beauty”; Andrew Hawkins ’16, “Ethical Questions Regarding the Ebola Response” [in photo above]; Mergim Bajraliu ’17, “Road to Recovery: What Sandy Hook Taught Me”; Brent LaBrecque ’15, “Kenya’s Arbitrarily Failed Counterterrorism Strategy”; Missa Sangimino ’15, “Our Worst Kept Secret: Solitary Confinement”; Sofia Soroka ’18, “The Optimism Advantage”; and Walter Yu ’16, “Spirituality: A Never-Ending Journey.”
The Boston College
Chronicle www.bc.edu/chronicle chronicle@bc.edu
Nominations are due tomorrow, Dec. 5, for the Dr. Donald Brown Award, which each year honors a senior who has made contributions to the greater AHANA community at Boston College in the areas of leadership, service and academic development. For information and a link to the nomination form, see www.bc.edu/DrBrown.
Schedule Note Chronicle will publish its final edition of the fall semester next Thursday, Dec. 11.
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 News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (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 News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.
A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail. Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.
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Chronicle december 4, 2014
Dec. 11 Event Spotlights Research and Scholarship
Ed Hayward
LSOE Program Seen Aiding Local School
By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
For six years, Lynch School of Education faculty, staff and students have worked closely with the Russell Elementary School in Dorchester, producing a range of innovative programs and supports that are being credited as part of the reason the Russell has risen to new heights of academic achievement. This year, the Russell earned a Level 1 designation from the Boston Public Schools, marking a dramatic rise from its earlier designation as a Level 4 school. Russell School Principal Tamara Blake-Canty has developed an extensive network of partnerships focused on academic achievement, health and wellness and parent and community engagement. She said the school’s work with the Lynch School has had a direct impact on the academics and school culture. “We’re just elated to receive recognition as a Level 1 school for all of the work we’ve done,” said Blake-Canty, who joined the Russell as principal in 2008. “As a staff, we could not have done this without our partners, like BC.” The partnership with the Russell has been spearheaded by the Lynch School’s Office of Urban Outreach Initiatives, which has worked closely with Blake-Canty, teachers and parents to determine what kind of supports make the most sense for the school, said Catherine Wong, the director of the office. “The Lynch School’s approach was to listen and really hear what Tamara felt the needs were for the school, then come back to campus and think that through with the Teacher Education faculty here, with other experts, and determine what would be the best matches of support,” said Wong. The collaboration has included Lynch School faculty Maria Brisk, Patrick Proctor, A.J. Franklin and the recently retired Irwin Blumer. In addition, Donovan Scholars and BC undergraduate education majors have served as student teachers and volunteers at the Russell. Brisk and Proctor have worked with teachers to develop innovative writing, reasoning and language arts curriculum for the school, where more than half of the students are classified as English Language Learners. Franklin worked with BlakeCanty in the development of a community engagement initiative and Blumer, a veteran principal and school superintendent, served as a leadership coach. Russell stu-
Lynch School of Education Director of Urban Outreach Initiatives Catherine Wong, far right, with (L-R) parent Maria Flores, Russell Elementary School Principal Tamara Blake-Canty and parent Jose Flores and the Flores’ sons, Jose Luis and Treyvon.
dents have visited the BC campus as part of a focus on college exploration. BC’s Office of Governmental and Community Affairs and the Department of Athletics HEAR Program further supported the partnership. Blake-Canty said the strength of the partnership with BC and other community organizations is based on a single-minded focus on the needs of the school. “The partners come in knowing that they have to stretch themselves,” she said. Blake-Canty said the school’s next challenge is moving further up within the group of BPS schools classified as Level 1 performers. Ultimately, she wants the Russell in the top 90th percentile of Level 1 schools. Wong said the collaboration will remain focused on the needs of the school. “The next challenge is to sustain
the support, because we know it works,” said Wong. “We’ll continue to work with Tamara to see if there are any gaps. Are there things we can bring back to the Lynch School to consider starting something new? Or do we continue making improvements to our current efforts?” At a recent winter coat and glove giveaway at the school, Maria Flores – the parent of two Russell students – said the school serves its diverse student body by providing a vibrant and caring community with a focus on academic excellence. “My oldest son has been here since he was four and I’ve seen so many changes,” said Flores. “They have been creating partnerships and the school has improved and grown.” Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu
Program Named for Gabelli Continued from page 1 ors program in their selected field of study, where they take part in weekly meetings, cultural events and community service projects during the academic year, as well as service learning, international study and professional internships during the summer. Since the program’s founding, Presidential Scholars have won several prestigious academic awards, including Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, Churchill and Fulbright scholarships. “It is fitting that this program be named in honor of Mario Gabelli, who has been so committed to advancing it over the past 25 years,” said University President William P. Leahy, SJ. “I am grateful to the Gabelli Family Foundation for its generous gift in support of our Presidential Scholars.” Gabelli praised the Presidential Scholars Program as the premier merit scholarship program of its kind, one that focuses on the best of Boston College. “This program gives the students an excellent foundation in academics, leadership skills, and Jesuit values upon which to build their lives,” said Gabelli. “I am pleased that it will continue to provide this unique opportunity for BC students for years to come.”
A summa cum laude graduate of Fordham University, Gabelli holds an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Boston College, the Board of Overseers of Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and the Board of Trustees of Roger Williams University. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of The American-Italian Cancer Foundation and The Foundation for Italian Art & Culture. A trustee of The Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States and the E.L. Wiegand Foundation, he is also a Boston College Wall Street Council Tribute Dinner past co-chair and honoree. “Mario Gabelli has been a supporter of our program since its inception nearly 25 years ago,” said Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program director James Keenan, SJ. “His recent gift supports our program itself, one that trains the scholars of the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program for global leadership. I am very grateful for his continued generosity and assistance and look forward to working all the more closely with Mario.” For further information on the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program, see http://www.bc.edu/centers/psp
The University’s inaugural Advancing Research and Scholarship event next Thursday will focus on global public health by highlighting campus research initiatives as well as broader trends in policy, wellness and health care and threats posed by diseases around the world. “Global Public Health: Policy, Disparity & Disease,” which takes place in the Yawkey Center’s Murray Room, begins with undergraduate research poster sessions at 10:30 a.m. Following a 12:30 p.m. keynote by Mount Sinai School of Medicine Professor Philip J. Landrigan, MD, ’63, will be a series of 15-minute faculty presentations between 2:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. “This will be an annual event that aims to showcase the research and scholarship of Boston College faculty and students by engaging the BC community,” said Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning Thomas Chiles. “Research is one of the ways in which the University fulfills its mission to unite higher education with service to others.” The program has been developed by Chiles’ office, as well as the office of Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. Steward Health Care is the event’s lead sponsor. Chiles said the theme of global public health was a natural choice, given BC’s programmatic and research interests: BC offers the interdisciplinary undergraduate program, Global Public Health, a collaboration between the schools of Education, Nursing, and Social Work. [See story on page 6] “First, there is much interest among faculty and students in global public health,” said Chiles, the DeLuca Professor and Biology Department chairman. “Secondly, we chose global public health as our inaugural theme because of its emphasis on equity in health and health care services worldwide. “Faculty and students across Boston College are also engaged in a range of public health issues such as improving access to health care,
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controlling infectious disease, and addressing the causes and consequences of violence and substance abuse.” The scheduled faculty presenters are: Lynch School of Education Professor Rebekah Levine Coley; Associate Professor of Law Dean Hashimoto; Assistant Professor of Social Work Summer Sherburne Hawkins; Professor of Biology Welkin Johnson; and Peter Canisius Professor James F. Keenan, SJ, director of the Jesuit Institute. Also presenting are: Assistant Professor of Sociology Sara Moorman; Evelyn J. and Robert A. Ferris Professor and Chairman of Physics Michael J. Naughton; Assistant Professor of Social Work Erika Sabbath; Associate Professor of History and African and African Diaspora Studies Program Director Martin Summers; and Assistant Professor of Nursing Melissa Sutherland. “We hope that bringing together a diverse group of faculty and students from various disciplines will act as a catalyst to ignite new collaborations and ideas. This in turn may lead to scholarly works, such as peer-reviewed publications, books, and importantly, new grant proposals,” said Chiles. Chiles called keynote speaker Landrigan “one of the world’s leading advocates of children’s health and a highly credible evidencebased advocate for public health, specifically in his focus on reducing the level of children’s exposure to lead and pesticides and for his participation in the World Health Organization’s global campaign to eradicate smallpox.” The director of the Children’s Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai Hospital, Landrigan is a previous winner of the US Public Health Service Meritorious Service Medal and is a frequent consultant to the World Health Organization. His talk will focus on policy, disparity and disease in global public health. For additional information about Advancing Research and Scholarship, or to confirm attendance, see www. bc.edu/research/research-day.
German Studies Chair and Professor Michael Resler was presented last month with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in recognition of his contributions to US-Germany student exchanges. Read more at http://bit.ly/1HStINp. (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)
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McMullen Museum Will Move to Brighton Campus
Continued from page 1 won critical acclaim from national and international media. In its presentation of groundbreaking retrospectives on renowned artists – such as Edvard Munch, Paul Klee, Georges Rouault, Gustave Courbet, and most recently, Wifredo Lam – the museum, art critics say, provides the Greater Boston community with a close-up and often exclusive view of diverse and outstanding art. The building, designed by Boston architects Maginnis and Walsh and built in 1927 in the Roman Renaissance Revival Style, will feature main galleries on the second floor, with a smaller gallery and support space on the third. The first floor will serve as a University conference center, while its reception rooms will display 19th-century American paintings from the museum’s
a more welcoming and accessible venue with expanded features for members of the community,” said Jacqueline McMullen, whose family’s connection to Boston College spans three generations. “We hope to share the museum’s groundbreaking exhibitions with an even wider audience. “Our hopes are for a university museum that focuses on scholarly research and on educating the next generation of museum goers, curators, and trustees. The McMullen Family Foundation has always had the education of students and the public at large as one of its primary goals. Through this new museum we endeavor to foster a heightened appreciation and enthusiasm for art among BC and other Boston-area students.” Associate Vice President of Capital Projects Management
Since opening in 1993, the McMullen Museum of Art has drawn critical acclaim, and many visitors, for its groundbreaking exhibitions. (2013 photo by Lee Pellegrini)
permanent collection. “With state-of-the-art technology and movable walls, the enlarged galleries of the new museum will allow for greater flexibility to expand and/or mount simultaneous displays,” said McMullen Museum Director and Professor of Art History Nancy Netzer. “These new spaces will provide enhanced opportunities for faculty research to inform exhibitions and student instruction across disciplines, especially in the field of museum studies. The addition will also enhance the visitor experience, inviting even more of the Greater Boston community to participate in our programming,” said Netzer. The new museum is made possible through the support of longtime benefactors and namesakes the late John McMullen, a former Boston College trustee and trustee associate, and his wife, Jacqueline, who shared a deep interest in art and collecting. “The new facility will provide
Mary Nardone said that while the renovation of the building will preserve the exterior façade, there will be an addition of approximately 7,000 square feet to increase its functionality. “Working with the architect DiMella Shaffer Associates and the contractor Consigli Construction, the goal was to create a design that is fitting for the museum, without competing with the special nature of the architecture of the existing building,” said Nardone. The new glass entrance area will provide generous natural light, and “the entry will provide an opportunity for visitors to see beyond the new addition to the formal lawn, while the third floor will include outdoor space that will provide wonderful views of the Brighton Campus,” said Nardone. The McMullen Museum will remain operational in Devlin Hall until the new museum is completed. It will continue to be free and open to the public.
Tools for Greater Understanding Center seeks to offer undergrads context in working with immigrants By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
Boston College undergraduates’ volunteer activities often involve working with immigrants in a variety of settings and circumstances. But how much do students really know about the social, legal, political, demographic and other aspects of immigration in the United States? This fall, BC’s Center for Human Rights and International Justice (CHRIJ) – marking its 10th year – has organized events and offered resources to help undergraduates better understand the context in which their service to immigrants takes place. In October, CHRIJ invited students – particularly those in the PULSE and 4Boston programs – to a pair of workshops that provided a primer on immigration, including statistical portraits of the immigrant populations in Boston and the US, an overview of immigration and deportation policies, and a look at local and national debates over immigration issues. The center also has made available an online guide to help English for Speakers of Other Languages teachers integrate discussion about immigration and human rights into their instruction. The Know Your Rights and English for Speakers of Other Languages (KYR/ESOL) Tool Kit, developed by the center with ESOL teachers at Casa El Salvador and Women Encouraging Empowerment in Massachusetts, includes units centered on subjects that are of special concern to migrants, whether legal citizens, documented or undocumented. CHRIJ administrators are quick to emphasize that they are not grooming undergraduates to take the place of legal advisors or other professionals who work with immigrant populations. The purpose of the center’s outreach, they say, is to help reinforce an important aim of BC service programs: that students be able to connect their volunteer experiences to events and situations in the wider world. “We’re trying to get students to put themselves in the shoes of the immigrants with whom they interact – what are their struggles, what questions do they face, what are their needs – from both legal and psychosocial perspectives,” says CHRIJ Assistant Director Timothy Karcz. “To do that, it’s important to look at the bigger context of immigration in this country and in the Boston area, and how it is influ-
enced by various factors. “This also was an opportunity to introduce the undergraduates to the center’s work as it relates to immigration,” he adds. “It is mainly graduate and professional students who tend to work on our research projects, but we want to show that we can be a resource for the rest of the University community as well.” Adds Jessica Chicco, a supervising attorney for the center’s PostDeportation Human Rights Project,
meaningful.” The idea for the KYR/ESOL Tool Kit, says Chicco, came about from observations among immigration advocates on the popularity of ESOL classes: “Contrary to what’s often said, most immigrants want to learn English, so they can navigate the multiple systems they encounter in the US.” Given changes in immigration law, increased enforcement programs and the possibility of racial profiling or police mistreatment,
The Center for Human Rights and International Justice held workshops on immigration-related issues to help undergraduates in service opportunities: “We’re trying to get students to put themselves in the shoes of the immigrants with whom they interact, from both legal and psychosocial perspectives,” says CHRIJ Assistant Director Timothy Karcz. (Photo courtesy of CHRIJ)
“Our message was that what we were presenting was basic information, and did not make them experts on immigration. Some students receive significant orientation or background on immigration as part of their service, but not all do. They should be aware they are working with an immigrant community in a rich, nuanced context, and be sensitive to the issues at hand.” Undergraduates attending the October workshops watched a documentary about the recent influx of unaccompanied immigrant children in the US, and the response it has generated. Organizers also set up several displays to deepen students’ insights on immigration: One featured immigrants’ stories told in first person, for example, while others provided easy-to-read overviews of immigration-related statistics, policies and laws. Students also were invited to test their knowledge about immigration, Chicco notes. Some answers revealed misperceptions: that undocumented immigrants pay nothing in taxes, for example, or that immigrants “automatically” get green cards. Chicco feels the workshops made an impression. “One student said, ‘Many of the people I work with have this threat of deportation hanging over their heads.’ And another undergraduate even talked about perhaps becoming an immigration lawyer. So if they can see that these issues are there in front of them, it makes their service work even more
CHRIJ and the advocates felt that ESOL classes could foster an awareness of, and a vocabulary for discussing, legal and human rights issues faced by immigrants, documented or undocumented. One unit in the tool kit introduces ESOL students to the concept of human rights and their significance to the immigrant community, and encourages discussion among class members about their own views. Another unit focuses on a specific, and common, situation: Through role-playing and other means, the ESOL students learn appropriate responses, verbal and otherwise, if stopped by the police while driving. “It’s a tool kit – we’re not asking teachers to replace their curriculum, but to supplement it,” says Chicco. “Nor is this legal advice: We encourage teachers to consult with a lawyer or advocacy organization if they have questions. “We just want people who teach ESOL – including BC students – to think about infusing these concepts into their English instruction.” Karcz says the center continues to mull future events or programs – such as a series of lunchtime presentations – that would be aimed at undergraduates. “We’re trying to identify topics they’d like to hear about, and then explore ways of engaging with them. Above all, we want them to know about us and what we do.” For more about the Center for Human Rights and International Justice, see www.bc.edu/chrij.
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Chronicle december 4, 2014
“[You] have good, solid scientific evidence – and many success stories – demonstrating the effectiveness of participant-directed services in helping people achieve their objectives of living in the community.” –Richard Petty, National Resource Ctr. for Participant-Directed Services
Under New Leader, Center Redefines Mission By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
Boston College’s innovative National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services (NRCPDS) is undergoing a major transition this fall, with new leadership and an expansion of its mission to help give individuals and families greater control over the design and delivery of home and community-based services. Richard Petty, an experienced administrator in advocacy and programs promoting independent community living for persons with disabilities, began his duties as director of the center – housed at the BC School of Social Work – after being appointed this past summer. He succeeds Professor of Social Work Kevin Mahoney, the founding director and architect of NRCPDS, who will remain as a researcher and oversee the new center initiative focusing on behavioral health, funded by a three-year, $1 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The NRCPDS assists states, agencies and organizations in offering participant-directed (PD) services to people with disabilities, including older adults. These services promote independence by helping participants decide for themselves what mix of personal-assistance supports and services best fits their needs. The center – which provides technical assistance, training, education and research – served as the national program office for Cash & Counseling, a successful decade-long effort to introduce PD programs into 15 state Medicaid programs. In the past decade, according to NRCPDS, the number of PD programs has more than doubled — to almost 300 — as has the number of individuals utilizing PD services and supports, to some 810,000. All states have at least one long-term services and supports program that gives participants the authority to hire, fire and manage their own health care workers; 45 states also allow participants to manage their service budgets. Studies have shown many positive and encouraging results from this approach, the center notes. “I’ve known Kevin for many years, and thought his work in PD services was groundbreaking and revolutionary,” says Petty, who had been program director at Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU), a national center advancing community transition programs. “To me, it also said a lot about Boston College that the University supported what Kevin was doing. So the opportunity to come to BC and continue Kevin’s excellent work was a very welcome one.” “Richard comes with experience and perspectives that will be very
Richard Petty (right), director of the Boston College-based National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services, with his predecessor Kevin Mahoney, who remains as a researcher with the center. (Photo courtesy of NRCPDS)
valuable as the center expands its outreach to a new, and younger, population,” says Mahoney. “He’s very thoughtful and organized, and he has been on the NRCPDS national advisory committee, so he will be an excellent director for the center. “I’m excited to start this new phase in my association with the center, by taking on this new multi-state demonstration and evaluation of self-direction in behavioral health,” Mahoney adds. A native of Arkansas, Petty previously worked at Mainstream, a center for independent living, heading up statewide advocacy efforts, notably home and community services initiatives, and served as a disability lobbyist. At ILRU, based in Houston, he directed national projects that provide training and technical assistance to centers for independent living and statewide independent living councils, which foster community independence for people with disabilities. Petty also led the ILRU Community Living Partnership, of which Mahoney and Boston College were key consultants and experts. “I became passionate about participant-directed programs from the time I joined Mainstream, in 1988,” says Petty, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Hendricks College in Arkansas and an MBA from the University of Houston’s C.T. Bauer School of Business. “I would see people who, despite health issues, wanted to live fulfilling lives in their communities but had to stay in care facilities or nursing homes because there were few or no options for supports and services at home. But Cash & Counseling – Arkansas was one of its demonstration states – helped change that. “Now, you have good, solid scientific evidence – and many success stories – demonstrating the effectiveness of participant-directed services in helping people achieve their objectives of living in the community.” Petty and Mahoney believe the PD approach, which has proliferated into aging services and veterans care – the latter includes an NCRPDS
initiative to provide PD servicesrelated policy support, training and assistance to the Veterans Administration – will have similar positive outcomes for persons with substance abuse and/or mental health needs, the premise of the new study Mahoney is spearheading. Seven states are participating in the demonstration, which is also being supported through the New York State Health Foundation and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “This represents a challenge, in that we are taking the PD model to a different population with different needs – including education, housing and employment – in a different delivery system,” says Mahoney. “But everything we’ve seen leads us to believe that giving persons the autonomy to shape the care and services they need – and ensuring there are resources available to the providers – will produce the best possible outcome.” In addition to Mahoney’s project, Petty says, other key areas for the center will include a greater role in the intersection of participant direction and managed care, participant direction for veterans, and research related to participant direction and community integration – especially across disciplines, pointing to a recently begun collaboration with the Connell School of Nursing. He also sees an opportunity for the NRCPDS to address isolation experienced by persons with disabilities or other problems during their transition to community living. “We find people, even when living in the community, may not feel connected – not going to church, for example, or community events and activities,” he explains. “That is my next passion: How to support better integration and inclusion for this population.” For more on the National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services, see www.bc.edu/nrcpds. Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
Sudders to Join Gov. Baker’s Cabinet As HHS Secretary
Continued from page 1 SSW for the expertise, insight and talent that is here – and I know that door will always be open.” Sudders will assume leadership of Massachusetts’ largest state agency, which oversees services, programs and resources for Medicaid, mental health, public health, children and families, veterans, immigrants, and the homeless, among other areas. EOHHS has come under intense scrutiny following widely publicized cases of neglect involving children under state care. Other flashpoints have included its implementation of the Affordable Care Act, especially the troubled launch of the state’s health care website, and oversight of medical marijuana dispensaries. Her first step as HHS secretary, Sudders said, will be to address leadership needs in the departments of Children and Families and Public Health, and the state’s Medicaid administration. “The vast majority of public employees, including those in HHS, are incredibly dedicated,” she said. “It’s extraordinarily important that we have equally dedicated, strong leaders who ensure that our line workers have the support and resources to meet the needs of the people who seek government support. We need to instill public confidence in our child welfare system and our health care connector; we need to address the crises in psychiatric emergency boarding and family homelessness. “HHS can’t solve every person’s problem. What is possible, however, is for HHS to partner with business, academia, local communities and others in the public or private sector to find solutions. In Massachusetts, we’re blessed to have some of the best and the brightest in those areas, and we’ll need to draw on their creativity and innovation.” Sudders said her tenure in BCSSW has strengthened her belief that social work has a valuable role to play in helping HHS fulfill its mission.
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“One of the key characteristics of social work is its ability to bring diverse perspectives together to tackle complex problems. As a profession and a discipline, social work has been invaluable in showing the interrelatedness of poverty, child abuse, lack of health care and other issues.” Since her arrival at BC, Sudders has continued to build on, and draw from, her experience in public service and public policy. She was appointed to special boards monitoring reform of the state’s health care delivery and studying potential legislative solutions to gun violence. Earlier this fall, she was awarded a $664,000 grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the US Department of Health and Human Services to fund a program that will provide critical on-the-ground training for 53 second-year master’s level students at BCSSW. David Takeuchi, the school’s associate dean for research, was the grant’s co-recipient and will administer the program. “During her three years at the Boston College School of Social Work, Marylou made a major impact in reshaping our health and mental health program,” said BCSSW Dean Alberto Godenzi. “Her experience in executive leadership, and in particular as Massachusetts commissioner of mental health, encouraged us to refocus this program toward integrative care, and her grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration will provide critical training for the next generation of social workers who will be hard at work implementing the Affordable Care Act in agencies and hospitals across the country. “Governor-elect Baker has made a wise decision. Marylou is without a doubt the perfect choice to address the major challenges of her new office. We will do everything we can at Boston College to support her work moving forward.” [For the full version of this story, see http://bit.ly/1vbohm6]
An “International Prom” on Nov. 21 in the Vanderslice Hall Cabaret Room capped Boston College’s celebration of International Education Week 2014. (Photo by Christopher Huang)
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Global Health Program Unites Disciplines Settling Back In at The Heights that we don’t know; we are used to meeting people who don’t have any great familiarity with Catholicism, or celibate priests, or religious life; we have kind of a broader world view because of our education and our training.
Gary Gilbert
Perhaps the most appropriate greeting for Rev. Robert L. Keane, SJ, the new rector of the Jesuit Community at Boston College, would be “Welcome Aboard!” Fr. Keane, who entered the Society of Jesus in 1965 and earned his undergraduate degrees from Boston College in 1971, served more than two decades as a United States Navy chaplain (“Twenty-three, years, two months and 16 days,” Fr. Keane notes more precisely) before retiring from military service as a Navy captain. During his time as a chaplain, Fr. Keane served with a variety of Marine Corps ground units, ranging from stateside assignments to Operation Desert Storm and earthquake relief efforts in the San Francisco area in 1989. He retired as command chaplain of the sprawling Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Va. Back in civilian life in 2013, Fr. Keane spent a yearlong sabbatical devoted to writing a memoir of his experiences with Navy and Marine Corps units. Last year, Fr. Keane was director of special projects in mission at the College of the Holy Cross. As rector, Fr. Keane is the chief administrator for the 62-member community – one of the largest groups of Jesuit priests in the world – and, in coming weeks, will oversee the transition of the BC-based priests back into their newly-renovated quarters in St. Mary’s Hall. He recently spoke with Boston College Chronicle correspondent Reid Oslin. Read the full version of this story at http://bit.ly/1AbS5Ao. What influenced you to join the Jesuits? I had grown up in the Church; I was an altar server. I had a cousin who was a diocesan priest. I initially experienced the call to priesthood, but then I had to figure out if I wanted to be a diocesan priest or join an order. I really had a great admiration for the Jesuits and I realized that by becoming a Jesuit, I could still become a teacher. I still had in mind that I wanted to be a teacher, and I thought that the Jesuits would give me more opportunities to do that. Once you get in, though, you learn that there is so much more to the order. That’s what tipped the scales. Do Jesuits have a history of serving as military chaplains? In 1989, when I joined, there were about 16 Jesuits in the Navy. Today there are only two. The New England Province, in particular – because the First Naval District used to be right here in Boston – has had a tradition since World War II of having people on active duty primarily in the Navy. I knew a number of Jesuits who had previously served in the Navy. Jesuits are very suited for this type of ministry: We are transient; we are used to packing up and moving and travelling light; we are used to moving into crowds of people
I think in many ways, we are very well suited for this. And, you know, St. Ignatius was a soldier. He knew and understood discipline and rigor and self-denial – the “mission comes first” sort of thing. I very quickly felt comfortable in the [military] environment. I was warmly received by the people that I was sent to minister to. What do you think of the renovations at St. Mary’s? They have done a phenomenal job. It is going to look every bit as good as Gasson Hall did when Gasson opened its doors again. On the ground floor, people will not notice a lot of [spatial] changes, but all of the wooden paneling is new, all of the windows have been replaced, new light fixtures, all of the stonework has been cleaned, all of the heavy wooden beams have been cleaned, stained glass lights have been installed. It is going to be magnificent. I was just doing a little research, and Jan. 5, 1917, was the day that the Jesuit Community took possession of St. Mary’s Hall. Here we are coming up on the 98th anniversary of that, and I would say that it is “good to go” for at least another hundred! How will you approach your assignment as rector? The Jesuits are marvelous because they are involved in so many different things. As you know, no two Jesuits are alike [laughter]. We have a lot in common but we are not clones. There is a real richness of opportunities, experiences and contributions that they can provide. Once I got over the shock of the appointment, I thought, “Well, this could be interesting,” and like so many other things I have done in my life, this will be interesting. It will be.
Read the full version of this story at http://bit.ly/1AbS5Ao
By Nate Herpich Special to the Chronicle
In an increasingly global society, where health problems – and their potential solutions – often have implications far beyond the communities in which they occur, public health is fast becoming a field of great interest among colleges and universities. Boston College is a leader in training this new generation of internationally-minded problem solvers through its program in Global Public Health, offering undergraduates interdisciplinary coursework via a collaboration between the Lynch School of Education, Connell School of Nursing, and School of Social Work. This semester, 67 students have been enjoying the unique opportunity to take a course team-taught by Social Work Assistant Professor Summer Hawkins and Nursing Assistant Professor Melissa Sutherland. Public Health in a Global Society, the first installment in a three-course sequence, presents the topic as an interdisciplinary science focused on health promotion and disease prevention. Students are encouraged to contemplate the world through a different lens: to go beyond an understanding of providing services to individuals, and think about health on a population-level basis. Students hear lectures on theory, work on case studies, are taught to conduct research, and apply their data to reallife problems. Hawkins and Sutherland are basing their unique course paradigm on current social issues. This semester they’ve addressed the recent handling of ebola cases in the United States, looking at its potential impact from the perspective of a college campus like BC and, at the same time, a global community intent on addressing health outcomes. The second course in the sequence, next semester’s Contemporary Issues in Public Health, will include a discussion on how an indi-
Lee Pellegrini
Q&A: Jesuit Community Rector Robert Keane, SJ
Global Public Health program faculty members Summer Hawkins, left, and Melissa Sutherland: “We complement each other very nicely,” says Sutherland.
vidual’s decision not to vaccinate his or her child might have ramifications for the greater public. “It’s been eye-opening to see just how ingrained public health is in our daily lives,” says sophomore International Studies major Liza Magill. “We’ve also learned to see that, in this field, there’s never just one perspective, but instead many disciplines and many ways to think about a certain issue. Each of us can find our own place to advocate for social justice in the world, and do so in ways that make sense to us.” “This course has made me rethink what I want to do with my life,” adds junior biology major Jonathan Boudreau, who had planned to attend medical school. “Public health is so encompassing. I know now that, after I graduate, I will seek to combine my strong background in biology with my budding interest in public health, along with my love for mathematics, in my life’s work.” Hawkins is a social epidemiologist whose research examines the impact of policies on health disparities in parents and children, and has published on the effects of parental smoking and childhood obesity, among other topics. Sutherland spent 10 years as a family nurse practitioner with a specific focus on sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis. Her research and scholarship address interpersonal violence and its influence on health outcomes among adolescent
and young adult women. “I think we complement each other very nicely,” says Sutherland. “I taught this course last semester by myself, but Summer’s expertise has helped to build a richer experience for our students. There is a lot of overlap in our disciplines, yet we each have our own unique perspectives and backgrounds, and we are able to use this to our advantage in planning classes and assignments.” The course integrates projects meant to get students thinking about how they can be proactive in the here and now. One assignment asks class members to produce a short video called “This is Public Health at BC,” while another encouraged students to develop a personal plan to set and achieve various health goals in their own lives – such as not drinking sweetened beverages – and then reflect on the implications of doing so on a more global level. “There has really been a wonderful level of enthusiasm in our class,” says Hawkins. “One of our undergrads is in the process of starting a public health club on campus which will have a service component to it. This has been very exciting for us, because our students are fast figuring out that they can be an integral part of various communities – as BC students, residents of Boston, and citizens of the world – and that they can create change, today.” –Nate Herpich writes for the Boston College School of Social Work
agement, Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment, and Space Planning. Working with the president and the Board of Trustees, he will direct the University’s strategic and campus planning efforts, as well as its administrative program review and ongoing planning and assessment initiatives. University President William P. Leahy, SJ, praised Lochhead as an experienced professional who has distinguished himself through his work in higher ed administration and his commitment to Jesuit education. “I am delighted that Mike Lochhead will be our new executive vice president,” said Fr. Leahy. “He has broad experience in finance and administration, knows Boston College and Jesuit higher education well, and
is passionate about our mission. I look forward to working with him.” “Boston College has had a profound impact on my intellectual, spiritual and professional development,” said Lochhead. “I have always envisioned returning to BC in a leadership capacity and have geared my professional development over the years to best prepare me for this opportunity. I look forward to working with Fr. Leahy and his executive leadership team to continue the momentum that is so evident here, and to partnering with [Provost and Dean of Faculties] David Quigley and members of the BC faculty to advance the University’s academic mission.” [For the full version of this story, see http://bit.ly/11SlxAd]
Lochhead to Succeed Keating as EVP Continued from page 1 ment and implementation of its long-range financial and operational plans. A 1993 graduate of the Carroll School of Management with a BS in accounting, Lochhead received his MBA from the Carroll Graduate School in 1999. A Utah native, he enlisted in the US Army, where he quickly rose to the rank of sergeant in the Military Intelligence Corps, prior to enrolling as an undergraduate at BC. He has also served as manager for the Higher Education Consulting Practice at Arthur Andersen LLP. As EVP, Lochhead will oversee the University’s Facilities Management, Finance and Treasury, Human Resources, Information Technology and Student Affairs divisions, and the offices of Emergency Man-
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Newsmakers
Assistant Professor of Philosophy Richard Kenneth Atkins, whose fields of interest are American philosophy and pragmatism, philosophy of mind, and epistemology, is the author of a forthcoming book, Puzzled?!: An Introduction to Philosophizing, and is also working on a volume about the American philosopher Charles S. Peirce, a frequent subject of his – he will teach a class on Peirce in the spring. He also has published works in History of Philosophy Quarterly, Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences and Dialogue, among others. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College, a master’s degree from the Graduate Theological Union, and master’s of philosophy and doctoral degrees from Fordham University. He has taught at Fordham, New York University and Iona College. Carroll School of Management Assistant Professor of Marketing Alexander Bleier earned his doctorate from the University of Cologne, where he graduated summa cum laude. His research interests include digital marketing and e-commerce, targeting and personalization of marketing communications, customer relationship management, and consumer privacy and trust. Bleier was an AMA-Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium Fellow in 2013 and an INFORMS Marketing Science Doctoral Consortium Fellow in 2011, 2012 and 2013. He will be teaching Marketing Information Analytics in the spring. Assistant Professor of Fine Arts Aurelia Campbell researches Chinese architecture of the early modern period, and focuses on uncovering how buildings were used and understood – both at the time of their creation and in their historic afterlives. Her current book project, Architecture and Empire in the Reign of Yongle (1402-1424), on a far-flung network of architecture constructed under Emperor Yongle of the Ming dynasty, investigates the impacts of Yongle’s construction projects and underscores their role in shaping his imperial identity. This fall, Campbell taught the undergraduate courses Survey of Asian Art and The Arts of Buddhism; this spring, she will teach Chinese Visual Culture and Architecture of East Asia. A former faculty member at Smith and Lake Forest colleges prior to BC, Campbell earned her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and her bachelor’s degree from Pitzer College. A recipient of numerous grants, including from the National Endowment for the Humanities, she has spent considerable time in China and Japan. A former lecturer at Northwestern University known for his exemplary teaching, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Mathematics Jamison Wolf brings expertise in probability and its sub-field of stochastic processes, which examines the random values that can emerge from certain systems over time. The area has widespread applications in disciplines ranging from finance and economics to physics and biology. Wolf, who holds a doctorate from Tufts University, has published his research in the Journal of Theoretical Probability and delivered talks titled “Some Fractals and Funky Functions” and “Fractals: The rough and rugged curves they don’t teach in calculus.” –Ed Hayward, Sean Hennessey, Rosanne Pellegrini and Sean Smith Photos by Lee Pellegrini and Chris Soldt University Chancellor J. Donald Monan, SJ, has announced that he will join the Jesuit Community at Campion Center residence when the Boston College Jesuit Community relocates to St. Mary’s Hall and to other campus locations this month. Fr. Monan will continue to conduct his business as chancellor from his Bapst Library office, and retain his e-mail address, monan@ bc.edu. He can be reached for appointments through Cindy Blazuk at blazuk@bc.edu.
Director of Undergraduate Admission John Mahoney joined his counterparts from Harvard and UMassBoston for a roundtable discussion of the college admission process from an insider’s perspective on “NightSide with Dan Rea” on WBZ-AM. Asst. Prof. Kari Hong (Law) discussed the likely outcome if President Obama’s executive order suspending deportations for some immigrants should face a constitutional challenge, in an interview with New England Cable News’ “Broadside with Jim Braude.” Assoc. Prof. of Macro Practice Tiziana Dearing (Social Work) published the blog “Please Don’t Feed the Homeless” in the Huffington Post. Prof. Ana Martínez-Alemán (LSOE) spoke with Times Higher Education for a story on how allfemale universities are declining in the West even as their popularity is rising in the developing world. Asst. Prof. Richard Albert (Law) offered comments to Newsweeks about the debate in Westminster, Mass., over the proposed ban (which was ultimately rejected) on the sale of all tobacco products within town limits. Prof. Juliet Schor (Sociology) discussed with The Guardian the controversy over user-generated ratings, a mainstay of the peer-to-peer economy that is increasingly running afoul of those who allege the system is open to abuse and discrimination.
Students in the Boston College Ignatian Society recently traveled to the Campion Center in Weston, where they shared conversation and ice cream with several of the retired Jesuits living there. (Photo courtesy of the Ignatian Society)
Honors/Appointments Prof. Deborah Levenson (History) was awarded the New England Council of Latin American Studies’ Marysa Navarro Best Book Prize for
BC BRIEFING her book Adiós Niño: The Gangs of Guatemala City and the Politics of Death. Asst. Prof. Kelly Stamp (CSON) was elected a Fellow of the American Heart Association.
Publications Assoc. Prof. of the Practice Michael C. Keith (Communication) published a short story in The Blue Hour Magazine.
Grants Assoc. Prof. Ralf Yusuf Gawlick (Music) received a $12,500 grant
NOTA BENE Drucker Professor of Management Sciences Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research, has been appointed by the Social Security Advisory Board (SSAB) to chair a panel that will review the assumptions and methods used by the Social Security trustees in their annual report on the program’s financial status. The 10-member Technical Panel on Assumptions and Methods, according to the SSAB, “will help to assure the American public that the work of the trustees and actuaries has been examined by recognized experts and embodies the highest professional standards.” The educational website Best Master of Science in Nursing Degrees listed the Connell School of Nursing fourth among the top 20 nursing master’s degree programs with innovative approaches to learning. Boston College finished in third place at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s Regional Fed Challenge Competition last month. The competition involved 19 teams of students giving 15-minute presentations about the state of the economy and a recommendation for monetary policy, followed by 10 to 15 minutes of Q&A before a panel of judges, which included higher-level Fed economists or other senior economists. Members of this year’s BC team, whose advisor is Professor of Economics Robert Murphy, were Alex Cervone, Cynthia Chen, Sean Dvorak, Julia Gorman, Matthew Walsh and Giuliana Zaccardelli.
from the Rose Augustine Foundation in New York to record his song cycle “Kollwitz-Konnex (...im Frieden seiner Hände)” on the label Musica Omnia.
Time and a Half Assoc. Prof. Andrea Vicini, SJ (STM), gave the talk “Genetic and Cancer: Ethical Challenges” at Regis College as part of its President’s Lecture Series on Health. The title of the panel was “What is in Your DNA? Genetics and Cancer Treatment.” Prof. John Michalczyk (Fine Arts) and Assoc. Prof. Ralf Yusuf Gawlick (Music) participated in a discussion following the screening of the film documentary “Writing on the Wall: Remembering the Berlin Wall” – for which Michalczyk served as producer and Gawlick as composer – at Pomona College, Calif., as part of a 25th-anniversary celebration of the end of the Berlin Wall. The event also included the West Coast premiere of Gawlick’s “Berlin Suite” for string quartet performed by the Quartet Euphoria. Submit items to chronicle@bc.edu
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: Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Assistant Director for Career Counseling, Career Center Digital Scholarship O”Neill Library
Librarian,
Associate Athletic Director for Facilities and Operations Program and Outreach Manager, Office of International Programs Assistant Director for Finance, Auxiliary Services Staff Nurse, University Health Services Associate University Librarian Director, Church in the 21st Century Center Assistant Director for Residential Ministry, Campus Ministry
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Falling leaves. Veterans Day. A brisk morning run. The start of another hockey season. News & Public Affairs Videographer Sean Casey captures these and other campus scenes in his new video at youtube.com/BostonCollege
By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer
The biblical metaphor of “the table,” a theme especially resonant during the holiday season, is the focus of an evocative art exhibition on display in the Boston College Theology and Ministry Library (TML) on Brighton Campus. A national traveling exhibit, “Come to the Table” features 35 works in a variety of media, including historical pieces by artists Albrecht Dürer and modernist work by Jasper Johns and Sadao Watanabe. It also comprises contemporary pieces created by member artists of Christians in the Visual Arts, the organization that organized, co-curated and circulates the exhibit. Collectively, according to the exhibition statement, the works celebrate “the Table: a place of invitation, relationship, abundance, generosity, and reconciliation, where communities gather and where worshippers encounter the grace of God.” Co-sponsored by the School of Theology and Ministry and University Libraries, “Come to the Table” is on display in TML’s Atrium Gallery, located on its lower level. “This is very important exhibit for us,” said STM Dean Mark Massa, SJ. It “illustrates the deep and rich understandings of the Eucharist – the ‘Lord’s Sup-
BC SCENES
Two of the items on display at “Come to the Table” exhibit in the Theology and Ministry Library on Brighton Campus. (Photo above by Lee Pellegrini)
per’ to our Protestant brethren – through the centuries,” and offers a place for community members “to take a break from their studies in the TML and ‘soak in’ the beautiful art work.” Fr. Massa added that “Come to the Table” enables STM “to invite other schools within the Boston Theological Institute to campus to enter into conversation about the exhibit: what it manifests; what it hides; what we share in common in our understanding of the Eucharist, and what divides us.” University Librarian Thomas Wall praised Fr. Massa – “a great partner and great collaborator” – for his part in helping transform the Atrium Gallery into a suitable venue for exhibits and other special events. “Our role is really that of fa-
cilitator,” he added, with a goal of working “with all the schools and the deans as appropriate.” Speaking at the opening last month, STM Professor John Baldovin, SJ, described the exhibit as “welcoming all sorts of representations of the Eucharist as well as its clear relation to real life in the images that depict our ordinary tables. “Despite our differences, many traditions contribute to our recognition of this table ritual as central to our Christian lives: the artistic beauty of the Orthodox, the hymns of the Methodists, the spirit-infused enthusiasm of the Evangelicals, the theological rigor of the Lutherans, the reverence of the Catholics, the elegant language of the Anglicans, the simplicity of the Congregationalists and the Presbyterians, not to
TIMES OF CELEBRATION The Boston College community observed two beloved holiday traditions over the past two weeks. On Nov. 20 was the Multi-Faith Thanksgiving Celebration (left and below), organized by Campus Ministry, and featuring Lynch School of Education freshman Fatmah Berikaa, School of Theology and Ministry student JoAnn Melina Lopez and Associate Professor of Theology John Makransky. As part of the event, BC collaborated with the Spread the Bread campaign to assist needy families. The University formally ushered in the Christmas season Tuesday evening with the annual lighting of the campus Christmas tree, and a visit from Santa Claus, in the Plaza at O’Neill Library (right and below right).
mention the rich gifts brought to the table by so many diverse cultures – the bodily engagement of Africans to name only one,” he added. At the opening, and since, the exhibit has been received with enthusiasm, according to TML Head Librarian Esther Griswold. Visitors have offered “congratulations on, and appreciation for, a beautiful and powerfully moving exhibit,” she said. Guestbook comments have included “A very beautiful and spiritually refreshing show” and “A feast for the eyes and soul.” In addition to providing library services, Griswold noted, hosting exhibits consistent with the mission and aspirations of STM illustrates TML’s participation in the life of the STM community as a source of intel-
lectual and spiritual exploration, contemplation and enrichment. “The exhibit not only resonates with spiritual life and practice at STM but also connects to the study of liturgy in the curriculum through which our students learn to understand the rich traditions of Eucharist and Table Fellowship among the Christian denominations,” said Griswold. It “offers the opportunity for the art to reflect the community in its many facets and for the community to in turn reflect on the art.” “Come to the Table,” free and open to the public, is on display through Jan. 4 during TML hours – see www.bc.edu/libraries/about/ hours.html for details. Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu
Boston College Christmas Events
•University Chorale and Boston College Symphony Orchestra Christmas Concerts, Dec. 5 and 6, 8 p.m.; Dec. 7, 2 p.m., Trinity Chapel, Newton Campus; $10 advance (Robsham Theater Office), $15 at the door •“Music at St. Mary’s Christmas Concert,” with University Chorale, Dec. 9, 4 p.m., location TBA •Gaelic Roots Christmas Concert, with Robbie O’Connell and Aoife Clancy, Dec. 9 , 6:30 p.m., Cadigan Alumni Center, Brighton Campus •“A Christmas Festival,” Boston College Symphonic Band and the University Wind Ensemble, Dec. 9, 8 p.m., Gasson 100.
See www.bc.edu/events for more details and other events