Boston College Chronicle

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

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Virtual Endeavor

Making the Cut

‘Taking Shape’

BC career exploration program goes online and gets an enthusiastic response.

A BC senior is selected for the Forbes magazine “30 Under 30” list.

New McMullen Museum exhibition explores abstract art

from North Africa, West Asia, and the Arab diaspora.

JANUARY 28, 2021 VOL. 28 NO. 8

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Back in Session University begins spring semester determined to once again keep the COVID-19 pandemic at bay through collaborative efforts

BY THE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Boston College prepared to formally begin the 2021 spring semester today, looking to build on the success of health and safety protocols that enabled the University to maintain most of its operations last fall despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once again, BC will offer a combination of in-person, online, and hybrid classes. Face masks are required in classrooms—which were reorganized to ensure social distancing, and are limited to 50 percent capacity—and common areas throughout campus. A number of University offices and departments are still operating on alternate-day or staggered schedules.

BC Dining Services will continue to serve meals in to-go containers. There will be

limited seating capacity and maximum table seating of 90 minutes or less for those choosing to eat in the dining halls; masks must be worn at all times and can only be removed when eating or drinking.

The spring semester schedule, announced in October, will not include a traditional spring break, which this year would have taken place March 1-5; however, the University will not hold classes on March 3. In observance of Easter, classes will end at 4 p.m. on Holy Thursday (April 1) and resume on the morning of Easter Monday (April 5).

Due to the postponement of the Boston Marathon, the University will be open on Patriot’s Day (April 19). Final exams will be held between May 11 and 18.

The University resumed regular COVID-19 testing on January 19 in Conte Fo-

Continued on page 7

An Invaluable Ally

Connell School of Nursing faculty and students put their skills and knowledge to work in helping BC confront the coronavirus last fall

BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

With their knowledge of infection control protocols, patient and provider safety, and clinical care, the Connell School of Nursing faculty played an important role in Boston College’s well-executed plan to have students back on the Heights last fall amid the pandemic to learn and live on campus.

CSON Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Colleen Simonelli, a clinical

As the beginning of the spring semester neared, members of the Boston College community waited to be tested for the coronavirus earlier this week at Conte Forum. Symptomatic and targeted asymptomatic testing will continue throughout the semester, regardless of whether or not individuals receive a COVID-19 vaccination. photo by peter julian

professor, was the only nurse and one of two faculty members on the University’s COVID task force. Prior to the start of the fall semester, she surveyed CSON faculty working in clinical settings to learn what protocols regarding masks and testing would translate to the University setting.

“It was great to have nurses’ voices heard and rewarding to know nurses’ expertise was being valued,” said Simonelli of her work on the task force. “Everyone was very recep-

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BC Research on India Shows Human Toll of Air Pollution Public Health Foundation of India.

The 2019 death toll attributed to air pollution in India accounted for 17.8 perAir pollution in India resulted in 1.67 cent of all deaths in the country in 2019, million deaths in 2019—the largest polaccording to the study’s findings, published lution-related death toll in any country in in the journal Lancet Planetary Health. the world—and also accounted for $36.8 The $36.8 billion in economic loss was billion in economic losses, according to 1.36 percent of the country’s gross domesa new study led by researchers from the tic product, according to the report, titled Global Observatory on Pollution and “The health and economic impact of air Health at Boston College, the Indian pollution in the states of India.”

Council of Medical Research, and the Continued on page 8

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

This is an exciting time to join both Boston College and the Boston College Law School communities, as both are actively and intentionally engaging with matters pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

– lisa brathwaite, bc law director for diversity, equity & inclusion, page 5

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January 28, 2021

Around Campus

Talking About the Irish Laureates A four-week webinar series produced by Boston College that began last Friday explores the lives and works of the four Irishborn winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature: George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Samuel Beckett, and Seamus Heaney.

The talks on the Irish Nobel Laureates are offered through “The Irish Influence,” a weekly Zoombased webinar program featuring major and rising figures in Irish cultural life launched last year through a collaboration between the BC Irish Studies Program and Boston College Ireland, with support by the Irish Consulate General in Boston.

“The Irish Influence” events take place on Fridays at 4:30 p.m.; registration is available at bc.edu/content/bc-web/sites/ireland/ the-irish-influence; episodes are archived on YouTube at youtube.com/channel/UCOQs7vYOAoDRcwt6OMqmYIQ. Renowned Irish journalist and writer Fintan O’Toole appeared on the opening installment to discuss Shaw’s life and career.

Tomorrow’s guest will be Maynooth University English Professor Lauren Arrington, a literary critic and cultural historian who will talk about Yeats, the subject of her

2010 book W.B. Yeats, the Abbey Theatre, Censorship, and the Irish State; she is a director of the Yeats International Summer School.

Lois More Overbeck, an Emory University faculty member who has published widely on Beckett and modern drama, will be on the February 5 “The Irish Influence,” followed on February 12 by Emory University Irish Studies Program Director Geraldine Higgins, curator of the National Library of Ireland’s “Seamus Heaney: Now Listen Again” exhibition.

Held in partnership with Turlough McConnell Communications, the Irish Nobel Laureates series celebrates the installation at Boston College Ireland of the Rowan Gillespie sculpture “The Four Irish Nobel Literary Laureates,” which was commissioned and donated by former University Trustee Brian P. Burns, founder and principal benefactor of the John J. Burns Library of Rare Books and Special Collections at Boston College. The Boston College Ireland installation is a copy of the Gillespie sculpture located in Burns Library.

—University Communications

The Boston College Arts Council teamed up with the Boston College Arts Club to hold the annual Faculty & Staff Art Show, which opened December 4 at the Carney Hall Gallery 203. The exhibiton can be viewed through Sunday at http://bit.ly/bc-faculty-staff-art-show. photo by tatiana flis

BC Magazine Strikes Gold Boston College Magazine has won a prestigious Gold Award in the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District 1 Excellence Awards for its spring and summer 2020 issues. In addition, two BC Magazine articles also took high honors in their competitive categories.

The CASE judges found BC Magazine’s design “to be clean and inviting and the writing to be sharp. [The] mix of stories felt intimate to the college and inclusive of broader topics. Both short and long pieces were engaging.”

They hailed BC Magazine as “an enjoyable experience even for non-alumni readers,” lauding its creative approaches to standard alumni magazine sections and its design as “nicely tailored to each feature.”

“Our entire team is humbled by this recognition from CASE,” said Boston College Magazine Editor John Wolfson. “We very much appreciate the enthusiastic support that we receive from the entire Boston College community, and we’re grateful to work at a university that cares so deeply for ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Jack Dunn SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

its magazine.”

The spring 2020 BC Magazine profile “Wine and Noses” on BC alumnus Brahm Callahan M.A. ’09—one of 269 master sommeliers in the world—garnered “Best Article” among CASE’s Platinum Awards Program District Finalists, and goes on to evaluation by a global judging panel. Platinum Award winners in respective categories will be announced in June.

A fall 2019 piece on the BC women’s hockey team “Power Play” won a Silver Award for feature writing. The judges called it “a fun read,” and the format “just right for the story.”

BCM took the Gold Award over magazines from peer institutions, including Brown Alumni Magazine and Bostonia, the alumni magazine of Boston University, which both won Bronze Awards.

Produced by the Office of University Communications, the award-winning magazine tells the stories of BC faculty, alumni, and students, and the unique contributions they make in their respective fields. Beyond

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Christine Balquist Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan

Chronicle

PHOTOGRAPHERS

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

Patricia Delaney EDITOR

Sean Smith

the print edition, published three times a year and delivered to nearly 200,000 households, BCM also engages its audience through digital storytelling via BC Magazine Now, which features online exclusives, photos, videos, a podcast, and social media, and its website, bc.edu/bcm.

In announcing the awards, CASE acknowledged, “It was a very competitive field and the quality of the entries was outstanding,” with more than 250 submissions.

Lee Pellegrini Peter Julian

The Gold Award from CASE is a fitting tribute to Wolfson and his team for the hard work and vision they have provided to Boston College Magazine, said Associate Vice President for University Communications Jack Dunn. “I constantly hear from alumni, faculty, staff, and parents how much they enjoy the magazine. These awards confirm what members of the BC community have come to know.”

—Rosanne Pellegrini

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.

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Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.

Chronicle

January 28, 2021

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Alliance Expands Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

A recently launched partnership between the Stamps Scholars Programs and Boston College will enable the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program, the University’s premier undergraduate academic program, to recruit an additional three students per year as Stamps Scholars.

Founded in 1992, GPSP combines rigorous coursework in an honors program with service learning, international study and travel, and a professional internship.

Nearly 400 Gabelli Presidential Scholars have studied at BC, earning some of the most prestigious academic awards, among them Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, and Beckman scholarships and Fulbright grants. In 2014, the Presidential Scholars Program was named for one of its most committed and generous supporters, then-University Trustee and BC parent Mario Gabelli.

Last month, Boston College entered into a partnership with the Stamps Scholars

Kathleen Bailey

photo by lee pellegrini

Program, a prestigious merit scholarship program that helps exceptional students become meaningful leaders throughout society.

BC now joins a network of 36 other Stamps partner colleges and universities, including Dartmouth College, the universities of Michigan and Chicago, Notre Dame University, and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Through the gift from Stamps Scholars, GPSP will now enroll three additional incoming first-year students to the 15 it has typically welcomed each academic year. The three—who are to be officially designated as Gabelli Presidential Scholars/Stamps Scholars—will be jointly selected by BC and Stamps Scholars according to the GPSP criteria: academic merit; strong leadership potential; exceptional character; impressive work ethic; and the promise and vision to make a positive contribution to the world.

The GPS/Stamps Scholars will be part of a network of more than 2,345 current Stamps Scholars as well as program alumni.

National awareness of the Stamps Scholarship is likely to help Boston College in recruiting outstanding students, Stamps Scholars administrators added.

“The Stamps Scholars program has been wonderful to work with,” said GPSP Director Kathleen Bailey, a professor of the practice in the Political Science Department and director of the Islamic Civilization and Societies Program. “Our programs share

the same values and a similar outlook in encouraging exceptional students to develop their leadership skills for the benefit of the common good. We look forward to working with them.”

The GPS/Stamps Scholars will participate in all aspects of the program—such as community service combined with readings in theology, philosophy, social science, and public policy; a group project related to social justice; and an eight-week language program in a country of their own choosing—along with an additional component: They will take part in a biennial conference held in Atlanta, where they can discuss and present their research and network with current and former Stamps Scholars.

The Stamps Scholars Programs were founded by Roe Stamps and his late wife Penny Stamps, who initiated programs at their alma maters, the University of Michigan and the Georgia Institute of Technology, in 2006.

For more on the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program, see bc.edu/gpsp.

Endeavor Program Proves Popular in Virtual Format Alumna Yolanda Lyle, vice president of executive operations and chief of staff to the chairman and chief executive officer at Pfizer Inc., offered some perspective on her career journey as well as Pfizer’s pioneering work during the COVID-19 pandemic in a keynote address earlier this month at Boston College Endeavor, the popular career exploration program for sophomores and juniors pursuing liberal arts degrees.

Lyle graduated from the University with a bachelor’s degree in 1994 and went on to earn a degree from BC Law School in 2001. She has more than 15 years of experience providing counsel to pharmaceutical companies. Prior to her current role, she was chief compliance counsel for Pfizer’s research and development, medical, and manufacturing operations, responsible for a team of attorneys providing global compliance support to each of these areas.

In 2017, she received the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Luminary Award in recognition of her contributions to the health care industry and her dedication to advancing the careers of other women.

Associate Vice President for Career Services Joseph Du Pont described her presentation as “incredibly thoughtful and inspiring.”

A record number of 98 prominent University alumni also shared their expertise as mentors or panelists, and offered insights on the advantages provided by a liberal arts education at Endeavor, held January 13-15 in virtual format.

Career Center Director of Career Education and Strategy Rachel Greenberg, an Endeavor co-organizer, said the change in format did not detract from the event’s popularity, pointing to the 280 students who registered. “This is a record for Endeavor. And perhaps more importantly, these students were more engaged than ever before.”

Pfizer Inc. executive Yolanda Lyle ’94, J.D. ’01 (right) was the keynote speaker at Boston College Endeavor earlier this month, which featured Zoom discussions (above) with current BC undergrads as well as alumni.

A hallmark of Endeavor is the opportunity it offers participants to reflect on their skills and interests during workshops, practice networking, and take part in “career treks” to Boston companies and organizations. The latter was replaced this year by panels and learning activities to help students experience what it is like to work in an industry of interest. Via 16 virtual industry career immersions, the undergraduates heard from alumni and professionals across a range of functions within the organization they “visited,” and engaged in an interactive exercise—such as a case study or small-group discussion—to give them a sense of the type of work the organization does.

“As these career treks are a favorite part of the Endeavor experience for many students, our planning committee wanted to come up with a virtual alternative that would be equally engaging and beneficial,” Greenberg said.

Endeavor was launched in 2016 by the Career Center to empower students to take control of their career journeys. Through reflective exercises and conversations with

alumni, students gain clarity about career options and learn how to connect the value of their liberal arts education to their potential careers.

Chestnut Hill Investments, LLC President J.J. Conners ’92, M.A. ’94, who served as a mentor, had high praise for the experience. “I’m honored to have been part of it. I am blown away by the breadth of industries, age groups, and job descriptions that were represented. It is a priceless experience for the students and I will heavily encourage my daughter, who is a freshman, to sign up next year.”

Endeavor’s mission reflects a key facet of the University’s Strategic Plan: to foster an educational culture that promotes opportunities for students to integrate traditional liberal arts disciplines with professional preparation and vocational discernment.

“It is inspiring to see so many members of the Boston College community dedicate a lot of extra time and effort this year to ensure Endeavor remains a signature program for our University despite the challenges posed by the pandemic,” said Du Pont. “I am incredibly grateful for that and

the collaboration with Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Leah DeCosta Spencer.”

Originally offered only to sophomores, Endeavor has accepted select junior class members for the past few years. With this year’s virtual format, organizers expanded the opportunity to juniors in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences and to applied psychology majors in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development.

“While we continue to think sophomore year is the ideal time to experience Endeavor, we recognize that many juniors continue to engage in career exploration and discovery of their interests and skills.

We want to support them in these processes,” said Greenberg. “We also know that, throughout their college years, students’ interests are constantly shifting and evolving.

This is a normal process that we encourage, so we want Endeavor to be an option for students at either of these key moments in their time at Boston College.”

For more about Endeavor 2021, go to bc. edu/endeavor.

—Rosanne Pellegrini

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January 28, 2021

Fetvaci Is Calderwood Prof. in Islamic/Asian Art

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

Emine Fetvaci, a prominent scholar and accomplished teacher whose research areas include the arts of the book in the Islamic world, and Ottoman, Mughal, and Safavid art and architecture, was appointed to Boston College’s Norma Jean Calderwood University Professorship in Islamic and Asian Art. The University’s first full-time position in non-Western art, the Calderwood Professorship strengthens the University in areas of strategic priority such as the arts and cultural diversity. Fetvaci succeeds inaugural Calderwood Professors Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom, husband and wife scholars who shared the appointment from 2000 until their 2018 retirement.

The professorship was endowed by the now-late Stanford Calderwood in honor of his wife, Norma Jean, an art historian and lecturer at BC from 1983 until her 1996 retirement.

Fetvaci—whose areas of interest include issues such as collecting, the formation of art historical canons, the codification of a historical record, and the connections between artistic patronage and self-fashioning in early-modern courtly societies—comes to BC from Boston University, where she was associate chair and an associate professor of Islamic art in the Department of History of Art and Architecture.

“Emine Fetvaci is one of the world’s leading scholars of Ottoman painting, and she is playing an important role in

Emine Fetvaci: “I hope to instill curiosity and excitement about Islamic art among new generations of Boston College students. I also hope to contribute to the intellectual life of the college by organizing engaging academic and outreach programming around Islamic and Asian art.” photo by daniel star

redefining Islamic art history by exploring Islamic art in conversation with a broader early modern world,” said Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J. “She brings to Boston College both this scholarly expertise and a deep commitment to formative liberal arts teaching.

I am delighted that she is joining us as the Calderwood Professor of Islamic and Asian Art.” “I am thrilled to be joining the Boston College faculty, and am truly honored to have been appointed as the Norma Jean Calderwood University Professor in Islamic and Asian Art,” said Fetvaci. “As the Calderwood Professor, I hope to further my research into artistic exchange across the Indian Ocean between the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal Empire of India,

as well as continue to explore painting and the book arts in the Islamic world.”

Boston College’s emphases on excellence in undergraduate teaching and in research reflects her own priorities, Fetvaci said.

“With the generous research and programming funds made available by the Calderwood Professorship, I hope to instill curiosity and excitement about Islamic art among new generations of Boston College students. I also hope to contribute to the intellectual life of the college by organizing engaging academic and outreach programming around Islamic and Asian art, including hosting multiple-day conferences, establishing internships for undergraduate students, and supporting exhibitions at the McMullen Museum,” she said.

Fetvaci’s most recent project examines artistic connections between the Ottoman and Mughal empires. Her first book, Picturing History at the Ottoman Court, was awarded the 2014 M. Fuat Köprülü Book Prize by the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association. Her latest monograph, The Album of the World Emperor: Cross-Cultural Collecting and Album Making at the Ottoman Court, focuses on an imperial album created for the Ottoman sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603-1617), and examines the art and architecture produced during the sultan’s reign. Fetvaci also is the co-editor of Writing History at the Ottoman Court.

Joining BU in 2007, Fetvaci taught courses including Imperial Reflections; Early-Modern Islamic Art and Architecture; After Genghis Khan: Art and Architecture in Iran and Central Asia, 1200-1500; Topics in Religion and the Arts: Islamic Architecture; Europe and the Islamic World: Medieval and Early-Modern Cultural Exchange, and Courtly Commissions: Ottoman Art and Architecture.

Her articles have appeared in such venues as the Art Bulletin, Ars Orientalis, and Muqarnas.

Prior to her tenure at BU, Fetvaci was a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University; a visiting lecturer at Rice University; an instructor at Rhode Island School of Design; a teaching fellow at Harvard University; and an editorial and curatorial assistant at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Williams College and a doctoral degree from Harvard University.

Miller Is Named Interim Director of BC Campus School

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Thomas Miller, a special education professional with nearly 50 years of experience and a longtime instructor in Boston College’s Severe Special Needs and Multiple Disabilities graduate program, has been named interim director of the Campus School at Boston College, announced Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development.

Located in the Lynch School and founded in 1970, the publicly funded Campus School currently enrolls 32 special education students, ages three to 21, who face complex challenges and have unique learning needs.

“It’s exciting to become part of the Campus School team of staff committed to providing comprehensive and specialized services to the students and their families,” said Miller.

Since 2018, Miller has supervised BC graduate students’ practicums in addition to serving as an independent special educational consultant, providing trainings, program evaluations, and service advocacy

for students with visual impairments, multiple disabilities, and/or deafblindness. The Lynch School’s Program in Severe Special Needs prepares teachers to work with students who have moderate to severe intellectual disability, autism, and additional disabilities, such as visual impairment, deafness, cerebral palsy, and medical conditions. The program leads to eligibility for the Massachusetts teaching license in severe disabilities.

Miller was a teacher and program director at the Perkins School for the Blind for nearly 29 years, most recently serving as director of the school’s Educational Partnerships Program, which provides statewide services to infants, toddlers, and school-age students with visual impairments, deafblindness and/or multiple disabilities, and their families. Located in Watertown, Mass., Perkins is the nation’s oldest school for the blind and an international leader in blindness services.

He also served as program director at the Kevin O’Grady School, part of the Beverly, Mass.-based Northshore Education Consortium, for more than seven years.

The Kevin O’Grady School serves students ages three to 22 with moderate or severe

Thomas Miller

special needs, including complex medical needs, physical disabilities, multiple disabilities, visual or hearing impairment, autism, and intellectual disabilities.

Miller began his career at the New York Institute for Special Education, a private nonprofit school in The Bronx, founded in 1831 as a school for blind children, where he served as a teacher assistant, teacher, and program director for nearly 11 years.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Cathedral College in Queens, N.Y., a master’s degree in special education from Manhattan College, and an administrative certification through Columbia University.

“We are very pleased to welcome Tom Miller as the leader of the Campus School,” said Wortham. “He has decades of experience working with the children we serve, and he has been involved with our students and our program in particular for many years. Under his leadership, we will continue to support the development of our children and to offer opportunities to BC students and staff to be inspired by interactions with these exceptional young people.”

Students at the Campus School face complex physical and developmental challenges that may affect their communication, vision, cognition, sensory processing, movement or fine motor skills. The school, which serves students from 19 Massachusetts communities, develops age-appropriate thematic units that align with the Massachusetts General Education Curriculum Frameworks and addresses their specialized needs.

Chronicle

January 28, 2021

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Gozik Leaves BC’s Office of International Programs

Nick Gozik, who helped strengthen Boston portunities in particular for students of low College’s presence abroad as director of the income. He administered the McGillycOffice of International Programs (OIP) uddy-Logue Center, which promotes and and the McGillycuddy-Logue Center for fosters innovative international learning Undergraduate Global Studies, has left through travel grants to high-need stuthe University to become dents. Another resource dean of global education for OIP programming at Elon University. was a $1 million grant Gozik began his duties from the Victor and Wilat the North Carolinaliam Fung Foundation in based university on JanuHong Kong establishing ary 25. the Fung Scholars ProOIP Associate Direcgram for study-abroad tor for Education Abroad activities in East Asia. He Larry Pickener will serve co-edited the book, Proas the office’s interim moting Inclusion in Educadirector. Pickener joined tion Abroad: A Handbook BC in 2007 as an internaof Research and Practice, tional studies advisor and among other publications became associate director and areas of service. in 2011.

Other achievements Nick Gozik photo by lee pellegrini As director of the OIP, under Gozik included the which he joined in 2012, creation of new partnerGozik oversaw an office ships and programs in the that each year provides support for some Czech Republic, Croatia, Portugal, Aus1,200 BC undergraduates studying abroad tralia, Ireland, Germany, Italy, China, Turas well as more than 200 international exkey, Egypt, and Jordan. OIP also became change students from partner institutions. involved in experiential learning, including He played a key role in the University’s summer internships in locations such as strategic planning efforts to raise its interParis, Madrid, Prague, Shanghai, and Sinnational profile, such as through increased gapore. This coming spring, the office will study-abroad and research activity by launch virtual internships for 74 students students and faculty members and hosting unable to go abroad due to COVID-19; conferences and meetings on global educa- students will participate for free, in a varition. ety of locations and fields of work.

Gozik based his vision of global educa“It is still hard to believe that I will be tion on the idea that students should be leaving Boston College after more than reflective and intentional in their studyeight years,” said Gozik, interviewed before abroad and other international experiences, his departure. “I absolutely love my current and incorporate these more fully into their position and the University, where I have undergraduate studies. He developed a felt welcomed by faculty, staff, and stupopular online course, Reflections on Bedents. Much of this comes down to Boston ing Abroad, and revamped OIP’s advising College’s commitment to community processes as a means of helping students building, on campus and beyond. I have cultivate a well-rounded time abroad. Unalso found great synergy between global der Gozik, BC emerged as a leader in the programming and BC’s Jesuit history and intercultural skills movement, and in 2016 values, with a commitment to student rebegan hosting the first annual conference flection, engagement with local communion the subject to be held in New England. ties, and social justice.”

Gozik also championed diversity and The University is preparing a search for inclusion in the development of OIP Gozik’s successor. programs and services, and expanding op—Sean Smith

Lisa Brathwaite

photo by matthew modoono/northeastern university

Law Names First Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Lisa Brathwaite, who previously spearheaded programs in legal higher education with affinity groups and on minority and race issues, has joined Boston College Law School as director for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Programs.

At BC Law, she will work in close partnership with colleagues across studentfacing offices and help lead the collaborative effort of the Law School community to provide a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment committed to the success of all of its students. Speaking with BC Law Magazine, BC Law Dean Vincent D. Rougeau noted that her hire is critical step in forming a new administrative structure, and new programming and initiatives reinforcing DEI, including new faculty hires focused on DEI topics.

“We are thrilled to welcome such an experienced hand in matters of justice and inclusion to BC Law,” said Rougeau.

“Lisa’s energy, insights, and ideas are sure to inspire our community’s DEI efforts for years to come.”

“I am honored to join Boston College Law School in this capacity and look forward to working with all members of the

community to realize the vision outlined

by Dean Rougeau,” said Brathwaite. “This is an exciting time to join both Boston College and the Boston College Law School communities, as both are actively and intentionally engaging with matters pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

As program manager and specialist at Northeastern School of Law’s Center for Co-op and Professional Advancement for the past six years, Brathwaite designed and implemented evidence-based programming for student affinity groups, fostered and maintained relationships with minority bar and professional development associations, and advised affinity groups as well as students navigating personal, professional, and climate-based concerns. She has also served as a member of the school’s Committee Against Institutional Racism.

Brathwaite received a bachelor’s degree in sociology and gender and women’s studies from Bowdoin College in 2008, and anticipates receiving a master’s degree in higher education administration in December from Northeastern University. She began her career in legal recruitment with Boston firms Choate Hall & Stewart, and K&L Gates.

Friedberg Appointed Chair for Commission on Math Instruction Solomon Friedberg, the James P. McIntyre Professor of Mathematics, has been appointed chair of the United States National Commission on Mathematics Instruction, the U.S.-adhering body of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction, and a standing committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

The commission promotes the advancement of mathematics education in the United States and throughout the world through international collaboration and the exchange of ideas and information regarding mathematical education.

Friedberg previously served as vice chair of the commission and is “excited”

McIntyre Professor of Mathematics Solomon Friedberg. photo by lee pellegrini

to serve his two-year term as chair, which began on January 1.

“This is a time of particular urgency in mathematics education,” said Friedberg.

“Over the past nine months, the pandemic has created profound challenges for teachers and students and has highlighted and exacerbated inequities. During my tenure, I hope that we will create new avenues for international engagement and use them to help us address these challenges.”

A fellow of the American Mathematical Society, Friedberg has been hailed for his scholarly contributions to number theory, representation theory, and automorphic forms, an analytical approach

to complex mathematical problems.

Friedberg’s research has been funded by the National Security Agency and the National Science Foundation; the latter body awarded Friedberg a grant as co-principal investigator for a project supporting math teachers in high-need schools.

In 2018, a conference was held in Zürich to honor Friedberg for his contributions to mathematics. Ninety-one mathematicians from around the world attended “Automorphic Forms on Reductive Groups and Their Covers.”

–Christine Balquist

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January 28, 2021

Forbes Honor Caps BC Senior’s ‘Surreal’ Year For Hui-Bon-Hoa, being an entrepreneur is a whole other kind of education

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

Phillip Hui-Bon-Hoa’s time at Boston College has been—to put it mildly—eventful.

The Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences senior has started two companies since arriving at BC in 2017, his entrepreneurial bent fueled by his interest in studying history, his undergraduate major. When he faced a potential business crisis last summer as a result of President Trump’s battle with China over technology/security issues, Hui-Bon-Hoa found both a solution and an opportunity of great promise.

Of course, like millions of other people, during the past several months Hui-Bon-Hoa also has had to deal with an array of calamities: a pandemic, racial tensions, bitterly polarizing politics.

Then last fall, Forbes—one of the world’s preeminent business publications—chose Hui-Bon-Hoa for its annual “30-Under-30” list, a veritable who’s-who of top young entrepreneurs and influencers in some 20 categories. Hui-Bon-Hoa was cited in the marketing and advertising category along with his business partners Jeffrey Zhao and Karine Hsu; the trio head up Slope Agency, a marketing and design agency for e-commerce and technology companies.

Given all that’s transpired just in the past year, Hui-Bon-Hoa’s initial comment on the Forbes citation seems quite understandable: “It’s all pretty surreal.”

The Los Angeles-area native continued, “I am very thankful to my family and friends for their support, and to my colleagues who’ve been flexible with me. Ultimately, I appreciate having this kind of recognition and acknowledgment. At the end of the day, though, it’s an accolade, and I don’t want to overthink it too much—just keep moving forward.”

Previous high-profile “30-Under-30” honorees include Daniel Koh, former chief of staff for Boston Mayor Martin Walsh; Slate staff writer Jamelle Bouie; Buzzfeed Executive News Editor Shani Hilton; and Boston-area tech investor Peter Boyce.

Several BC alumni have made past lists, including Lauren Blodgett ’11, founder of a nonprofit aiding young immigrant girls; Sam Gross ’13, an executive at data journalism startup Stacker; and 2011 grads Jeff Impey, Alexander LoVerde, and Brett Beaulieu-Jones, co-founders of SyncOnSet Technologies. Hui-Bon-Hoa, however, is the first known BC undergraduate to be included.

To hear Hui-Bon-Hoa recount it, his path to Slope and Forbes could fuel a conversation on the nature of luck—how it’s not just the residue of hard work but also the connections you seek out and retain, and the chances you’re willing to take.

According to Forbes, Slope—whose

clients include Lego, Daily Harvest, Eco, and Gravity Blanket—has “grown revenue 400 percent year-over-year and has worked with over 100 different companies, generating over $70 million in revenue for them.”

Hui-Bon-Hoa arrived at Slope last August when it acquired the company he had founded in 2019, Abacus Growth.

Abacus Growth had drawn attention as one of the first, and few, marketing agencies approved to use the Chinese video-sharing mobile app TikTok just as it began enjoying vast popularity by social media users. Then came the summer of 2020, and Trump’s warnings about TikTok as a threat to national security, culminating in his August 6 executive order banning its use in the

the blog content to a publication (“We thought we were rich, at least for high school”). As a first-year BC student, HuiBon-Hoa started a company with a friend who had an idea for an application that would share curated articles for reading.

They raised almost $4 million in support of the venture, and he contemplated leaving BC to devote his full time to the company, but decided to keep up his studies.

Looking for another opportunity, in his sophomore year Hui-Bon-Hoa applied to the Dorm Room Fund, a venture capital firm focused on investments in studentrun startups, and he and another friend hatched the idea of forming a marketing agency; it was a field with which Hui-

“I think what’s changed is not in what’s being sold but how. The growth of technology and social media, and so on, has resulted in the democratization of commerce.”

–Phillip Hui-Bon-Hoa

United States.

“It was Friday, I was cooking dinner, looking forward to the weekend, and then I heard from one of my employees: ‘We may not be able to use TikTok anymore,’” recalled Hui-Bon-Hoa. “I never had a good mood so completely change.”

The prospect of losing a key component of Abacus’ operation was chilling in and of itself, but Hui-Bon-Hoa had other reasons to worry: He had employees whose jobs would be gone if the agency were to fold.

Hui-Bon-Hoa knew Zhao and Hsu professionally, and the pair were impressed by Abacus’ utilization of TikTok. After Trump’s announcement, the Slope execs proposed that Abacus form a partnership with them.

For Hui-Bon-Hoa, it made sense: Abacus would be part of a larger, more established agency with a good client base—and best of all, his employees would be part of the company.

“Slope was still bullish on the idea of TikTok, even with the possible ban, and in retrospect that seems to have paid off,” said Hui-Bon-Hoa, noting that Trump’s executive order was never fully implemented and faced legal setbacks. “I acted in what I felt was the best interests of my employees.

But we’re all excited about this partnership and what lies ahead.”

Hui-Bon-Hoa’s entrepreneurial experiences began in high school when he and some friends (“We were humanities geeks who had a contest to see which one was the best writer”) started a political blog during the 2016 election campaign that wound up going viral. They later sold

Bon-Hoa was unfamiliar, but his partner explained the structure and format of agencies to help orient him. Wanting a name with a scientific tint to it, Hui-Bon-Hoa— who subsequently ran the company on his own after his friend left (amicably)—chose to call the agency “Abacus,” after the calculating tool; on Hui-Bon-Hoa’s desk sits an abacus that belonged to his great grandfather.

There was a lot of “learning on the fly” for Hui-Bon-Hoa, but he also took a Carroll School of Management course in marketing principles taught by Associate Professor of Marketing Linda Salisbury.

“The class was very helpful: less academic, more on-the-ground. I had been going at marketing intuitively, not spelling it out thoroughly, so this gave me a good grounding,” said Hui-Bon-Hoa. Ironically, Hui-Bon-Hoa might never have made it to the Heights except for a twist of fate. He had toured BC early on in his college search and was impressed by the “phenomenal campus” and the University’s Jesuit, Catholic character. As an accomplished water polo player, however, he hoped to land an athletic scholarship, and thought he had one in hand at another school. But the offer was later withdrawn after improprieties were found in the program, leaving him only a few weeks to apply to other colleges.

Remembering his favorable impression of BC, Hui-Bon-Hoa applied and, working with Associate Director of Undergraduate Admission Steven Koo, was able to gain admission and enroll.

Hui-Bon-Hoa’s decision to major in history stemmed from a longstanding interest and curiosity in the subject, as well as what he calls an “obsession” with writing. “I’ve always admired the work of historians, partly because they represented a contrast to the passive voice I’d tried to overcome in my own writing, and a standard I wanted to meet,” said Hui-Bon-Hoa, who points to Niall Ferguson and Larry Schweikart, as well as BC History Professor Seth Jacobs, his advisor, as among his model historians.

He also came to realize that studying history has its practical implications. “On a macro level, I feel history lends insight into how people behave, how they respond to the events and trends around them. I’ve found an awareness of that is very useful in marketing decision-making.”

As Abacus continued to gather strength, Hui-Bon-Hoa saw the intersection of good luck and good connections. A friend helped land a big client: the Emerson Collective, the social change organization founded by Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Steve Jobs. Then, an account representative from Facebook who had worked with Abacus caught on with TikTok, and convinced Hui-Bon-Hoa to get on the platform. It turned out to be one of the most important decisions he ever made, giving Abacus high visibility in the field and attracting the attention of his future partners.

“TikTok marketing is currently the Wild West of social media advertising— companies that take the plunge early stand to reap huge benefits of being a first mover in the space,” he wrote in the Slope blog shortly after joining the company. “The nature of TikTok’s platform makes it possible, with some clever marketing strategies, for your brand or company to achieve virality without a large budget.”

Hui-Bon-Hoa thinks that a Biden administration may decrease the possibility of any United States action against TikTok. But he also eyes other trends likely to affect his profession, especially how well the American economy recovers from COVID-19 (“It’s been tragic for so many businesses”). As it is, he says, a pandemicrelated general decrease in productivity has coincided with an increased demand for Slope’s services, as companies strive to retain, or improve, their positions in the marketplace.

However, Hui-Bon-Hoa sees a longerterm factor at work. “I think what’s changed is not in what’s being sold but how. The growth of technology and social media, and so on, has resulted in the democratization of commerce. You can have a creative 28-year-old start a company in his or her home, and be able to compete with some of the larger incumbents that can’t function as easily as five people working out of a basement.

“So, the big challenge is to build a brand and put it out there. That’s something my colleagues and I have been able to help our clients with, and it’s going to be as important as ever in the months and years ahead.”

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January 28, 2021

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University Begins Spring 2021 Semester Continued from page 1

rum; during this period, which ends Sunday (January 31), all members of the University community planning to be on campus for the spring semester must be tested, except those who have tested positive via a valid PCR test within the previous 90 days.

Symptomatic and targeted asymptomatic testing for all BC community members will continue throughout the semester, regardless of whether or not individuals receive a COVID-19 vaccination; schedules will be posted on the Reopening Boston College website, bc.edu/reopen.

In recent letters to the BC community, University President William P. Leahy, S.J., and other senior administrators offered praise and encouragement for students, faculty, and staff while reminding them of the importance in continuing to follow the COVID-19 guidelines.

Fr. Leahy expressed thanks for “the generosity, dedication, and creativity of our campus community” in accomplishing, “in impressive fashion,” the goals for the 20202021 academic year: providing “an experience that was as normal and safe as possible and to maintain the health of students, faculty, and staff.”

He lauded the success of faculty and administrators in devising effective ways of teaching with different formats, and noted that semester evaluations indicated students had commended the “overall educational experience”; faculty reported that Zoom conferencing “encouraged more students to take advantage of office hours and advising sessions,” he added.

Fr. Leahy also complimented staff in University Health Services, Facilities, Dining Services, Residential Life, Information

Technology Services, and Human Resources for working long hours “to identify and help meet campus health and safety needs.”

He cited the creation and implementation of the COVID-19 testing and treatment plan—which included daily symptoms monitoring, symptomatic and targeted asymptomatic testing, contact tracing, quarantine and isolation protocols, special housing locations, and necessary food delivery—as another achievement of the fall semester. From August 16 through December 21, University Health Services, assisted by faculty and students in the Connell School of Nursing [see story on page 1], athletic trainers, and Eagle EMS members, conducted 140,535 COVID-19 tests; the community positivity rate was 0.36 percent, significantly below local, state, and national averages. Of the approximately

8,700 undergraduates on campus, testing identified 436 as positive. Fortunately, none required hospitalization, and all returned to normal activities upon completing isolation, Fr. Leahy noted.

Earlier, Executive Vice President Michael Lochhead, Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley, and University Health Services Director Dr. Douglas Comeau outlined health and safety measures for the start of the spring semester, including move-in procedures for students living on campus and the schedule for COVID-19 testing.

“We had a successful fall semester, and we ask for your cooperation and support again in following University and public health protocols so that we may have a safe, healthy, and productive spring semester,” the letter concluded.

Connell School Pitches In Continued from page 1

tive to optimizing the campus environment, which is so indicative of Boston College.”

Simonelli, Connell School Associate Dean for Graduate Programs Susan KellyWeeder, other CSON clinical and nonclinical faculty members, and graduate students enrolled in the nurse practitioner (NP) programs who were RNs were all on the team of licensed providers, including University Health Services staff and others, who conducted COVID testing of BC students, faculty, and staff. While the students were able to put the experience toward their clinical hours requirement, the CSON faculty conducted testing on a volunteer basis. Connell School faculty and NP students returned to Conte Forum this month for the COVID testing in advance of the start of the spring semester.

“It feels awesome to serve,” said CSON Clinical Instructor Alison Marshall, who recalled swabbing 572 community members (“my personal best”) during one shift as a tester in the Margot Connell Recreation Center last fall. “Keeping the campus COVID-free has been the work of many, many different organizations on campus, and we at the School of Nursing are very pleased and proud to be a part of that effort.”

“BC is a community and we needed to help out,” added Simonelli, who credited CSON Programs and Admissions Specialist Marybeth Crowley for her “amazing” work coordinating the “swabber schedule.”

One of the “swabbers” was Clinical Assistant Professor Patricia Underwood, director of the Family Nurse Practitioner Program, who reached out to UHS Associate Director Scott Jusseaume, M.D., early in the fall to ask how else the Connell School could be of service to the University.

BC students in isolation housing needed support and wellness checks, so Underwood enlisted her NP students to make twice weekly telehealth check-ins with COVIDpositive BC students; Underwood would follow up as needed. The telehealth calls began in September and lasted until the week BC closed for Christmas, with the CSON grad students contacting some 20-90 students per

shift.

“The BC students had a lot of questions and were also dealing with loneliness and anxiety around what the time in isolation would look like,” said Underwood. “In addition to checking their symptoms, we were able to provide guidance and education.”

“It’s a lovely example of how BC people take care of each other. Isolation can be a lonely, scary time for an 18- or 19-year-old.

So getting a call from not only a nurse, but a BC nurse, can be special,” added Marshall.

The group will resume telehealth calls as needed this semester.

The Connell School also collaborated with University Counseling Services to help BC students manage stress and anxiety.

Clinical Associate Professor Carol Anne Marchetti, who directs CSON’s PsychiatricMental Health Nurse Practitioner program with the assistance of Clinical Assistant Professor Victor Petreca, oversaw two graduate students who ran a therapeutic support group last fall for BC undergraduates who had been referred by UCS. The focus of the group was to learn to cope with anxiety using cognitive behavior therapy. The support group met via Zoom for an hour a week for 10 weeks.

“Students learn anxiety is not a character flaw or a sign that you are weak, it’s your biology. It takes away a lot of the shame,” Marchetti, who also works as a certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner at Child & Family Psychological Services in nearby Newtonville.

The pandemic has had an impact on students’ emotional well-being, said Marchetti.

“There is a huge theme of loss and grief.

They have lost grandparents, parents have lost jobs, their hometowns have lost businesses.

“As humans, whether we are introverted or extroverted, we all need social connections. The beauty of psychotherapy is that it can be so simple. Sharing what’s on your mind, in your heart, or what’s troubling you with someone else can provide such a release.

And, to hear that other students are going through similar things can be incredibly

Connell School of Nursing Assistant Director of Labs Eileen Sullivan received her COVID-19 vaccination from CSON senior Andreina Rodriguez at Maloney Hall earlier this week. photo by peter julian

validating.”

Two grad students will continue the therapeutic support group this semester, offering two sessions via Zoom for eight weeks each.

Connell School faculty also found themselves serving as informal COVID experts for colleagues from other disciplines throughout the University. “There has been a lot of what I call curbside consult,” said Marshall, who said CSON faculty have offered advice, information, and resources to colleagues across campus.

“It has felt lovely to give of that knowledge,” said Marshall, who has provided COVID-facing care in her role as a family nurse practitioner at the South Boston Community Health Center. “I feel like I have something to offer both the University and my colleagues. I’m able to say ‘I have seen this virus. I understand this virus. I’m happy to offer up my perspective if it’s helpful to you.’

And it’s not all the time we as nurses get to do that in such a crisis time.”

CSON faculty also had words of praise for BC students.

“I’ve been so impressed with the students,” said Marshall, who credited the role the students themselves played in the success of keeping the campus safe and open last semester. “They have been flexible and really rose to the occasion.”

“BC students have been so incredibly kind to one another [during COVID],”

added Marchetti. “It has been wonderful to witness. It’s a great community.”

Simonelli said her role on the task force and access to student testing results was key to giving her the data she needed to assure CSON’s clinical partners that BC nursing students were in compliance with COVID protocols. Conversely, she was able to reach out quickly to University administrators when clinical placement sites changed their requirements for nursing students, such as when the VA required nursing students to be tested twice a week, up from the once-aweek testing that was standard for nursing students in clinical placements.

Marshall sees an additional role for nurses in 2021 of educating the general population about the COVID vaccine and countering misinformation. She has received the Moderna COVID vaccine through her workplace in South Boston.

“Nurses will be at the forefront of delivering the vaccine and getting people into clinics, relieving their anxiety, and educating them,” added Underwood, who was vaccinated through her position at the VA in Boston.

“The vaccine is incredibly important for us to establish herd immunity, but herd immunity is not an immediate thing,” said Simonelli. “It is going to be vital that those who are vaccinated continue to mask up, wash your hands, and keep your distance.”

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January 28, 2021

“We point to countries like the United States where we reduced air pollution by 70 percent since passage of the Clean Air Act in the 1970s. At the same time, U.S. GDP grew by 250 percent. There are similar statistics from Europe, Australia, and Japan. Pollution control does not stifle economic growth.”

–Philip Landrigan

BC Global Observatory on Pollution and Health’s Study on India Shows Grim Consequences of Air Pollution photo by gary wayne gilbert

Continued from page 1

Pollution-related losses “could impede India’s aspiration to be a $5-trillion economy by 2024,” the researchers concluded.

“Successful reduction of air pollution in India would lead to substantial benefits for both the health of the population and the economy.”

“Pollution takes an enormous human toll in India,” said lead researcher Professor of Biology Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., director of the Global Observatory on Pollution and Health. “It is causing 1.67 million premature deaths per year—many more than from COVID-19.”

The consequences will be long-lasting without efforts to reduce air pollution in the nation of 1.35 billion people, according to Landrigan, whose research was funded in part by the United Nations Environment Programme.

“It is also having a profound effect on the next generation of Indians,” said Landrigan. “It increases future risk for heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory disease for today’s children when they become adults.

It is reducing children’s IQ. It will be very difficult for India to move forward socially

or economically if they don’t do something about the problem.”

Additional Boston College contributors to the report were Global Observatory on Pollution and Health Senior Data Analyst Samantha Fisher, observatory intern Gabrielle Taghian ’20, BC School of Social Work Dean Gautam Yadama and Assistant Professor Praveen Kumar, and Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning and DeLuca Professor of Biology Thomas Chiles.

Researchers also found rapidly changing patterns of air pollution and pollutionrelated disease in India, according to the report. The death rate from indoor air pollution, which is caused mainly by poorly ventilated home cook stoves, has decreased by 64.2 percent since 1990.

In the same time period, the death rate due to ambient (outdoor) particulate matter pollution increased by 115.3 percent and the death rate due to ambient ozone pollution increased by 139.2 percent.

These increases in deaths from ambient air pollution reflect increasing emissions from cars, trucks, and buses, as well as the widespread use of coal to generate electricity in

India.

Among the many costs associated with increased mortality and illness caused by air pollutants, the researchers estimate the air pollution-related costs to India’s health care system at nearly $12 billion in 2019.

Climate change exacerbates pollution, the researchers noted, through atmospheric stagnation, temperature-driven increases in particulate matter, and ground-level ozone formation, which are likely to be particularly severe in India.

State-by-state analysis showed a more than three-fold variation in air pollution death rates across the states of India.

Southern Indian states have put policies in place to reduce air pollution when compared to states in the north, where pollution and its consequences showed a greater impact in mortality and economic costs, said Landrigan.

Landrigan said there are ample solutions and examples of successful pollution reduction policies that can be developed to meet the specific needs of the country and its states. China, a country with a similar size population and equally ambitious economic goals, adopted pollution control

targets in its most recent five-year plan and is making progress on pollution control, he said.

“We point to countries like the United States where we reduced air pollution by 70 percent since passage of the Clean Air Act in the 1970s,” said Landrigan. “At the same time, U.S. GDP grew by 250 percent. There are similar statistics from Europe, Australia, and Japan. Pollution control does not stifle economic growth.”

While researchers report a decline in indoor air pollution produced primarily by cook stoves used in millions of homes throughout the country, further reductions will require additional strategies that address poverty as well as energy needs, according to Yadama.

“One of our challenges is to provide the poor with greater access to devices and clean fuels that can be sustainably used in a variety of real-world conditions,” said Yadama. “The more these are developed and tested in collaboration with communities—particularly the women, the devices’ end users—the more likely their uptake.”

Woods College Administrator Earns Coveted Fellowship

BY PATRICIA DELANEY SENIOR DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Educator and research scientist Joni Beshansky, director of the online Master of Healthcare Administration degree program at the Woods College of Advancing Studies, was selected for a Fellowship in Bioethics at Harvard Medical School, a program designed for thought leaders from around the globe who wish to deepen their knowledge of the history, philosophical underpinnings, and contemporary practice of bioethics.

HMS Bioethics Fellows are chosen on the basis of their previous academic achievements and the contributions they will likely make as researchers, clinicians, and educators to the field of bioethics. The one-year fellowship in the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics began in September, and includes an academic appointment as a research fellow in the HMS Department of Global Health and Social Medicine.

An accomplished scientist, Beshansky

Joni Beshansky

has extensive experience in the development, design, and execution of complex strategies in support of major healthcare research initiatives, notably in the fields of cardiovascular disease and emergency medicine, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for

Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Food and Drug Administration. Her most recent research focused on the evaluation of vaccination policymaking.

She joined Boston College as director of the Woods College’s online Master of Healthcare Administration program in 2019 and also holds an appointment as associate clinical professor in the Connell School of Nursing. Last September, she was appointed to the Board of the American College of Healthcare Executives of Massachusetts, and represents Massachusetts colleges and universities’ MHA-related programs.

At BC, as director of an MHA program designed to address the growing demand for high-caliber leadership for an increasingly complex healthcare industry, Beshansky focuses on how best to ensure that future leaders are ready for the ever-changing innovations and challenges in health care.

She is greatly concerned with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the evolving health ecosystem, and the need for close examination of the ethical implications surrounding technological advances, personal-

ized treatments, information privacy, and implications for the life-science industries.

“Developing a deeper ethical understanding will enhance my ability to address the aspects of health care and health policies that impact population health, and most importantly enrich my role as an educator,” she said. “I believe that this fellowship is an opportunity for me to make a significant contribution...and provide an informed foundation for discerning ethical issues more broadly and thoughtfully, especially as an instructor for Health Policy, and Health Ethics and Law courses.”

Launched in 2016 at BC’s Woods College, the online BC MHA is an employeraligned, competency-based program that is designed around the working professional, and includes students from over 20 states, and private and public partners drawn from a range of leading organizations such as Athena Health, Cambridge Health Alliance, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Mass General Brigham, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, among others.

Chronicle

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Lowell Humanities Series Begins Feb. 3 The University’s venerable Lowell Humanities Series begins its spring schedule on February 3 as distinguished American theologian Rev. David Tracy delivers the Annual Candlemas Lecture, “On Naming God,” cosponsored by the Theology Department.

Rev. Tracy is the Andrew Thomas Greeley and Grace McNichols Greeley Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Catholic Studies, and Professor Emeritus of Theology and the Philosophy of Religions at the University of Chicago Divinity School and the John U. Nef Committee on Social Thought. His lecture will focus on the topic of his upcoming book, This Side of God, based on his prestigious Gifford Lectures.

His other publications include Blessed Rage for Order; The Analogical Imagination; Plurality and Ambiguity; On Naming the Present; Dialogue with the Other: The Inter-religious Dialogue; and two volumes of essays: Fragments: the Existential Situation of Our Time and Filaments: Theological Profiles.

All Lowell Humanities Series events, which begin at 7 p.m., are virtual and will be followed by moderated discussions and audience Q&As. Registration—which is required—as well as resources for faculty and students are available at bit.ly/lowell-humanities-series-spring21.

February 24: Fiction Days presents Min Jin Lee Lee will give a lecture and reading from her novel Pachinko, which is being adapted into an Apple TV limited series. The book follows a Korean family through generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens shame. Deserted by her lover, her life takes a turn when a young minister offers to marry and bring her to Japan. Lee also is the author of Free Food for Millionaires, and has received prestigious fellowships. A writer-in-residence at Amherst College, Lee has published her work in prominent publications. Cosponsored by the American Studies and Asian American Studies programs; registration opens on February 10.

March 17: Lauret Savoy—Tracing memory threads the life and work of Savoy, who is of African American, Euro-American, and Native American heritage. She writes about the stories we tell of the American land’s origins and the stories we tell of ourselves in this land. Her book Trace: Memory, History, Race, and the American Landscape—the subject of her presentation—won the 2016 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation and the 2017 ASLE Creative Writing Award, and was a finalist for several other awards. A provocative and powerful mosaic that ranges across both time and a continent, Trace grapples with a searing national history to reveal the often unvoiced presence of the past. She is Mount Holyoke College’s David B. Truman Professor of Environmental Studies and Geology.

Cosponsored by the History Department and Environmental Studies Program; registration opens March 3.

March 24: Ijeoma Oluo—A Seattlebased writer, speaker, and “Internet Yeller,” Oluo authored New York Times best-seller So You Want to Talk about Race, the subject of

her lecture. The book guides readers through subjects ranging from intersectionality and affirmative action to the model minority myth and fosters conversations about race and racism. Oluo’s work focuses on issues of race and identity, feminism, social and mental

ported by an Institute for the Liberal Arts Major Grant Award and co-sponsored by the Connell School of Nursing, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and Intersections; registration opens March 10.

April 7: Emma Donoghue—An Irish-

Clockwise from top left: Rev. David Tracy, Emma Donoghue, Min Jin Lee, Lauret Edith Savoy, Martín Espada, Ijeoma Oluo. photos by alan thomas (tracy), andrew bainbridge (donoghue), elena seibert (lee), david gonzalez (espada).

Canadian playwright, literary historian, novelist, and screenwriter, Donoghue was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize for her novel Room, an international best-seller which was adapted into a critically acclaimed film. Her novel Hood won the Stonewall Book Award, and Slammerkin won the Ferro-Grumley Award for Lesbian Fiction. She will give a reading from, and a lecture about, her most recent novel, The Pull of the Stars, inspired by the centenary of the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918—set in a Dublin hospital where a nurse midwife, a doctor, and a volunteer helper fight to save patients in a tiny maternity quarantine ward.

One reviewer called The Pull of Stars “our first pandemic caregiver novel—an engrossing and inadvertently topical story about health care workers inside small rooms fighting to preserve life.” Cosponsored by the Irish Studies Program; registration opens March 24.

April 14: Poetry Days presents Martín Espada— An English professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Espada has published some 20 books as a poet, editor, essayist, translator. His presentation will focus on his latest collection of poems, Floaters, which drew praise from Publishers Weekly: “Martín Espada combines a sharp political awareness with a storyteller’s knack for finding beauty and irony in the current moment…His poems challenge the idea of an invented immigrant other...and reassert the humanity of the marginalized.” Espada’s other poetry books include Vivas to Those Who Have Failed, The Trouble Ball, and The Republic of Poetry, a Pulitzer Prize finalist. His honors include the 2018 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the National Hispanic Cultural Center Literary Award, and an American Book Award. Registration opens March 31.

The Lowell Humanities Series is sponsored by the Lowell Institute, Institute of Liberal Arts, and Office of the Provost and Dean of Faculties.

—University Communications

Nota Bene

health, social justice, the arts, and personal essay. Among other awards, she was named one of The Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans in 2017, and won the 2018 Feminist Humanist Award by the American Humanist Society. Her appearance is sup-

Professor of History Robin Fleming, a past MacArthur Fellow whose research interests include the history of Viking, AngloSaxon, and Anglo-Norman England, has been elected vice president of the Medieval Academy of America, the largest American organization promoting excellence in the field of medieval studies. Fleming will ascend to the academy’s presidency in 2023.

Fleming has written on pre-Common Law English law and the Domesday Book, and more recently on late Roman and early medieval material culture. She was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship—one of the so-called “Genius Awards”—in 2013 for her analysis of archaeological finds from fourth- and fifth-century Britain, a time of dramatic change in material culture as Roman rule was collapsing and the Middle Ages were beginning. She is now writing the Ford Lectures, which she will present at the University of Oxford in the spring of 2022.

The Medieval Academy of America publishes the quarterly journal Speculum; awards prizes, grants, and fellowships; and supports research, publication, and teach-

ing in medieval art, archaeology, history, law, literature, music, philosophy, religion, science, social and economic institutions, and all other aspects of the Middle Ages.

The Carroll School of Management Accounting Department ranks fourth nationwide for first-time CPA exam performance among large programs, according to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. Among programs of all sizes, Accounting now ranks eighth nationally.

Eighty-eight percent of Boston College graduates who sat for the Uniform CPA Examination in 2019 passed in their first attempt. Among all test-takers, 81 percent of BC alums passed. By comparison, 57 percent of all test-takers in Massachusetts passed the 2019 CPA exam, and just over half (53 percent) earned passing scores nationwide.

The CPA exam is considered to be one of the most difficult professional exams offered, covering not only accounting but fundamental knowledge of business, finance, operations, and law.

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10

OBITUARIES

Frank Tsung, Chemistry Dept.

Associate Professor of Chemistry ChiaKuang “Frank” Tsung, whose research in nanotechnology offered potential pathways for solving the world’s energy crisis and battling cancer, died on January 5 from complications due to COVID-19. He was 44.

Dr. Tsung, who joined the Boston College faculty in 2010, cultivated a research program that lay at the interface between chemistry, nanotechnology, and materials science. He focused on photocatalytic materials for energy conversion and heterogeneous catalysts for energy-synthesis reactions—research that could lead to the development of high-performance nanocatalysts, a possible solution to the global energy shortage.

Lauding Dr. Tsung’s achievements in research, colleagues also cited his contributions as a teacher and mentor, and his collegiality within the department and the larger University.

“In addition to being an accomplished scientist, Frank was an excellent teacher, a compassionate adviser, and a kind and generous colleague,” said Vanderslice Professor of Chemistry Dunwei Wang, the department chair. “His passion for science and education has been and will remain an inspiration for us all. We’ll forever miss him.”

“Frank was a gifted teacher, a creative scientist, a generous collaborator, and an integral contributor to our physical chemistry group,” said Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J. “He brought energy, enthusiasm, and a positive spirit to his service as the Chemistry Department’s graduate program director, and that same energy and enthusiasm characterized all of my interactions with him. His presence in the life of the department and the University community will be deeply missed.”

Dr. Tsung was among a team of BC chemists that developed a tandem catalytic system to efficiently convert carbon dioxide to methanol. Describing their project in the journal Chem last summer, Dr. Tsung and colleagues said the method could be applied to other tandem catalytic processes, allowing more efficient access to alternative fuels, commodity chemicals, and valuable

photo by caitlin cunningham

pharmaceutical products.

The team drew its inspiration from the biological machinery in cells, which use multicomponent chemical reactions with great efficiency, he noted.

Dr. Tsung also was involved in developing a nano-scale cage of chemical bonds that served as a “smart” drug delivery mechanism to fight cancer and other illnesses. Seeking to improve the work of drugs that fight cancer and other diseases, researchers had sought to exploit the advantages of nanotechnology, in this case a nano-scale metal organic framework, or MOF. These frameworks have proven useful in certain functions, but had demonstrated instability in the body’s watery physiology, Dr. Tsung said in a 2014 interview with Boston College Chronicle.

A native of Taiwan, Dr. Tsung traced the inspiration for his career path to a childhood achievement: earning a bronze medal in a national elementary school science fair.

“It was definitely one of the major events that led me to decide on science,” he said in a 2016 Chronicle interview.

“It’s pretty amazing that one experience can have such a significant impact on the course of your life.”

He is survived by his sister, Frances Tsung.

—Office of University Communications Read the full obituary at http://bit.ly/frank-tsung-obit

Paul Leonelli, BC Police Dept.

A funeral Mass was celebrated on January 11 at Sacred Heart Church in Waltham for Paul Leonelli, a campus security officer for Boston College Police, who died on January 5 after a battle with cancer. He was 56.

After owning and operating Jenson’s Cleaners in Needham for almost 30 years, Officer Leonelli joined BCPD in 2018.

His assignments included working as security officer at the Burns Library, McMullen Museum of Art, and most recently, the Pine Manor campus acquired by the University last year. He also served as a driver for the University’s safety escort van.

“Paul wasn’t here for very long, but he made an impression,” said Lt. Jeffrey Postell, director of community policing,

community relations, and crime prevention initiatives for BCPD. “He was a very humble guy and everyone liked working with him.”

A native of Waltham, Officer Leonelli earned a bachelor’s degree from Bentley University. He leaves his wife, Theresa (Kearns)—whom he met on a blind date—his children, Paul and Mary; his brothers, Gregory and John; and many nieces and nephews.

He was buried in Mount Feake Cemetery in Waltham.

Condolences may be sent to: Theresa Leonelli, 26 Douglas Road, Waltham, Mass. 02453.

—University Communications

January 28, 2021

Jean Mooney, Lynch School Retired Lynch School of Education and Human Development Associate Professor Jean F. Mooney, whose 32 years at Boston College were highlighted by a dedication to helping those with disabilities to learn and thrive, died on January 8. She was 86.

Dr. Mooney was the longtime director of the Campus School at Boston College, which educates students ages three to 21 with multiple disabilities and complex health care needs. She also was instrumental in developing The Connors Family Learning Center, which seeks to enhance the quality of learning at BC by offering services to students with learning disabilities, and providing tutoring and skills workshops for all students.

Mary Walsh, the Lynch School’s Daniel E. Kearns Professor, and the executive director of BC’s Center for Optimized Student Support, characterized Dr. Mooney as an outstanding professional.

“Her BC colleagues valued her generous spirit and her willingness to support and enhance their work and careers. Her graduate and undergraduate students regularly commented on her concern for them as individuals, and for the care with which she approached her teaching,” said Walsh.

“Her commitment to children with a whole range of special needs—from mild to severe—was always front and center in her work. She made a substantial intellectual contribution to the campus initiative

photo by lee pellegrini

to promote collaboration of faculty across all of the professional schools around the issues of children living in poverty, which ultimately led to the development of the Center for Optimized Student Support.”

Dr. Mooney served as a member of the University Council on Teaching, where she helped lead a 1981 initiative to improve academic advisement for undergraduates and, 13 years later, was involved in planning a series of seminars, “Promoting Teaching Excellence,” to aid faculty in better understanding the intellectual and emotional characteristics of the students in their classrooms.

—University Communications Read the full obituary at http://bit.ly/jean-mooney-obituary

Anthony Simboli, Benefactor A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in the School of Theology and Ministry chapel on January 7 for Anthony (Tony) C. Simboli ’50, M.A. ’50, a successful real estate developer and longtime University benefactor who died on December 29. He was 91.

In September of 2015, 9 Lake Street—home of the School of Theology and Ministry and Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies—was dedicated in honor of Mr. Simboli, the founder and retired chairman of ACS Development Corporation, and his wife, Gloria.

Nearly five-and-a-half years later, University representatives—including University President William P. Leahy, S.J., who presided at the Mass—returned to the site to remember Mr. Simboli’s life and works.

“It was very appropriate that we gathered for the Mass in the STM chapel in the building that bears Mr. and Mrs. Simboli’s name,” said STM Dean Thomas D. Stegman, S.J., who concelebrated the Mass.

“Fr. Leahy gave a beautiful homily that paid tribute to Mr. Simboli for his Christian witness and that brought comfort from the Scripture readings to family and friends.”

“Tony Simboli was a cherished friend, thoughtful advisor, and true University champion,” Senior Vice President for University Advancement Jim Husson said in a remembrance. “Among Boston College’s ‘greatest generation’ of alumni, he played an integral role in shaping the BC we know today. And through Simboli Hall, a most fitting tribute to Tony’s faith and

photo by lee pellegrini

philanthropic vision, his legacy will remain evergreen here at the Heights. He will be deeply missed.”

At the 2015 dedication ceremony, Mr. Simboli reflected on the role his alma mater played in his personal and professional life. “The Jesuit education I received provided my moral compass. BC taught me discipline, offered me guidance, and it was there I learned to get along with people.”

Mr. Simboli grew up in Boston’s North End and was the first in his family to attend college. He commuted to Boston College where he earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry and master’s degree in philosophy, both in 1950.

—Kathleen Sullivan Read the full obituary at http://bit.ly/anthony-simboli-obit

Chronicle

January 28, 2021

WELCOME ADDITIONS

BC in the Media

An Introduction to New Faculty at Boston College Simcha Barkai

Assistant Professor of Finance, Carroll School of Management DEGREES: Hebrew University (B.S., M.S.); University of Chicago (Ph.D.).

WHAT HE STUDIES: Competition between firms in the US and implications for macroeconomic and asset pricing; decline in the labor share of income.

WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Corporate Finance

Kathleen Flinton

Assistant Professor of the Practice, Boston College School of Social Work DEGREES: Vassar College (B.A.); Yale University (M.A.R.); Simmons College (M.S.W.) WHAT SHE STUDIES: Treatment of trauma within a social justice framework, with specializations in immigrant and refugee mental health, survivors of torture, trafficking, war, and complex trauma.

WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: Child and Adolescent Trauma: Clinical Assessment and Treatment; Adult Psychological Trauma: Assessment and Treatment.

We often hear that asylum seekers undergo an evaluation as part of their admission to the U.S., but what happens after that? What could the U.S. do to ensure they can access counseling and other services that address their trauma?

“Evaluations for asylum seekers in the United States are sought as part of the legal process for building evidence for history of torture, trauma, or persecution. Unfortunately, there is limited capacity for evaluations and most asylum seekers’ cases move forward without the additional evidence generated by these assessments. Not everyone can afford legal representation or access clinicians with the specialized training to provide an effective evaluation. The system in the United States needs to increase access to pro bono legal and mental health services for those seeking asylum both during and after the asylum process. We can make a great impact through training for clinicians working in communitybased settings, such as community health centers and schools, so that they are attuned to and understand the experiences of asylum seekers and asylees, and are able to offer trauma-informed care and treatment for these individuals. The Trauma Integration Initiative at the BC School of Social Work is focused on training trauma-informed social workers who would be the type of clinician prepared to meet this need.”

Jeremiah Potts

Lecturer in Management and Organization, Carroll School of Management DEGREE: Brown University (B.A.) WHAT HE STUDIES: Sales and marketing; communications; distribution technology; strategic planning and business analytics; digital strategy, including attribution analysis using machine learning and AI. WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Strategic Management

You spent 36 years as an executive in the financial services industry and an entrepreneur. How do you incorporate

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your extensive career experiences into your classroom teaching?

“After 36 years in business, the one constant has been that intellectual curiosity and creativity get rewarded. My goal in teaching is to ensure each student is armed with the mindset to connect the dots and take chances to truly think differently, because great businesses are built on the differences.”

Sandy Tarrant

Associate Clinical Professor, Director of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Clinic (EIC), Boston College Law School DEGREES: Boston College (B.A., J.D.) WHAT SHE STUDIES: Deployment of empathy in transactional legal practice; entrepreneurship and social enterprise; professional identity issues; clinical teaching methodologies.

WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: Entrepreneurship & Innovation Clinic; Introduction to Transactional Lawyering.

Your background includes representing public companies at a big law firm as well as direct nonprofit advocacy work and legal representation of nonprofits. How does this professional diversity support EIC’s work with entrepreneurs?

“Entrepreneurs are creative innovators who conceive of the world as full of opportunities, including charitable and social enterprise ideas, so there is a healthy blend of legal issues that EIC encounters. My students help founders make critical decisions as they start, operate, and change their businesses. Students are learning to be lawyers at the same time they are teaching clients how to work with lawyers. It’s a dynamic environment. I am grateful to come to this work having followed my curiosity in different directions so I can bring that openness to my teaching.”

–Phil Gloudemans, Ed Hayward, Sean Smith photos by lee pellegrini and peter julian

English’s Adair to Debut New Poetry Collection Associate Professor of the Practice in English Allison Adair will read from her debut prize-winning poetry collection, The Clearing, in a virtual book launch taking place on February 11 from 7-8 p.m.

The Clearing was selected by Henri Cole as the winner of Milkweed’s Max Ritvo Poetry Prize. Adair’s poems appear in American Poetry Review, Arts & Letters, Best American Poetry, Kenyon Review Online, and ZYZZYVA. Her work has been honored with the Pushcart Prize, Florida Review Editors’ Award, Orlando Prize, a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant, and first place in the Fineline Competition from Mid-American Review. The reading will be followed by a Q&A. To register for the event, go to bit. ly/3sdL9EB.

Prof. Heather Cox Richardson (History) has been much in demand from local and national media for her expertise and analysis, to the point where her emergence as one of America’s foremost political commentators—drawing on her extensive background as a historian—has become a story in and of itself.

During the past year, Richardson, who studies and teaches American history— with a focus on the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the American West—and is author of How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America (2020), has appeared on C-SPAN, PBS’ “Amanpour & Co.,” and WGBH’s “Greater Boston,” been interviewed by Time and distinguished journalist Bill Moyers for his podcast, and co-written a piece for The Atlantic with U.S. Sen. Angus King (Ind.-Me.). She’s also spoken with an assortment of online publications and blogs and given online talks, including one for the Library of Congress National Book Festival.

Last month, The New York Times ran a story on Richardson’s daily online newsletter, “Letters from an American” [heathercoxrichardson.substack.com], which began in September of 2019 as a synopsis of Assoc. Prof. Robert Murphy (Economics) discussed recent unemployment numbers from the Labor Department and the outlook for 2021 in an interview with WGBH Radio News.

Woods College Associate Dean Aleksandar Tomic, director of the M.S. in Applied Economics program, offered comments to Forbes on the impact of the affordable housing crisis on employee recruitment.

Public school enrollment in New England is down, and even when kids are enrolled, it can be a struggle to get some to show up.

Global Public Health Program Director Philip Landrigan, M.D., joined a New England News Collaborative conversation on the subject. He also spoke on COVID-19 testing challenges with The Boston Globe and COVID-19 vaccines with Politico, and answered questions about new strains of the coronavirus for the Associated Press.

photo by caitlin cunningham

political events related to the impeachment of then-President Donald Trump and now has some 350,000 subscribers; according to the Times story, Richardson is the most successful individual author of a paid publication on popular online platform Substack. Boston Globe correspondent Cate McQuaid profiled Richardson in a recent story for the paper’s “Media” column.

Much of Richardson’s recent commentary, in the media and “Letters from an American,” has centered on the controversy over Trump’s contesting of the 2020 election and the attack on the Capitol Building. Her January 6 entry began and ended, “Today the Confederate flag flew in the United States Capitol.” and virtual classes need support, but most schools lack funding or capacity for mental health services, noted Buehler Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor Betty Lai in an interview with Southerly Magazine, with the Hechinger Report.

Jobs The following are among the recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/jobs.

Dean, Connell School of Nursing Speech/Language Pathologist, Campus School Post-doctoral Research Fellow (multiple positions) DevOps Systems Administrator

Once rare, dual-share structures have become the norm in a sizzling tech IPO market, resulting in more power for startup founders. BC Law School Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor Renee Jones discussed the topic with The Wall Street Journal.

Dining Services Supervisor, Temporary Pool/Multiple Positions

Burns Librarian Christian Dupont and Irish Music Librarian Beth Sweeney discussed the life and career of Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin—who as a visiting professor three decades ago laid the groundwork for the University’s Irish music resources—on Ireland radio Clare FM.

Engineering Projects Manager

Displaced students and teachers balancing storm recovery and a mix of in-person

Production Manager, Dining Services Assistant Manager, Dining Services Assistant Director, Admissions, School of Social Work Public Safety Dispatcher Director, Sponsored Programs Admissions Specialist Quarantine & Isolation Assistant Senior Associate Director, Creative Services Admissions Assistant, School of Theology and Ministry

Chronicle

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January 28, 2021

BC Arts “Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s–1980s”

McMullen Exhibition Opens ‘New Avenues’

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

A groundbreaking exhibition opening Monday at the McMullen Museum of Art explores mid-20th-century abstract art from North Africa, West Asia, and the Arab diaspora—a vast geographic expanse that encompasses diverse cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious backgrounds.

The McMullen will present the exclusive New England display of “Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s–1980s” from February 1–June 6 in the Daley Family and Monan Galleries.

The is exhibition is organized by the Grey Art Gallery at New York University and is drawn from the collection of the Barjeel Art Foundation based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The museum will open to the Boston College community by appointment on February 1. Faculty, staff, and students may schedule visits to view “Taking Shape,” or to explore works in the permanent collection. [To schedule a visit, go to http://bit. ly/mcmullen-taking-shape-visits or contact Rachel Chamberlain at rachel.chamberlain@bc.edu to discuss specific requests.]

The exhibition opens to the public for virtual view on March 4 with a series of events, including a “Virtual Walk + Talk,” with Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, visiting instructor in Boston College’s Islamic Civilization and Societies program and founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation. Docent tours for “Taking Shape” begin March 12.

Information about all exhibition-related events is available at the museum’s website, bc.edu/artmuseum.

“Taking Shape” comprises nearly 90 works by artists from countries including Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Qatar, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and the UAE. The paintings, sculpture, drawings, and prints reflect the wide range of nonfigurative art practices that flourished in the Arab world over the course of four decades. “‘Taking Shape’ opens new avenues of inquiry into traditional understandings of the development of abstraction in the mid20th century by introducing the works of 58 artists from the Middle East and beyond, most relatively unknown in America,” said Inaugural Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Director of the McMullen Museum of Art Nancy Netzer, a BC professor of art history. “We extend special thanks to the Barjeel Art Foundation for assembling this outstanding collection of works representing artists from more than 13 countries and for organizing this exhibition with the Grey Art Gallery at NYU.” “Taking Shape” raises a fundamental question: How do we study abstraction across different contexts, and what modes of analysis do we use? Examining critically the history and historiography of mid20th-century abstraction, the exhibition

Three selections from the McMullen Museum of Art exhibition “Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s-1980s”: above, “The Last Sound,” Ibrahim El-Salahi; left, “Composition,” Mohamed Melehi; below right, “Al-Zahir-al-Batin (The Manifest, the Hidden),” Kamal Boullata.

rethinks art historical canons and expands discourses around global modernisms, according to organizers.

During this period, decolonization, the rise and fall of Arab nationalisms, socialism, rapid industrialization, wars and mass migrations, and the oil boom transformed the region. With rising opposition to Western political and military involvement, many artists adopted critical viewpoints, striving to make art relevant to their own locales. New opportunities for international travel and the advent of circulating exhibitions sparked cultural and educational exchanges that exposed artists to multiple modernisms—including various modes of abstraction—and led them to consider their roles within an international context.

The artists featured—a varied group of Arab, Amazigh (Berber), Armenian,

Circassian, Jewish, Persian, and Turkish descent—sought to localize and re-contextualize existing 20th-century modernisms, some forming groups to address urgent issues. Moving away from figuration, they mined the expressive capacities of line, color, and texture. Inspired by Arabic calligraphy, geometry, and mathematics, Islamic decorative patterns, and spiritual practices, they expanded abstraction’s vocabulary— thereby complicating its genealogies of origin and altering the viewer’s understanding of nonobjective art.

“Via a critical examination of abstraction in the collection of the Barjeel Art Foundation, the exhibition invites a (re) consideration of the attribution of abstraction’s emergence to a single historical moment,” explained exhibition co-curator Suheyla Takesh, the Barjeel Art Foundation

curator. “In its own way of emulating the artistic practices of the time, the exhibition is also a vantage point on how contemporary discourse on global modernisms and decentralized genealogies of abstraction is unfolding or, in a nod to the title of the show, taking shape. Mathematics served as a practical tool for artists in search of these paragons, both for its precision and for its potential to curtail human error.”

Added co-curator and NYU Grey Art Gallery Director Lynn Gumpert, “The Grey Art Gallery takes great pride in partnering with the Barjeel Art Foundation.

It is very appropriate that, as a university museum, the Grey broadens vistas and looks closely at art made over the four decades in question by individuals that come from so many different nations, with different belief systems and histories. We chose an exhibition title, ‘Taking Shape,’ that recognizes and conveys to the public that our approach to abstraction in the Arab world is not static—even with regard to the art of this defined time frame—but is, rather, in formation.”

The exhibition is accompanied by a 256-page catalogue co-published by Hirmer Publishers and the Grey Art Gallery, coedited by Takesh and Gumpert.

Major support is provided by the Barjeel Art Foundation. Additional support for “Taking Shape” is provided by the Charina Endowment Fund; the Violet Jabara Charitable Trust; the Grey’s Director’s Circle, Inter/National Council, and Friends; and the Abby Weed Grey Trust. The exhibition at the McMullen has been underwritten by Boston College with major funding from the Patrons of the McMullen Museum.

On Sunday, January 31 from noon–1:00 p.m., BC community members are invited to the virtual exhibition preview day lecture by Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi and Suheyla Takesh.

To RSVP for this Zoom event, go to http://bit. ly/taking-shape-preview.