Boston College Chronicle

DECEMBER 9, 2021 VOL. 29 NO. 7

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

INSIDE 3x Barros Headline to BC

Ex-Boston economic development xxxxx. chief will be visiting professional at xCorcoran Headline Center next semester. xxx.

8 After COP26 x Headline BC delegates to climate conference discuss what could, and should, xxxxx. happen next.

12 M.B.A. to ICA

Kate Herlihy talks about how her Carroll School experience advanced her career in the arts.

Lynch Makes Major Gift Q &A to McMullen Museum An Update on

EagleApps, One Year Later

Donates more than $20 million in art from his private collection

BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Peter Lynch, vice chairman of Fidelity Management and Research Company and trustee associate at Boston College, has gifted 27 paintings and three drawings— worth in excess of $20 million—from his and his late wife Carolyn’s private art collection to Boston College’s McMullen Museum of Art, including renowned works from Pablo Picasso, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam, Albert Bierstadt, Martin Johnson Heade, and Jack Butler Yeats.

Continued on page 4

Peter Lynch: Donation is “a small way for me to give back.” photo by lee pellegrini

And Now, Back to Our Story...

At long last, BC’s popular local outreach program Read Aloud has returned to the classroom

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

The Boston College community knows her as a staff assistant in the Communication Department, but Leslie Douglas has a not-so-secret identity.

Once a month, she transforms into “Miss Leslie,” enthusiastic reader of stories to young children and dressed to suit the occasion, whether a Halloween witch, a Christmas elf, or a St. Patrick’s Day leprechaun.

This fall, Douglas formally started her 18th year as a volunteer in the University’s award-winning Read Aloud program, which sends faculty and staff to visit K-5 classrooms at the St. Columbkille Partnership School and Thomas Edison K-8 School, both in Brighton, where they read a story or book to the students. The program, a partnership between BC, Boston

BC Read Aloud volunteer Hilary Crouteau, an acquisitons and fiscal assistant at O’Neill Library, presented Eloise at the Plaza to a class at the St. Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton. photo by caitlin cunningham

Public Schools, and Boston Partners in Education, is back to an in-person format after the pandemic had curtailed visits to schools from 2020 through last spring.

During that period, some Read Aloud volunteers, including Douglas, used Zoom or YouTube videos to maintain a connection with the schoolchildren.

Needless to say, Douglas prefers the liveand-in-person version.

“I like it when the students react and have questions in regard to what I’m reading,” said Douglas, who has worked with pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and firstgrade classes at St. Columbkille. “Kids at that age are so bright and eager to learn.

Flexibility is the key word with children, and so is listening. For all that to work, you really need to be in the same room with them.”

Intersections Program Director Burton Continued on page 10

Almost a year ago, Boston College launched EagleApps, a groundbreaking platform to manage academic and enrollment activities for students, faculty, and administrators. Sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Information Technology Services, EagleApps is designed to provide a “one-stop shopping” approach that integrates course and program management, registration, financial aid, advising, payments and billing, academic records management, and other vital functions. Two of the project’s key figures, ITS Director of Project, Planning & Portfolio Governance Denis Walsh and Student Services Information Systems Director Jennifer Mack, recently spoke with Chronicle to give an update on EagleApps’ first year, and what to look for in the months ahead.

Q: Let’s set the context: Why undertake this project? What issues are being addressed through EagleApps?

Mack: This was a strategic decision on the part of the University, made a decade ago, anticipating a number of needs and trends in student services. BC had been working on academic and enrollment management tasks through University Information System (UIS) with a mainframe computer that is about 40 years old. There was no way to do advanced course set-up for a more robust registration process, no integration with the vendor products that had emerged in key areas of student services.

The mainframe is simply not as popular a technology as it once was in higher education, and it was vital for BC to move on to a new, more efficient means of serving students, faculty, and administrators.

Walsh: The new generation of applications puts greater power and flexibility in the hands of users and how they choose to run their businesses, so it was in BC’s best

Continued on page 5

I would love to hire more BC students. This is your college. This is your home. I’d like to see you be the one to make the money.

– beth ann burns, dining services hr manager, page 2

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December 9, 2021

Around Campus

Students Offer Enthusiastic Reviews for Dining Services Employment A free meal, flexible shifts, and the twominute walk back to her residence hall with an extra 50 bucks in her pocket are what first attracted Jade Keene ’22 to work at Late Night three years ago—but the boyfriend she met along the way sticks out now as the best takeaway from the experience.

“They can thank BC Dining for that,” laughed Tomas Ferrer ’22, who bonded with Keene over Eagles hockey banter while serving mozzarella sticks and chicken tenders as co-workers and later introduced Keene to her now-boyfriend.

BC Dining Services counts on students like Keene and Ferrer to help serve more than 22,000 meals a day at 13 different locations across campus. However, recruiting enough student workers has been difficult since the pandemic, leading to longer lines and fewer options than ever before.

“If you look at the numbers, normally we have about 800 students,” said BCDS Director Beth Emery. “Now we’re under 400. We have less than we’ve ever had in the last five years. And we really don’t know why.”

It’s a problem facing officials at universities across the country, with labor shortages making it increasingly difficult for dining

halls to find enough people to put food on the tables.

After cutting opening hours, ending dinner at two locations, and barring service to the public wasn’t enough to slow down record long lines at Michigan State University, administrators emailed professors to ask them to consider volunteering for a night or weekend shift, according to the Lansing State Journal. “Many businesses in the local area and around the country are hiring, and we are all competing for the same available talent,” the email said.

BCDS is responding by upping benefits, increasing outreach, and doubling down on making places like Addie’s or Mac accommodating and stress-free spots for students to make some extra cash.

“I would love to hire more BC students,” said BCDS Human Resources Manager Beth Ann Burns. “This is your college. This is your home. I’d like to see you be the one to make the money.”

So far, Keene has done that every semester she’s been at Boston College.

“This year I’m working mostly in catering, so the scheduling is really flexible,” she said. “My boss emails me the days he’s in and the hours I can come in and I just go whenever I’m available.” If she ends up

(L-R) Anshumi Shah ’24, Andy Wong ’22, and Audra Kingsley ’22 are among the undergraduates who work for Boston College Dining Services: Shah is a student manager in the BCDS office, Wong a student manager at Corcoran Commons, and Kingsley a barista at The Market in Corcoran Commons. photo by caitlin cunningham

with extra time on short notice, she can always pick up a shift last minute as well.

To Keene, that flexibility is what sets the job apart from others students might find

University Hosts Second ACC ‘Design Summit’ Event On November 19, Boston College undergraduate and graduate students joined their counterparts from Clemson, North Carolina State, and Virginia Tech for a collaborative, in-person competition that involved the application of design thinking and innovation to explore, analyze, and help solve complex real-world problems using human-centered, multi-perspective approaches.

BC was the host for the second annual Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Leadership Network (ACC-ALN) ImpACCt Design Summit, launched last year in virtual format. Participants from the four ACC schools were assimilated into four mixed-major and blended school teams that tackled topics such as inclusive transportation innovation, longevity research and mold, fresh water scarcity innovation, and play and learning design.

Team members represented a variety of disciplines, including architecture, applied psychology, engineering, transformative ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Jack Dunn SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

education, industrial design, and environmental studies. Ten BC students participated, all of whom had been previously introduced to design thinking through the Experience Reflection and Action (ERA) First-Year Program, the Cyberstrategy Innovation and Formative Development undergraduate summer course, the Introduction to Design Thinking undergraduate course sections, or the annual fall term ImpACCt Design Internship.

Design-driven thinking is an interdisciplinary set of tools used to approach problem solving within academia and industry at the field’s pioneering companies such as Apple, Uber, Airbnb, and Pixar. Due to the human-centered nature of the methodology, design-driven thinking is a pivotal mechanism and vehicle for incorporating empathy and social justice into a complex problem-solving process, explained Julia E. DeVoy, the Lynch School of Education and Human Development associate dean of undergraduate programs and students, who

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

led the BC contingent.

“Our ACC-ALN ImpACCT Design program and BC Summit final project presentations all truly represented the integration of science and society in tackling relevant, real-world human challenges,” said DeVoy, who also directs the ERA First-Year Program. “The ImpACCt program is clearly a model for reflecting human-centered design and social innovation in the context of science, technology, and society.”

The summit is the product of the ACCALN. BC’s participation is supported by the Provost and Dean of Faculties, the Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning, the Associate Vice Provost for Design and Innovation Strategies, and the ERA First-Year program.

“This year’s summit was the culmination and representation of BC’s successful investment in design thinking and innovation,” said DeVoy. —Phil Gloudemans

Caitlin Cunningham Lee Pellegrini

on campus or off. “You build your work around your availability and your schedule, and if things come up and you need to drop a shift for unforeseen reasons they’re really accommodating because they understand that you’re a student and you have other priorities that come first. But they’re also really good at making sure that when you want to work you’re able to work and they’ll have you.”

Bridging the labor gap quickly is especially important for Dining Services now, as they plan to launch a newly renovated wing of McElroy Commons in January, with four new meal lines and a wood-fired pizza oven.

“The job often is perceived as not exciting or glamorous,” Emery said. “But the students that do come to work for us love it.”

That rings true to Keene: “I’ve had a really good experience and I can say the same for my friends. If you’re looking for anything, they’ll work with you and they’ll work around you.”

—Lucas Carroll is a senior in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences

The next edition of Chronicle will be Thursday, January 20

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.

December 9, 2021

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Corcoran Ctr. Welcomes Barros as Visiting Professional John Barros, former chief of economic development for the City of Boston and current managing principal at Cushman & Wakefield, will join the Joseph E. Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management as a visiting professional in January.

A new initiative of the Corcoran Center, the visiting professional program was established to advance opportunities for students and link them with skilled professionals in the field of real estate and urban action.

Barros is an experienced economic development and real estate professional who recently was named managing principal of the Boston market for Cushman & Wakefield. Between 2014 and 2021, he served as chief of economic development under Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, stepping down from the position to run for mayor of Boston. Earlier in his career, Barros worked as executive director of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, a nonprofit group that advocates for local residents and businesses in collaboration with commu-

BC Scenes A festive time

The Boston College community gathered for seasonal festivities in recent weeks. Below, Campus Minister for Liturgical Arts Meyer Chambers led a song during the annual Multifaith Thanksgiving Celebration on November 18 in the Heights Room. Right, the University’s Christmas tree-lighting ceremony took place on December 1 in the Plaza at O’Neill Library.

photos by caitlin cunningham and lee pellegrini

Former City of Boston official John Barros: “The Corcoran Center’s focus on developing real estate professionals and economic development professionals resonates with my personal and professional goals.”

nity partners.

“We look forward to our students getting to know John here in the Carroll School of Management and gleaning insights into real estate development, investment, economic development, and public service from his extensive experience and expertise in the field,” said Corcoran Center Executive Director Neil McCullagh.

Barros said he was excited for the opportunity to serve as a visiting professional within the Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action to help prepare students who have an interest in real estate and economic development.

“The Corcoran Center’s focus on developing real estate professionals and economic development professionals resonates with my personal and professional goals,” said Barros. “I am excited about

the opportunity to engage with students and faculty at Boston College and to share the experiences I have had throughout my years of service to the City of Boston.”

Barros earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a master’s in planning from Tufts University. He is a graduate of Boston College High School.

The Joseph E. Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action leverages a multidisciplinary approach to cultivate discussions and develop actions that foster community transformation. In accordance with the mission of Boston College, the Corcoran Center aims to develop the next generation of ethical real estate professionals by educating and inspiring students, alumni, and other key stakeholders so they may harness real estate as a catalyst for needed change in areas where the marginalization of vulnerable citizens is most severe and enact broad-scope solutions to neighborhoods of concentrated poverty. To learn more, see the Corcoran Center website: bc.edu/corcorancenter.

—University Communications

BC Career Exploration Program Endeavor Returns Jan. 12-14 Fintech entrepreneur Bill Clerico ’07 will be the keynote speaker at Boston College Endeavor, the popular career exploration program for sophomores and juniors pursuing liberal arts degrees, which takes place in virtual format January 12-14.

Clerico, who earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science at BC, is founder of Convective Capital, an investment firm that backs entrepreneurs applying technology to prevent, suppress, and mitigate wildfire-related impact. He was the founder and CEO of WePay, which he started at age 23 and led for 12 years through its acquisition by J.P. Morgan Chase. At J.P. Morgan, he directed the SMB payments business and led strategic investments in Toast, Touchbistro, and Freshbooks.

Named as one of Bloomberg’s Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs, Clerico is an early-stage investor in more than 50 technology companies and a former part-time partner at Y Combinator. He also serves on the board of directors at PayNearMe, a billing platform that facilitates all payment types including credit, debit, cash, and ACH (automated clearing house).

Endeavor was launched in 2016 by the Career Center to empower students to take control of their career journeys.

With the support of “Endeavor Fellows”— highly trained student leaders and former program participants—undergraduates reflect on their skills and interests during workshops, practice networking, and take part in “career treks” to Boston companies and organizations to help them experience what it is like to work in an industry of interest. As was the case last year, due to

Keynote speaker Bill Clerico ’07 photo by rainier calo

the pandemic the career treks will again be replaced by “industry immersion experiences” in fields such as health care and nursing; communication, arts, and media; and business, consulting, and finance.

While the in-person version of Endeavor is sorely missed, its online alternative has been well received, said Rachel Greenberg, director for career education and strategy at the Career Center: “The virtual format has allowed us to pair alumni mentors with small groups of students for multiple conversations during Endeavor, and this has proven to be a popular feature of the event.”

For more information about Boston College Endeavor, see bc.edu/endeavor.

—University Communications

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December 9, 2021

Lynch Gift Will Strengthen BC Art Holdings Continued from page 1

The donation includes an additional $5 million grant to support the ongoing curation and exhibition of what will be called the Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch Collection, making the total gift one of the largest in University history.

Lynch, a 1965 graduate of Boston College, said he donated the art to the McMullen Museum to inspire Boston College students and museum visitors through the diverse collection of paintings and drawings from 20 of the world’s most acclaimed artists.

“My hope is that this artwork, all of which my wife Carolyn and I collected during our 50 years together, will help students to develop a deeper understanding of art and its importance as a form of expression,” said Lynch. “All students definitely can learn from this collection, which includes a diversity of styles of painting, many of which depict the natural beauty of our country from its most celebrated painters. I also wanted to enhance the McMullen Museum’s permanent collection through our donation and encourage others to follow.”

Among the notable pieces in the collection are Picasso’s drawing “Head”; Homer’s painting “Grace Hoops”; Cassatt’s watercolor “Mother and Child”; Sargent’s painting “Olive Trees, Corfu”; and Yeats’s 1929 painting “Farewell to Mayo,” which British actor Sir Laurence Olivier gifted as a wedding present to actress Vivien Leigh.

Theodore E. Stebbins Jr., the consultative curator of American art at Harvard University’s Fogg Museum and former curator of American paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston, described the collection as “an extraordinary compilation of artwork” that includes masterpieces any museum in the nation would desire.

“This collection reflects Peter and his love of the sea and nature,” said Stebbins.

“He and Carolyn acquired wonderful seascapes and marine paintings, as well as remarkable non-marines that include some of the masterpieces of the collection such as Martin Johnson Heade’s ‘Orchid and

Hummingbirds Near a Mountain Lake,’ which is an extraordinary painting and the best Heade orchid artwork ever painted.

“Homer’s ‘Grace Hoops’ is an unusual, wonderful, touching painting about young women at that age, and Bierstadt’s ‘Newport Rocks’ is a gem; there is nothing like it. William Bradford’s ‘Among the Ice Floes’

is a stunning painting, representing Bradford at his absolute best. Each painting is beautiful and tells a unique story of American life. It is an extraordinary collection for Boston College and the community.”

Nancy Netzer, the Inaugural Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Director of the McMullen Museum, said the museum is honored that the Lynch family has entrusted

Samples from the Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch Collection: above, “Grace Hoops” (Winslow Homer); below, “Orchid and Hummingbirds Near a Mountain Lake” (Martin Johnson Heade); right, “Head” (Pablo Picasso).

this outstanding collection to its care. “This is a transformational gift for the McMullen Museum, allowing expansion of our role as a vital educational resource offered free of charge not only to the Boston College community but also to all students and the public, wherever they may be,” said Netzer.

A professor of art history in the Department of Art, Art History, and Film, Netzer said the museum would work in partnership with BC faculty and students and with scholars from around the world to initiate new research on the artwork and share new insights and contemporary interpretations with its multiple audiences.

“Carolyn and Peter Lynch’s generosity and their focused, discerning collecting over many decades have brightened the future of the McMullen Museum’s offerings to New England and beyond.

We are profoundly grateful to them.”

Lynch said he first took an interest in art after visiting the MFA as a boy with his mother and repeatedly admiring John Singleton Copley’s master painting “Watson and the Shark.” His interest was further piqued after taking art history classes as a student at Boston College. In his 30s, he and Carolyn were a part of a group of collectors at the MFA called “The

Young Seminarians,” whose major focus was furniture before turning to paintings.

His interest in art collecting grew after marrying Carolyn, who passed away in 2015.

“When we got married, Carolyn and I did not have money to purchase art, so the fine art collection came later. We cherished having this art in our homes, but it is now time to give it away so that it can be studied and enjoyed by others.”

Lynch said that his personal favorites from the collection include Diego Rivera’s drawing of a family, the Heade painting “Orchid and Hummingbirds Near a Mountain Lake,” Bradford’s “Among the Ice Floes,” and Bierstadt’s “Near the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains,” which, Lynch said, he was inspired to acquire following one of his more than 25 visits to U.S. National Parks with his wife and three daughters.

“I know that the collection was sought after by other museums, but I wanted it to go to my alma mater, which dramatically improved my life, and where my father taught mathematics and physics, my wife proudly received an honorary degree in 2009, and my daughter Annie spent four wonderful and productive years,” said Lynch. “This donation will help enhance the outstanding work that Nancy Netzer has done at the McMullen Museum. I hope that many of our 10 grandchildren will go to BC, where they and their classmates can view the art our children grew up admiring, and that visitors from throughout New England will come to see the collection at this jewel of a museum.”

The Lynches have been longtime supporters of Boston College and are among the school’s most generous benefactors.

Their donations have included a gift of more than $10 million in 1999 to name the Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch School of Education and Human Development, and a $20 million gift beginning in 2010 to establish The Lynch Leadership Academy, which trains and provides support for principals and aspiring principals from throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

“I am an extremely lucky person who has been so blessed in life,” said Lynch.

“Giving this collection to Boston College is a small way for me to give back.”

“Mother and Child,” Watercolor on paper

The Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch Collection consists of the following artwork: •Albert Bierstadt (American, 1830–1902) “Owens Valley, California,” circa 1872, Oil on

•Robert Salmon (British/American, 17751845)

panel “Near the South Pass of the Rocky Mountains,” 1861, Oil on panel “Newport Rocks,” 1859, Oil on panel “The Approaching Storm: White Mountain View with Hay Wagon and Figures,” 1861, Oil on canvas

•William Bradford (American, 1823–1892) “Among the Ice Floes,” 1878, Oil on canvas “Trapped in Packed Ice,” 1877, Oil on canvas

•James Edward Buttersworth (American, 1817-1894) “Racing Yachts,” Oil on canvas

•Mary Cassatt (American, 1844-1926)

•Frederic Edwin Church (American, 18261900) “New England Landscape,” 1949, Oil on board

•Sanford Robinson Gifford (American, 1823-1880)

“The Ruins of the Parthenon,” 1869, Oil on canvas

•William Stanley Haseltine (American, 1835-1900)

“Rocks at Narragansett,” 1863, Oil on canvas

•Childe Hassam (American, 1859-1935)

“Water Hazard, Maidstone Links,” 1923, Oil on canvas “Spring Flowering Trees,” Oil on canvas

•Martin Johnson Heade (American, 18191904) “Two Green Breasted Hummingbirds,” 186364, Oil on canvas “Orchid and Hummingbirds Near a Mountain Lake,” 1875-90, Oil on canvas

•Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910) “Grace Hoops,” 1872, Oil on canvas

•George Inness (American, 1825-1894) “In the Evening,” Oil on canvas

•John Frederick Kensett (American 18161872) “On the Beverly Coast,” 1865, Oil on canvas

•Fitz Henry Lane (American, 1804-1865) “View of Gloucester Harbor,” 1858, Oil on canvas “Sunset After a Storm,” 1858, Oil on canvas

•Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1973) “Head,” Pencil on paper

•Diego Rivera (Mexican, 1886-1957) “Family,” 1934, Ink on paper

“View in Boston Harbor, Ship Going Out,” 1852, Oil on panel

•John Singer Sargent (American, 18561925) “Olive Trees, Corfu,” 1909, Oil on canvas “Study of A Fig Tree,” 1908, Oil on canvas

•Aaron Shikler (American, 1922-2015) “Study for the White House Portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy,” 1968, Oil on canvas

•Francis Augustus Silva (American, 18351886) “Approaching Storm,” 1871, Oil on canvas

•Jack Butler Yeats (Irish, 1871–1957) “Farewell to Mayo,” 1929, Oil on paper “Rushing Water,” Oil on canvas “The Quiet Men,” Oil on canvas

Chronicle

December 9, 2021

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A Conversation About EagleApps Continued from page 1

interests to go in this direction.

Q: What was the plan for introducing EagleApps?

Walsh: This is the most transformative project undertaken in my more than 25 years at BC, one that involves many hands and moving parts. The feeling was that the transition from UIS to EagleApps would be best accomplished gradually, following the academic operational calendar, rather than all at once. So in December of last year, we introduced the module for curriculum management and course offering—providing support for courses, requirements, competencies, and learning outcomes and objectives, among other things. The course information and scheduling and planning and registration modules came in March and April of 2021, academic records and transfer articulation were among the modules that came into use in May. Integrations of EagleApps with other critical systems and applications such as Slate—BC’s applicant/admissions management software—Financial Aid, and the other EagleApps modules of degree audit, transcript, grading and graduation and student accounts version 2.0 all went live over the summer of 2021.

Mack: Some of the modules were “homegrown,” but others involved integration with vendor products. For example, the degree audit and transfer articulation module: Through a combination of EagleApps with the product uAchieve, users manage students’ progress and ensure their degree or program requirements are on track; also, transfer coursework, transcripts, and exam credits are automatically evaluated to determine equivalent credit and degree applicability.

Q: The roll-out hasn’t been completely smooth, however—correct?

Walsh: Unfortunately, and we fully acknowledge this, there were some serious problems in the launching of the first EagleApps modules last January. We saw some serious performance issues with registration for summer 2021 and had to bring that module off-line. As a result, there were delays in getting some EagleApps features up and running. We know this was a terrible inconvenience for the BC community, and we’ve been working hard to make sure that we minimize any impact to business operations.

The fact is, it’s natural to experience bugs when you’re dealing with a complex system like this, and you’re converting from a 40-year-old mainframe—one that, in its day, also had bugs.

Mack: Since December of last year, when EagleApps first launched, there have been 76 separate releases of code—an average of more than one release a week.

During that time, we’ve moved more than 3,000 changes into production.

This is the world of software development, which is different than the world of the mainframe. As anyone who uses a personal computer knows, there will always be releases of new patches and updates to sup-

photo by caitlin cunningham

“This is the world of software development, which is “The new generation of applications puts greater power and flexibility in the hands of users and how they choose to run their businesses, so it was in BC’s best interests to go in this direction.”

—Denis Walsh

different than the world of the mainframe. As anyone who uses a personal computer knows, there will always be releases of new patches and updates to support applications and other products, and that’s part of what we’ve seen with EagleApps. It’s frustrating when things don’t go right, of course, but on our platform, there are many layers that users might not see.”

—Jennifer Mack

port applications and other products, and that’s part of what we’ve seen with EagleApps. It’s frustrating when things don’t go right, of course, but on our platform, there are many layers that users might not see.

Q: How are things going now?

Mack: We have now finished three registration cycles under EagleApps: Summer 2021 was rough, fall 2021 was better, and spring 2022 has been much smoother. The spring 2022 planning and registration cycle had an increased number of total students registering in the system with a higher volume of course adds and drops. Additionally, during the most recent registration, there were only a third as many work orders related to EagleApps—though not all were necessarily confined to registration modules—submitted to EagleApps Production Support and the Student Service Information Systems team. The ability to identify and resolve issues was much faster, and the coordination and communication was more efficient and effective.

Numbers aside, we’re seeing some of the benefits of a more modern platform. For

example, if I’m a student getting ready to register for the next semester, I can create multiple plans for the upcoming term with variations of schedule and courses—do I want Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday? Then, after showing these to my advisor, I choose one and hit “submit.” EagleApps will verify ahead of registration if my plan has any problems, so if necessary I can go with one of my alternatives.

Here’s another example: BC used to have to print out thousands of degree audits, each with its own access code to clear them for registration, and hand the print-out to every student. Now, all degree audits are electronic and saved to student accounts on EagleApps; and starting with summer 2022 registration, clearance will be submitted by advisors electronically as well.

Walsh: There is so much more flexibility all around for students, faculty, and administrators alike, and as refinements to EagleApps continue and people get used to the system, we’re confident that the University community will reap the benefits.

Q: What should we look for as regards EagleApps this coming year?

Mack: In January, we’re going to establish an advisory council of users within the community—students, faculty, staff, administrators. This will provide a valuable conduit for real-time feedback on EagleApps. It’s very important to us that people know we’re listening and we want to get a full picture of how this system is operating. We are also aligned, committed, and focused on stabilizing the product and releasing critical enhancements to support the critical operations of the University.

Walsh: We’ll continue to work closely with our team of 100-plus people, including BC staff and outside vendors, who all deserve credit for their commitment and incredible efforts in undertaking such a massive project. We’re grateful to the University community, which has been very patient in going through this transition with us.

—Sean Smith

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December 9, 2021

Compounded Disadvantages New faculty member Satcher focuses on how inequality, environment, and health affect quality of life in urban neighborhoods “I want my research to have

BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

What if you lived in urban neighborhood with no grocery store nearby? What if that same neighborhood lacked a pharmacy and a park? What effect would this have on your health and well-being? These are the kinds of questions explored by Lacee Satcher, a new assistant professor in the Sociology Department and Environmental Studies program.

Satcher’s research centers on the intersection of inequality, environment, and health, specifically in neighborhoods in urban areas. Her dissertation was on “(Un) Just Deserts: Examining the Consequences of Economic, Social and Environmental Disinvestment in the Urban South.” She studied the concept of compounded disadvantages—a series of adverse circumstances, particularly in an urban area, that have a negative cumulative effect on those living in the area.

While the negative effects of food deserts—defined as urban areas where it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food—have been documented, Satcher wondered about the impact on health and well-being if there were additional resource scarcities in same area. What if the urban neighborhood that was in a food desert also lacked green space and/or a pharmacy?

She developed the term multiplydeserted areas (MDAs) to describe neigh-

a higher purpose, and practical implications for policy.

I want my research to have impact on the neighborhoods I love and live in.”

—Lacee Satcher

photo by lee pellegrini

borhoods that have a shortage of multiple social, economic, and health-related resources.

The first step in her research was to confirm that MDAs actually existed in the cities across the South and how demographics like race and class predict which neighborhoods are MDAs. Once she established the existence of MDAs, Satcher examined their impact on health, looking at issues such as asthma, diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity. Then she did a critical reflection on these studies where she interviewed people who lived in MDAs to get their perceptions.

Satcher was born and raised in Jackson, Miss., a place she is proud to call home. “I love Mississippi!” she said. She called growing up in Mississippi “a wonderful and formative experience,” adding that the state capital has “a rich history of civil rights, activism, and greatness in music, education, and everything else.”

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Tougaloo College and a master’s degree from Jackson State University; she earned master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from Vanderbilt University.

This past semester she taught Research Methods in Environmental Studies. In the

spring, she will teach Urban Sociology.

As an urban sociologist, Satcher was drawn to BC because of the University’s proximity to Boston. Most of her work has been in the urban South, but she is excited to turn an analytical eye toward Boston.

“Boston is a great place to be,” she said, to study topics of interest to her such as urban space and urban health.

Satcher is also looking to do research in Boston related to environmental racism and the built environment. “As someone who studies race and ethnicity, the diversity of Boston is something that is really attractive.”

Satcher considers herself a scholar, educator, and activist. She has been exploring ideas of building partnerships with organizations in Boston that address environmental injustice.

“Activism has been part of my identity since high school,” said Satcher. “I want my research to have a higher purpose, and practical implications for policy. I want my research to have impact on the neighborhoods I love and live in.”

STM’s Ospino Is Recognized for Research on Church Issues

BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

Hosffman Ospino, an associate professor of Hispanic ministry and religious education in the School of Theology and Ministry, has been awarded the 2021 Richard Cardinal Cushing Medal for the Advancement of Church Research, presented by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) to a person or organization that has advanced Church research.

Ospino’s research focuses on the dialogue between theology and culture and the impact of this interchange upon Catholic theological education, catechesis, and ministry. He is particularly interested in examining how the Hispanic Catholic presence is transforming parishes, schools, and organizations in the United States.

Ospino has led groundbreaking national studies on Catholic parishes with Hispanic ministry and Catholic schools in an increasingly Hispanic Church. His current research projects examine Latino teachers in Catholic schools, Catholic organizations serving Hispanic youth, and Hispanic vocations.

Ospino has authored and edited more than a dozen books and published more than 100 academic and general audience

Hosffman Ospino, center, with his wife, Guadalupe, their children, William and Victoria, and Bishop Shawn McKnight of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, which presented Ospino with the Cardinal Cushing Medal. photo by anthony russo

articles. He is a regular contributor to National Catholic Reporter and a columnist for Catholic News Service. He gives talks at events, seminars, and conferences locally,

nationally, and internationally. His writings and lectures draw from current social science research to better understand the needs of Hispanic youth, their engagement in Church life, and Catholic education.

“I am humbled by this recognition, which I interpret as an affirmation on the part of CARA and the Catholic research community of the contributions theologians, especially Hispanic theologians and theologians from underrepresented communities, are making to better understand U.S. Catholicism today,” said Ospino, a native of Colombia.

At the November 8 award ceremony in Washington, D.C., Ospino expressed his gratitude to CARA’s Board of Directors and Executive Director Thomas Gaunt, S.J., for bestowing the award upon him, and acknowledged his family, as well as the foundations and benefactors who have supported his work.

“No one succeeds alone,” he said. “I thank Boston College, and particularly my colleagues and research teams at the School of Theology and Ministry, for supporting my work as a researcher, theologian, and educator. Boston College has provided me with a wonderful academic community and an invaluable platform to do the work I do.”

According to Ospino, this recognition

from CARA acknowledges the significance of the research being conducted by theologians today as well as the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between the social sciences and theology. Social sciences have the potential to ground theological inquiry and social scientists should be open to theological reflection on their data, said Ospino.

He added that this award is also a signal of the need to look more closely at the Hispanic Catholic experience and to cultivate and mentor scholars from within the Hispanic/Latino community.

“The more we understand what is happening in the spaces and communities where Hispanics are, the questions and concerns that occupy the minds and hearts of Hispanic women and men, and the hopes and contributions of Hispanics in the midst of our complex realities, the more we will understand what Catholicism will be like in this country the rest of this century.”

Founded in 1964, CARA is a national, nonprofit, Georgetown University-affiliated research center that conducts social scientific studies about the Catholic Church.

The medal’s namesake, Cardinal Richard Cushing (1895-1970), served as the archbishop of Boston and was the principal founder of CARA.

Chronicle

December 9, 2021

7

Artist-Scientist Collaboration at Core of BC Project

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

Boston College physicist Andrzej Herczyński has received a two-year, $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to bring together scientists and artists to explore the connections between mathematics, science, and art.

Herczyński, a research professor and laboratory director in the Physics Department, said the grant is intended to ignite creative collaboration among artists and scientists, as well as experts from a range of fields in the arts, sciences, and humanities, who endeavor to expand the boundaries of common understandings about the interplay of these fields.

“I am very excited to receive this grant,” said Herczyński. “This is a high-risk, potentially high-reward type of program that the NSF supports as a way of encouraging new ways of thinking and new ideas, which may make a long-term impact in math and science, and art as well, and the many ways these seemingly disparate disciplines connect with each other.”

Funding for the grant comes from the NSF’s Early-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) program, which supports “untested, but potentially transformative, research ideas or approaches,” according to the program website.

Developed in collaboration with Herczyński’s colleagues at the Isaac Newton Institute at the University of Cambridge (UK), the program will expand on ideas that emerged during two workshops Herczyński organized there in 2017 and 2020, he said.

The project will create new opportunities for a dialogue with contemporary artists working in diverse media, stimulating new insights and new collaborative ventures, he said. In addition to conferences, research workshops, and discussion panels,

Boston College physicist Andrzej Herczyński feels his NSF-funded project will illuminate ways the “seemingly disparate disciplines” of math, science, and art connect with each other. photo by caitlin cunningham

a series of art exhibitions will be organized, both in the United States and the UK, featuring prominent painters, sculptors, and other artists, whose work engages mathematics or physics in some way, whether directly or indirectly.

The intersection of art and science has long been a subject of personal and professional interest for Herczyński. As a physicist, his work has been focused on mathematical modeling in fluid dynamics. He has also worked with colleagues, including art historians, to bring physics sensitivity and mathematical tools to the understanding of the visual arts and music.

In 2007, he undertook a collaboration with then BC Professor of Art History Claude Cernuschi to examine scaling properties and fluid-dynamical effects in

the abstract paintings of Jackson Pollock, who poured and sometimes dripped liquid paints—of varied physical properties— onto horizontal canvases to create some of the best-known works of the 20th century.

The research led to publications in several highly-regarded peer-reviewed physics and art journals.

“With Jackson Pollock, we brought fluid dynamics to analyze his particular technique, to gain an understanding of why his paintings look the way they do, and why he engaged in certain novel practices,” said Herczyński. “He was effectively experimenting with liquid pigments and we wanted to add the relevant physics to the study of his work.”

Beyond its applications to paintings, fluid and solid mechanics can be engaged to

study sculpture, particularly works made from molten metal and other materials, forms that use granular substances, as well as works that depict the flow of liquids.

During his participation in programs in 2017 and 2020 at the Isaac Newton Institute, one of the world’s premier centers for the study of mathematical sciences, Herczyński and his colleagues, the institute’s curator of art and science, Barry Phipps, and director, David Abrahams, began to formulate the grant proposal.

In addition to examining the intersection of these fields in the conceptualization and creation of works of art, the program will include the science of preserving and reconstructing fragile or damaged works of art, noted Herczyński.

He envisions workshops and seminars, as well as related exhibitions, which will serve to illuminate such interdisciplinary issues as the role of artificial intelligence and its use in the creation of works of art; the effects of using a variety of tools such as paint applicators, brushes, or sprays to create art objects; cultural connections between scientific discovery and artistic creation throughout history; questions of scale and scaling properties in physics and art; and how mathematical concepts are represented in artistic imagery.

“These themes are really invitations to engage in conversations across the traditional boundaries of fields,” said Herczyński. “We are hoping this will be a two-way street, resulting in new directions in physics research inspired by artworks and artistic processes. Simultaneously, we are hoping that those artists who allow physics to ‘co-author’ their pieces, may, through collaboration with scientists, hone-in and extend their techniques. That kind of cooperation may lead to creative leaps in art as well as science.”

Grant Will Boost Merkert’s Magnetic Resonance Center

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

Two grants totaling approximately $1.5 million will support the installation of two state-of-the-art nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers in the Magnetic Resonance Center in the Merkert Chemistry Center, according to center director Thusitha Jayasundera.

The funding from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation will facilitate the purchase of two instruments that allow researchers to study the physical, chemical, and biological properties of matter. Chemists, in particular, use NMR spectroscopy to determine molecular identity and structure.

“These grants will help us support a range of research we do here at Boston College, particularly our researchers working with funding from the National Institutes of Health,” said Jayasundera. “These are important upgrades in our capabilities that give our faculty, graduate students, un-

dergraduates, and even visiting high school changing world.” students the chance to work with state-ofManufactured by the German company the-art equipment.”

Bruker, the CryoProbe is supercooled A National Institutes of Health grant of by helium gas to temperatures of apnearly $1 million will fund the purchase proximately 20 Kelvin, or -423.7 degrees of the University’s first helium CryoProbeFahrenheit. The resulting reduction of enabled NMR spectrometer, noise—similar to electronic The benefits will extend interference—significantly which Jayasundera said is a highly sensitive device able to not only to faculty, grad- increases the sensitivity of the analyze lab samples more ef- uate researchers, and NMR spectra, allowing the ficiently and with far greater undergraduates, but high new equipment to analyze sensitivity than the current laboratory samples faster and school students in BC equipment, which was inin much smaller quantities, on-campus programs. stalled 30 years ago. said Jayasundera.

“This is welcome news for “The successful NIH researchers and students on campus,” said funding in particular is a clear reflection Professor of Chemistry and Department of the very talented faculty at Boston ColChairman Dunwei Wang. “The successes lege, who already have successful research in winning this funding speak to the high programs backed by the NIH,” said Jayaquality of research being carried out at BC. sundera. “The institute always prioritizes These additions provide a much-needed the projects that have already secured its upgrade to our instrumentation. They will sponsorship, and we were fortunate to have play critical roles as we transition to a new a long list of successful NIH-funded prophase of scholarship and teaching focused grams at BC.” on meeting societal needs in a rapidly A second grant, from the National Sci-

ence Foundation, will contribute approximately $543,000 towards the purchase of a second Bruker spectrometer where the Prodigy probe is immersed in liquid nitrogen, cooling the electronics to temperatures of 77 Kelvin, or -321 degrees Fahrenheit.

In addition to serving faculty and graduate student research, the Prodigy will be used to support undergraduate student researchers, as well as high school students participating in on-campus programs like Women in Science or the Paper to Plastics programs, said Jayasundera. NSF funding often includes stipulations to provide research opportunities that engage different public audiences.

Jayasundera said students will benefit from using state-of-the-art technology. “It is important for students going out into the working world to have experience using this kind of technology,” he said. “This is the technology chemistry majors would use in graduate school or in the private sector.”

He expects the systems to be installed next year, given extended shipping times.

Chronicle

8

December 9, 2021

LESSONS LEARNED The UN Climate Change Conference was a grand, important event, say BC representatives who attended.

The obvious question is, what now?

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

Less than a month after traveling to COP26—the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland—students and faculty who attended as part of the University’s first accredited delegation are sharing their experiences with the Boston College community.

They are also working on steps they can take, be it through their scholarship or personal lives, to work at reducing the environmental and climatological harm done by a range of human activities across the globe.

“It was electric and amazing,” said Environmental Studies Program Director Tara Pisani Gareau of the atmosphere among the roughly 38,000 delegates attending the COP (Congress of the Parties). “You were surrounded by people from so many different countries and cultures and striking up conversations with people from every part of the world.”

The granting of observer status, secured through efforts of faculty led by BC Law School Professor David Wirth—who did not travel to COP26 himself—offered a unique opportunity to the delegation to attend events organized around the negotiations among parties to the United Nations climate pact. The selection also reflected BC’s academic and research strengths on the issue of climate science and policy.

Gareau, one of eight faculty members in the BC delegation, attended the first week of the summit, where officials negotiated a global pact to fulfill carbon-cutting pledges that grew out of the Paris Agreement, reached at the 21st COP in 2015.

Since returning from Scotland, Gareau and the five students who attended as part of the delegation have participated in several speaking programs, including a virtual presentation to students at Boston Green Academy and a visit to a BC class titled

BC junior Julia Horchos met another fellow Eagle—John F. Kerry J.D. ’76—at COP26.

Climate Storytelling.

Students will be part of a panel discussion on January 24 at noon in BC’s new integrated science building at 245 Beacon St., Gareau said. Delegation members are also working out a schedule for additional programs as part of an ongoing series of conversations about faculty research on climate science, she said.

Gareau also hosted a visit by one of the many people she met at COP26, Gopal Patel, the founder of the nonprofit Bhumi Global, which works to encourage Hindus to take environmental action, and a co-chair of the UN’s multi-faith advisory council. There are plans to bring Patel back for a campus talk next spring.

Visiting Associate Professor of Computer Science Rafael Ubal Tena documented his experience at COP26 on video, with interviews and reporting from the events.

“I made it my mission about two years ago to educate students on this matter, both through YouTube videos and in person, in spite of my area of expertise [computer science] being seemingly unrelated,” said Ubal. “Our ecological degradation

“Regulations are essential, but people who are passionate to teach, act, and create change are equally important to reaching our climate goals.”

—Ginny Alex ’22

is a topic that should be present in every field and space. Attending the COP raised a lot of curiosity and interest among my students.”

Associate Professor of the Practice of Philosophy David Storey recorded interviews with attendees to examine a range of issues surrounding climate change. He expects the experience to shape his teaching and research.

“I work on climate change ethics, and one thing that COP26 drove home for me is that energy is everything,” said Storey.

“During a panel on the potential of green hydrogen, Tara and I started talking about the ethical issues around not just fossil fuel energy but ‘clean’ and ‘green’ energy, such as the mining of cobalt, a key resource for lithium-ion batteries, in the Congo. So, I decided that next year, I will teach a course on energy justice, and pursue research on the ethical dimensions of energy politics and policy.”

In addition to Gareau, Ubal, and Storey, the delegation included Professor of Philosophy Patrick Byrne, Professor of Political Science David Deese, School of Theology and Ministry Professor Mary Jo Iozzio, School of Social Work Assistant Profes-

The Boston College delegation at COP26 included (L-R) faculty members David Deese, Mary Jo Iozzio, and Praveen Kumar.

sor Praveen Kumar, Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy staff member Cindy Nguyen, International Studies Program Director Erik Owens, and Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society Visiting Professor Kurt Straif.

BC delegates said the experience exposed the massive challenges to creating coordinated global action, yet also offered a glimpse of the grassroots activism needed to make serious progress.

“My biggest takeaway was, though this conference is extremely important and there are very important things being decided, the way these lessons get translated into action is through individuals,” said Ginny Alex, a senior in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development.

“Regulations are essential, but people who are passionate to teach, act, and create change are equally important to reaching our climate goals.”

The event put the delegates at a crossroads of the world, assembled in the exhibition halls for panels, speeches, and conversation. BC delegates encountered former Secretary of State and current Biden administration climate official John F. Kerry J.D. ’76, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) ’68, J.D. ’72, former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy—now the White House national climate advisor—and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Delegates said personal encounters struck a chord. Gareau met the finance minister of Jamaica and an undersecretary of state from Libya as the three searched for a meeting room. Students were impressed by the life stories of citizen delegates from around the world.

“I was most inspired by the Indigenous representatives from across the globe who spoke about the effects of climate change in their communities,” said Connell School of Nursing graduate student Nicola Roux. “As the defenders of their ancestral lands and this planet, these communities are often affected most by and expected to solve a climate crisis that they have contributed very little to causing.

“Attending COP26 has reignited my

belief that we must keep people at the center of climate solutions and that planetary health must be incorporated into everything I do as a nurse as it is so inextricably tied to human health.”

Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences junior Julia Horchos said conversations with delegates, like the one she had with a young man from Nepal, offered unique perspectives on the climate crisis.

“My experience at COP26 has made me excited to take an active role in international climate policy,” Horchos said. “I hope to combine my passions in environmental studies and political science to aid in the creation of climate change-based legislation or litigation of environmental cases. It is evident that there is much to be accomplished within the field of climate policy, and the responsibility of achieving that goal lies in the hands of my generation.”

Alex, an applied psychology and human development major who plans to attend law school, experienced an “aha” moment at a World Health Organization talk on climate justice and mental health.

“As the panelists began to speak it became clear that the discussion was far more focused on the mental health of climate migrants, which was a population I had never considered studying in my research. Throughout the session, the biggest takeaway was that though there are many anecdotal experiences that can serve as evidence, there is not enough empirical data to support any strong statements. At that moment, I was inspired to be one of the people to help collect that data in the future.”

Additional student delegates were Morrissey College seniors Diana Bunge and Mingyue Ma. Funding to support the delegation came from the University Fellowships Committee in the Provost’s Office, the Dean’s Office of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, the Office of Global Engagement, the Environmental Studies Program, the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, and the Global Public Health and the Common Good Program.

Chronicle

December 9, 2021

9

A Career to Be Proud Of Al Travaglini ’73 returned to BC as a custodian.

He’s retiring more than 36 years later as a director.

BY ALIX HACKETT SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

On a recent fall afternoon, Al Travaglini was in Newton on an errand having to do with an enormous pipe organ. The instrument, once installed in the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Boston’s South End, where Boston College’s original campus was located, was disassembled ahead of the building’s conversion to luxury condos in 2016. Travaglini, BC’s director of support services and University properties, has been overseeing its storage in 100-plus crates ever since, while working to secure a new home for the piece of BC history.

“It’s been quite a saga,” he said. “St. Paul’s Choir School hired a prominent organ assembler, but right now we’re waiting for the opinion of a structural engineer to determine if their loft is sufficient to support the weight of it. That needs to get figured out.”

Organ rehoming might seem like an odd assignment for a senior employee responsible for the upkeep and renovation of the University’s many properties, but for Travaglini, fielding offbeat requests has kept him motivated for more than 36 years on the job. He’ll retire at the end of this month, along with colleagues Thomas Rourke and Jamie Slattery in the Grounds Maintenance Department.

“I got tired but never bored,” Trava-

photo by peter pulsifer

BC’s John Finney Earns a Lifetime Achievement Honor Recognized as one of the most important musicians in the Boston area, University Chorale of Boston College Director John Finney (in photo above)—a distinguished conductor and organist who has been active in choral music for more than four decades—has received a singular honor: Choral Arts New England’s Alfred Nash Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Choral Arts New England Board Chair Gregory W. Brown formally presented the award this fall to Finney in recognition of his outstanding contributions to choral

glini said of his career. “Any task that was thrown at me, I’ve always been able to get it done.”

A native of East Boston, where his mother still lives, Travaglini was the first in his family to attend college when he enrolled at Boston College in 1969. He rode the MBTA to campus every morning, often hitching a ride from Cleveland Circle to cap off his 90-minute commute. Years later, as an employee of the University, he tried (unsuccessfully) to return the favor.

“I would be driving and see kids in need of a ride so I’d pull over and say ‘You need a ride to school?’ but nobody ever got in the car,” he recalled with a laugh. “The culture had changed and it didn’t take me too many odd looks to just stop offering.”

Travaglini graduated with a degree in English and a goal of becoming a high school teacher. Instead, he spent a dozen years in the private sector, “made several mistakes along the way,” and emerged in need of a new beginning. He found it at BC, where he was hired in 1983 as a custodian on the overnight shift. His first week on the job, he cleaned the locker rooms where he had once spent time as a walk-on member of the men’s basketball team.

“You want to talk about humbling?

That was it,” he said. “I would put on my Dickies and have my paper bag lunch at 3 a.m.”

Travaglini rose through the ranks, distinguishing himself with his work ethic music in New England. The inscription praised Finney’s “decades of service in the distinct realms of adult choral societies, professional choruses, collegiate chorales, and church choirs. [He] has brought great choral music to audiences everywhere while inspiring universal respect and admiration from his colleagues and choristers.”

Finney has directed the University Chorale of Boston College since 1993, and conducted the Boston College Symphony Orchestra since 1999, when he was given the title of distinguished artist-in-residence at the University.

“It is an immense honor for me to be the recipient of this prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award,” Finney said. “I have been blessed to work with hundreds, if not thousands, of wonderful singers over my 43 years as a choral conductor.

“I have loved every choral ensemble I have ever conducted, and have reveled in the fact that every chorus produces a sound that is unique and extraordinary, unlike the sound of any other choral ensemble that has ever existed.”

Finney also has served as conductor of the Heritage Chorale (1983-1984, 19872020), associate conductor and chorusmaster of the Handel and Haydn Society (1990-2014), and director of music at Wellesley Hills Congregational Church for more than 36 years.

—University Communications

“I got tired,” says Al Travaglini of his threeplus decades at BC, “but never bored.” photo by lee pellegrini

and ability to identify inefficiencies. As a custodial supervisor, he served on one of the first Activity Value Analysis teams, identifying ways to streamline and improve services by adjusting the frequency of some tasks and reassigning others. By 2009, he was associate director of support services and University properties, overseeing buildings in Newton, Brighton, Weston, and Dover as well as the University’s storage facilities and mailroom operations. Six years later, he took over as director.

Travaglini’s mind is an encyclopedia of facts and figures related to BC operations: the cost to replace windows and flooring in a run-down building on the Pine Manor campus, purchased by BC in 2020; the number of packages coming through the University mailrooms per academic year

BC Scenes

Invitation to the dance PHOTOS BY LEE PELLEGRINI

Boston College’s Week of Dance climaxed with evening performances last Friday and Saturday at Robsham Theater by student dance groups including (clockwise from above) PATU, AeroK, and the Golden Eagles Dance Team.

(roughly 240,000 in 2021 thanks to Amazon); the price he negotiated for a hydraulic lift in the new warehouse—but it’s the human impact of his work that means the most to him.

“I’ve never looked at the facilities as just buildings,” said Travaglini, now 70.

“Everything I’ve done was on behalf of making someone’s experience at BC better and easier, whether it was a student who needed accommodations to learn or a faculty member who needed office space.”

Travaglini was a key part of top-tobottom renovations to the St. Columbkille Partnership School in 2006, and has remained a consistent supporter of the BCaffiliated school ever since, said Head of School Jen Kowieski. When the pandemic struck, he brought a University air-quality expert to the Brighton school to ensure the appropriate air filters were installed.

“Al Travaglini is like the favorite uncle here,” said Kowieski. “When he oversees a delivery to our school, he makes the time to check in with everyone in our main office. He represents what we try to be as a Catholic school—a place where people are known and loved.”

Vice Provost for Finance & Administration Joseph Carroll marveled at the speed with which Travaglini would accomplish tasks, whether it was modifying dozens of offices in Stokes Hall or cobbling together furniture for a new employee.

“I realized early on if you wanted something done, call Al,” said Carroll. “He bailed me out more than I care to admit.

Personally and professionally, I am going to miss him.”

Alix Hackett is a senior digital content writer in the Office of University Communications

Chronicle

10

December 9, 2021

Read Aloud Program Is Present Once More

Continued from page 1

Howell, who’s been with the program for more than two decades, agrees. “Their love for books is refreshing. When I ask a question, almost every hand goes up, and they are truly excited to answer.”

Read Aloud is not meant simply to entertain, say participants and organizers: The program’s aim is to help foster a love of reading among the schoolchildren, touting books as a source of pleasure and fuel for youthful imagination. Along the way, Read Aloud brings caring adults into the kids’ lives—and those adults usually find the benefits go both ways.

“Having gone to St. Columbkille for 12 years now, I feel very welcome,” said Information Technology Services Assistant Manager Jon McGrath. “The students, faculty, and staff there seem to truly appreciate all the volunteers that come through; they know we don’t have to be there, we want to be there, and that seems to mean something to them. Getting to know the kids over the course of a year is very rewarding.”

“You get a lot more out of the Read Aloud program than you put in,” said Associate Director for Major Giving Gemma Dorsey, a 10-year volunteer. “It is a small time commitment to have a great impact on the lives of these special kids.”

Read Aloud was honored in 2010 by Boston Partners in Education, a nonprofit that aims to enhance the academic achievement and nurture the personal growth of Boston’s public school students.

With support from Human Resources, Office of Governmental and Community Affairs Staff Assistant Laura Bitran has organized the Read Aloud program since its inception in 1995, when six volunteers formed the first cohort. That number quickly grew to upwards of 55 to 65 a year, before the pandemic lockdown halted the program—except for those volunteers, like Douglas, who stayed in touch remotely— and Bitran is confident that it will return to the pre-COVID level.

“Read Aloud is fun but it’s also doing something important: engaging with children,” she said. “You’re showing them how enjoyable reading is, and you’re also offering an opportunity to talk: ‘What did you like about this story? What do you think happened afterwards?’”

Bitran, a Brazilian native whose accent has sometimes piqued the curiosity of her Read Aloud classes, added that going offbook also is perfectly acceptable. “A child might ask, ‘You have an accent, where are you from?’ You can say something about yourself and invite them to talk a little about themselves.”

Working in a college environment affords Douglas and other program volunteers a special perspective: Through Read Aloud, they see children at the early stages of their school experience; at BC, they see the young people these kids will someday

(Left) Carroll School of Management Assistant Dean Amy Donegan during a recent Read Aloud session at St. Columbkille Partnership School.

(Right) Communication Department Staff Assistant Leslie Douglas, a longtime Read Aloud volunteer, kept up her connection with the program via Zoom during the COVID lockdown—and, as she’s done through the years, often dressed up to suit the occasion. photo at left by caitlin cunningham

become, embarking on the next phase in their education.

“It does make my job interesting,” said Douglas, who notes that more than a few BC students seek her out for candy or other such treats around Halloween or other special occasions.

For Douglas, who has an undergraduate degree in communication and a master’s degree in administrative studies from BC, her monthly visit to St. Columbkille involves staying in touch on a regular basis with the class teacher and planning for contingencies while accepting that, well, sometimes things happen. She typically brings three books with her, usually from home (the Lynch School of Education and Human Development’s Educational Resource Center also has a good store of material for Read Aloud volunteers).

“There were times when I was sure they’d like the book I brought,” she said, “but I’d get two pages into it and you could see their eyes start to glaze. Or, as it turned out, they’d just read the book that morning. So I made sure to have a back-up plan.”

Then again, she added, if the kids really like a book, they might not mind going through it again: “I’ll read a Dr. Seuss book, and the kids are reciting right along with me. I love it.”

When possible, Douglas seeks to incorporate holidays or seasonal events into her monthly appearances. “Around Halloween, I’ve been known to dress up as a witch and ‘fly’ into the room; I’ll ask the kids, ‘Do you think I’m a real witch?’ Then I’ll read something like Room on the Broom. But I’ll also talk a little about Halloween safety. Or, when the weather starts to get warm and everyone’s spending more time outdoors, I mention the importance of protecting your skin from the sun.”

To wrap up the school year, Douglas holds a graduation-type ceremony for the class, giving each child a certificate for reading; she asks the kids to applaud one another.

“I just think it’s a nice way to finish up this time we’ve had together, and celebrate what we’ve learned about ourselves and one another,” she said.

Douglas has been gratified by the support of teachers and parents alike, the latter of whom often greet her with “Oh, so you’re Miss Leslie!” upon being introduced.

“It makes you feel like a celebrity,” laughed Douglas, who has sometimes found herself “mobbed” in the school parking lot by enthusiastic young fans.

McGrath has had a similar experience attending the Christmas celebration at St. Columbkille Parish, an event involving many students from the school. “The kids greeted me like a returning hero; my own kids were never that excited to see me,” he quipped. “All I did was show up for something. It wasn’t a big deal, but reminded me that little things can mean a lot to people.”

Bitran notes that BC makes a point of recognizing its Read Aloud volunteers with an annual “Celebration of a Reader” reception, which features a guest speaker—usually local—from the literary community. She points to Vice President for Human Resources David Trainor and Director of Employee Development Bernard O’Kane as avid supporters of Read Aloud, in particular by informing newly hired employees about the program.

“Read Aloud would not have grown as it has if we did not have the unconditional support of these two remarkable people,” she said. “We are indebted to them.”

For information about the Read Aloud program, contact Laura Bitran at laura. bitran@bc.edu.

Snapshot

A visit to Narnia

PHOTO BY LEE PELLEGRINI

The Theatre Department staged the classic C.S. Lewis fantasy tale “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” recently at Robsham Theater.

Chronicle

December 9, 2021

OBITUARIES

Rev. James Woods, S.J. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Ignatius Church on December 1 for

Rev. James A. Woods, S.J., Boston College’s longest-serving dean and the namesake of the University’s Woods College of Advancing Studies. Fr. Woods died on November 20 at the Campion Center in Weston. He was 90.

The founding dean of the former Evening College, Fr. Woods led the school for 44 years before stepping down in 2012.

University President William P. Leahy, S.J., praised Fr. Woods for his contributions to the BC community as an administrator and Jesuit.

“Fr. Woods was such a force for good at Boston College from the time he arrived on campus, always positive, caring, and helpful to those around him,” said Fr. Leahy. “Many benefited from his encouragement, especially to pursue education and earn degrees at BC. He enjoyed life, and I will always remember him as a faithful Jesuit and priest.”

Upon his retirement in 2012, Fr. Woods was honored at a University event—a “Celebration of Gratitude” in Conte Forum— for his dedication and commitment to the school and the thousands of students who benefitted from his advice, guidance, and personal encouragement.

At the celebration, Fr. Woods expressed his own gratitude for the opportunity to help shape generations of students. “I am very, very grateful to my superiors—both Boston College and the Jesuits—to have been assigned to do this work and allowed to stay this many years,” he said. “BC students have always been a part of my life.

They teach me that the world is made and moved by individuals. One person can help another—who in turn can help others—and by doing so, make a difference.”

During his long and accomplished tenure, Fr. Woods oversaw comprehensive changes in the curriculum and designed and introduced graduate degree programs for part-time students. At his request, the name of the Evening College was changed in 1996 to the College of Advancing Studies to reflect its evolving mission and expanded academic program.

In May 2002, the name was formally changed to the James A. Woods, S.J., College of Advancing Studies, following a $5 million gift from BC Trustee Associate Robert M. Devlin and his wife, Katharine,

BC in the Media The 2021 election brought historic firsts for diversity across the country, and it’s changing the political conversation about what leadership looks like, according to Assoc. Prof. David Hopkins (Political Science), who spoke with Fox 13 News of Salt Lake City.

Woods College of Advancing Studies Associate Dean and M.S. in Applied Economics program director Aleksandar Tomic discussed the relationship between inflation, household income, and consumer spending with Forbes magazine, Colorado’s tight labor market with the Denver Post, and rising gasoline prices with WBNS News of Columbus, Ohio.

Betty Lai

photo by lee pellegrini

in recognition of their deep gratitude for Fr. Woods.

Fr. Woods was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Boston College at the University’s 137th Commencement Exercises in 2013.

Fr. Woods took pride in Woods College’s role in helping fulfill the University’s educational and service mission in the Greater Boston area. The school historically has served non-traditional students, among them adults working full-time and others wishing to broaden their academic knowledge or prepare for professional advancement. Fr. Woods established numerous scholarship and endowment funds during his years as dean, and named them for his longest-serving faculty and staff.

The Woods College is the fourth oldest of Boston College’s eight schools and colleges. Today it offers eight undergraduate majors, 18 graduate degree and certificate programs, and 114 fully online courses for more than 850 students in a supportive community that prepares students for service and ethical leadership in a global society.

Fr. Woods is survived by two younger sisters, Kathleen Woods and Elinor Woods, both of whom live in Nashua, NH. He was predeceased by his younger sister, Ann (Woods) Dunn, and his parents, Thomas Patrick Woods and Helen Ann (Ward) Woods.

—Jack Dunn Read the full obituary at bit.ly/rev-jameswoods-obit

Tracy Downing A funeral Mass was held on December 3 at St. Mary’s Church in Dedham for Tracy (Smith) Downing, an administrative assistant in the English Department. Ms. Downing, 62, died on November 24.

A native of Dedham, Ms. Downing graduated from Bridgewater State College in 1981 and began working at Boston College in 1993. Among her duties was preparing and sending out the “English Bulletin,” a weekly compendium of upcoming events and news related to the

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department, including faculty and student accomplishments.

Ms. Downing is survived by her husband, Mark; her children, Kyle and Colleen; her sister, Donna Lawson; and brothers Brian and Barry Smith.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation [cholangiocarcinoma. org].

—University Communications

Writing in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Prof. Ray Madoff (Law), director of the Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good, endorsed the Accelerating Charitable Efforts Act, which is designed to get more money to America’s charities faster.

The MIT Sloan Management Review published a report co-authored by Prof.

Sam Ransbotham (CSOM) that offers a detailed analysis of a dynamic between culture, AI use, and organizational effectiveness.

Asst. Prof. of the Practice Jeffrey Cohen (Law) spoke with The New York Times about developments in the “Varsity Blues” case, and on the implications of the Elizabeth Holmes fraud trial for Silicon Valley.

Children are especially vulnerable during natural disasters because they are dependent on their caregivers, and still developing their understanding of the world, noted Assoc. Prof. Betty Lai (LSOEHD) in an interview with NPR-affiliate WSKGFM New York.

photo by lee pellegrini

Writing in Science Magazine, Assoc. Prof.

John Christianson (Psychology and Neuroscience) provided a perspective on new research that finds the brain’s insular cortex plays a central role in calibrating how we respond to signs of danger.

Proposed legislation that would make any protest or demonstration held within 300 feet of an elected Massachusetts official’s home a crime will test the limits of free speech, according to Prof. Robert Bloom (Law), who weighed in on the matter for CBS News Boston.

Students of economics increasingly expect to connect the subject with issues such as globalization, digitalization, unemployment, inequality, and climate change, Prof. of the Practice Can Erbil (Economics) told The Christian Science Monitor.

Prof. R. Michael Cassidy (Law) offered his insights on disclosure requirements for a Philadelphia Inquirer story about a Philadelphia DA who claimed prosecutors hid evidence for years in a 2003 murder case.

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.

Administrative Assistant, Office of Senior Vice President for University Advancement

College Service Center Graduate Programs Assistant, Connell School of Nursing Assistant Director, Strategic Sourcing, Procurement Senior Associate Director, Digital Marketing

Research Technician, Biology

Applications Developer

Program Director, Ever to Excel

Creative Graphic Designer, Athletics

Assistant Director, Athletics Annual Giving

Assistant Director, NMR Center

Staff Nurse (multiple positions) Residential Life Administrator Learning Experience Designer Internal Grants Manager Technology Consultant Fiscal & Grant Administrator, Morrissey

Health Care Assistant Lead Teacher, Pine Manor College Director, Alumni Affinity Programs Investment Officer Post-doctoral Research Fellow (multiple positions)

Chronicle

12

December 9, 2021

A Path to the Arts

Kate Herlihy studied art history, then came to the Carroll School for an M.B.A. Now she has a major role in an international art event.

In the eight years since Kate Herlihy earned an M.B.A. in 2013 from the Carroll School of Management, she’s made her mark professionally at some of Boston’s premier cultural institutions: the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and currently the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA).

The ICA was chosen as the commissioner of the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (April 23-November 27, 2022), and will present the work of sculptor Simone Leigh in cooperation with the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Herlihy— the ICA’s project manager for the Venice Biennale Commission—has an integral role in the high-profile exhibition which will represent the United States at the internationally renowned event, considered the most prestigious contemporary art exhibition in the world.

Having studied liberal arts at Bowdoin College, where she majored in art history and discovered her passion for the field, Herlihy says her pursuit of a Carroll School business degree allowed her to hone her professional skills and forge a successful art world career.

Though Herlihy’s path may seem a nontraditional one, Carroll School Associate Dean of Graduate Programs Marilyn Eckelman said it underscores the many avenues open to graduates. “Kate exemplifies how the BC M.B.A. program, with its personalized career focus, supports students from all backgrounds in transitioning to the next stages of their careers. Her background in art history and focus on a career in the arts was enhanced by her M.B.A. studies, where she learned to think critically and develop the quantitative and qualitative skills to support being strategic and tactical.”

Eckelman added that Herlihy—daughter of longtime University Counsel Joseph Herlihy, who retired earlier this year—continues to give back to others in the M.B.A. program through networking and mentoring and is an outstanding example of a BC community member and an M.B.A. alumna.

Prior to a December trip to Venice to continue preparations for the global debut of the groundbreaking U.S. exhibition, Herlihy spoke with Chronicle’s Rosanne Pellegrini about the opportunities and challenges inherent in her prestigious position.

Given your interest and undergraduate background in art history, why did you decide to pursue an M.B.A. at BC? My first job out of college was as a curatorial assistant at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. I thought I wanted to be a curator, but found myself gravitating towards planning and operations. Whether an exhibition or a building renovation, I am always asking “How are we going to pull this off?” Getting an M.B.A. seemed like a smart next step; I wanted more tools to help run museums like the businesses they are, including budgeting, cost controls, and project management. I chose to concentrate in finance because it felt like my greatest blind spot. I have nothing but

positive things to say about my undergraduate experience, but as an art history major I had no financial or management experience. This is also why I didn’t opt for a nonprofit M.B.A. program. I knew understanding balance sheets and budgets, project timelines, and getting the broadest management education would push my arts career forward. I could not have anticipated how much I would learn at BC, from my professors but also from my peers.

In what ways has your M.B.A. enhanced or facilitated your career and professional trajectory?

The nonprofit career path is not always linear. I’ve had to carve out my own path and take risks. I feel lucky that I’ve been able to build my career in Boston at these institutions that I love. At most museums, there are creative departments and administrative departments; my niche has been joining those two sides, because I speak both languages. I love bringing the rigor I learned at BC’s M.B.A. program in such areas as operational planning, project management, and financial management, to a creative environment.

What does it mean to you to play an integral role in this prestigious international art event?

Just attending the Venice Biennale would have been a dream come true; working on it is beyond my wildest dreams.

Simone Leigh is an incredibly talented artist and I can’t wait for the world to see her installation. Working with an artist at a critical moment in her journey is so special. Working with the ICA, too, has been fantastic—it is an institution with so much spirit and energy, I feel privileged to be part of their team. The Venice Biennale project is quite large and international; everyone is an expert in their field. The talent is very reassuring, especially when navigating challenges like a pandemic and major supply chain issues! I am still reflecting on what this means for me; but I feel privileged to be gaining this experience in running a major, high-profile international exhibition in the contemporary art field.

It’s challenging in a really invigorating way.

How prestigious is it that the ICA was selected to present the U.S. exhibition at Venice Biennale?

It’s an incredible honor for any institution to be selected to commission the U.S. exhibition at the Venice Biennale. Simone Leigh is the first Black woman to represent the U.S., and the ICA is deeply proud to be a part of this history-making exhibition, as am I. It’s like lightning striking: Leigh is the moment; the ICA recognized that moment and submitted a winning proposal.

It’s history being made.

What preparation and logistics are involved in your role as project manager for the Venice Biennale Commission at the ICA?

photo by lee pellegrini

“Just attending the Venice Biennale would have been a dream come true,” says Herlihy of the upcoming ICA U.S. exhibition at the prestigious international art event, for which she is project manager. “Working on it is beyond my wildest dreams.”

I am overseeing every aspect of the project including exhibition design, build-out of the gallery spaces, shipping of artwork, installation, event planning, marketing efforts including website design, and fundraising support. The Biennale is a complex project with a short runway—about a year of planning. I am lucky to be managing such talented teams both in the U.S. and in Italy. The Guggenheim in Venice owns the U.S. Pavilion, and they are fantastic partners. I traveled to Venice in June with Eva Respini, chief curator and co-commissioner, to meet our Italian colleagues and see the U.S. Pavilion. Although I had been to Venice, this was my first time visiting the Giardini, where the U.S. Pavilion is located, along with many other Pavilions representing countries from around the world. Simone Leigh is currently producing artwork for the show—all the work will be new—and the logistics of transporting and installing the artwork is a major focus of mine at the moment. We will travel to Venice in December with Leigh to finalize plans, and I will spend five weeks on site, from mid-March through the end of April, installing and opening the exhibition in Venice.

What are some examples of the ways in which your M.B.A. has prepared you for your museum work?

In my seven years at the Gardner Museum I created an exhibition planning process and built a department to plan and execute sophisticated exhibitions. The culmination of that work is a show now on view through January 2, Titian: Women, Myth and Power. This is an internationally touring exhibition and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite Titian’s Poise series.

The exhibition opened for previews at the National Gallery in London on March 10, 2020, and shut down before even opening to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We re-negotiated and re-budgeted the tour, and it was so gratifying to see the show open at the Gardner in August.

I’m grateful for both the problemsolving and presentation skills I learned at BC because I rely on them every day. With

high-profile international art projects, the stakes are very high because the paintings are often valued in the millions of dollars, and you can count on almost everything going not according to plan. You have to be able to identify a path forward and pitch it convincingly. My M.B.A. gave me the confidence to run the scenarios and negotiate my position.

Who were some of your BC faculty mentors?

My biggest mentor was Bob Taggart, a renaissance man and an art lover. He frequently came to see my shows at the Gardner. His Introduction to Finance class resonated with me; I could really understand how it connected to my work. I worried about declaring a concentration in finance, but Bob convinced me I could handle it.

I knew I picked the right concentration when, within the first week at the Gardner Museum, I was asked to provide administrative support for the Finance, Investment and Building & Grounds board committees. Building off my education at Boston College, I learned so much about how institutions are fiscally managed. Just a few years later I was making presentations to these teams on exhibition and operational strategy, and more recently on COVID protocols.

What advice would you offer prospective BC M.B.A. students with liberal arts backgrounds and interests, who also may want to pursue a less traditional career path via earning an M.B.A.?

I would recommend a Boston College M.B.A., especially to those candidates considering a non-traditional career path.

Speaking from a nonprofit perspective, I think the field is really hungry for these skills. The pandemic has been a cultural reset in the museum field; everyone is looking at their operations and wondering how to create efficiency and bring a nimble mindset to their operating model, while keeping new audiences engaged. This takes creative thinking backed up by solid business acumen, which is exactly what I gained at BC’s M.B.A. program.