Boston College Chronicle

The Boston College

Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs january 31, 2013 VOL. 21 No. 10

INSIDE

“In many ways 150 minutes is a challenge for someone to get started.”

—Eagle Volunteer Quentin Orem (at center in photo)

•Screaming Eagles at Inaugural Parade, page 2

By Jack Dunn Director of News & Public Affairs

•Taking BC’s 150th bash on the road, page 2

•Pratt: It’s OK to go with your gut, page 3

‘Who We Are’

The Eagle Volunteer program brings a service component to BC’s Sesquicentennial celebration

By Melissa Beecher Staff Writer

•MLK ceremony set for Feb. 4, page 3 •Sesquicentennial Q&A with Peg Kenney, page 4 •What to do about teacher burn-out? page 5 •C21 Center announces its spring slate, page 5 •Fitness, friendship are both a part of Walk Across Campus, page 6 •An honor for Calderwood Professors’ book, page 6

Lee Pellegrini

When School of Theology and Ministry graduate student Quentin Orem heard about the opportunity to participate in community service for 150 minutes in honor of Boston College’s Sesquicentennial celebration, he was moved.

“I have seen other big universities do big, grand gestures in celebration of milestone anniversaries.

I thought this simple expression of service to celebrate BC’s mission was humble,” said Orem. “I really liked that.”

Since last fall, Eagle Volunteers have been participating in acts of service at three locations in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood: the Epiphany School, St. Peter’s Teen Center and the Yawkey Food Pan-

“Light the World,” the 150th anniversary campaign for Boston College, has reached the $1 billion mark in contributions, a record-setting accomplishment for the University, and a significant fund-raising milestone that administrators say provides momentum towards meeting the ambitious goal of $1.5 billion.

In making the announcement, campaign co-chairs and University Trustees Charles I. Clough Jr., William J. Geary and Kathleen M. McGillycuddy said they were delighted to have hit the billion-dollar mark during the Sesquicentennial Celebration, and are looking forward to the last stage of the campaign with renewed vigor.

“As we enter the year of our sesquicentennial, we are buoyed by the progress we have made and are

try. Coordinated by the Volunteer and Service Learning Center, the Eagle Volunteer program provides transportation to the three locations for members of the BC community who sign on to participate in 150 minutes of service during the 20122013 academic year.

Spearheaded by VSLC Director Dan Ponsetto and Intersections Director Burt Howell, who also serves on the University Sesquicentennial Steering Committee, the project is a way for students, faculty and staff to give back to the community.

“We hope this reminds people of who we are,” said Ponsetto. “We

By Ed Hayward provide the transportation. The Staff Writer strength of the program is that it is A study that looked at more than flexible enough to allow anyone to get involved, as much or as little as 75,000 children in day care in Norway has found little evidence that they choose.”

Continued on page 4 the amount of time a child spends in day care leads to an increase in behavioral problems, according to a research team whose members included Lynch School of Education Associate The decision, which Admis- Professor Eric Dearing.

Several prior studies in the US sion Director John Mahoney Jr. describes as an attempt to “right- made connections between the time size” BC’s applicant pool after a child spends in day care and behava decade of steady increases, has ioral problems, but the results from resulted in 25,000 applicants for Norway contradict those earlier findthe 2,270 seats in the incom- ings, the researchers report in the ing class of 2017, a pool that online version of the journal Child Mahoney describes as serious ap- Development.

“In Norway, we do not find that plicants who are well matched for children who spend a significant Boston College.

“We are not interested in sim- amount of time in child care have ply seeing our application num- more behavior problems than other Continued on page 3 children,” said Dearing, a co-author

confident that we will soon complete the campaign by raising the remaining $500 million towards its goal,” the co-chairs said.

“Light the World,” which was launched in October of 2008 to fund academic programs, financial aid commitments, student formation initiatives and campus construction projects outlined in the University’s Strategic Plan, has helped to provide valuable resources for all aspects of University life.

To date, the campaign has raised nearly $220 million for financial aid; $270 million for academic priorities; $150 million for capital projects; $160 million in support of student formation initiatives, and mission-based and athletic programs; and $200 million in support of current University activities and future needs through annual gifts and provisions outlined in donors’ estates.

“The money raised thus far has Continued on page 4

Study Questions Link Between Day Care and Behavioral Issues Caitlin Cunningham

•Volunteer info event expands focus, page 2

‘Light the World’ Campaign Reaches the $1 Billion Mark

Admissions Receives 25,000 Applications for Class of 2017 •Welcome Additions, page 7 •Robsham curtain goes up, page 8 •Photos: Campus School benefit, page 8

By Jack Dunn Director of News & Public Affairs

A strategic decision to implement a supplementary essay for undergraduate students applying to Boston College this year has led to what administrators describe as the best suited and most academically talented applicant pool in school history, despite an overall decrease in applications of 26 percent.

QUOTE:

Eric Dearing

of the report. “This runs counter to several US studies that have shown a correlation between time in child care and behavior problems.”

Dearing, who conducted the study with researchers from Norway and Harvard Medical School, said the Scandinavian country’s approach to child care might explain why so few behavioral problems were found among children included in the study Continued on page 5

“These are places we drive by all the time, so we thought, ‘Why not walk?’ We got to know more about the BC campus and some of the history behind it.”

—John Bogdan on his experience in BC’s Walk Across Campus program, page 6

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Getting engaged

The Screaming Eagles Marching Band passes the Presidential Reviewing Stand during the Inaugural Parade.

BC goes to DC The Boston College “Screaming Eagles” Marching Band enjoyed one of the most memorable performances in its nine-decade history, appearing in the Inaugural Parade in Washington, DC, on Jan. 21.

The band played “For Boston” along the 15-block parade route that, at approximately 5:30 p.m., went past President Barack Obama, Vice President Joseph Biden, and numerous other dignitaries and guests in the Presidential Reviewing Stand in front of the White House.

Glenna Regan ’14, a sousa-

phone player and member of the band’s executive board, said the trip — the band left campus on the morning of Jan. 20 and returned Jan. 22 — was definitely one to remember.

“The day of the parade itself was very long, but getting to stand on the National Mall together with other performance groups as we watched President Obama take the oath of office was a moment none of us will ever forget. It was a thrill to march past the Capitol Building and down Pennsylvania Avenue before marching in front of the

reviewing stand at the White House. We could see the Obama and Biden families just a few feet away from us, which made the long trip and waiting well worth it.

“Being able to represent Boston College is something we take great pride in, and it was so great to see how much the school supported and celebrated this oncein-a-lifetime experience.”

A video clip of the band’s march by the Presidential Reviewing Stand is available at on.bc.edu/ SvHBtr. —Office of News & Public Affairs

Upwards of 100 students turned out last Thursday for a new, expanded version of the annual fair sponsored by the University’s Volunteer and Service Learning Center (VSLC).

This year’s event, held in Gasson 100, offered information on volunteer opportunities for civic engagement as well as service. In addition to 17 Boston College social and political action groups, six local and state organizations — including the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, the Environmental League of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition — were on hand to talk with students.

The added dimension to this year’s fair came as an outgrowth of BC’s participation in a national initiative on civic engagement organized by NASPA, the national student affairs professional association. The Office of the Dean of Students worked with VSLC in sponsoring the event, which featured a “civic literacy” game students were invited to play.

“The idea here was to broaden students’ outlooks on how to give of one’s time and talent,” explained VSLC Assistant Director Kate Daly. “There are different ways to volunteer in the community besides through direct service. You can advocate for those who are in need and have limited resources. These kinds of experiences hold great potential benefits for students, who can gain insight into social and political aspects of American life, and become more informed citizens.”

—Sean Smith The Boston College

Chronicle

Director of NEWS & Public Affairs

The annual Boston College Relay for Life will take place beginning at 6 p.m. on Feb. 15 in the Flynn Recreation Complex. Relay for Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature fundraising activity. Donors sponsor participants who commit to having a member of their team walk the athletic track continuously throughout the event.

Relay for Life also includes special events and activities, including laps for cancer survivors and those who have cared for someone with cancer, and a Luminaria Ceremony to remember people lost to cancer, support others who currently have cancer, and honor those who have fought cancer in the past.

For information on participating, sponsorship or other event details, see www.relayforlife.org/bc.

A cohort from the Connell School of Nursing traveled to Haiti earlier this month to provide care to hundreds of local residents via mobile medical clinics and to visit and deliver toys and supplies to local orphanages. Read more in their travel blog http://csoninhaiti.blogspot.com/

Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS

Patricia Delaney Editor

Moveable festivities

Sean Smith Contributing Staff

Melissa Beecher

BC is taking the Sesquicentennial celebration on the road.

Throughout 2013, Boston College Advancement will host events in seven cities from coast to coast and in Dublin. The #WeAreBC150 campaign invites alumni, parents, families and friends of the University to gather for various locations — both to celebrate BC and give back to the local community. The goal, organizers say, is to serve 150,000 meals to hungry families throughout the country.

“It is important, as a University, to engage alumni where they are,” said Executive Director of Advancement Communications & Marketing Lisa Rowan-Gillis. “Service is such an important component of BC’s Catholic, Jesuit tradition, we wanted to take that concept of giving back and extend it to the wider community on the road.”

BC has joined with Catholic Relief Services and Stop Hunger Now to undertake a Helping Hands service project in each of the seven cities.

Rowan-Gillis said the concept has resonated, with more than 1,000

people already registered for the various events.

“It really makes me proud to be a part of this community, that is so selflessly willing to do for others,” she said.

The campaign website — www. bc.edu/150ontheroad — was crucial in establishing a central place for alumni to go to share experiences, register for events and get news on the tour stops. Utilizing Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, Advancement is looking to keep the BC community engaged — wherever they are. Developed and designed by Advancement staffers Mikal Morello, Robert Monahan and Ben Schwartz, the #WeAreBC150 website boasts interactive maps, online registration and other ways for alums to participate.

“Even if someone cannot make it to one of the events, we’re hoping that they will consider serving the 150 minutes in their town,” said RowanGillis. “Service is what brings this community together.”

—Melissa Beecher

Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Michael Maloney Photographers

Gary Gilbert Lee 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 News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (617)552-3350. Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.

Contact Chronicle via e-mail: chronicle@bc.edu.Electronic editions of the Boston College Chronicle are available via the World Wide Web at http://www. bc.edu/chronicle.

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By Ed Hayward Staff Writer

When it comes to making the right decision, trust your gut if you have the right job and the right experience.

That’s the conclusion of O’Connor Family Professor of Management Michael Pratt and colleagues from George Mason University and Rice University, who found intuition is just as effective in decision-making as an analytical approach and sometimes more efficient and effective.

But intuition benefits from the decision-maker’s level of expertise on the subject at hand, according to their report, which was recently published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.

“It turns out intuition isn’t always bad and there are conditions where it is a good way to make the right decision,” said Pratt. “What we found demystifies a lot of the information out there that says intuition isn’t as effective as if you sat down and walked through an analytical approach.”

Testing intuition against analysis, Pratt and co-authors Erik Dane of Rice University and Kevin W. Rockmann of George Mason found that people can trust their gut and rely on intuition when making a broad evaluation – one that doesn’t include a subset of additional decisions – in an area where they have in-depth knowledge of the subject, also referred to as domain expertise.

Pratt, an expert in organizational psychology, said the findings should help companies understand more about the use of intuitive decision-making by employees and CEOs alike. As people move up in organizations, they’re often required to make judgments that may not be readily solved by rational analysis. How-

ever, emerging leaders have to be careful in making such intuitive judgments, Pratt said.

“The primary takeaway is: Intuition is like nitroglycerine – it is best used only in certain circumstances. Be careful when you use your ‘gut,’” said Pratt. “If you’re working in an industry where you’ve risen through the ranks, your domain expertise will likely better serve an intuitive approach.

If you gained your expertise in a different field, you may not have the background to rely as strongly on your intuition.”

Intuition has long been viewed as a less effective approach to critical reasoning when compared to the merits of analytical thinking.

Yet as society and businesses place a greater emphasis on the speed and effectiveness of decision-making, the intuitive approach has been identified as an increasingly important tool.

The researchers said the knock on intuition stems from earlier studies that examined intuition in the context of very structured multi-step decisions in areas such as math or logic. Analytic decisions are great for breaking things down into smaller parts, which is necessary for a math problem.

But intuition is about looking at patterns and wholes, which is needed when making quick decisions about whether something is real or fake, ugly or pretty, right or wrong.

The researchers prepared two experiments to test both methods as a means of making a basic decision, or one that doesn’t break down into a subset of smaller tasks. In each experiment, one group of respondents was asked to think intuitively in a short amount of time. A second group was asked to take slightly more time and use an analytical approach.

In the first experiment, subjects

King Scholarship Ceremony at Robsham Theater Feb. 4

Tony Rinaldo

Intuition Has Place in Making Decisions, Says CSOM’s Pratt

O’Connor Family Professor of Management Michael Pratt

were asked to watch videotape of a college basketball game and within a few seconds rate the difficulty of the players’ shots. Among those with experience playing the sport, intuitive decision-makers ranked the shots in accordance with standards set by a group of accomplished NCAA coaches.

In a second test, men and women were asked to decide whether a designer handbag was “real” or “fake.” Among subjects who had owned several brandname satchels, intuitive respondents were able to make quick and effective judgments about the items.

Some current approaches to management training, where employees are moved from area to area, may not serve those prospective managers in the future, based on the results of the teams’ study.

“Companies spread people too thin sometimes,” said Pratt. “But if you don’t spend enough time in one domain – say you’re moved from finance, to marketing, to R&D – you may become a wellrounded employee, but you may not obtain the experience you need for intuitive decision making.”

The study, “When Should I Trust My Gut? Linking Domain Expertise to Intuitive Decision-making Effectiveness,” is available online at www.sciencedirect.com/science/ article/pii/S0749597812000994 Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu

Stanford University historian Clayborne Carson, who was chosen

by Coretta Scott King to edit and publish her late husband’s papers, will be the keynote speaker at the 31st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Ceremony on Feb. 4 from 5-7 p.m. in Robsham Theater.

Highlighting the ceremony will be the presentation of the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship, which recognizes a Boston College junior who embodies King’s philosophy in their life and work. The competitive award provides for approximately 75 percent of senior year tuition.

This year’s King Scholarship candidates are Steven T. Jefferson, Philip McHarris, Kayla R. Mendonca, Natali Soto and Patrick G. Williamson.

The event is free and open to the BC community, but registration is required and must be completed by Jan. 31. A link to register is available at www.bc.edu/mlkmc.

Carson is founder and director of Stanford’s Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute. He has devoted most of his professional life to King and the movements King inspired. Under his direction, the King Papers Project has produced six volumes of a definitive, comprehensive edition of King’s speeches, sermons, correspondence, publications, and unpublished writings.

In addition to The Papers of Martin Luther King Jr., Carson’s other works based on the papers include The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr., compiled from King’s autobiographical writings, A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His play “Passages of Martin Luther King” was initially produced by Stanford’s Drama Department in 1993, and subsequently performed

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Keynote speaker Clayborne Carson.

at Dartmouth College, Willamette University, the Claremont Colleges, the University of Washington, Tacoma, and in 2007 at the Beijing Oriental Pioneer Theatre by the National Theatre of China. “Passages” also has been performed in East Jerusalem and several West Bank communities.

Carson’s writing reflects not only his research about King but his own civil rights and antiwar activism — his forthcoming book, Martin’s Dream: My Journey and the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., is a memoir tracing his life from teenage participant in the 1963 March on Washington to internationallyknown King scholar. His first book, In Struggle: SNCC and the Black Awakening of the 1960s, is considered the definitive history of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the most dynamic and innovative civil rights organization.

In Struggle won the Organization of American Historians’ Frederick Jackson Turner Award. Carson also was a senior historical advisor for the landmark public television series “Eyes on the Prize” and co-edited the Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader.

For more information on the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Ceremony, e-mail maynarde@ bc.edu or call ext.2-4757.

—Sean Smith

Essay Will Help ‘Thoroughly Evaluate’ Applicants Continued from page 1 bers grow,” Mahoney said. “We are interested in attracting more serious, intentional applicants to Boston College who see themselves as a good fit for the University. The essay, no doubt, has deterred some less interested students who in the past might have adopted a ‘Why not?’ attitude in terms of applying. The essay is helping us to make better decisions among the thousands of qualified and deserving students who have applied.”

Mahoney pointed out that between 2004 and 2012, the number of national high school

graduates increased by 5 percent, yet Boston College’s applicant pool grew by 52 percent to a high of 34,061 in 2012. Among those applicants, Mahoney said, were many high school students who were casually interested in Boston College and were likely applying because of the University’s ranking and not because of its specific attributes as a Jesuit, Catholic university.

Mahoney stated that the 25,000 applications received this year put Boston College in line with its primary competitors such as Georgetown Univer-

sity and the University of Notre Dame, both of which average approximately 20,000 applicants annually.

“Students who really wanted to attend Boston College had asked for a supplemental essay as a means of conveying their sincere interest in BC,” said Mahoney. “This essay provides them with an opportunity to express their interest, and gives our Admission staff an opportunity to more thoroughly evaluate the applicant pool.”

Contact Jack Dunn at jack.dunn@bc.edu

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Gathering on Jan. 21 featured music by the United Voices of Freedom, talks by Martin Luther King Scholar Sandra Dickson ’13 (in photo) and Rev. Gina Casey, pastor of Boston’s Columbus Avenue A.M.E. Zion Church. (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)

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Boston College students (L-R) Jay Milnes, Quentin Orem and Russell Kellogg worked at the Epiphany School in Dorchester as part of the Eagle Volunteer program. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

Program Adds Service to Sesquicentennial Continued from page 1 Added Howell, “From the beginning, the purpose of this institution was to serve the people of Boston. Now a lot has changed since 1863, but our roots remain in the city. Eagle Volunteers allows students the chance to celebrate that connection,” said Howell.

“There was a lot of conversation about how far BC has come in 150 years, but we felt it most important to celebrate the proud tradition of service on this campus.”

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays of each week during the semester, those interested in

participating visit the VSLC Eagle Volunteer website [www.bc.edu/ eaglevolunteers] and register. A team leader is then in touch with a location of where a driver will meet the group of volunteers, who give about four hours to the various causes.

For volunteers like Orem, that meant cooking lunches and cleaning up after the students at the Epiphany School.

“We really worked behind the scenes, and in many ways, it was true service – providing for a community,” said Orem. “This semes-

ter I will be working at the teen center, so I expect that will be a different experience entirely.”

Meeting the 150-minute challenge wasn’t an issue, he said.

“Obviously, the hope is that no one makes the 150 minutes of service and considers their work done,” said Orem. “In many ways 150 minutes is a challenge for someone to get started.”

For more information, contact the VSLC at www.bc.edu/service.

Contact Melissa Beecher at melissa.beecher@bc.edu

Administrators Cheer Campaign’s Progress Continued from page 1 had a tremendous effect on Boston College, and will continue to help the University meet its strategic goals and priorities,” said McGillycuddy, who chairs the Board of Trustees. “We are rightfully proud of what we have accomplished thus far, particularly in light of the economic challenges we have faced since the campaign began in 2008, and we remain focused on meeting our overall goal during the next several years.”

The $1 billion in contributions represents a significant increase over the University’s previous “Ever to Excel” campaign, which raised $440 million upon its completion in 2004.

Senior Vice President for University Advancement James J. Husson credits the success of the campaign to an unprecedented level of engagement by alumni, parents and friends of Boston College, combined with the remarkable commitment of Boston College’s Board of Trustees. “This is not a campaign that is simply a collection of individual gifts. This is a campaign of trustees, donors, University leaders and volunteers working together as stakeholders in support of Boston College’s mission,” said Husson.

“We are grateful to our trustees who are not only among our most generous donors, but who are also actively involved in the campaign as volunteer leaders. We

also owe a debt to our campaign volunteers who have played such key roles — from regional campaign committees, to the Alumni Association Board, to the various class chapter volunteers and leaders — in moving this campaign forward together,” said Husson.

“We see across the country at every event the excitement and energy around what this campaign means for Boston College.”

Husson cites as an example the “150th On the Road” events that will take place between February and June in seven cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, New York, Boston, Dublin and Chicago, during which BC alumni and parents will provide 150,000 meals to the hungry. [See page 2] “This type of response from the BC community shows what it truly means to be a light to the world,“ said Husson, “and it speaks to why this campaign was so appropriately named.”

Vice President for Development Thomas P. Lockerby also praised the widespread support from the BC community. “The partnership on campus has been critical to everything we have accomplished, from the president who has invested so much of his time and leadership to this campaign, to the provost, deans, faculty and administrators who have partnered with us in this effort.

“We are incredibly gratified by

the more than 100,000 gifts that we have received, but we are very mindful that our job is still left before us, and that we have significant needs to meet in support of academics, students, mission-based programs and facilities.”

University President William P. Leahy, SJ, expressed his thanks to all those involved in reaching the milestone, and called upon the BC community to assist in meeting the final goal. “When the ‘Light the World’ campaign was launched in 2008, we set an ambitious goal of $1.5 billion that would help meet the priorities we had established in our Strategic Plan,” said Fr. Leahy.

“I am pleased that we have reached a significant milestone in our effort, which has helped to strengthen Boston College and its academic, financial aid, student formation and athletics programs, as well as its campus facilities. I look forward to meeting our remaining goal, particularly in light of the effect it will have on strengthening the University and improving the educational experience for all members of the Boston College community.”

Contact Jack Dunn at jack.dunn@bc.edu

See www.bc.edu/150 for Boston College Sesquicentennial news and events

Celebrating THE

Sesquicentennial A personal letter from founding School of Education Dean Rev. Charles F. Donovan, SJ. A summer “catch-up” course provided by Mathematics Department chair Rev. Stanley J. Bezuszka, SJ. The Russians’ launch of the Sputnik satellite in 1957. All of these played noteworthy roles in forming Mathematics Professor Margaret “Peg” Kenney’s sparkling 60-year career as one of Boston College’s outstanding educators and most loyal alumnae.

Kenney grew up in a BC family and was a member of the second class of women in the School of Education when she enrolled as a freshman in 1953; she went on to earn undergraduate and master’s degrees at BC. She began her teaching career as a graduate assistant in 1957 and became full professor in 1992. She also has served her chosen discipline as assistant to the director of the Boston College Mathematics Institute, winning numerous awards and citations for her professional work.

As she prepares to retire from the faculty at the end of this semester, Kenney shared some of her Boston College memories with Chronicle correspondent Lee Pellegrini Reid Oslin at her Carney Hall office.

The full interview is available at www.

ERSPECTIVES bc.edu/chronicle How did you arrive at Boston College?

My father, Matthew Kenney, graduated from BC in 1930. Early on I had made up my mind that I wanted to go to BC. I learned by reading my father’s alumni magazine that BC was to become coeducational in the School of Education. I wrote a note to Fr. Donovan, who was the chair of the Education Department [then part of the College of Arts and Sciences] at the time. They were petitioning to Rome to establish the School of Education. When he responded to me with a handwritten letter, I thought that was the greatest. The only college I applied to was BC. What brought you into the field of mathematics?

I had always wanted to be a teacher. Actually, I did not start out in mathematics, in large part because in my junior year my confidence had been shattered by a high school math teacher who said women should not major in math.

Although I thought this was a rather strange remark since the teacher saying this was female, it still influenced me. However, I came to my senses by the end of freshman year and changed over to become a math major. I had friends who were in math, and they took me to Fr. Bezuszka [Rev. Stanley Bezuszka, SJ] and I explained my problem. He was willing to tutor me in a summer course so that I could come up to speed with what the freshman majors had covered that year and join them in sophomore year.

How did you end up teaching at BC? The appearance of Sputnik in 1957 had prompted the National Science Foundation to support widespread programs that would assist veteran secondary mathematics teachers to deepen and improve their mathematics backgrounds and become more effective teachers. Boston College, through establishing the Mathematics Institute in 1957 as a separate unit of the Mathematics Department, was one of the academic institutions nationwide that received government support and initiated graduate programs for mathematics teachers.

Thus, in addition to teaching undergraduates, initially in the School of Education, I was hired to work in the Mathematics Institute. As a consequence of that specific NSF initiative, I assisted, instructed, or served as project coordinator in 49 funded programs sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

Was there anything in the curriculum just for women at BC in your undergraduate days?

Phys ed classes [laughter]. We would go across Commonwealth Avenue to Mount Alvernia’s gym. We played intramural basketball – what else was included there I do not remember. We also had archery training on the field behind St. Mary’s Hall [laughter]. This was all required ­– to get a teaching certificate, we had to do a course in physical education. Several of us also went on ski weekends in the School of Ed, and one of the women who taught phys ed would come with us as chaperone.

Looking back, what has Boston College meant to you?

In effect, my world has been defined by BC – personally and professionally. Many of the friends I have had from my undergraduate days remain close friends now. Spiritually, Boston College has been a trusted source for deepening my faith. Professionally, the Mathematics Institute pursuits afforded me the opportunity to work with teachers and students of all levels in this country and abroad for many years. A large number of these pre-service and veteran teachers became cherished lifelong friends. I am forever grateful to BC for all this.

P

on the Heights

Read the full interview at www.bc.edu/chronicle

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Crashing and Burning How to get teachers to stay in the profession?

Lynch School faculty have some ideas on that

By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer

In the United States, few new teachers stay long enough to become old teachers. More than a third of them leave the profession within five years, according to the National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future, and the figures are particularly bad for urban schools: One in five new teachers exit after just one year, nearly half within five years.

Given this rate of attrition, what can veteran educators, who are committed to and passionate about teaching, offer in terms of hope and encouragement?

Lynch School of Education faculty members who have studied teacher retention point to several critical factors — high-stakes testing, on-site mentoring, and classroom management, along with variables such as human and materials resources — that determine whether a teacher will leave or stay.

“Teachers must know their students: how they think, what they think, how they learn, what brings them joy, what they need socially, academically, and emotionally to learn and succeed, and what is essential to develop a classroom community of care, respect, stewardship, and citizenship,” said Associate Professor Audrey Friedman, a 2009 Massachusetts Professor of the Year and co-editor of a book of essays titled Burned In: Fueling the Fire to Teach.

According to Thomas More Brennan Professor of Education Andy Hargreaves, a leading expert on the teaching profession and international educational systems and contributor to Burned In, “[Teachers] need to stay in the job beyond two to three years until they hit their stride and reach their very best years.”

In his new book, The Global Fourth Way: The Quest for Educational Excellence, Hargreaves and his Lynch School colleague Professor Dennis Shirley looked at educational systems in the US, Canada, England, Singapore and Finland for examples of successful learning and achievement. Hargreaves says international evidence shows that teachers need to have high dedication and great emotional empathy.

Hargreaves’ own classroom teaching experience came in his homeland of England, in a very poor, mixed grade elementary school on the outskirts of Sheffield.

To be successful, Hargreaves said, teachers need to be “prepared through long training of a rigorous nature in universities with wellsupported practice in schools. They need time in the school day to work with their colleagues to examine problems of practice together and talk about as well as plan for students they share in common. They need leadership that inspires them, conditions that support them, and administrations that demonstrably appreciate them.”

Another Burned In contributor, Professor Curt Dudley-Marling, said, “The greatest challenge in education today is addressing the failure of our schools to adequately serve the needs of students in poverty. To begin to tackle this problem we need teachers who are well prepared to teach in their subject areas, who have a commitment to social justice and who respect students and the communities from which they come.”

Dudley-Marling, a former elementary special education teacher in Ohio and Wisconsin who also taught third grade in the Toronto Public Schools, stressed that schools need to “treat teachers as thoughtful professionals” and allow them “to exercise the professional discretion needed to address the needs of all learners.”

Lynch School graduates, note the faculty members, best the national trends in both the general retention rate and the urban school retention rate.

“The students in our teacher preparation program are bright, caring and committed young people who have the intelligence, dispositions, and training to excel in our schools,” said Dudley-Marling.

Hargreaves concurs: Lynch

C21 Center Announces Schedule

Lynch School of Education faculty members Audrey Friedman and Curt Dudley-Marling contributed to a book of essays — co-edited by Friedman— on the issue of teacher retention. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

School students, he said, demonstrate “great dedication, commitment to social justice, strong collaborative ethic, and a willingness to work hard and persevere...to make a difference and take a chance.”

Friedman — whose classroom experience includes teaching science and English in an alternative high school in Philadelphia and in South Hadley and Attleboro high schools in Massachusetts — added, “That [our Lynch School students] are knowledgeable in content and pedagogy is a given. That they understand the psychological and emotional needs of children, the various ways children learn and think, and the best ways to make the curriculum accessible to children is also a given.

“What is special about our students, however, is their sense of justice, their belief in the principle of care, and their genuine commitment to enhance the life chances of others.”

Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu

A series of events sponsored by the Church in the 21st Century Center this semester will explore the richness of the Catholic intellectual tradition, beginning next Thursday, Feb. 7, with a presentation by Theology Associate Professor Fr. Robert Imbelli — guest editor for the spring 2013 issue of C21 Resources — on “The Heart of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition” at 5:30 p.m. in Gasson 100. Responding to his lecture will be Philosophy Associate Professor Marina McCoy and School of Theology and Ministry Professor Khaled Anatolios.

The editors of leading Catholic publications will gather on Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m. in Gasson 100 to discuss “The Future of Catholic Periodicals: Finances, Faith and the Digital Age.” The event will feature America editor-in-chief Rev. Matt Malone, SJ, Commonweal editor Paul Baumann and Meinrad Sherer-Emunds, executive editor of US Catholic.

The center continues its tradition of hosting a member of the Catholic Church hierarchy when Bishop Robert McElroy, vicar for parish life and development in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, visits on March 18 to present “The Challenge of Catholic Teaching on War and Peace in the Present Moment.”

A highlight of the semester will be an April 3 appearance by 2005 honorary degree recipient Paul Farmer, a physician/humanitarian known for his work in Haiti and other developing countries.

“Accompaniment: Liberation Theology, Solidarity and a Life of Service” will feature Farmer, the Kolokotrones University Professor at Harvard Medical School and a co-founder of Partners in Health, in

conversation with Flatley Professor of Theology Roberto Goizueta.

The center also will celebrate the publication of two new books in its award-winning series with events on Feb. 27 for New Voices in Catholic Theology and March 20 for Encountering Jesus in the Scriptures, featuring STM Professor Daniel Harrington, SJ, and Research Professor Christopher Matthews.

Co-sponsors for C21 spring events include the School of Theology and Ministry, Theology Department, Alumni Association, Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Center for Human Rights and International Justice, Women’s Resource Center, English Department and Campus Ministry.

Other C21 presentations throughout the semester include: •Agape Latte featuring University Secretary Terrence Devino, SJ, on Feb. 5, 8:30 p.m., Hillside Café, Maloney Hall.

•“Mysticism and the Intellectual Life,” with University of Notre Dame Professor Lawrence Cunningham, April 10, 5:30 p.m., Heights Room, Corcoran Commons.

•“The Many Faces of Hildegard of Bingen: New Doctor of the Church,” with STM Associate Professor Catherine Mooney, April 11, 5:30 p.m., 9 Lake St. •“Prophetic Voices: Women in the Tradition,” a panel discussion moderated by Vice Provost for Faculties Patricia DeLeeuw, April 16, 5:30 p.m., Heights Room, Corcoran Commons.

•“God and the Imagination: Praying Through Poetry,” with University Professor of English Paul Mariani, April 25, 4 p.m., Heights Room, Corcoran Commons.

For times, venues and other information, see www.bc.edu/church21 —Kathleen Sullivan

LSOE’s Dearing Aids Research on Impact of Day Care on Behavior Continued from page 1 group.

In Norway, parental leave policies ensure that most children do not enter child care until the age of one.

In addition, unlike the US, Norway maintains national standards and regulations for child care providers, which may lead to higher quality care, said Dearing.

“Norway takes a very different approach to child care than we do in the United States and that may play a role in our findings,” said Dearing, an expert in child development, who co-authored the study with Dr. Claudio O. Toppelberg, a psychiatrist and researcher with Harvard Medical School’s Judge Baker Children’s Center and Norwegian researchers Henrik D. Zachrisson and Ratib Lekhal.

With a large sample size capable of revealing even the narrowest of connections between early care and

behavior, the team went through a number of statistical tests to examine methods used in earlier US studies and to scrutinize their own findings.

When the researchers examined the sample using methods identical to those most commonly used in US studies, they produced a similar link between child care hours and behavior. But the researchers took issue with the common approach, which is to compare children from different families who spend varying amounts of time in child care because of family choices. Although earlier US studies using this method tried to control for parent and family characteristics – such as income and education, mental health and intelligence – the method leaves open the possibility that differences between families in areas other than child care choices are, in fact, the true causes of behavioral problems.

Given the scope of the Norwegian data, the researchers were able to compare children who came from the same families but who spent varying hours in child care, effectively resolving the issue of external influences. When they did this, they found no statistical evidence to point to increased behavioral problems.

Siblings who spent more time in day care exhibited the same behavior as siblings who spent less time in day care, Dearing said.

The researchers went even further, probing the sample in an effort to reveal even the most minor, yet statistically significant, links between hours spent in child care and behavioral problems.

“The biggest surprise was that we found so little evidence of a relation between child care hours and behavior once we introduced conservative controls in an effort to ensure that

any association was in fact causal,” said Dearing. “With such a very large sample, even very, very small correlations would be statistically significant. But we found no association in our most sophisticated models.”

Dearing and colleagues report that important next steps will be follow-up studies involving Norwegian children into later childhood and adolescence, times through which child care effects persist in the US, and collecting more data from countries outside the US to determine the child and family policy environments in which child care does or does not appear to put children at risk.

The report “Little Evidence That Time in Child Care Causes Externalizing Problems During Early Childhood in Norway” can be found at http://t.co/w8GHyzvr.

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Calderwood Professors’ Book Walk Across Part of NEH Cultural Initiative Campus Sets

Good Pace

By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer

An acclaimed book by Norma Jean Calderwood Professors of Islamic and Asian Art Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom will be part of an important new collection to provide the public with resources about Muslim beliefs and practices, and the cultural heritage associated with Islamic civilizations.

The National Endowment for the Humanities selected Blair and Bloom’s 1997 volume, Islamic Arts, for its nationwide project with the American Library Association. More than 800 libraries and state humanities councils in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands, will be awarded the “Muslim Journeys” Bookshelf, part of the NEH’s “Bridging Cultures” initiative.

The “Muslim Journeys” Bookshelf collection comprises 25 books, three documentary films, and a series of seven short videos, “Islamic Art Spots.”

According to the NEH, the “Bridging Cultures” initiative “engages the power of the humanities to promote understanding of and mutual respect for people with diverse histories, cultures and perspectives.”

Blair and Bloom said: “We are thrilled that our book has been selected for inclusion in ‘Bridging Cultures’ and will be sent to nearly a thousand libraries and other educational institutions around the country. We’ve been studying and writing about Islamic art for 40 years and we’ve always tried to communicate our knowledge and enthusiasm to broadest possible audience.

“Since we’ve been at BC we’ve seen the field of Islamic studies blossom. It’s gratifying to see that the central role of the arts has been recognized and that our approach in making Islamic art accessible has been validated.”

Islamic Arts captures the essence of Islamic culture, according to its publisher. The comprehensive survey covers 1,000 years and highlights characteristics that connect the various arts of the Islamic lands.

Blair and Bloom’s book was chosen by a team of scholars and librarians for its potential to offer readers new and diverse perspectives on the histories and cultures of Muslim societies.

In addition to the collection, recipient institutions have public performance rights to the films and free access for a year to Oxford Islamic Studies Online.

By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor

Calderwood Professors Jonathan Bloom and Sheila Blair: “Since we’ve been at BC we’ve seen the field of Islamic studies blossom.

It’s gratifying to see that the central role of the arts has been recognized and that our approach in making Islamic art accessible has been validated.” (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

A companion website will be launched to provide more ways for the public to access resources which enhance the Bookshelf offerings.

Selected institutions — public libraries and public library systems, community college libraries and academic libraries — applied for the Bookshelf though a grant process. The NEH also will accept applications from libraries for grants to support public programming using the Bookshelf’s titles. The awards will enable libraries to purchase multiple copies of the books and host community reading and discussion programs on the history and culture of Muslim societies.

Blair and Bloom have been asked by the NEH to participate in programs related to the initiative.

Support for the project was provided by a grant from Carnegie Corporation of New York, with additional support from the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art and contributions from the Ali Vural Ak Center for Global Islamic Studies at George Mason University, American Library Association Public Programs Office, Oxford University Press, Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, and Twin Cities Public Television.

In another milestone for the Calderwood Professors, the first Arabic translation of one of Blair and Bloom’s books, The Art and Architecture of Islam: 1250-1800, has been published by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and will be distributed throughout the Arab world.

Keeping fit and staying healthy doesn’t have to be a lonely pursuit, and that’s why HEALTHY YOU, Boston College’s employee health and wellness initiative, sponsors events and activities that bring members of the University community together.

One of the best examples is the revamped Walk Across Campus program, which began as an individual event several years ago through Campus Recreation. This past fall, Walk Across Campus was integrated into HEALTHY YOU as a major component of the fall schedule.

Under its new format, Walk Across Campus became a two-month walking/activity campaign featuring friendly team competitions, and participants received a Fitbit pedometer to track their progress.

“The response exceeded our expectations,” said Associate Vice President for Human Resources Robert Lewis. “We had 850 employees sign up, forming 55 teams in all. Over the two-month period, the participants logged close to 200,000 miles, and more than 600 of the 850 walked at least 150 miles.”

By popular demand, Lewis said, Walk Across Campus will be part of this semester’s HEALTHY YOU schedule — first-time participants will each receive a Fitbit — and the “kickoff walk” will take place April 1 at noon outside 129 Lake St. on Brighton Campus; the program runs until May 31. Notices about the spring program will be sent out in February with registration opportunities scheduled to begin by mid February.

More than 300 Walk Across Campus participants attended a celebration of the program in early December, where team and individual achievements in categories such as “Highest Active Score,” “Most Improved” and “Most Steps” were recognized; winners received prizes such as BC Bookstore gift certificates, Flynn Recreation Complex T-shirts, one-year membership to Campus Recreation and a free month of health insurance.

Numbers alone don’t reflect the positive effect of the program, Lewis added. “An important byproduct was the camaraderie and community spirit that Walk Across Campus generated among the teams and participants. People had a lot of fun — it even got to the point where some teams would engage in amiable ‘trash talk,’ and challenge each other to contests all in the name of good fun.

Associate Vice President for Human Resources Robert Lewis (third from right) with members of “BC Trades,” which won the overall grand prize in last semester’s Walk Across Campus program. (Photo by Megan Burkes)

“We seem to have tapped into a competitive spirit among employees that encouraged participants and teams to really give it their best, so we’re very pleased with this outgrowth of HEALTHY YOU.” BC employees John Bogdan and Carla Boudreau, who captained two of the Walk Across Campus teams last fall, can attest to the social and personal benefits of the program.

Bogdan, director of employment for Human Resources, led “The 129 Lakers,” an HR group named for their office’s address on Brighton Campus that for its collective goal chose to “get better each week,” he said. As part of its activity, the group would get together once a week for a tour of campus locations such as the McMullen Museum of Art, the School of Theology and Ministry Library and Stokes Hall.

“These are places we drive by all the time, so we thought, ‘Why not walk?’” said Bogdan. “We got to know more about the BC campus and some of the history behind it.”

As The 129 Lakers tracked their progress, Bogdan said, they would exchange motivational quotes by email. “Where before we might have just talked about something in the news, or a TV show we saw, now we were trying to find or think of things to say that would encourage each other. It definitely helped us form a bond.”

Boudreau, grant manager at the Connell School of Nursing, headed up a team whose name — “The

IDs” (Interdisciplinary Departments) — reflected a diversity of workplaces, including the Psychology Department, the Office of the Provost, and Alumni Relations.

“I think one important outcome for us, as a group of people who were scattered across campus and didn’t necessarily know each other very well,” said Boudreau, “was learning what it’s like to come together for a common goal [10,000 steps per week] and what goes into keeping that commitment.”

HEALTHY YOU’s other spring offerings include a presentation by Terri Trespicio ’95, “Keep Moving: Gain Momentum in Your Health, Your Habits, and Your Life,” on April 4, and two free “Know Your Numbers” biometric screenings on March 6 and April 11. On May 1, HEALTHY YOU will host representatives from the American Cancer Society, who will conduct enrollment appointments for a cancer prevention study.

In addition, this semester HEALTHY YOU teamed with Campus Recreation to offer halfprice programs in yoga, weight loss, swimming and other activities. The response “was very good,” according to Lewis, and registration for the programs is now closed.

For more information, see the Boston College HEALTHY YOU website at www.bc.edu/healthy-you.

Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu

Seismology Project Offers Public Workshops The Boston College Educational Seismology Project (BC-ESP) will offer a series of evening or weekend workshops in February at Weston Observatory for adults to learn about seismology and other aspects of earth science, and to experience the world of scientific research.

A BC-ESP team of seismologists and instructors led Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Alan Kafka will offer presentations and hands-on exercises about seismology, earthquakes, geology, plate tectonics, volcanoes, mountain building, and many other aspects of the Earth and environmental sciences. Workshops also will teach aspects of physics, such as energy, mechanics, and waves, encouraging a culture of inquiry in science, technology and mathematics. Participants learn how to operate seismographs and analyze real ground motion data being recorded by BC-ESP seismographs.

Space is limited. Call ext.2-8300 to register. For more information, see www.bc.edu/westonobservatory.

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WELCOME ADDITIONS Modern and contemporary Chinese literature and culture, crosscultural literary studies, diasporic Chinese literature, and second language acquisition are among the research interests for Adjunct Assistant Professor of Slavic and Eastern Languages Fang Lu, who began teaching in the department in 2005 as a lecturer.

She also has taught at such institutions as Harvard University, Simon Fraser University, Bowling Green State University, the University of Manitoba, the University of Aarhus in Denmark, and Ruhr University in Germany. Last summer, Lu worked as a senior research fellow at the City University of Hong Kong. Her publications include chapters for East-West Identities: Globalization, Localization, and Hybridization and Culture in Translation: Reception of Chinese Literature in the World.

Lu holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Beijing Normal University and a doctorate from Simon Fraser University in Canada.

Ellen Bishop is a clinical instructor in the Connell School of Nursing and a board-certified family nurse practitioner whose clinical focus is on primary care for women and families. In 2011, she was named to the Compassionate Caregiver Honor Roll of the Schwartz Center, a Boston-based organization dedicated to promoting patient-centered care. She is a member of the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and serves as that body’s legislative co-chair. Bishop earned a bachelor of arts degree from the George Washington University and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from Regis College.

Douglas Finn joined the Theology Department this academic year as an assistant professor after serving as a visiting assistant professor in 2011-12. He earned his doctorate and master’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a bachelor’s degree in German and religion from Wabash College in Indiana. His current research involves the historical development of Augustine’s theology of the Holy Spirit in relation to his conception of the church as both an institution and a sacramental reality. He teaches Introduction to Early Christian Theology and Perspectives on Western Culture. Finn has been published in Modern Theology.

—Kathleen Sullivan and Sean Smith Photos by Lee Pellegrini “Welcome Additions,” an occasional feature, profiles new faculty members at Boston College.

McClellan Is BC Event Manager Jason McClellan has been named as event management director at Boston College, Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Services Patricia Bando recently announced.

McClellan will be responsible for assisting the BC community with its event management needs and identifying new auxiliary revenue opportunities through the use of University conference facilities, according to Bando. He will supervise the management teams of the Bureau of Conferences and the Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, McClellan has an extensive background in the conference and hospitality industry. His professional experience includes two years at

the Arlington, Va.-based Strategic Analysis Inc. Executive Conference Center, where he served as conference facilities director and manager of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Conference Center, and a stint as conference services and reception manager at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in Chicago.

He also has worked in the academic sector, as manager for oncampus recruiting at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and assistant manager of conference services at Duke University.

McClellan will work out of the Bureau of Conferences office at Walsh Hall and can be reached at ext.2-0311 or jason.mcclellan@ bc.edu.

—Office of News & Public Affairs

Newsmakers

Seelig Professor of Philosophy Richard Kearney was interviewed during a special broadcast of Ireland’s RTE radio on visual art and the Irish famine, conducted from the Great Hunger Museum in Connecticut.

One of the stones left unturned in the wake of the compromise is how new tax rates affect charitable giving.

Prof. Paul Schervish (Sociology), director for the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy, discussed how the budget deal affected rates of giving as a guest on WGBH’s “Boston Public Radio.”

Today’s donors bent on saving struggling Catholic schools are committed to the success of their investment. Church in the 21st Century Center Director Erik Goldschmidt discussed the shift from a funding model to a stewardship model on the part of philanthropists and major donors with US Catholic.

The battle for voting rights, said Prof. Mark Brodin (Law) in an interview with the Boston Globe, is far from finished in the US — even in Massachusetts.

One in five American adults — and one-third of adults under age 30 — say they have no religious affiliation.

But divorce from a religious community comes at a cost, especially when it comes to raising children. Prof.

Thomas Groome (STM) discussed the subject as a guest on WBUR’s “Radio Boston.”

The New York Times “Bucks” section noted an analysis by the Center for Retirement Research suggesting that employers who administer 401(k) retirement plans tend to drop lower-performing mutual funds from their plans and add better-performing funds, but improved results from the new investments are fleeting.

Instead of bringing order to a system that had become synonymous with

Grants

During his recent visit to Ireland, Adj. Assoc. Prof. Robert Savage (History) met with Irish President Michael D. Higgins at the Áras an Uachtaráin, or presidential residence. Savage took the opportunity to present Higgins — a former minister for communications — with a copy of his book A Loss of Innocence? Television and Irish Society 1960-1972.

BC BRIEFING fragmentation, the Affordable Care Act follows tradition by adding to the crazy quilt of US health care, wrote Law School Prof. Mary Ann Chirba and adjunct faculty member Alice Noble in an article for Health Affairs.

NOTA BENE Two graduates of the Lynch School of Education and its Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars Program have been honored with the Excellence in Teaching Award and $10,000 prizes from the District of Columbia Public Schools.

Hope Harrod, M.Ed. ’00, a fifth-grade teacher at the Burroughs Education Campus, and Mayra Canizales, M.Ed. ’09, an instructional coach at the Columbia Heights Education Campus, were among seven teachers honored Jan. 14 at the Standing Ovation for DC Teachers ceremony, hosted by the DC Public Education Fund at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Harrod was also named the DCPS Teacher of the Year.

In addition, Kristofer Comeforo ’09 received a Rubenstein Award for Highly Effective Teaching. Comeforo, a chemistry major who now teaches science at Anacostia High School, was one of 22 teachers to receive the award and its $5,000 prize out of hundreds of teachers nominated by educators, students, parents and community members.

—Ed Hayward For the second year in a row, Boston College Law School Dean Vincent Rougeau has been included on a list of the 100 most influential black attorneys in the United States compiled by On Being a Black Lawyer [http://www.onbeingablacklawyer.com].

A media company that produces a blog, e-newsletters, events, and social media platforms to engage black legal professionals, OBABL will publish the second annual edition of “The Power 100” tomorrow in honor of Black History Month. The publication will be available online and feature profiles of the nation’s most influential black attorneys working in government, academics, and both the public and private sectors. It will also include profiles of non-black attorneys who have championed diversity.

Asst. Prof. Ralf Yusuf Gawlick (Music) received a $6,500 grant from The Augustine Foundation for his song-cycle for soprano and guitar, “Kollwitz-Konnex (...im Frieden seiner Hände).”

Publications Contemporary Poetry Review published a review of Wave, a collection of poetry by Assoc. Prof. Andrew Sofer (English).

Time and a Half Prof. Maxim D. Shrayer (Slavic and Eastern Languages) presented “Jewish-Russian Poets as Witnesses to the Shoah” at an international conference at Bar-Ilan University (Israel), where Shrayer was also a featured speaker in a panel of Jewish writers from France, Israel, and the US. He also lectured at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and spoke at the Jerusalem City Russian Library.

Prof. Kevin Kenny (History) delivered the second Msgr. John J. Curran Memorial Lecture “Who Were the Molly Maguires and Why Were They Important to Anthracite History?” at King’s College, WilkesBarre, Pa.

JOBS The following are among the most recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources.

For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/offices/hr/: Vice President for Student Affairs Head Librarian, Social Work Library Research Economist, Center for Retirement Research Associate Director of Operations, Residential Life Art Director, Office of Marketing Communications Associate Director, Diversity and Inclusion, Office of Institutional Diversity Senior Information Security Analyst, Information Technology

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LOOKING AHEAD

Robsham Theater Raises the Curtain on the Spring Semester ate Professor Stuart Hecht, “Avenue Q” features music and lyrics

by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx; book by Jeff Whitty.

Other campus groups, including the Dance Ensemble and the Southeast Asian Student Association, also will take the Robsham

By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer

Another semester of theatrical performances has begun at the Robsham Theater Arts Center, with the current Theatre Department Workshop Production of the acclaimed comedy “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” which opened last night and runs through Saturday.

Written by iconic comedian Steve Martin — also an accomplished actor, musician, author, playwright and producer — the play explores the idea of what would happen if geniuses Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso were to meet, just as each was about to set the world on fire: Einstein as he is about to publish his General Theory of Relativity and Picasso as he is about to leave his “Blue” period.

“I love the absurd humor in this show, coupled with the history of the characters and the Lapin Agile, an actual bar in Paris that was home to artists and progressive thinkers in the 1900s and is still around today,” says Shannon DeBari ’13, a theater major who is director of the production. “I was fascinated by the possibility that Einstein and Picasso may have actually met at this bar in 1904 and exchanged ideas right before their inevitable fame.”

stage this semester. For more information, including show times, locations and ticket information (available online, via the Robsham Box Office or by phone), see www.bc.edu/robsham.

Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu

Family Opera Encores Feb. 10

A recent rehearsal for “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” which opened at Robsham Theater last night and runs through Saturday. (Photo by Christopher Huang)

From Feb. 21-23, Robsham will be the setting for another Theatre Workshop production, Jane Martin’s “Jack and Jill.” Directed by Hana Hyseni ’13, the play is described as an enjoyable and humorous exercise recognizable to anyone who has gone through the ups and downs of a serious relationship.

“New Voices 2013,” which runs from March 22-23, will feature original student works: short plays by BC students as well as pieces conceived and created in the Workshop in Puppet and Object Theatre and Modern Dance courses. The plays — accessible via the Theatre Department web site — include “A Night in the Lowlight” by Chris

BC SCENES Photos by Caitlin Cunningham VOICES IN THE HALL Seven Boston College student a cappella groups displayed their singing talents and stage presence last Thursday at a benefit concert for the Boston College Campus School, a non-profit, publicly funded, special-education day school for students ages 3-21 with multiple disabilities. The concert was free and students were asked to contribute to a bake sale to support the school. Performers included The Bostonians (near right), Voices of Imani (far right and below left), Beats (below center), the Acoustics, The Sharps, The Heightsmen, BC Dynamics and Shaan.

See a video of this event at www.youtube.com/bcchronicle

Gouchoe ’13, “16 Gigs” by Maggie Kearnan ’14 and “Marcel at Alice’s” by Timothy N. Kopacz ’13. “New Voices” is directed

by Theatre Department Chair and Associate Professor Scott T. Cummings.

The contemporary comedy “Avenue Q: the Musical” concludes the season on April 24-28.

Most of the featured characters are puppets living in rundown tenements on a shabby street in New York City — while several of these characters are parodies of “Sesame Street” regulars, they are in their 20s and 30s and face adult problems. Despite the fuzzy faces, organizers note, it is not a children’s show. Directed

by Theatre Department Associ-

For the sixth year, Music Department Lecturer Barbara Gawlick is staging an opera performance at Boston College intended not for a tuxedo/evening gown audience, but listeners of all ages.

On Feb. 10, Gawlick’s annual Family Opera event — sponsored by the Music Department — will present the comic opera “Bastien and Bastienna,” a tale of love and magic told by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The performance, which features BC students, takes place at 4 p.m. in Lyons 423.

“Every opera celebrates the art of singing, and the power of a story — two things of interest to any young child,” says Gawlick. “We are usually fortunate to be able to perform for a packed house of very enthusiastic young listeners.”

One of Mozart’s earliest operas — he wrote it at age 12 in 1768 — “Bastien and Bastienna” is a one-act singspiel, with much of the action carried by spoken dialogue. “‘Bastien and Bastienna’ is a delightful story of adolescent love and all the troubles it brings. It is both innocent and naive, full of charming melodies, and witty dialogues,” according to Gawlick. “This opera is perfectly suited for young, student voices and for young audiences.”

Where previous Family Opera events featured a collaborative performance between BC students, alumni and local children, Gawlick says, this year’s production has only three characters, all to be performed by adults.

BC students Karissa Kozoh ’15 (Bastien) and Daniel Ariel ’13 (Colas) will be joined by 2008 alumna Emily Rose Walsh (Bastienna), who recently completed a master’s degree in voice at Longy School of Music.

The BC student performers, Gawlick noted, “benefit from working alongside more advanced alumni singers, gain invaluable performance experience and provide an important service to the community.”

The opera’s accompanying pianist will be Music Lecturer Leah Kosch.

The performance is free and open to the public. For more information, e-mail concerts@bc.edu.

—Rosanne Pellegrini