Student Affairs hopes new initiative will encourage civil discourse
Page 4
STEM for All BC grad’s nonprofit off to a promising start
PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Taking Steps
‘What a Gift!’
First cohort of Boston College’s Companions program makes enthusiastic arrival on campus
BY ELLEN SEAWARD SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Last month, Boston College welcomed the inaugural 13-member cohort of the Boston College Companions: Fellows for Leadership and Service (BCC FLS), a yearlong fellowship program that combines academic study with elements of Ignatian spirituality.
Through BCC FLS, accomplished individuals reflect together, explore new directions, and consider life’s next chapter amid BC’s culture of inquiry, excellence, and commitment to the common good.
Fellows will spend the next year immersed in campus life at BC. In addition to participating in guided conversations, re-
treats, and a pilgrimage to Spain and Rome, Fellows will audit classes alongside BC students, choosing from offerings in law, business, the humanities, science, education, social work, and theology and ministry, among other disciplines.
The first group of Fellows represents a wide range of professional backgrounds, including education, medicine, finance, law, human resources, religious services, information technology, and the nonprofit world. The 13, who are in their 50s, 60s, and 70s, come from Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Florida, Colorado, Texas, and California. About half of the Fellows have a degree from Boston College. While their motivations for joining
Kirshner is Named BC’s First Giffuni Professor
BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
Professor of Political Science and International Studies Jonathan Kirshner, whose research and teaching draws on an expansive synthesis of international relations, political economy, the politics of money and finance, and politics and film, has been appointed as the inaugural Vincent Q. and Mary Ann Giffuni Professor at Boston College.
The professorship was established by a gift from the Giffunis to recognize a faculty member whose study in the field of economics integrates with today’s relevant social issues.
“I am delighted that Jonathan Kirshner will be serving as the inaugural Giffuni Professor,” said Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J. “His early training in economics gives him a solid foundation for insightful
work in the field of international political economy. As a specialist in that field, with widely recognized multidisciplinary exper-
on page 5 Continued on page 4
Page 6
South Korean Strife Q&A with International Studies’ Ingu Hwang
Jonathan Kirshner
photo by caitlin cunningham
Associate Director of Academic Programs and Special Projects Seth Meehan took members of the Boston College Companions: Fellows for Leadership and Service program on a campus tour, including the science facility at 245 Beacon Street.
photo by lee pellegrini
The Dance Organization of Boston College (above) was among several student dance troupes that gave performances recently at Robsham Theater. More photos on page 5.
PHOTO BY SEHO LEE ’27
Continued
PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Around Campus
Boston College COP Delegates Will Hold Campus Symposium on Feb. 21
Three months after their return from COP29—the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also referred to as the Conference of the Parties (COP)—members of the Boston College delegation will share their experiences and takeaways from the highly influential summit, at the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society’s COP Symposium on February 21 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., at 245 Beacon Street in Room 501, the Schiller Institute Convening Space.
“A driving principle behind our COP programming is to ensure that the University’s investment in COP benefits not only the outstanding students and faculty who are selected to be on the delegation, but the greater Boston College community as well,” said Schiller Institute Seidner Family Executive Director Laura J. Steinberg.
The Schiller Institute organizes the BC initiative, which has sent four delegations as an Observer Organization to COP, the center of global climate change policymaking. COP29 was held November 11-22 in Baku, Azerbaijan. BC’s COP29 contingent included four faculty members, six graduate and seven undergraduate students, and
staff lead Kaley McCarty, Schiller Institute assistant director of programs.
“The COP Symposium provides an engaging space for delegates—who have described their experiences as ‘transforma-
has appeared on such programs as “Good
and “World News Tonight”—was one of the keynote speakers at the annual Boston College
which took place February 1. According to organizers, the
is intended to spur attendees to engage with intersectional issues and topics that foster greater self-awareness and a stronger community of belonging while serving as a launching pad for future action. [More information at bit.ly/boston-college-summit]
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Jack Dunn
SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Patricia Delaney
EDITOR
Sean Smith
CONTRIBUTING STAFF Phil Gloudemans
Ed Hayward
Audrey Loyack
Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Caitlin Cunningham Lee Pellegrini
tive’—to share what they’ve learned in a personal, interactive way,” Steinberg said.
The symposium begins with an 11 a.m. panel which will provide an overview of COP29 and the involvement of the BC delegation. Following a noon lunch break and networking opportunity, symposium attendees will hear from accomplished climate activist, youth advocate, and community leader Esquire Henry, CARICOM Youth Ambassador for Antigua and Barbuda, a member of the United Nations Youth Advisory Group for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, and of the Caribbean Development Bank’s Future Leaders’ Network.
Henry has earned several awards for his humanitarian efforts, advocacy, and environmental contributions, including the 2023 Department of Youth Affairs National Youth Awards for Community Service and Young Activism and the 2022 Halo Hero Humanitarian Award.
A Q&A session will follow his presentation.
At 1:30 p.m., an open-house format will showcase exhibits, through which delegates will present their findings and
Boisi Ctr. Events
The Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life will spotlight a newly published book by the center’s director, Professor of Theology Mark Massa, S.J., at an April 2 panel discussion.
In Catholic Fundamentalism in America, Fr. Massa examines the post-World War II social, cultural, and theological changes that affected American Catholicism, and gave rise to a fundamentalist Catholic movement based on fear and a loss of identity.
Joining Fr. Massa at the April 2 event will be Libby Professor of Theology and Law M. Cathleen Kaveny, University Historian and Clough Millennium Professor Emeritus in History James O’Toole, and historian Randall Balmer of Dartmouth College.
Other highlights of the Boisi Center’s spring semester include: a February 18 conversation with Schiller Family Head Hockey Coach Greg Brown ’90; the inaugural Alfred and Melissa DiLeonardo Lecture on “Catholicism Represented: Democracy, Religion, and Global History 1789-2025” by University of Notre Dame Provost John McGreevy (February 27); a colloquium at which Assistant Professor of Theology and
COP29 experiences.
“We hope that attendees will leave the symposium with a greater understanding of how to become a change-maker and with a deeper appreciation for the complexity of the climate conversations that are playing out on the international stage,” said Steinberg. The event also provides an opportunity to learn about involvement in COP30.
University community members, invited to attend all or part of the event, are asked to register using the following link: rb.gy/ vysi5i. Food will be available throughout the event.
The Schiller Institute is committed to producing programming that extends the University’s investment in sending a delegation to COP and allows students, faculty, and others to benefit from COP programming, with events leading up to, during, and after the conference.
—Rosanne Pellegrini
Read more about the 2024 delegation and participant perspectives at rb.gy/ixj7z8, and a Q&A with delegate Gustavo Cardona e Almeida, a Woods College of Advancing Studies graduate student, at rb.gy/1n7x68
African and African Diaspora Studies Amey Victoria Adkins-Jones will discuss her new book, Immaculate Misconceptions: A Black Mariology (March 26); and a colloquium featuring Emerson College faculty member Carol Ferrara’s discussion of her book, Muslim and Catholic Experiences of National Belonging in France (April 10).
For the complete schedule of Boisi Center spring events and information on registration, see the center website at bc.edu/ boisi.
—Kathleen Sullivan
The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (617)552-3350.
Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus.
Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135.
A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail.
Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.
Boisi Center Director Mark Massa, S.J. photo by gary wayne gilbert
COP Symposium speaker Esquire Henry
ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott—who
Morning America,” “Nightline,”
Summit,
summit
Snapshot
Boston College Summit
PHOTO BY CAITLIN CUNNINGHAM
Continuing the Conversation
Student Affairs hopes to build off success of ‘Debate Night Done Right’ initiative
BY ALIX HACKETT SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
As associate vice president for student engagement and formation in Boston College’s Student Affairs division, Colleen Dallavalle is always looking for ways to bring students together. So, in the months leading up to the second 2024 presidential debate, she pitched her colleagues a new idea: offering free pizza and conversation guides to students who hosted debate watch parties in their residence halls. She called it “Debate Night Done Right.”
To her pleasant surprise, the initiative was an immediate hit, with more than 105 students signing up to host watch parties within 12 hours of receiving the email invitation. On September 10, as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump prepared to take the debate stage in Philadelphia, BC Dining Services churned out 204 pizzas for 637 students to enjoy as they chatted about each candidate’s performance and the issues at hand.
Now, with the election in the rearview mirror but the need for civil discourse stronger than ever, Dallavalle and her colleagues hope to use the debate night
program as a blueprint for a slew of new events encouraging students to engage in difficult conversations outside the classroom. A collaborative group made up of staff and students from across campus— and from both sides of the political aisle— has been formed to set things in motion.
“The feedback we got from the debate events reinforced this idea that students want to have conversations, they want to understand people’s perspectives, but they don’t always know how,” said Dallavalle. “A lot of our students have been inculcated not to talk about politics, but as part of your education here at BC you should be engaging in understanding ideological differences, political differences, values, decisions—you should be talking about that.”
The University regularly hosts events and programs dedicated to modeling and promoting civil discourse, but the debate night initiative differed in several key ways. Most notably, the watch parties were held in the residence halls instead of academic buildings, and students invited people they felt comfortable sharing opinions with. Student Affairs staff handed out guidelines for civil discourse (inspired by BC’s restorative practices initiative) along with the pizzas, but the students moderated their own conversations.
For Katie Ballard ’25, the initiative provided extra incentive to follow through on existing plans to watch the presidential
Ards to Speak at MLK Banquet
Associate Professor of English Angela Ards, director of the Boston College journalism program, will be the keynote speaker at the 42nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarship Banquet, which takes place February 24 at 5:30 p.m. in the Murray Function Room.
The scholarship is awarded each year to a BC junior who has demonstrated superior academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, community service, and involvement with the African American community and African American issues both on and off campus.
This year’s scholarship finalists are Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences students Victoria Adegboyega, Skyla DeSimone, and Nnenna Okorie; Lynch School of Education and Human Development student Anthony Delgado; and Carroll School of Management student Esosasehia Owens.
Ards, who teaches African American and contemporary American literature, earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, a master of arts degree in African American studies from the University of California-Los Angeles, and a doctorate in English from Princeton University. Her research interests include African American literature and culture, Black feminist thought, creative nonfiction, cultural studies, diaspora studies, literary journalism, and narratives of place.
Her first book, Words of Witness: Black Women’s Autobiography in the Post-Brown Era, was named one of the 10 most notable
books of 2016 on Black women’s history by The Huffington Post. Her writing and reviews have been featured in Essence, Los Angeles Times Book Review, The Crisis, The Nation, and the Village Voice. Among other honors, Ards was a Sheila Biddle Fellow at the Harvard University W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, and a recipient of Princeton University’s Preyer Fellowship in English Literature.
In addition to a keynote address by Ards, Connell School of Nursing senior Julie Canuto-Depina will deliver a reflection on her experience as the MLK Scholarship 2024 winner.
For more information on the scholarship ceremony, see bc.edu/content/bc-web/sites/ mlk-memorial-committee, or email mlkjr@ bc.edu.
—Audrey Loyack
debate with her roommates. A few weeks later, she signed up to host a watch party for the vice-presidential debate, along with more than 100 others. Being politically literate is important to Ballard, who said BC students sometimes shy away from discussing politics with those who don’t share their point of view.
“It’s a bit more hush-hush and feels almost like walking on eggshells,” she said.
In their feedback forms, nearly all the students who participated in the debate initiative gave it high marks, and said they would repeat the experience if given the chance. Christopher Kerwin ’26, who hosted watch parties for both debates at his off-campus apartment, said the initiative achieved its goal of getting students to engage in conversation. Without any prompting, he and his friends were locked in on both debates from start to finish.
“People’s conversation was pretty much only on the debate, giving commentary on what they thought of what the candidates were saying,” he said. “I think it was a great initiative and I’d be curious to see what they come up with next.”
This spring, Student Affairs and the Office of the Dean of Students are partnering with the Office of Global Education to integrate programming into the residence halls for students to reflect on their experiences after studying abroad, and Dallavalle sees plenty of other opportunities for the format to be replicated, including events like the Super Bowl and Mile 21, and for seniors preparing for graduation. The success of the debate initiative has encouraged her and her colleagues to think outside the box when it comes to creating space for students to converse and listen to one another.
“We typically think about initiatives or programs in a very brick-and-mortar static state: ‘Go to this room, do this thing, have this experience,’” said Dallavalle. “What we’re trying to do here is redefine engagement to be informal and accessible, to give everyone a neutral space to engage and understand and think about why they believe what they believe.”
Alix Hackett is a senior digital content writer in the Office of University Communications
Doctoral Student Stipend to Increase
Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., has announced that the 2025-2026 doctoral student stipend will rise to a baseline commitment of $37,500 paid over 10 months.
Stipends for all University-funded doctoral students were previously pegged at a minimum of $30,000 for the nine-month academic year.
“We are committed to ongoing efforts to provide our graduate students with the academic, financial, and social support they need to excel in their academic pursuits,” said Fr. Kalscheur. “This most recent strategic stipend increase will allow us to remain competitive in recruiting and retaining talented doctoral students across all our academic programs.”
Boston College has invested more than $5 million in academic strategic funds during the past three years to elevate doctoral student stipends across the schools and colleges, reflecting a commitment to graduate education and student formation outlined
in the University’s 10-year Strategic Plan, “Ever to Excel.”
Additionally, the BC student health plan provides benefits to more than 1,750 graduate students, including a low out-ofpocket maximum and improved pediatric dental coverage. The University contributed more than $3.3 million toward health insurance coverage for doctoral students during the 2024-2025 academic year.
Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley said these investments have paid dividends in helping the University to attract outstanding doctoral students across disciplines and schools.
“Faculty mentors, the deans, and I are committed to helping our graduate students thrive in their time at Boston College,” said Quigley. “We are always looking for opportunities to enhance their experience at the University, and we look forward to future investments in support of world-class doctoral training across all of our schools and colleges.”
—Phil Gloudemans
Angela Ards photo by caitlin cunningham
Isabelle Nikkhoo ’25 (third from left) hosted a debate night watch party with friends Emely Accostupa ’26, Emma Stylianos ’25, and Evelyn Buffi ’25.
BC Alumnus’ Nonprofit Seeks to Provide ‘STEM for All’
BY AUDREY LOYACK STAFF WRITER
Rishi Srinivasan ’23 always knew that when he grew up, he wanted to be a doctor. After he began volunteering for Big Brothers Big Sisters, he wondered why the children he was paired with didn’t aspire to STEM careers like he did when he was their age.
The answer, he found, came down to two things: exposure and mentorship.
During his junior year at Boston College, Srinivasan and his brother Rohit, and their friends Colin Knutson and Joey Marsello founded the STEM For All Academy, a nonprofit that teaches an “inspirational and memorable” curriculum to children grades K through 12, with a heavy focus on ages 10 through 15. Headquartered in Boston, STEM For All Academy serves over 500 children from disadvantaged communities in Boston and New York.
“When we began designing a curriculum,” said Srinivasan, “our goal was to show the coolest topics in science”—concepts that were applicable and interesting.
But that wasn’t always the case, especially for the first cohort of students when the co-founders brought their program to one of the Boston neighborhood schools.
“When we started at our first school, none of the students wanted to be there. Many of them were forced to stay after school because their parents couldn’t pick them up until later. Initially, the first group of kids we had were a little hard to manage, but one by one, a spark formed.
“I remember one student in particular who was very uninterested. But then our cardiology lesson came, and he was completely silent throughout the whole thing.
He asked so many questions, and he wasn’t usually one to participate. At the very end he said, ‘I want to be a cardiologist.’ It was the coolest thing ever.”
STEM For All Academy’s mission is all about accessibility. It is an entirely free after-school option for parents; schools that want to participate in the program are only asked to provide the cost for expenses such as course supplies and materials. Courses are taught by undergraduate and graduate students, many from Boston College and other Boston area colleges and universities.
The STEM For All co-founders believe that a students-teaching-students approach inspires a passion for understanding and learning the course material, while also increasing their engagement and confidence throughout the curriculum.
“Cost is definitely the biggest barrier for a lot of people to access STEM. If you don’t have the exposure or wealth to join these immersion programs, it’s really hard to find STEM. Our goal is to make it as accessible as possible,” said Srinivasan.
Companions Begin BC ‘Journey’
from page 1
BCC FLS differ—a desire to reexamine faith and spirituality; finding themselves at a career crossroads; exploring how they can be of service to the world—they are united in excitement for their time ahead at the Heights.
Bill Reynolds is enthused by the blessing of a year dedicated to learning. “There are so many ways to learn: in the classroom from the teachers and students; from the interactions with the rest of the Companions’ cohort; from the variety of BC leaders we’ll get to meet; and the plethora of guest speakers on campus.
“As a younger student, I remember being too busy to enjoy all the learning that was available ‘outside of the classroom.’ As Fellows, we have time for the extras.”
Cathy Van Kula ’85 said she looked forward to returning to BC, and to a year of uninterrupted learning.
“[BCC FLS] offered me an opportunity to learn intentionally, in a dedicated space, with a group of like-minded individuals— add to that the opportunity to return to my alma mater and to the beautiful city of Boston. What a gift!”
The STEM for All Academy co-founded by Rishi Srinivasan ’23 (left) aims to make STEM education accessible—and interesting—to children who are economically disadvantaged. Among the fans of the academy is Michael Heaney (right), director of corporate engagement at the Woods College of Advancing Studies, who joined the advisory board last fall: “What they’re doing is so amazing.”
Michael Heaney, director of corporate engagement and an adjunct professor at the Woods College of Advancing Studies, became a STEM For All Academy advisory board member last November. Heaney describes his responsibilities as “very fun and fluid.
“When Rishi and his fellow co-founders asked if I wanted to be involved as an advisor, it took me about five seconds to think about it. I said, ‘Sign me up.’ I was so inspired by the way these young people saw a huge need and found a way to fill it. Even in their post-graduate years, these people are setting the world aflame. They are exactly what it means to be men and women for others.”
When Heaney first accepted the role, he assumed one of his chief responsibilities would be to ensure that these young adults not overcommit themselves amid the busy lives they lead outside of the nonprofit. That proved not to be the case.
“I come home and drink coffee so that I’m ready for our 9:30 p.m. board calls and
by 10:30 I can’t go to sleep—not from the caffeine, but because I’m so inspired by what they’re doing. I catch myself laughing sometimes, thinking, ‘I’m not here to caution them and tell them to put on the brakes anymore. I’m on board with go, go, go.’ Because what they’re doing is so amazing.”
Looking to the future, Srinivasan hopes to continue growing and improving STEM For All’s accessibility through one-on-one services that are being piloted right now. On February 22, STEM For All Academy will host its first annual gala at the Kimpton Marlowe Hotel in Cambridge, featuring guest speakers Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler Ph.D. ’12 and Harvard Medical School Professor David Sinclair. Ten-year-old Sean Atitsogbe—known as “Sean the Science Kid,” according to Srinivasan—will receive this year’s STEM For All Youth STEM Leader Award.
For more information on STEM For All Academy, see www.stemforallacademy.org
Haub Vice President for Mission and Ministry John Butler, S.J., describes the year as a journey.
“As we companion and journey, we discover who we are and embrace our desires. The Companions Program is a way for BC and our Jesuit heritage to be shared with folks who still have a good bit of journeying left in their lives.”
Margaret Laurence, director of BC Companions & Initiatives for Formative Education in the Office of the Provost and Dean of Faculties, considers it an honor to accompany Fellows on their journeys.
“Learning about the experiences that Fellows are having in classrooms, hearing about their conversations with undergraduates and graduate students, being together twice a week for the seminar designed for them, and watching them leave promptly to attend another lecture—it’s all energizing.”
Already, the Fellows are fully engaged in their studies and, according to Boston College Law School Professor Emeritus Frank Herrmann, S.J., who is the BC Companions faculty advisor, are “finding their professors stimulating, their younger classmates
welcoming, and the broader BC environment exciting.”
“The Fellows have begun their yearlong journey together,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “I’m looking forward to seeing the many ways in which they will engage with our students, faculty, and the larger University community.”
For more about the Boston College Companions: Fellows for Leadership and Service program and the inaugural cohort, go to bc.edu/companions.
Ellen Seaward is a senior digital content writer in the Office of University Communications
photo by lee pellegrini
O’Neill Library Instructional Services Manager Kwasi Sarkodie-Mensah welcomes the BC Companions during their recent introductory campus tour.
photo by lee pellegrini
Giffuni Professor Follows Diverse Set of Interests
Continued from page 1
tise in international monetary relations, macroeconomic politics, and economics and national security, Professor Kirshner is a most fitting inaugural holder of this endowed professorship.”
He added, “Vince and Mary Ann Giffuni have been loyal and generous benefactors of Boston College for many decades. I am tremendously grateful for their longstanding support for the study of economics and the McMullen Museum of Art. This newly established professorship—recognizing a scholar whose work brings the study of economics into dialogue with contemporary political life and international relations—is a wonderful contribution to their efforts to advance the mission of Boston College.”
A member of the BC faculty since 2018, Kirshner said he was honored by the opportunity to become the inaugural Giffuni Professor.
“I am very appreciative of this honor, which is also a reflection of the multidisciplinary nature of my work. And, more generally, I have found Boston College a welcoming environment, one that has been very receptive to the sensibilities in my research and teaching, and I’ve been impressed by the faculty members here, especially those in my areas of specialization with whom I work most closely. I also value BC’s vibrant liberal arts educational environment, and its proximity to Boston itself.”
Kirshner cites the influence of groundbreaking economist/philosopher John Maynard Keynes and economic historian Charles Kindleberger as crucial to his interest in the international politics of money and finance, and how it is influenced by power politics.
“Political science and economics are enmeshed in that you can’t understand one without understanding the other,” he said.
“At the same time, they have their separate spheres: An economist explains economic outcomes; a political scientist, not surprisingly and in contrast, is primarily concerned with political behavior.
“I’ve engaged with issues around money and finance, but focused more on how these relate to questions of war and peace,”
photo by caitlin cunningham
politics—an approach he says is “deeply skeptical of organizing inquiry around the goal of predicting future behavior and outcomes.”
In his 2022 book, An Unwritten Future: Realism and Uncertainty in World Politics, Kirshner argues that this older, more nuanced and sophisticated method is better
“Political science and economics are enmeshed in that you can’t understand one without understanding the other,” says Kirshner. “At the same time, they have their separate spheres: An economist explains economic outcomes; a political scientist, not surprisingly and in contrast, is primarily concerned with political behavior.”
said Kirshner, citing his 2007 book Appeasing Bankers: Financial Caution on the Road to War, a look at how national financial communities have demonstrated a marked aversion to wars, out of pragmatism rather than idealism. “Similarly, If I’m talking about exchange rates, I will be considering things like the degree of cooperation between countries, not the theory of exchange rate determination.”
During this academic year, Kirshner is teaching Politics of International Money and Finance and Keynes for Today, both of which, he said, touch on an issue of pressing importance that’s flown “below the radar”: the continuing deregulation of the financial sector, and the risk of financial crisis which may result from it.
Also vital to Kirshner’s scholarship is international relations theory. He is a leading proponent of classical realism, which emphasizes the role of history, uncertainty, and contingency in explaining world
Snow and chilly temperatures have abounded so far this semester, but Boston College student dance groups are keeping warm. Among those performing in recent weeks on the Robsham Theater main stage have been the Korean Students Association/Chinese Students Association (below), AeroK (at right), and Uprising.
suited than more recent approaches to explore compelling contemporary issues: the rise of China; how social and economic change alter the balance of power and the nature of international conflict; and what the end of the American-led postwar order means for the future of world politics.
In addition to An Unwritten Future, Kirshner’s books include American Power after the Financial Crisis, which examined the economic and political impact of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, and Hollywood’s Last Golden Age: Politics, Society, and the Seventies Film in America, an assessment of films such as “Chinatown,” “Five Easy Pieces,” “The Graduate,” “Klute,” “Nashville,” and “The Friends of Eddie Coyle” and their relationship to the political, social, personal, and philosophical issues of the late 1960s to mid-1970s.
Kirshner traces his film-related writing and teaching to his realization “after years as an armchair film buff” that there
“is no such thing as an ‘apolitical’ film.” One example is the 1975 film “Shampoo,” co-written by and starring Warren Beatty, which Kirshner said at the time was commonly seen and received as an entertaining sex romp.
“Beatty lamented that ‘No one understood it was really about politics,’” said Kirshner, noting that the film is set on the eve of the 1968 presidential election. “‘Shampoo’ touches on the disenchantment among many Democrats after the turmoil of the 1968 convention, which led them away from political involvement and to become more absorbed in their private lives—thus opening the door for Nixon’s election victory. That’s the argument Beatty makes, forcefully though entertainingly.”
Prior to joining BC, Kirshner was on the Cornell University Department of Government faculty for 25 years, and is the Stephen and Barbara Friedman Professor of International Political Economy Emeritus. During his tenure at Cornell, he held directorships of the International Political Economy Program of the Einaudi Center of International Studies and the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. He also served as associate editor of Security Studies and is the founding co-editor of the Cornell Studies in Money book series.
Kirshner has published articles in Oxford Review of Economic Policy, World Politics, History of Economic Ideas, and Foreign Affairs, among others, and is the editor or co-editor of six volumes, including, most recently, Downfall of the American Order? and When the Movies Mattered. He’s also written pieces for numerous publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Cineaste, Boston Review, and The National Interest. In addition, he is the author of a novel, Urban Flight, set during New York City’s 1975 financial crisis.
BC Scenes
Dancing Away the Winter
PHOTOS BY SEHO LEE ’27, CAROLINE ALDEN, AND ANN HERMES
Q&A South Korea’s Political Crisis
On January 26, South Korean prosecutors indicted President Yoon Suk Yeol on charges that he orchestrated a rebellion when he declared martial law on December 3. With the indictment, Yoon became the first sitting president in the history of South Korea to be simultaneously subjected to an impeachment trial and a criminal trial. Yoon’s short-lived actions ignited the country’s most serious political crisis since the 1980s democratization. Insisting that he did not act criminally when he imposed martial law, Yoon has rallied farright groups to his defense.
The nation awaits the Constitutional Court’s decision on whether to uphold Yoon’s impeachment. If the court rules in favor of the National Assembly, Yoon officially will be removed from office; if it rules in Yoon’s favor, he will be reinstated as president. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is serving as acting president.
Chronicle staff writer Phil Gloudemans recently discussed the South Korean crisis with Ingu Hwang, an associate professor of the practice in the International Studies Program. He is also the leader of the Global Korea Project and author of Human Rights and Transnational Democracy in South Korea [This article has been edited for space; read the full version at https://bit.ly/ingu-hwangon-south-korea]
South Korea’s constitution affords the president the power to declare martial law to maintain order in wartime or during a comparable emergency. Was the country truly under such severe crisis conditions when Yoon suspended civilian authority?
Hwang: Article 77 of the South Korean Constitution specifies that a president may proclaim martial law “in times of war, armed conflict, or similar national emergency.” To date, no one, including Yoon, has invoked the above article as justification for the decision to impose martial law. In fact, Yoon claimed in a televised national address that the source of the national emergency was the opposition party’s consistent resistance to his policies and governance. Since then, his defense team has repeatedly cited suspicions of election fraud as the primary reason for the declaration.
Some news platforms also have reported that the South Korean government tried to provoke the North Koreans to create border conflicts to justify Yoon’s declaration of martial law. None of these claims offer any
obvious constitutional basis for the declaration.
South Korean observers seem mystified by Yoon’s aborted power grab, given that his five-year term would end in 2027 without the possibility of reelection due to term limits. Why would he rekindle the horrific memories of military rule by plunging the country into its worst political crisis in decades? What was his end game?
Hwang: Yoon’s martial law declaration marks the first time that a democratically elected president of the Republic of Korea has attempted to mobilize troops for the purpose of advancing a domestic political agenda. It is important to note that during his election campaign, he expressed admiration for military dictators, especially for Chun Doo-hwan, who was responsible for the 1979 coup and for the 1980 Kwangju massacre that left hundreds dead. Moreover, he has advanced multiple campaigns of historical revisionism in which he has championed the anti-Communist patriotism and the economic success of South Korea’s past dictatorial regimes while downplaying their unlawful use of violence, intimidation, and oppression.
By mid-January, the conservatives’ approval rating actually increased from 24 to 34 percent, the “highest level of support for Yoon’s People Power Party since last summer,” reported Gallup Korea. To what do you attribute this endorsement surge for the Conservative Party, given the turmoil that Yoon instigated?
Hwang: While opinion polls can highlight developing trends, they also are vulnerable to political manipulations, and in some cases, they are an integral part of political mobilizations. For example, last November, amid allegations of election meddling by Yoon and his wife, it was revealed that a pollster with close ties to
Kim appeared to have skewed the results in favor of a parliamentary candidate who supported the president. Such cases make it difficult to know the extent to which polls truly reflect public opinion. Moreover, how a pollster frames a question—especially against the backdrop of emotionally and politically charged events—influences respondents’ answers.
The Yoon conundrum seems to be the latest flashpoint over presidential authority and power in recent years, as we’re seeing not only with Donald Trump, but elected leaders such as Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Do you see any parallels in South Korea? What makes South Korea’s situation unique?
Hwang: This question touches upon two critical issues: the potential challenges that such contestations pose to democracy, and how and why certain ideas and movements spread beyond national borders, essentially becoming global in their scope of influence and impact. Developing a comprehensive understanding of the commonalities and differences between these national struggles as well as the causes, effects, and processes of global trends will require further scholarly interventions that utilize complex approaches that transcend geographic and disciplinary boundaries.
That said, there are certain commonalities. The first is the political exploitation of people’s vulnerabilities that pushes them into a binary, zero-sum framework in which there are only two possible outcomes, and one party’s gain equals another party’s loss. A parallel development is the rise in nationalist and ideological slogans that promote conspiracy theories, especially about election fraud. When these developments go unchecked at the local, national, or global level, political polarization increases and cooperation, unity, and consensus building decrease.
Grant Supports Student Engagement, Teacher Well-Being
BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
The Walton Family Foundation has awarded Boston College a $2,225,000 grant to advance its mission of formative education by transforming K-12 education nationwide.
The three-year initiative, titled “Cultivating Purpose in Diverse Educational Contexts with a Scalable ‘Wise Intervention,’” will develop innovative approaches to student engagement and teacher wellbeing, according to Lynch School of Education and Human Development Professor Belle Liang, the Ascione Family Formation Fellow and co-principal investigator.
Kendall Cotton Bronk, a professor of psychology in the Division of Behavioral & Social Sciences at Claremont Graduate University (CGU), is co-principal investigator.
“As American schools face unprecedented challenges in student engagement and teacher retention, this pioneering initiative aims to revolutionize how schools approach these critical issues by developing and implementing evidence-based strategies to cultivate purpose and belonging in K-12
schools nationwide,” said Liang.
The urgency of this work is underscored by troubling trends in American education. According to the National Association of State Boards of Education, even prior to the coronavirus pandemic, 40 to 60 percent of students demonstrated signs of disengagement, ranging from a lack of participation to classroom disruption. A subsequent investigation by the EdWeek Research Center noted that over 80 percent of teachers reported that student motivation and engagement had further declined since the COVID-19 outbreak.
This crisis extends to educators themselves. The 2024 State of the American Teacher Survey reveals an alarming trend: 63 percent of female teachers reported experiencing burnout last year, an increase from 56 percent in 2021.
“This initiative comes at a pivotal moment when educators and students alike are yearning for purpose and belonging,” said Liang, a licensed clinical psychologist who founded the Lynch School-based Purpose Lab. “We’re seeing a nationwide desire to dig down into authentic self-discovery while reaching outward to make a lasting impact. Our work responds to this power-
ful drive to connect personal growth with meaningful contribution.”
This initiative will implement four interconnected tactics designed to create lasting change in American education:
•An innovative professional development program that will equip educators with tools to foster purpose and belonging in students while strengthening their own professional well-being
•A comprehensive “Purpose Toolkit” that translates cutting-edge research into practical, scalable strategies for K-12 schools
•Rigorous research and evaluation to assess the impact of purpose-driven interventions on student engagement, academic performance, and well-being, as well as educator retention and satisfaction
•A partnership with San Francisco-based communications firm Public Design to enhance, publicize, and disseminate the interventions and toolkit to schools nationwide
The project combines complementary expertise from both institutions: At CGU, Bronk directs the Adolescent Moral Development Lab, where her pioneering research has revealed how young people develop purpose, creating a powerful synergy with Liang’s research at the Lynch School.
Liang, who co-authored How to Navigate Life: The New Science of Finding Your Way in School, Career & Beyond in 2022, said, “In this moment of educational transformation, we have an unprecedented opportunity to reshape how schools help students and educators to connect deeply with themselves, each other, and their futures. When we help young people connect their learning to a larger purpose, we’re not just improving educational outcomes, we’re cultivating the next generation of purposeful leaders who will transform their communities and our world.”
“It’s wonderful to see this additional support for Professor Liang’s important work on developing a sense of purpose among young people,” said Stanton E. F. Wortham, Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School. “BC has always been concerned with young people’s ethical and spiritual development, and helping our students develop a robust sense of purpose is central to what we do. In recent years, schools and universities in the broader society have also become interested in purpose as a central educational goal. It is great to see our work being recognized and having this kind of impact.”
Ingu Hwang
photo by peter julian
BC Law Author’s Book a Tale of Unjust Imprisonment
BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
In his recently republished book, Justice Under God: How Faith, Hope, and Charity Freed an Innocent Man and Helped Save a Thousand Lives, Boston College Law School
Adjunct Professor Christopher J. Muse, a retired Massachusetts Superior Court Judge, chronicles his and his father Robert’s intervention in the life of murder suspect Bobby Joe Leaster.
Leaster served nearly 16 years in a Massachusetts prison for a 1970 murder and armed robbery in Dorchester he didn’t commit. The Muses, working pro bono, started in 1977 to right the wrong; Leaster was freed in the winter of 1986.
“I could feel that the man upstairs answered my prayers by sending the Muses to me,” said Leaster, who died in 2020, at the time of his release. “I could feel it in my heart.”
Originally self-published by Muse in 2021, Justice Under God has now been reprinted through Combray House. The book describes the crucial impact of the Leaster case in thwarting the reinstitution of capital punishment in Massachusetts during the 1990s, and unlocking compensation opportunities for persons who were unjustly incarcerated. More importantly, said Muse, the book reveals “the most extraordinary human being I’ve ever met in my life,” and a man he considers as dear to him as any of his seven brothers.
The Muse family—several of whose members are BC or BC Law alumni—will donate all 2025 royalties from Justice Under God to the New England Innocence Project, which aims to remedy injustices such as those endured by Leaster, according to Muse’s daughter, Julie Muse-Fisher J.D. ’05; in addition, the family has made a $40,000 gift to the BC Law Innocence Project, which pursues a similar mission.
A native of Reform, Ala., and a talented athlete, Leaster declined a college basketball scholarship and chose to head north to Bos-
photo by reba saldanha
ton to fulfill his dream of a Jim Crow-less life, despite the city’s troubled racial history. But at age 20, his life changed dramatically when he was arrested for the murder of variety store owner Levi Whiteside, who was killed by two men during a hold-up on September 27, 1970.
Although he had been miles away at his girlfriend’s house at the time of the shooting, Leaster was wearing clothes similar to the perpetrator at the time of his arrest. Whiteside’s wife Kathleen, who had witnessed the shooting, initially identified Leaster as the killer but subsequently stated that she was unsure as to whether he had committed the murder. Despite weak evidence, Leaster was charged, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Leaster filed two unsuccessful appeals; in neither instance did the court-appointed attorney meet him in person. When Muse was appointed to represent Leaster in his third challenge, he heeded his father’s advice: “I don’t want you to just look at his
file: Go talk to him,” said Robert, a 1942 BC alumnus.
Muse found Leaster to be “convincingly sweet, gentle, kind, and…innocent,” he told Lawyers Weekly. An inconclusive test for gunpowder residue, previously unexamined grand jury testimony, and crucially, questioning Leaster while he was under hypnosis all were key facets to developing a more likely theory of the crime. While Muse aggressively shepherded an all-star roster of legal luminaries to support Leaster’s case, a young man who witnessed the murder came forward in the summer of 1986 and credibly testified that Leaster was not the killer. The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office announced that Leaster would not be retried, and he was released.
In 1992, the state legislature approved a state-funded annuity that paid Leaster $1 million over the next 25 years to compensate him for the wrongful imprisonment.
For the next 30 years, Leaster worked the streets of Boston, steering disadvantaged and at-risk kids away from gangs and toward school or jobs. As Leaster approached his 70th birthday, he and Muse discussed writing a book, and the lawyer began the foundational research, but Leaster’s death from burns sustained in a fire at his apartment put an end to the collaboration.
“Bobby Joe had every right to be bitter, angry, rage at the people and the system that railroaded him,” Muse told The Boston Globe in an interview a week after Leaster died “Instead, he forgave everybody who had wronged him and decided he would do everything in his power to make sure other
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 or scan the QR code at right.
Engineering Projects Manager
Associate Director of Financial Systems, Reporting and Planning
Public Service Fellow
Lead Medical Assistant
Associate Director, Pre-Award Administration
Program Director, AMDG
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Physician/Assistant Director, Sports Medicine
Temporary Office Pool
Director of Assessment and Accreditation, Lynch School of Education and Human Development
Senior Budget Financial Applications
Analyst
Patrol Officer
Football Creative Content Video and Graphic Designer
kids didn’t end up in prison.”
Triggered by a scholarship fundraising request from the alumni association at Leaster’s high school and motivated by interviews with people who knew him before he came to Boston, Muse re-started the book with rekindled enthusiasm, using the task as therapy to overcome his loss.
“Bobby Joe became a member of our family,” said Muse, who noted that the book was written out of a sense of familial obligation—not just to his father, but to Leaster.
Leaster’s influence crossed generations. Muse’s niece, Rita, a 2015 BC Law graduate now working for the Suffolk County District Attorney, shared with BC Law Magazine her remembrance of Leaster, whom she characterized as the person “who motivated me as a student, inspired me as a lawyer, and became a friend of my family.” He also served as a visiting lecturer at BC Law, and played the role of defendant in mock trials as part of Christopher Muse’s Trial Practice classes, she noted, “successfully providing a window into the human suffering that law can cause and that dedicated lawyers can sometimes help alleviate.
“Bobby Joe’s true gift—whether he was [speaking to] law students, gang-affiliated youth, probation officers, his fellow street workers, the legislature, judges or his lawyers—was that he inspired greatness,” said Rita. “I can say for certain that his life inspired my dream of becoming a lawyer and practicing criminal law.”
For information on ordering Justice Under God, see www.newenglandinnocence.org/ innocence-blog
Director of Landscape, Athletic and Support Operations
Justice Under God, says Christopher Muse, reveals “the most extraordinary human being I’ve ever met in my life.”
The Career Center and Carroll School of Management hosted the seventh annual 2025 Wall Street Networking Event on January 31 in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons. Representatives from a variety of banking and private equity firms were on hand to meet with and recruit students for summer 2026 internship positions.
photo by lee pellegrini
BC Arts
Gawlick’s John Paul II Tribute Makes U.S. Debut Friday
BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER
A piece in honor of Pope Saint John Paul II by composer Professor and Assistant Chair of Music Ralf Gawlick will have its United States premiere at St. Ignatius Church on February 14 at 7 p.m.
Dedicated to Karol Wojtyła, who became Pope John Paul II in 1978, “Żródło (The Source)” commemorates the 20th anniversary year of his death, and honors his Polish ancestry.
World renowned soprano soloist Clara Meloni will perform the concert program, accompanied by student members of the Boston College Symphony Orchestra and University Chorale of Boston College.
Presented by St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in Chestnut Hill as part of its inaugural concert series, the event is co-sponsored by the Music Department, Office of Student Involvement, Dean’s Office of Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Institute for the Liberal Arts, and Church in the 21st Century Center. It is free and open to the public; a $20 donation is suggested.
“For the first time in my 25 years at BC, a work of mine will be performed by Boston College student ensembles,” said Gawlick, whose music has been commissioned by a wide range of artists and organizations, and has garnered international acclaim from audiences and critics.
“I am immensely grateful to my dear
colleagues, conductors Anna Wittstruck and Riikka Pietilainen-Caffrey [Symphony Orchestra and Chorale directors, respectively], and the over 200 students from the University Chorale and BCSO, for joining forces to dedicate their spirit and energies to present the U.S. première of ‘Żródło’ along with two profound works by Henryk Górecki, one of the great Polish composers of the 20th and 21st centuries.”
Meloni is featured on the Decca recording of Gawlick’s oratorio “O Lungo Drom (The Long Road),” and has performed the work numerous times over the last year, including at its U.S. première at the University last April. In addition to the February 14 concert, she will present a masterclass for senior voice students and Chorale members, and a performance of Italian art songs with piano accompaniment by Music faculty member Lindsay Albert on February 19 at 7 p.m. in Gasson 100 (the latter event is free and open to the public).
“The Source” is based on the poem of the same title included in the poetry collection Roman Triptych: Meditations by John Paul Il. The setting of the poem evokes the forest on the slopes of the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland, which the pope held dear, according to Gawlick.
Commissioned by the Moniuszko Musical Society for the 25th anniversary of the visit of John Paul II to Boston and the U.S., “Żródło” was meant to premiere in Boston but instead debuted in Poznan,
Poland, a month after the John Paul II’s death in April 2005. The upcoming concert of his work is especially meaningful to Gawlick, as he was unable to attend that performance.
Reflecting the poem’s various psychological landscapes, “The Source” begins with a recurring musical motto, first intoned by the flute, that ushers in the poem’s central question: Gdzie jesteś, źródło? (Source, where are you?).
“The orchestra illumes the space, while the choir, the multitude, echoes, reaffirms and accompanies the soprano, the lyrical ‘I,’ on her journey. At first, the motto presents itself as a gentle, unassuming inquiry, but it soon turns from an intimate and vulnerable plea to one that ‘demands’ answers,” Gawlick explained.
“Hushed moments alternate with evergrowing disquietude and restlessness, where
impatience and a sense of entitlement bordering on accusatory anger leads to exhaustion colored by the futility of attempting to find/discover the ‘source.’ The closing music and the last lines of the poem suggest a reverence that perchance, this search for an answer for Gdzie jesteś, źródło? involves a serenity shaped and acquired by the presence of grace.”
A post-concert reflection will follow.
“It is an immense artistic opportunity for our students to be able to collaborate with such a distinguished soloist and BC artist-in-residence,” he said. “I would also like to extend my special gratitude to St. Ignatius for generously opening its doors to its beautiful worship space to host this performance as part of the St. Ignatius concert series.”
For more on Music Department events, see bc.edu/music or email concerts@ bc.edu.
Robsham Slate Includes Fo, Offbeat Takes on Shakespeare
Student-directed and -designed performances of the satire “Accidental Death of An Anarchist” launch the Theatre Department/Robsham Theater Arts Center (RTAC) spring season, which also will include contemporary takes on two classic Shakespeare works.
“Accidental Death of An Anarchist,” which runs February 20-23 in the RTAC’s Bonn Studio Theatre, is based on the true story of Giuseppe Pinelli, a suspected Italian anarchist who died under suspicious circumstances while in police custody. Written by playwright Dario Fo and based on the December 1969 Piazza Fontana bombing in Milan, Italy, the play uses farce and physical comedy to examine our relationship with justice, government, and oppressive systems. Fo’s play premiered in 1970 and has been performed in more than 40 countries.
“Each year the faculty selects one student from applicants, who have taken our directing courses, to direct a show as part of our season,” said Theatre Department Chair and Professor of the Practice Luke Jorgensen. “This year’s workshop show is directed by senior star Tyler Dean, who has been extremely active in our theater community. This play is a hilarious physical comedy that satirizes police corruption and a mysterious individual known only as ‘the
Maniac.’”
From March 20-23, Bonn Studio will be the venue for an interpretation of “Macbeth” directed by Monan Professor in Theatre Arts Dawn Meredith Simmons, who Jorgensen describes as “a prodigious director and theater maker in Boston whose ‘Ain’t No Mo’ is receiving rave reviews at the city’s SpeakEasy Stage.”
Titled “Inverness Unravels,” with a script by BC students in the Theatre Department’s Devising class, the production takes inspiration from Shakespeare’s famed tale of a prophecy made by three witches to General Macbeth that he will be king. Rather than waiting for the prophecy to unfold, Macbeth takes matters into his own hands to kill the king and take his place—a decision that leads to paranoia,
Dario Fo’s “Accidental Death of an Anarchist” is a “hilarious physical comedy that satirizes police corruption and a mysterious individual known only as ‘the Maniac,’” says Theatre Chair Luke Jorgensen.
division, and the breakout of war.
A colorful production of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” will be presented on the RTAC main stage from April 24-27. Directed by Theatre Department Associate Professor Courtney Mohler, this “far-out take” on the classic comedy is set in late 1960s San Francisco, according to the Theatre Department, “where the Forest of Arden is refuge to counter-cultural peaceniks who imagine a less corrupt, less patriarchal, more peaceful world.” Rosalind, banished by her uncle to the forest after Orlando falls in love with her, disguises herself as a boy. Orlando, hiding from his murderous brother, finds her in Arden but is fooled by her disguise. Meanwhile, unrequited love afflicts others in the forest.
“Bob Dylan is in the air right now,
and fittingly ‘As You Like It’ is set in the Haight-Ashbury 1960s vibe,” said Jorgensen. A live band made up largely of BC faculty, he noted, will play as characters sing songs by Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, The Doors, The Byrds, and others from that period “while waxing poetic the words of Shakespeare. The costumes, scenic designs, and music will transport the audience.”
For more on all Theatre Department/ Robsham Theater Arts Center productions, including performance times and ticket prices or other information, go to bc.edu/ theatre. For tickets, see bc.edu/tickets or call ext. 2-4002.
—Rosanne Pellegrini
Soprano Clara Meloni will be the featured soloist at the February 14 performance in St. Ignatius Church of “Żródło (The Source)” by Boston College composer Ralf Gawlick (right).
