Boston College Chronicle

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PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

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Around Campus

Meaningful Honor

Familiar Territory

Acappella student group Common Tones (right) draws national interest; BC found to be among safest campuses.

BCSSW’s Karen Bullock wins award for work on health-related inclusion and equity issues.

Alumni playwrights’ “Cleveland Circle” evokes undergrad years.

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

FEBRUARY 15, 2024 VOL. 31 NO. 11

$25 Million Gift

STM to Be Named for Cloughs

BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

The Boston College School of Theology and Ministry (STM) will be named the Gloria L. and Charles I. Clough School of Theology and Ministry in honor of two of the University’s most loyal and generous benefactors, whose $25 million gift—one of the largest ever to a school of theology, ministry, and divinity—will further bolster the school’s standing as a global leader in theological study. Charles “Chuck” Clough Jr. ’64, the chair and chief investment officer of the Boston-based investment firm Clough Capital Partners and an ordained permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Boston, has served BC as a trustee or trustee associate since 1994, including a term as board chair from 1999-2002. He also co-chaired the University’s Light the World capital campaign and is chair emeritus of the Wall Street Council. He is the 1991 recipient of

Gloria and Charles Clough, namesakes for the School of Theology and Ministry. photo by lee pellegrini

the William V. McKenney Award, given to a BC graduate whose service reflects honor on the University, and the James F. Cleary ’50, H’93 Masters Award for a lifetime of

NIH Awards Biologist Grant for His Work on Viral Insulins

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‘Adaptable, Resilient’ UGBC Head Reflects on Four Years at the Heights BY JOHN SHAKESPEAR SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

Assistant Professor of Biology Emrah Altindis has been awarded a five-year, $2.5-million grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance his research on viral insulins into the understanding of mechanisms related to IGF-1 receptor protein inhibition and its potential applications in cancer treatment. Altindis said the grant will enable him and the researchers in his lab to learn more about how to use specific viral insulins that mimic human insulin so as to inhibit IGF-

service to Boston College. Gloria Clough M.Div.’90, M.S.’96, is a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist who earned a master’s degree from BC’s Connell

School of Nursing and a master’s degree in divinity from the former Weston Jesuit School of Theology, which reaffiliated with Boston College to form the School of Theology and Ministry in 2008. She established the chaplaincy program at Emerson Hospital in Concord, Mass., where she served as the first Catholic chaplain. She is also chair of the Emerson Hospital board of directors and a board member and past chair of Bridge Over Troubled Waters, a non-profit organization serving homeless and at-risk youth. STM Dean Michael McCarthy, S.J., said that having the School of Theology and Ministry named after the Cloughs is a blessing, given their personal alignment with the school’s mission, values, and culture. “In so many ways, Gloria and Chuck Clough represent everything the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry stands for: a deep faith; a commitment to the Catholic Church over so many years of

Emrah Altindis photo by lee pellegrini

1 receptor action, which is increased in a range of diseases, including human cancers. “I am very excited about our viral insulin project and grateful to the National In-

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For a self-proclaimed “people person,” Jonah Kotzen ’24 has spent a lot of the last year examining fish skeletons. Since the fall of 2022, the biology and classical studies double major has worked as a research assistant for Associate Professor of the Practice of Biology Christopher Kenaley, studying different species of centrarchids— known as sunfish—to better understand how their jaws have evolved to help them survive in different habitats. At first glance, this research might seem unrelated to Kotzen’s role as the president of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC), which is all about working with BC students, faculty, and ad-

ministrators. But for Kotzen, the common thread is adaptability. “I’ve experienced a lot of change in my life, and it has made me adaptable and resilient,” Kotzen explained. “Just as that helps me connect with people and be a good advocate, it also makes me appreciate how other animals have evolved to fit the environments around them.” Kotzen grew up in Palm Beach County, Fla., as the fifth of seven half-siblings. His parents both had stable careers, but they moved often and he split time between their houses, never living in a single place for more than four years. Amid these changes, he was also learning to support his brother Jonathan, who has a genetic disorder called Fragile X syndrome. Continued on page 4


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