Around Campus

Around Campus Women’s Summit on Saturday

Women’s Summit keynote speakers Leah Thomas, left, and Sarah Kay

The 2022 Boston College Women’s Summit takes place on campus this Saturday, featuring keynote addresses by environmental and social justice advocate Leah Thomas and slam poet Sarah Kay, founder and co-director of Project VOICE, a group dedicated to using spoken word as an educational and inspirational tool.

In addition to the keynote events in Robsham Theater—Thomas will speak at 10 a.m., Kay at 1:45 p.m.; both will be joined by the Women’s Summit planning team—the summit will offer workshops on a range of topics such as preparation for post-graduation life; how to make volunteerism more meaningful; the experiences of women of color in STEM fields; and innovation in the fashion and retail industries. The workshops will take place in Fulton Hall from 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. and 12:45-1:30 p.m.

With the goal of empowering women of all backgrounds to realize their individual and collective potential to rise together and enact change, the summit is sponsored by the Boston College Women’s Center and the Boston College Office of Student Involvement, in partnership with the Council for Women of Boston College, the Undergraduate Government of Boston College, SLAM!, and Women in Business.

Details about the Women’s Summit are available at https://bit.ly/womens-summitbc.

—University Communications

A New ‘Carney Kitchen’ Opens

After seven months of renovations, the redesigned Carney Kitchen dining hall on the third floor of McElroy Commons began welcoming diners to the modern facility on January 14.

The space consists of four different stations, each with a unique concept and meal options which rotate on a three-week schedule.

“I’ve been here 20 years and seeing the transformation from when I started to this, it’s amazing,” said Sharyl Thompson, general manager of Boston College Dining Services in McElroy Commons. “Being able to provide the service that we know that we can provide, the customizable items, that’s exciting for cooks. That’s what they want to do. That’s why they’re here—to make the students happy and give them what they want. Now we’re able to do that.”

New amenities include a gas-powered oven at the Eagle Oven station serving pizzas every day for lunch, a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine which provides soda options through a touchscreen, and a coffee corner with fair trade products.

The new facility was designed to give customers options for how their meals are made, according to BC Dining Services. Diners can create omelets to order at the Upper Grill station, for example, and customize their bowls of greens at the BC Fresh station.

Carney Kitchen also aims to address concerns of students with allergies: They can pre-order a meal which will be prepared in a safe environment and then labeled for pick-up, or opt for a “plain and simple” offering that is made free from the top nine allergens including milk, fish, and peanuts.

Dining Services also continues to promote sustainability by offering reusable to-go containers through the Green2Go program and partnering with Fill It Forward, a company that contributes to charitable projects when a reusable water bottle is refilled.

Snapshot

After the Flakes Fell

PHOTO BY CAITLIN CUNNINGHAM

Students, faculty, and staff trudged across a very wintry campus as the week began, thanks to Winter Storm Kenan (as named by the Weather Channel), which dumped upwards of two feet or more of snow in Eastern Massachusetts January 29-30. The National Weather Service predicted moderating temperatures mid-week, with rain on Thursday but possible mixed precipitation on Friday. March 20, the official first day of spring, is 45 days from today.

photo by caitlin cunningham

—Christine Balquist

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Jack Dunn

SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Patricia Delaney

EDITOR

Sean Smith

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Christine Balquist Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Caitlin Cunningham Lee Pellegrini

Chronicle

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

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.

BC a Top Producer of Gilman Scholarship Winners

BY LUCAS CARROLL SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Boston College is among the nation’s leaders in student selections for the Gilman Scholarship, a prestigious State Department-sponsored program for outstanding undergraduates to study or intern abroad.

In the past 20 years, 111 Boston College students have been awarded the competitive scholarship, more than any other university of its size in New England. This places BC as one of the 20 top Gilman producers in the medium-sized institution category nationally, alongside Notre Dame, Northwestern, and Georgetown.

Since the Gilman Scholarship program was created by Congress in 2000, nearly 35,000 students have gone to more than 150 countries around the globe. The scholarship supports Pell Grant recipients who would otherwise have difficulty affording to study or intern overseas. “This award was really critical to me studying abroad, or at least studying abroad the way I wanted to,” said Ariel Lynch ’20, a 2019 Gilman recipient who spent several months studying at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Her time in Cape Town coincided with a water crisis, she recalled, which helped

The Gilman Scholarship program is worth considering for those students with career goals in national security and diplomacy, according to Office of Global Education Director Larry Pickener.

photo by lee pellegrini

“put things in perspective” for her—an illustration of how the Gilman Scholarship opened the door to a fundamentally new college experience for her, academically and culturally.

Leaving the Western academic higher education system and “going into SubSaharan Africa was really important to me because it was uncomfortable,” Lynch said, “and I think that’s a level of discomfort that I hadn’t experienced yet in the classroom.” Lynch’s comment echoes that of New York congressman Benjamin Gilman (1922-2016) after his namesake program was established: “Living and learning in a vastly different environment of another nation not only exposes our students to alternate views. It also provides our students with the opportunity to return home with a deeper understanding of their place in the world, encouraging them to be a contributor, rather than a spectator in the international community.”

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs Ethan Rosenzweig said Boston College’s impressive record in the Gilman program demonstrates the University’s commitment “to preparing Americans for today’s dynamic global economy and interconnected world.”

Office of Global Education Director Larry Pickener said the University works hard to help connect students to opportunities that will support their post-graduation goals. The Gilman program is a particularly outstanding choice for undergraduates, he said, “especially if their career goal is to work in national security and diplomacy.”

Although Lynch hasn’t fully made up her mind about what path to take after she finishes graduate school at Brown University, she has already joined the many BC students who have taken part in distinguished study-abroad programs. The University is among the top 16 American doctoral institutions for producing Fulbright Scholars, and in 2018 saw Isabelle Stone ’18 become its third Rhodes Scholar.

Boston College alumni leading successful careers in international diplomacy and relations include former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry J.D. ’76, H’14, now the presidential envoy for climate issues; R. Nicholas Burns ’78, H ’02, former ambassador to NATO and Greece, and confirmed in December as U.S. ambassador to the People’s Republic of China; Catherine Russell ’83, who recently assumed the post of executive director of UNICEF; and Jane Hartley ’72, former United States ambassador to Monaco and France, and nominated in January by President Biden to serve as ambassador to the United Kingdom. —Lucas Carroll is a senior in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences

Student Support Ctr. Will Be Named for Founder Walsh

Continued from page 1 child development and learning to advance “whole child” approaches that recognize students’ in-school performance is affected by out-of-school factors, such as hunger, homelessness, trauma, and stress affect, that shape a child’s readiness to learn, Walsh said.

“We are so pleased about this extraordinary gift,” said Stanton Wortham, Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean at the Lynch School. “For three decades, Mary Walsh has been building an exceptional program that is im-

“We tried to actualize the phrase ‘It takes a village,’” says Walsh. “It takes a system.”

photo by caitlin cunningham

proving lives for tens of thousands of children. She conceptualized it, raised funds for it, built it, and commissioned research that shows it is both successful and extremely cost-effective. Her consistent focus on developing the whole child fits wonderfully with the BC mission of formative education. This gift will ensure that Mary’s program will continue to benefit children, across the United States and beyond, well into the future.”

At the core of the center’s approach is City Connects, an evidence-based intervention Walsh and her colleagues in the Boston Public Schools developed and formally launched in 2001. Implemented in schools serving predominantly under-resourced neighborhoods and families, City Connects helps teachers and schools provide integrated supports to address the in- and out-of-school needs of students and foster their strengths.

Walsh calls the program a “long-standing research-practice partnership” that links the work done every day in schools to rigorous research intended to show what interventions work and how extra support translates into student success over time.

Groundbreaking research by Walsh and her colleagues from BC and other universities showed that students in City Connects schools, when compared to peers who never received City Connects, demonstrated gains in academic achievement that were similar in magnitude to the harmful effects of poverty.

In addition, Walsh and her colleagues have reported in leading peer-reviewed journals on a range of research discoveries, including: •How and why addressing out-of-school factors improves student social-emotional and academic outcomes. •Demonstrating that an elementary school intervention can have lifelong positive impacts, decreasing high school dropout rates and increasing postsecondary completion. •Understanding more about how to improve teacher-student relationships and school climate.

Walsh’s focus on improving education for students in urban schools grew out of her early work with homeless children and families, where she saw firsthand the impact of out-of-school issues on students.

“That led me to think about how schools—without asking teachers to be social workers or nurses—can provide sufficient supports and resources to promote children’s positive development,” Walsh said. “Schools are a natural place where, if we expand the resources of the school and modify their existing one-off approaches to supporting only the most challenged children, we can develop a systemic approach that meets the needs and supports the strengths of every child. That is the goal.”

Today, Walsh says, the City Connects evidence-based approach can be implemented in any school but is particularly helpful in schools where students have limited access to services and opportunities in both schools and the wider community.

From its beginnings in a few Boston schools, Walsh has led its growth into a program that serves 45,000 students through the work of BC- and school-based staff members, affiliated researchers, and collaboration with more than 1,000 teachers, principals, and school professionals. “We are where we are today because of the support of Boston College and the Lynch School and the work of all the City Connects staff—here at BC and those working in schools across the country, and now Dublin, Ireland,” said Walsh. “It has been an enormous effort. No one could have ever done this singlehandedly or from the perspective of a single discipline or profession. We are a multi-disciplinary and highly committed group of professionals. It is a true team effort.”

Walsh said the center and its programs have succeeded because all stakeholders share the same outlook in their work with students. “Their focus is on supporting the strengths and the needs of every single child in the school in a comprehensive way that of course addresses academics but in the context of their social-emotional development, their physical health, their family and family strengths and needs,” she said. “And the community. We tried to actualize the phrase ‘It takes a village.’ It takes a system.”

STM Dean Search Is Under Way

Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley has announced that Boston College has begun the process of selecting a dean for the School of Theology and Ministry. Quigley is chairing a committee including STM faculty members Associate Professor Andrew Davis; Associate Professor Hosffman Ospino, chair of religious education and pastoral ministry; and Associate Professor Margaret Guider, O.S.F., chair of ecclesiastical faculty. Ronald Mercier, S.J., of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, also will serve on the committee. Interviews will take place this semester with the hope of finalizing an appointment in the summer. —University Communications

Little Change in Most Popular Undergrad Majors

Continued from page 1 last fall by the University’s Institutional Research and Planning (IR&P) office.

The other most-enrolled majors for the current academic year include computer science (494), nursing (419), and applied psychology and human development (414), while neuroscience—introduced in 2019—has already become the 10th most popular major at BC, with 383 students.

The 2021-2022 IR&P report also found that 37 percent of BC undergraduates are majoring in a STEM field.

In addition to being BC’s second-most popular major, finance is its most-enrolled minor (491), followed by management and leadership (267), marketing (241), philosophy (152), history (144), managing for social impact (128), medical humanities (119), computer science (118), global public health (108), and international studies (94).

The Carroll School of Management has the highest number of graduate students at BC, with 1,037, followed closely by the Lynch School of Education and Human Development with 1,035. BC Law is third with 880. The Carroll School and Lynch School also awarded the most graduate degrees between August 2020 and May 2021—366 and 313, respectively—along with the BC School of Social Work (273) and BC Law (235).

Annually assembled statistics such as these offer potential insights into the interests, motivations, and aspirations of BC undergrads, according to University administrators and faculty members. The popularity of certain majors and minors at BC may reflect wider societal and generational trends, they say, but also likely speak to the ethos of students who have chosen to pursue a Jesuit, Catholic education.

“I’m not surprised that our top majors have stayed constant,” said Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs Akua Sarr. “Our students have such an awareness of, and interest in, big issues—climate change, health disparities, economic inequities, racial justice—and big questions in matters of faith, values, morals, and ethics. They also are pragmatic, and so they will consider those majors they see as most likely to help lead them to a job.

“But at BC, where the mission is to educate the whole person, undergrads have the best of both worlds. They get a thorough grounding in their chosen field and, through our Core Curriculum and our interdisciplinary minors, they can also explore those big issues and big questions. So, these students are able to bring a unique perspective and world view to their career in economics, finance, biology, political science—whatever their major may have been.”

Economics faculty have previously cited a greater awareness and appreciation of the discipline as a reason for its continued popularity among students, who view economics as a useful analytical lens for a multi-faceted understanding of issues like climate change, income inequality, crime, and now, the effects of the pandemic. Professor Christopher Baum, the current department chair, cites two developments in recent years that also have had a favorable impact on enrollment. Like a number of colleges and universities, he said, BC opted to reclassify economics from a social science to a STEM field, which for many undergraduates—especially international students—makes it more attractive in terms of potential career prospects.

In addition, the Carroll School’s decision in 2018 to make its minors available to non-management students has led some students to choose economics because they can supplement the major with courses in finance, accounting, management and leadership, managing for social impact, and marketing. Likewise, notes Baum, Carroll School students can complete the full economics major or minor rather than a concentration in economics.

“From what we’ve seen in our recent graduating classes, the economics major is providing a strong background for a productive career or further studies,” he said.

“We’ve often said that an economics background trains a student to think, to understand costs and benefits, assess externalities, and apply quantitative analysis to the data to produce science-based judgments. The emphasis placed on these learning outcomes is paying off.”

Haub Family Professor and Finance Chair Ronnie Sadka sees the appeal of finance as stemming from its propensity—like many business and management fields—for adapting to new circumstances, especially the pandemic.

“First, the pandemic brought to focus the rise of the retail trader, armed with social media and easy access to financial markets via trading platforms, and some cash in their pockets during the pandemic. Retail traders now significantly impact financial markets. Many asset management firms hired thousands of financial advisers to service individual investors.

“Another aspect is the amount of attention drawn to financial economics, such as the rise in inflation,” Sadka added. “The market and the economy are so dynamic and ever evolving, and I think many students find this interesting.”

Professor Elizabeth Kensinger, who chairs the Psychology and Neuroscience Department, expected the neuroscience major to be popular—“It’s one of the fastest-growing scientific disciplines, and there had been long-standing student enthusiasm for developing the major”—but she and her colleagues are pleasantly surprised by its meteoric rise.

“We are thrilled that the major’s focus, which leverages the study of brain mechanisms toward an improved understanding of the human condition, is resonating with so many students.”

The arrival of the neuroscience major on the eve of the pandemic proved to be fortuitous, she added. “The societal impacts of the pandemic have highlighted the importance of social connection, and the intricate links between mental and physical health. Our majors are exploring these topics as they take courses on the neural systems of social behavior, or on the effects of stress on learning and development. Our faculty are terrific at encouraging students to think about how the topics they’re studying are relevant to their daily experiences.”

A new addition to the top 10 majors at BC is neuroscience, which was introduced in 2019. Psychology/Neuroscience Chair Elizabeth Kensinger says she and her colleagues “are thrilled” that the new major “is resonating with so many students.”

BC Historian Named AAAS Fellow

History Professor Conevery Bolton Valencius has been named a fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for her “outstanding contributions to the history of seismology and American health and the environment, and for excellence in communicating the history of science to the public.”

She is the author of The Lost History of the New Madrid Earthquakes and The Health of the Country: How American Settlers Understood Themselves and Their Land.

Valencius, who joined BC in 2016, was previously a Katherine Hampson Bessell Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She began her academic career as an assistant professor at Washington University in St. Louis after earning a Ph.D. in the history of science from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University.

She is currently writing a book about earthquakes and contemporary energy, focused on the emerging science of induced seismology and hydraulic fracturing.

“Professor Valencius has done pathbreaking work in the history of science,” said Professor Prasannan Parthasarathi, chair of the History Department. “It’s gratifying to see that the country’s leading association of scientific scholars has recog-

Conevery Bolton Valencius

nized her seminal contributions.”

The 2021 class of AAAS Fellows includes 564 scientists, engineers, and innovators from around the world. Since 1874, election as an AAAS Fellow has recognized scientifically and socially distinguished achievement.

The world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals, Washington, D.C.-based AAAS advances the goal of socially engaged science through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, and public engagement. “AAAS is proud to honor these individuals who represent the kind of forward thinking the scientific enterprise needs, while also inspiring hope for what can be achieved in the future,” said Sudip S. Parikh, chief executive officer and executive publisher. “These honorees have gone above and beyond in their respective disciplines. They bring a broad diversity of perspectives, innovation, curiosity, and passion that will help sustain the scientific field today and into the future.” —Phil Gloudemans

Compensation Statement to Be Mailed Soon

Later this month, full-time employees of Boston College will receive the Total Compensation Statement: a personalized document that details the total compensation, salary plus benefits, they receive from the University. The TCS, which represents information for the calendar year 2021, will be mailed to employees’ home addresses.

The annual statement lists an employee’s base salary plus health and wellness benefits, retirement plans, and tuition remission. The non-salary section will be detailed further to show an employee’s contribution and BC’s contribution. Also included are descriptions of all the benefits the University offers, from disability coverage to group auto and home insurance to adoption assistance.

Note: New employees who started on or after July 2, 2021 should not expect a statement this year. —University Communications