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Chronicle
March 3, 2022
National Advisory Board Is Envisioned for Forum BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
The co-directors of the Forum on Racial Justice in America said they are focused on creating a national advisory board, consisting of individuals who can help Boston College identify specific issues of racial justice and reconciliation that the University and its faculty are uniquely positioned to address, with the goal of making Boston College a leading voice in the national discourse on race. Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., and Vice President Joy Moore, who assumed leadership of the forum in September from former BC Law School Dean Vince Rougeau, said that they are recruiting a diverse group of individuals who are leaders in higher education, business, law, criminal justice, and advocacy to identify issues of national importance that Boston College—through its mission and intellectual resources—can study and address in effective ways. “Faculty colleagues from across BC’s schools and departments possess a wealth of expertise related to race, racism, racial justice, and reconciliation,” said Fr. Kalscheur.
Forum on Racial Justice in America co-directors Joy Moore and Gregory Kalscheur, S.J. photos by lee pellegrini
“In concert with the national advisory board, we look forward to working with them to develop scholarly programming that will promote depth of thought and creative approaches to addressing the critical issues facing our nation, as we strive to build equitable and inclusive communities in which all people can flourish.” “We hope a national advisory board will guide us as to what are the most pressing concerns regarding racial injustice on a na-
tional level, to which we should be directing our energy and offering our help,” said Moore. “BC has many resources, including the expertise of its faculty and the wide range and depth of their scholarship. Highlighting the work of faculty within the forum will help expand our knowledge, and broaden our viewpoints and perspectives.” The Forum on Racial Justice in America was established in 2020 by University President William P. Leahy, S.J., as a University-
wide initiative to provide a meeting place for listening, dialogue, and greater understanding about race and racism in America. Since being named co-directors, Fr. Kalscheur and Moore said, they have been focused on the forum’s two key objectives: providing a meeting place for listening, dialogue, and greater understanding about race and racism—especially ideas for dealing with current challenges and planning for a better future; and serving as a catalyst for bridging differences regarding race in America, promoting reconciliation, and encouraging fresh perspectives. Both said they would work closely with Fr. Leahy and senior leadership of Boston College, as well as its national board of advisors, to achieve the forum’s objectives. The co-directors said that as they work on constructing the national advisory board, they are also discussing ideas for a forum event either in the spring or fall. “We are committed to promoting racial justice through the important work of this forum,” said Moore. “We look forward to working with our University partners and the national advisory board in the years to come.” For updates about the Forum on Racial Justice in America, see bc.edu/forum.
Philosophy Does Well in Newest QS Rankings BY LUCAS CARROLL SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Boston College’s philosophy program is the 13th best in the United States and 39th best in the world, according to the recently released QS World University Rankings by Subject. Prepared by British firm Quacquarelli Symonds, QS surveys are considered to be among the most influential providers of international university rankings. QS studied the academic reputation, employer reputation, and research impact of more than 13,000 individual university programs to come up with this year’s rankings of 48 academic disciplines. The QS citation for Boston College noted its faculty/student ratio of 13:1, a “very high” research output, and an impressive number of citations per faculty member, among other highlights. “I’ve always thought that we were a premier department, so I’m glad that we’ve been recognized as such,” said Joseph Professor of Catholic Philosophy Dermot Moran, chair of the Philosophy Department. “I’m very proud of the Philosophy Department—I think we are doing exceptionally well.” This academic year, there are 265 philosophy majors at BC, up from 174 in 2018. Philosophy is now the University’s fourth most popular minor, with 198 enrolled. The department includes 36 fulltime and 28 part-time faculty members, as well as 37 active doctoral students and 54 master’s degree students. Associate Professor of Philosophy
Giovanni Pietro Basile believes that an appreciation for philosophy “is something that belongs to the spirit of Jesuit institutions. We care about these questions.” Boston College, which according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) produced the fifth-most philosophy majors of any university nationally over the past decade, is something of an anomaly in its continued prioritization of philosophy and the humanities more broadly. Sixty-six percent of American universities don’t offer philosophy as a major, according to the NCES. This lack of opportunities elsewhere, combined with philosophy’s reputation at BC, has made the University a hotspot for those pursuing careers in the field. “We had 191 applications for our Ph.D. program this year, and we can choose only five people,” said Basile. “They are all asking to study with us because they can only find what they are looking for at Boston College.” BC takes a decidedly more multidisciplinary approach to philosophy, according to students and faculty. More than half of the philosophy majors at BC are doubling or tripling with another area of study, for example, and faculty members Patrick Byrne and David Storey traveled to last fall’s COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow to present a humanities-based argument for curbing climate change. “There is a great deal of diversity in the disciplines to which people are drawn. So, they’re doing philosophy plus economics, or philosophy plus English, or philosophy
Philosophy Chair Dermot Moran hails the multidisciplinary interests of many philosophy majors at BC: “It enriches our subject, and also enriches other subjects.” photo by lee pellegrini
plus another major,” Moran explained. “And that’s very good, because it enriches our subject, and it also enriches other subjects, as students are able to bring their philosophy acumen with them into every classroom that they’re in.” “When I started at BC, I had a budding interest in philosophy, but as an accounting major in the Carroll School of Management, I never believed I’d take more than the philosophy requirements all BC students need to take,” said Nick Arozarena, a Carroll School senior double-majoring in philosophy, and editor of Boston College’s undergraduate philosophy journal, Dianoia.
“After having a transformative experience in my freshman year philosophy classes, I was convinced that I should pursue philosophy as a dedicated academic pursuit.” Lubens Benjamin, a Carroll School junior minoring in philosophy, came to the program through a similar path. “My interest in philosophy was one that I didn’t know I had until coming to Boston College. I found myself fascinated after every class.” Among those with bachelor’s degrees, the median earnings of philosophy majors exceed those of majors in any other humanities field, according to The Wall Street Journal. A 2014 analysis of data from the Law School Admissions Council by University of Iowa College of Law Professor Derek Muller found that philosophy majors are also the most successful law school applicants among all majors. “One of the things I often do when students come in to declare a major or minor is ask them: ‘What made you decide to do this?’” said Paula Perry, administrative and undergraduate program assistant for the Philosophy Department. “And it’s always based on a particular class or a particular professor who got them interested in a specific topic, and that’s really nice to see. “We try to make sure that students know that there are lots of places you can go with a philosophy degree,” she added. “A lot of our students go on to law school or medical school—it’s a good background for a lot of different career paths.” Lucas Carroll is a senior in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
