Boston College Chronicle

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Around Campus

A new item on the BCDS menu; enthusiastic response for Faculty and Staff Service Day

‘Respectful Encounter’

University is meeting place for major conference on synodality and the Catholic Church

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

A major conference at Boston College earlier this month represented what is believed to be the largest gathering of Catholic leadership at a college campus in the nation’s history.

Sponsored by the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, “The Way Forward: Pope Francis, Vatican II, and Synodality,” took place March 3-4. The 80 participants—including cardinals, bishops, and other Catholic Church leaders, theologians, historians, and journalists—came to discuss synodality, the call by Pope Francis for the universal Church to “walk together,” to continue the reception of Vatican II, and to embrace the ecclesiological challenges facing the Church.

The event—co-sponsored by the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University Chicago (LUC) and the Fordham University Center on Religion and Culture—was a follow-up to the inaugural “Way Forward” conference

last spring at LUC. Future assemblies are anticipated at Fordham and on the West Coast, according to Boisi Center Director Mark Massa, S.J.

“It was a great two days for the Church we love,” he said. “It was moving watching theologians listening attentively to bishops, and vice versa. It was the kind of ‘respectful encounter’ that Pope Francis is calling for in asking the entire Church to engage in the synodal process. It was an honor to sponsor the gathering.”

Opening keynote speaker Rafael Luciani, an associate professor of the practice in the BC School of Theology and Ministry (STM), and author of Synodality: A New Way of Proceeding in the Church, described synodality—a process of fraternal collaboration and discernment—as expressing “a new way of being and proceeding in the Church that has as its point of departure but also its point of arrival in the people of God.”

Luciani declared that a “synodal ecclesiality” is emerging, and that Catholics

Continued on page 8

Long-Term Effects

BC Law’s Mitchell organizing conference on the history and impact of land loss on Blacks

Pine Manor to Oversee Student Support Programs

BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

The newly named Mentoring and Academic Achievement pillar of Boston College’s Pine Manor Institute for Student Success (PMI) will be led by Karl Bell, the associate director of TRIO Student Support Services, who will serve as director of Mentoring and Academic Achievement.

Joy Moore, University vice president and executive director of the Pine Manor Institute, announced the appointment as part of a realignment that brings Learning to Learn, Options through Education, TRIO Student Support Services, and the McNair Scholars Program under the Mentoring and Academic Achievement pillar of the PMI.

The Pine Manor Institute for Student Success was established in 2020 as part of a $100 million University initiative to enhance access and opportunities for underrepresented, first-generation students. It consists of four pillars: Mentoring and Academic Achievement; the Academy, a

readiness program for students in grades 8-12 that was successfully launched this past summer; Messina College, a two-year, associate-degree granting residential college

Continued on page 5

Finance Supplants Economics as BC’s Top Undergrad Major

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

For the first time in 15 years, finance is the most popular major at Boston College, with 1,360 undergraduates enrolled for the 2022-2023 academic year, followed by economics (1,260), which had topped the list annually since 2012-2013—and ahead of finance since 2013-2014.

Other notable changes in the top 10 popular majors list saw neuroscience (411) rise to ninth place in its fourth year as an undergraduate program, while psychology (571) and communication (570) swapped fifth and sixth places from last year.

Biology (883) and political science (743) retained their positions at, respectively, third and fourth, as they have since 2016-2017.

Three other perennially popular undergraduate programs round out the top 10: computer science at seventh (556), nursing at eighth (418), and applied psychology and human development at 10th (382)— the latter two having been among BC’s most-enrolled majors since 2011-2012.

These and other data for the University’s 9,484 undergraduate day students and 5,250 graduate students were compiled during the fall 2022 semester by the In-

Continued on page 6

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MARCH 16, 2023 VOL. 30 NO. 12

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

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‘Critical Conversations’ Forum on Racial Justice in America to hold studentled event next week

Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap., Archbishop of Boston, spoke in St. Mary’s Chapel during the conference “The Way Forward: Pope Francis, Vatican II, and Synodality” held at Boston College.

photo by lee pellegrini

Joy Moore:“The goal of the PMI is to create a student success coaching model for all of the students we serve at Boston College, from eighth- to 12th-graders in the Academy program to Messina College and BC undergrads.”

photo by lee pellegrini

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Around Campus

Hungry? Kelp Is On the Way, Thanks to BC Dining Services

A new nutritious, sustainable, plantbased culinary item being offered by Boston College Dining Services was the show-and-tell star of a recent Introduction to Global Public Health class in 245 Beacon Street.

Nutrient-rich, naturally vegan, and gluten-free kelp “meatballs” are being introduced this semester in select BC dining halls, such as Tully Café and Corcoran Commons. A type of seaweed, kelp is considered one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet and contains more than 20 different vitamins and minerals.

The “seaweed-ish meatballs” are an innovation from North Coast Seafoods, a Boston-based, family-owned seafood supplier for some 700 local restaurants and retailers like Costco and Shaw’s. North Coast’s Chef Director of Research and Development Andrew Wilkinson developed the recipe for the meatballs—a mix of kelp, green chickpeas, brown rice, and spices— during the pandemic when restaurants and collegiate dining halls were essentially shut down.

“We’re constantly looking at sustainability measures and we wanted to get into the realm of kelp because it has so many benefits,” said Dining Services Associate Director of Food & Beverage Frank Bailey. “Chef Andrew has a great passion and found more impactful ways for us to use domestic sea kelp, beyond adding kelp to a smoothie or a soup.”

Wilkinson also developed a kelp burger and a salmon-kelp ocean burger.

“What I like about kelp is that it’s very clean. It’s the only plant in the world that needs no land, no fresh water, no pesticides or herbicides,” said Wilkinson, a chef for more than 40 years. His professional experiences include serving as the executive chef of the Rainbow Room in New York City and chef and partner of Skipjacks’ Restau-

rant Group in Boston, as well as working in a hotel in Germany and opening a restaurant in Japan.

Bailey invited Wilkinson to campus to train the BCDS staff and to introduce the product to students and give them a quick tutorial on the health, economic, and environmental benefits of kelp.

“The entire project has been a winwin-win,” said Bailey. “BC Dining got knowledge and a new product we believe in. Chef Andrew got to test his product and gained a foothold in a market where he thinks he can have the greatest impact. And the students got a delicious new option that supports their values.”

One of Wilkinson’s demonstrations caught the attention of Kurt Straif, a research professor at the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society who teaches across the hall from Tully.

Straif invited Wilkinson to his class

At the Ready for Community Service

Boston College employees responded enthusiastically to a recent invitation from Human Resources to lend a hand for a local rebuilding project.

On February 28, HR’s Employee Health and Well-Being Office sent an email encouraging faculty and staff to participate in a day of service and community engagement on April 22, in partnership with non-profit Rebuilding

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Jack Dunn

SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Patricia Delaney

EDITOR

Sean Smith

Together Boston.

In two days, the number of participants needed—30—was exceeded, necessitating a wait list.

The project marks the first time in three years that the University has organized a faculty/staff day of service. Planning is in progress for another service opportunity this fall.

—University Communications

which is co-taught by Connell School of Nursing Assistant Professor Lindsey Camp—to talk about the nutritional and sustainable attributes of kelp-based foods and to share samples of his kelp meatballs.

“The climate crisis is primarily a health crisis and will be one of the major public health crises of the 21st century,” said Straif, who noted that one of themes of the class is “public health is everywhere.”

Snapshot Music and Dance

Boston-area Irish dance performer and teacher Jaclyn O’Riley and her husband Joey Abarta—playing the uilleann pipes—gave a talk and presentation about traditional Irish music and dance recently for the World Music class taught by part-time faculty member Amanda Daly Berman.

Joining the class via Zoom was Jesse Baines, chief marketing officer of Atlantic Sea Farms in Maine. North Coast Seafoods partners with Atlantic Sea Farms, which grows the kelp in the Gulf of Maine.

“By farming seaweed, we are taking the pressure off some carbon-intensive, landbased agriculture,” said Baines. She noted that encouraging people who fish for lobsters to expand into seaweed farming provides them with an additional income at a time when man-made climate change has negatively impacted the wild fisheries.

“Seaweed also improves the health of the ocean by increasing biodiversity and mitigating the effects of ocean acidification,” she added.

“A more sustainable agricultural and food system will be an important component of the mitigation of the climate crisis, and that includes producing and eating less meat, less mono culture, and reduction of the use of pesticides, as well as regional production and consumption,” said Straif. He praised BC Dining’s commitment to sustainability, both with their menus and other initiatives such Green2Go, a reusable to-go container that helps to reduce waste.

“We have moved kelp to the center of the plate,” said Wilkinson. “We are teaching people that kelp is a new vegetable that is extremely healthy.”

Added Straif: “Plus, it’s delicious!”

Kathleen Sullivan

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Phil Gloudemans

Ed Hayward

Rosanne Pellegrini

Kathleen Sullivan

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Caitlin Cunningham

Lee Pellegrini

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

photo by sean smith

Andrew Wilkinson of North Coast Seafoods offered students in the Introduction to Global Public Health class a taste of kelp “meatballs.”

photo by lee pellegrini

Forum on Racial Justice to Hold Conference

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

The Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America will present “Critical Conversations and Student Voices Addressing Racial Justice in America” on March 24-25, a student-led conference to facilitate discussion and reflection on the national effects of racial injustice.

Open and free of charge to all members of the Boston College community, as well as to other college students, the conference has drawn registrants from schools across the country.

Forum Co-Executive Directors Joy Moore, University vice president and executive director of the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success at Boston College, and Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., will deliver remarks during the program, which begins at 5 p.m. on March 24. A keynote address by Thomas Mitchell, who holds the Robert F. Drinan, S.J. Endowed Chair at Boston College Law School, will begin at 6:30 p.m. on “Racialized Property Systems in America: Generational Impacts and Possible Solutions.”

Highlighting the daylong March 25 program will be pair of keynote talks by BC undergraduates Isiaah Clark ’24 and Devianna Smith ’23, in addition to other sessions.

Student Affairs. Education wealth distribution, criminal justice, affordable housing, and health care will be among the national racial justice themes and topics to be discussed in connection with their impacts on race and identity in the United States.

“Fr. Kalscheur and I are excited about the upcoming conference for many reasons,” said Moore. “First and foremost: that the idea for a conference on racial justice in America came directly from the students. A conference designed for students, by students, sends a powerful message that student voices can make things happen.

“The importance of the topic resonates with everyone,” she added. “There is a lot of good work happening across campus regularly in this space and we hope the conference supported by the Forum sheds some light on those who are helping to advance racial justice in America.”

Mitchell will provide a historical account of several aspects of various property law systems in the U.S. that have marginalized people of color from historically subordinated groups in ways that have had adverse multi-generational impacts. This account will demonstrate that, throughout U.S. history, both private and public actors have acted to stymie the ability of people of color to have strong property rights or sometimes any property rights at all.

gible ways. [See story on page 4 about a BC Law March 23-24 conference Mitchell is organizing.]

“Professor Mitchell is a national expert on property issues facing disadvantaged families and communities, and has published leading scholarly works addressing these matters,” said Fr. Kalscheur. “His depth of knowledge and far-reaching scholarship in these areas will provide many lessons for those who attend. We hope that students, faculty, and staff will join us at the conference.”

In their keynotes, Clark will address the importance of building/finding community and self-care, while Smith will explore issues related to racial disparity within the legal education system and her call to pursue a legal career as a Black woman.

Other events include a spotlight on Loyola Marymount University’s student-led Intercultural Facilitator Program model,

peer-to-peer sessions, and small-group conversations led by BC faculty and administrators including Economics Associate Professor of the Practice Geoffrey Sanzenbacher; Connell School of Nursing Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence, Diversity, and Belonging Leah Gordon; Morrissey College Assistant Dean and Associate Professor of the Practice for Core Curriculum Elizabeth Shalala; Lynch School of Education and Human Development Associate Professor Alex Pieterse, director of BC’s Institute for the Study of Race and Culture; Associate General Counsel Stephanie Charles; English Associate Professor of the Practice Lorenzo Alexander Puente; and Philosophy Associate Professor of the Practice Cherie McGill.

Vice President for Student Affairs Shawna Cooper Whitehead, who will present closing remarks, said, “Student Affairs is excited to partner with the Fulton Leadership Society, Fr. Kalscheur, and Vice President Joy Moore to discuss these important topics that provide a space for students from across the country to not only engage in conversations, but consider practical applications for national challenges related to race.”

Participants’ goals, according to organizers, are to engage reflectively in formative sessions that foster a deeper understanding of how racial injustice functions on a systemic level; to connect with and learn from a network of experienced student leaders; and to learn skills and techniques to engage in actions that further racial justice.

“Our hope is that this conference inspires students to continue to create opportunities for awareness programs and events that amplify the voices of those whose voices are not heard,” said Fr. Kalscheur. “The Forum on Racial Justice in America looks forward to collaborating on other student-led programs and events that provide a platform for dialogue, conversation, and action.”

36 Faculty Receive Promotions

University President William P. Leahy, S.J., announced that 36 Boston College faculty members have been promoted during the 2022-2023 academic year.

The conference—during which students from the Carroll School of Management’s Fulton Leadership Society will serve as emcees—will be held in the Robsham Theater Arts Center, Corcoran Commons, and Gasson Hall. For more information, including registration, schedule, locations, and participant biographies, see the conference website at rb.gy/41ny4b.

A University-wide initiative launched in 2020, the Forum is designed to provide a meeting place for listening, dialogue, and greater understanding about race and racism in America. BC student leaders collaborated on the upcoming conference, which is co-sponsored by the Division of

“For our society to close the many racial gaps that prevent our country from being a place where there truly is equal opportunity for all,” he said, “we need students like those who will participate in this conference who seek to critically examine how racial injustice—past and present—has locked in inequality in systemic ways. I will highlight how property systems in the U.S. have continually thwarted the ability of marginalized communities of color to secure basic property rights that would help our country become a more equal and just place for all.”

Mitchell also will describe how the new BC Law Initiative on Land, Housing & Property Rights—of which he is director—seeks to enhance property rights for disadvantaged communities in ways that advance racial justice in significant and tan-

Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences faculty members promoted to full professor were Jeffrey Bloechl (Philosophy), Rhonda Frederick and James Smith (English), Charles Gallagher, S.J. (History), Gustavo Morello, S.J. (Sociology), Crystal Tiala (Theatre), and Ilija Zeljkovic (Physics). Also promoted to full professor were Elizabeth Howard of the Connell School of Nursing, Cristiano Casalini of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, and Rocío Calvo and Summer Hawkins of the BC School of Social Work.

Morrissey College faculty members promoted to associate professor with tenure were Hartmut Austen (Art, Art History, and Film), Nicole Eaton (History), Hanne Eisenfeld (Classics), Michael

Hartney and Lauren Honig (Political Science), Kathryn Lindsey (Mathematics), Sarah McMenamin and Babak Momeni (Biology), Rebekah Mitsein (English), Jia Niu (Chemistry), Maureen Ritchey (Psychology and Neuroscience), Fazel Tafti (Physics), Jean-Baptiste Tristan (Computer Science), and Jaromir Nosal, Richard Sweeney, Robert Ulbricht, and Rosen Valchev (Economics).

Also promoted to associate professor with tenure were Hiba Hafiz of the BC Law School, Andrés Castro Samayoa of the Lynch School, and Praveen Kumar of the BC School of Social Work.

In addition, Andrey Malenko and Nadya Malenko of the Carroll School of Management, Diana Bowser of the Connell School, and Lorelle Semley (History) were appointed as professor with tenure; Antoni Üçerler, S.J. (History), was appointed as associate professor with tenure. —University

Communications

“Our hope is that this conference inspires students to continue to create opportunities for awareness programs and events that amplify the voices of those whose voices are not heard.”

—Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., co-executive director, Forum on Racial Justice in America

Student perspectives will be at the forefront of March 24-25 ‘Critical Conversations’ event

Undergraduates Devianna Smith and Isiaah Clark will present keynote talks during the conference, which will seek to facilitate discussion and reflection on the national effects of racial injustice.

photo by christopher soldt/mts

Event Will Examine History, Impact of Black Land Loss

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

An upcoming two-day conference cohosted by Boston College Law School will spotlight the only case in American legal history in which a Black family whose property was wrongfully dispossessed by government seizure had their land returned to them, albeit nearly a century later.

“Land Loss, Reparations, and Housing Policy” takes place March 23 at Harvard Law School and March 24 at BC Law. Speakers will discuss the history and impact of Black land loss in areas such as housing inequality and unaffordability, as well as possible strategies and solutions to address the problem.

The conference is coordinated by BC Law Robert F. Drinan, S.J., Endowed Chair Thomas Mitchell, who serves as director of the recently launched Initiative on Land, Housing & Property Rights. [Mitchell will also keynote the BC Forum on Racial Justice in America on March 24, “Critical Conversations and Student Voices Addressing Racial Justice in America.” See page 3 for details.]

Highlighting the opening-night roundtable discussion will be an appearance by Sidley Austin LLP partner George C. Fatheree III, the Los Angeles-based lead attorney for the Bruce family, onetime owners

Cheney to Speak at Clough Colloquium

Former United States Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney, whose struggle with her party over its loyalty to former President Donald Trump became a compelling political story, will speak at Boston College on March 23 as part of the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics Clough Colloquium.

Cheney’s talk will take place at 4 p.m. in the Corcoran Commons Heights Room. No registration is required; seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Elected from Wyoming to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016, Cheney sat on the House Armed Services Committee and served as vice chair for the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. From 2019 to 2021, she was chair of the House Republican Conference, the third-ranking GOP member in the House.

An avowed conservative whose platform called for cutting taxes and regulations, expanding America’s energy, mining, and agricultural industries, and restoring American strength and power in the world, Cheney found herself increasingly at odds with many Republicans over her refusal to support Trump’s rejection of the 2020 election results. In June of last year, Cheney publicly urged the GOP to rid itself of the former president because “Republicans

of Manhattan Beach oceanfront property whose land—seized by eminent domain in 1924 by the city—was restored to them last year.

Characterized by The New York Times as a “model for how attempts might work to compensate Black Americans for centuries of economic oppression and enslavement,” the Bruce case has inspired social justice leaders and reparations activists to fight for other Black families whose ancestors were also victims of land theft. The other participants in the roundtable include members—among them Mitchell—of the Land Loss and Reparations Project, a multi-university research team that also includes two freelance investigative reporters.

The conference’s second day begins with a panel centering on the work of the Land Loss and Reparations Project, and in particular its conservatively estimated, $326-billion damage appraisal of the loss of Black-owned farmland between 1920 and 1997. The team’s economic harm estimate has generated substantial national media attention since it was published last spring.

Another panel, moderated by BC Law Professor Lisa T. Alexander, will focus on the “History of Boston’s Housing Inequality and Unaffordability,” and feature local practitioners with extensive knowledge of Boston neighborhood history that produced

today’s disinvestment crisis, unaffordability, homelessness, and a lack of home ownership opportunities. Among others, Karilyn Crockett, assistant professor of urban history, public policy and planning at MIT, and author of the award-winning People Before Highways, will serve as a panelist.

The afternoon’s first panel, “Complementary Law & Policy Strategies to Redress Black Land Loss,” will explore ways to address systemic racial injustice with respect to Black property owners. Mitchell will address legislative reform initiatives designed

to enhance property rights for Black and other disadvantaged Americans; Fatheree— also the day’s luncheon keynote speaker— will address various litigation strategies to address Black property loss; and Bryce Stucki, a member of the Land Loss and Reparations Project, will address administrative and regulatory reform proposals to improve civil rights oversight at the United States Department of Agriculture to decrease the discrimination many minority farmers still experience.

In the closing panel, “Priced Out: Housing Affordability Solutions,” also moderated by Alexander, Boston-area policy experts and advocates will discuss housing solutions, such as inclusionary zoning requirements, Community Preservation Act local enactment, rent control, tenants’ right to purchase, just-cause eviction, and MBTA zoning reform. In addition to the housing policy experts and advocates, Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara, representing Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, and West Roxbury, will serve as a panelist.

Open to the public, the event is cosponsored by BC Law’s Initiative on Land, Housing & Property Rights; the Harvard Law School Food Law & Policy Clinic; the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at New York City’s New School; and BC’s Institute for the Liberal Arts. Register to attend at http://bit.ly/3xI6ZUM

BC’s Salameh Tabbed As Editor of Leading ME/Africa Journal

Professor of Near Eastern Studies Franck Salameh has been named editor in chief of The Journal of the Middle East and Africa, the flagship publication of the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa. The journal publishes research on the historic social, economic, and political links between Africa and the Middle East as well as the modern challenges they face.

cannot both be loyal to Donald Trump and to the Constitution.” Last fall, Cheney was defeated in the primary for the Wyoming congressional seat by a Trump-backed candidate.

During the George W. Bush administration, Cheney served as a deputy assistant secretary of state and principal deputy assistant secretary of state for the Middle East. She also practiced law at White & Case and the International Finance Corporation. A specialist in national security and foreign policy, Cheney has worked as a Fox News analyst and is the co-author—along with her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney—of Exceptional: Why the World Needs a Powerful America.

For more about the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics and its programs and activities, see bc.edu/winstoncenter.

—University Communications

“We are delighted that a scholar of Professor Salameh’s intellectual caliber will be taking the helm of the Journal,” said ASMEA Chairman and JMEA editorial board member Norman (Noam) Stillman. “A seasoned editor and writer, his knowledge of the region and expertise in its languages make him an ideal fit for our multidisciplinary, peerreviewed publication.” Salameh previously served on the JMEA editorial board.

Salameh holds a doctorate in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University, a master of arts degree from Boston University, and a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Central Florida. His areas of specialization focus on minorities in the Middle East, contemporary Near Eastern history, history of ideas and political thought, and the cultural, linguistic, and intellectual traditions of the states of the Levant. His interests include linguistic nationalism, Arabism, Zionism, Francophonie, and the history of the French Language and French missionaries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Salameh is also a memoirist, anthologist, biographer, and translator of poetry and prose from and into Arabic, French, English, Vernacular Lebanese, and Hebrew. His books include Lebanon’s Jewish Community; Charles Corm: An Intellectual Biography of a “Young Phoenician”; The Other Middle East; Language Memory and Identity in the Middle East; and a forthcoming intellectual biography of Belgian-Lebanese Jesuit Henri Lammens.

The Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa is an academic society dedicated to promoting the highest standards of research and teaching in Middle Eastern and African studies, and related fields.   —University Communications

Drinan Prof. of Law Thomas Mitchell, conference organizer and speaker.

photo by caitlin cunningham

Franck Salameh

photo by peter julian

Former U.S. Representative Liz Cheney

FOUR PILLARS OF THE PINE MANOR INSTITUTE FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

The Academy: A cost-free readiness program for students in grades 8–12 that begins after seventh grade and continues through high school.

Mentoring and Academic Achievement: Boston College’s academic support and mentoring initiatives—Learning to Learn, Options through Education, TRIO Student Support Services, and the McNair Scholars Program—reside under the Mentoring and Academic Achievement pillar of the Pine Manor Institute.

Messina College: A two-year residential college division of Boston College that will begin its associate degree-granting program in the 2024-2025 academic year.

Alumni Outreach: The Alumni Outreach pillar will provide support for graduates of the Academy and Messina College for up to two years after graduation.

Pine Manor Unveils Mentoring and Academic Achievement Pillar

Continued from page 1

division of Boston College that will begin in the 2024-2025 academic year; and an alumni outreach program that will serve graduates of the Academy and Messina College.

Moore said that Bell was the ideal leader to direct the University’s mentoring and academic achievement efforts through the Pine Manor Institute.

“Karl is an experienced professional with a proven track record in helping underrepresented students to succeed,” said Moore. “The goal of the PMI is to create a student success coaching model for all of the students we serve at Boston College, from eighth- to 12th-graders in the Academy program to Messina College and BC undergrads. Research shows that students succeed best when they have a mentor coach as their champion. We are fortunate that the Pine Manor Institute has the resources needed to successfully provide these services, and pleased that Karl will lead this important effort.”

Bell said he was thrilled to serve as the inaugural director of Mentoring and Academic Achievement, and to advance Boston College’s commitment to underrepresented and underserved students.

“As a first-generation, low-income stu-

dent myself, the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in the PMI in service to students who identify similarly is a professional opportunity that I could not have ever imagined,” said Bell.

“Building on the 40-plus-year history and commitment to excellence of the Learning to Learn Office, the Mentoring and Academic Achievement pillar of the Pine Manor Institute will develop strategic partnerships that will enable us to identify more than 1,000 Boston College alumni, faculty, and staff who will mentor the students we serve—from the Academy and Messina College to Boston College— and prepare them to be engaged citizens through service to others.”

Moore said that these organizational changes will enhance the student experience and allow the PMI to provide consistent, high-quality support and mentoring to underserved and underrepresented students throughout all levels of Boston College.

“We are coming together with more intentional focus on collaboration on behalf of our students,” said Moore. “It is an exciting time for the University and the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success.”

Former AARP Head Will Present Pinnacle Lecture

Jennie Chin Hansen ’70, H ’08, former president of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and former CEO of the American Geriatrics Society, will deliver the Connell School of Nursing’s Spring Pinnacle Lecture on March 22 at 5 p.m. in the Yawkey Center Murray Room.

As the Dr. Maureen P. McCausland Pinnacle Keynote Speaker, Hansen will present “Reflections and Projections: My Career at the Vanguard of Public Health and Aging.”

Each semester, the Connell School brings a widely recognized nurse leader to campus to speak on an issue at the forefront of health care. Hansen’s lecture is free and open to CSON students, staff, faculty, alumni, as well as preceptors, practitioners, and the wider BC community.

A nationally recognized advocate and thought leader regarding the health care needs of older adults, Hansen was one of the featured experts in the 2022 PBS spe-

cial “Sages of Aging.” She previously served as CEO for American Geriatrics Society, a nonprofit organization for health care professionals providing geriatric care, and as president of the 38-million-member organization AARP.

Hansen first made her mark in San Francisco at On Lok where she led an integrated, comprehensive program for older adults to receive medical and social services in the community rather than in a nursing home. That groundbreaking initiative, Program of All-Inclusive Care to the Elderly, has been replicated in 31 states and is now an established Medicare benefit.

More recently, Hansen has served on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee for California’s Master Plan for Aging and on the Healthy California for All Commission. She is consulting with emergency departments in San Francisco

to improve their competencies related to geriatric patients.

She earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the Connell School in 1970 and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Boston College in 2008. She also holds a master’s degree from the University of California, San Francisco, and is a recipient of the UCSF Medal, the university’s highest honor.

A Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, Hansen was honored by AAN in 2022 with its Health Care Leader Award. She also has received the American Society on Aging’s Hall of Fame Award and the National Council on Aging’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

To register for the lecture or learn more about the Pinnacle Lecture series, see bc.edu/pinnacle.

—Kathleen Sullivan

“As a first-generation, low-income student myself, the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in the PMI in service to students who identify similarly is a professional opportunity that I could not have ever imagined.”

—Karl Bell

photo by lee pellegrini

Jennie Chin Hansen ’70, H’08

photo by robert duron/domain photography

Finance, Economics, Biology, PoliSci Are Top Majors

stitutional Research and Planning (IR&P) office as part of its yearly compendium of facts and figures for administrators, faculty, staff, and students. Current and past editions of the Boston College Fact Book are accessible at bc.edu/factbook.

Other reported statistics show the Lynch School of Education and Human Development with the highest number of graduate students (958), followed by the Carroll School of Management (849), Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences (823), BC Law School (813), BC School of Social Work (633), Woods College of Advancing Studies (566), Connell School of Nursing (341), and School of Theology and Ministry (318).

Statistics such as popular majors, according to administrators and faculty, offer insights into the interests, motivations, and aspirations of BC students, and how these may evolve or remain constant over time. While individual positions may vary from year to year, most of the current popular majors at BC—specifically finance, economics (which includes enrollments from Morrissey College and the Carroll School), biology, political science, communication, psychology, and nursing—have been in the top 10 list at least since the 21st century began, and some far longer.

The data also provide a yardstick for considering BC students’ academic and career interests among wider societal and generational trends. National analyses of undergrad majors are ubiquitous, but at a glance some commonalities emerge: Studies in or related to business, nursing, psychology, biology, economics, computer science, communication, and political science tend to be highly enrolled throughout American higher education.

This is why enrollment data for BC benefits from context, say administrators

and faculty: The numbers should be viewed through the lens of a major national Jesuit, Catholic university and the students it attracts.

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs Akua Sarr believes BC undergraduates come to the Heights with a mix of pragmatism and a healthy interest in, and concern for, the larger world around them. “Yes, they consider majors that most likely help lead to a job, but they want to study those big issues: climate change, health disparities, economic inequities, racial justice,” she said. “They want also want to address the big questions in matters of faith, values, morals, and ethics. BC’s Core Curriculum and interdisciplinary minors make those explorations possible, and our graduates go out into the world with a unique perspective and global view, whatever their major may have been.

“So, clearly, while our students are attracted to many of the same disciplines their peers are, they know their BC education involves the whole person, and gives them distinctive insights that help guide them in many aspects of their lives.”

Finance not only is the most popular

undergraduate major, but also is the mostenrolled minor at BC for the fifth straight year (566). Others, in order, are: marketing (258), management and leadership (257), managing for social impact (170), computer science (148), philosophy (146), history (120), global public health (106), medical humanities (105), and international studies (92).

Finance Chair Ronnie Sadka, the Haub Family Professor in the Carroll School, said the popularity of finance at Boston College—a Jesuit, Catholic university with a solid liberal arts legacy—should not be regarded as a contradiction or anomaly.

“Financial transactions and trade are based on trust between parties, which speaks to a basic aspect of human nature,” he pointed out. “In the classroom, even as we cover the fundamentals of finance and areas such as corporate finance or investments, we also emphasize ethics and doing the right thing. Those topics dovetail with recent trends in finance, such as corporate social responsibility and environmental, social, and governance investing. So, finance fits in very well with BC’s values of cura personalis.”

The appeal of the finance program lies in its high quality of teaching, expert faculty recruited from top research programs around the world, and rigorous, challenging, relevant classes that constantly adapt to industry trends, said Sadka, pointing to a course in data analytics based on the popular multi-programming language Python. A placement rate of nearly 100 percent, strong

ties to Wall Street, and a generous, supportive alumni network are other assets, he said.

As an undergraduate minor, Sadka said, finance “nicely complements students’ sets of related skills acquired in other majors such as math, economics, or computer science, while for others it provides some hedge or option in the job market. Some students just want to pursue finance because of personal interest in the topic.”

IR&P also provides a list of programs and disciplines experiencing the largest percent increase in majors for the past decade. Finance is on it—at third (58 percent), in front of economics (24 percent)—but at the top is computer science, with an uptick of 297 percent in majors (enrolled from the Morrissey College and Carroll School) since 2013.

Associate Professor and Chair of Computer Science Sergio Alvarez said that the department goes beyond the discipline’s technological, mathematical, and operational facets, including discussions on ethical considerations and social impact, as well as offering a course (Technology and Culture) specifically devoted to such areas. The department also is a key contributor to the Morrissey College’s planned minor in data science, under the direction of Fitzgerald Professor of Computer Science George Mohler.

“Our faculty’s research is directly intended to benefit society, through the development and application of advanced computational techniques that enable improved understanding and management of issues that arise in human health and behavior, urban planning, accessibility, and criminal justice, among others,” he said. “A growing number of our undergraduate majors take advantage of opportunities to participate in and contribute to faculty research on these and other topics.”

Kumar In First Cohort of NIH Climate/Health Scholars

BY JASON KORNWITZ SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Boston College School of

Social Work

Associate Professor Praveen Kumar has been named a Climate and Health Scholar at the National Institutes of Health as part of that agency’s new initiative to reduce climate change’s negative impact on health and well-being around the world.

Changes in climate, including increased temperatures, extreme weather events, and sea level rise, pose a severe health threat, potentially raising the risk of heart disease, mental disorders, insect-borne illness, and other negative outcomes.

“I argue that all scholars should study climate change because it threatens the entire existence of humanity,” said Kumar, who examines how the sustained uptake of clean energy interventions affects the health and well-being of low-income communities in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. “Climate is leading to decreased agricultural productivity. It is leading to increased food insecurity. It has now been

seen as one of the key reasons for internal and cross-border displacement, which may lead to security issues.”

Kumar and the seven other scientists at major universities and research-based organizations named as Climate and Health Scholars will each be hosted by an NIH institute or center for approximately eight months, working with staff across the agency to share knowledge and help build capacity for conducting health and climaterelated research.

Kumar will partner with the Fogarty International Center, a program focused on global health. The center was founded in the 1960s and, according to The New York Times, has worked on HIV/AIDS, Ebola, diabetes, maternal mortality, and many other health problems.

While the focus of Kumar’s work is still undetermined, one of his two proposals involves creating a data catalog to organize information about climate change and its effects on health. The catalog, he said, would integrate information from existing databases from agencies like NASA and

the World Health Organization to create a one-stop-shop for scientists looking for the latest facts and figures.

“The data that we have for climate-led stressors and their impact on health is fragmented,” said Kumar. “Could we have a catalog that combines these databases so that researchers can do impactful analysis and demonstrate what’s happening?”

Kumar also seeks to improve how scientists communicate their findings to the general public. His second idea is to write a series of op-eds or host a podcast or webinar that uses clear, easy-to-understand language to convey how climate change is impacting health.

“We need to develop a system to disseminate what we find in the climate change space to the general public in a tone that’s easy to understand,” said Kumar. “The more aware communities are, the better the public policy decisions could be.”

He acknowledged the NIH for selecting him to be in the first cohort of Climate and Health Scholars, where he will represent the field of social work. “We work a lot with marginalized communities,” he said, referring to social workers, “and the NIH understands that it is central to work with these communities if we really want to address the health challenges arising due to climate change.”

Jason Kornwitz is a senior writer and editor in the BC School of Social Work

“Financial transactions and trade are based on trust between parties, which speaks to a basic aspect of human nature.”

—Finance Chair Ronnie Sadka

Praveen Kumar

photo by caitlin cunningham

photo by lee pellegrini

Edward Kane, 87; Was Inaugural Cleary Professor of Finance

Edward J. Kane, an internationally recognized economist specializing in banking and financial regulation who served as Boston College’s inaugural James F. Cleary Chair in Finance, died on March 2. He was 87.

A highly cited author of three books and hundreds of academic articles, Dr. Kane was renowned as one of the few economists to foresee the savings-and-loan calamity of the 1980s, and pioneered the phrase “zombie bank” to describe an insolvent financial institution that is able to continue operating thanks to explicit or implicit support from the government.

Dr. Kane had taught at BC during the summer of 1960 and was a faculty member in the Economics Department from 19661972 before returning to the University in 1992 as the Cleary Chair in the Carroll School of Management. The chair’s benefactor and namesake was James F. Cleary ’50, H ’93, long-time BC trustee and active and innovative fundraiser.

“It’s a place I’ve always liked and I feel it has grown even stronger since I was last here,” said Dr. Kane at the time his appointment was announced. “Being able to return as holder of the Cleary Chair is an honor.”

Welcoming Dr. Kane back to BC, Carroll School Dean John J. Neuhauser lauded him as “someone who has thought long and hard about the present and future of financial institutions and markets. In his earlier writings, he predicted some of the problems now facing the financial world, including the savings-and-loan crisis. We are most fortunate to have his expertise here.”

Nota Bene

As Cleary Professor, Dr. Kane taught undergraduate and graduate students and presented or organized public on-campus lectures, all the while continuing his analysis of the turbulent state of affairs in the banking industry. Another area of concern for him was federal deposit insurance: At the time he assumed the Cleary Chair, Dr. Kane—who consulted for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation—estimated the system’s losses would cost taxpayers many billions of dollars.

Dr. Kane shared his expertise in a variety of settings and contexts besides classrooms and publications. He took part in a panel discussion—along with then-BC Trustee and American Stock Exchange President Richard Syron—at the landmark 1994 Boston College Conference on Financial Markets and the Economy. He also was frequently quoted in the media, appearing on radio and television shows such as “The

MacNeil-Lehrer Report” on PBS and “All Things Considered” on National Public Radio.

In 1996, Dr. Kane was one of three faculty members who spoke about their professional and academic lives at a BC Trustees meeting: He noted that college professors are typically judged by the volume of their publications, how often they are quoted in the press, and by their invitations to address their colleagues, which all are traceable to the volume and quality of their research. But, he added, “a professor’s legacy is not research, it’s students. Research is only valuable to the extent it contributes to that legacy.”

Among other honors and recognition, Dr. Kane was named one of three co-winners of the 2002 National Association for Business Economics’ Adam Smith Award in recognition of his work as a “shadow regulator” of the nation’s banking system.

He served as a president and fellow of the American Finance Association, a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a trustee and member of the Finance Committee of TIAA-CREF. A founding member of the Shadow Financial Regulatory Committee, he also consulted for the World Bank.

and a doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before his first stint with the BC faculty, he taught at lowa State and Princeton universities. In 1972, he joined the Ohio State University, where he eventually became the Everett D. Reese Professor of Banking and Monetary Economics.

Dr. Kane was predeceased by his wife, Gloria Verde. He is survived by his children, Laura, Stephen, and Ted; granddaughter, Rachel Ruck; his brother, Dick; and sister, Mary.

—University Communications

James Sullivan, WCAS Student

A funeral Mass was held at St. Theresa Church in West Roxbury on March 3 for James Michael Sullivan, a student in the Woods College of Advancing Studies who died on February 27. He was 20.

Professor and Chair of Economics Christopher Baum was selected for the 2022 Editors’ Prize by Stata Journal, a quarterly publication containing articles about statistics, data analysis, teaching methods, and effective use of the language of Stata, a general-purpose statistical software package. The award honors contributors of one or more outstanding articles published in the  Stata Journal in the previous three calendar years.

The editors cited five articles co-authored by Baum during 2019-2021 as “models of excellence, showing [his] range and mastery of theory and practice in economics, econometrics, and beyond.”

A Boston College faculty member since 1977, and Economics chair since 2018, Baum pursues research interests most recently focused on social epidemiology and health policy. His other research fields include time-series econometrics, financial markets, and macroeconomic policy.

Professor Emerita of Theology M. Shawn Copeland recently received the Civitas Dei Medal from Villanova University. The award—which takes its name from the Latin title of St. Augustine’s City of God—honors Catholics who have made exemplary contributions to the Catholic intellectual tradition and the pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness.

Copeland’s research focuses on shifts in theological understanding of the human person, the African American Catholic experience, and issues pertinent to political or praxis-based theologies. Her books include Knowing Christ Crucified: The Witness of African American Religious Experience, Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race, and Being, and The Subversive Power of Love: The Vision of Henriette Delille. She has served as convener of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium and as the first African American president of the Catholic Theological Society of America; this academic year, she is holder of the Vincentian Chair of Social Justice at St. John’s University in New York.

Previous Boston College faculty winners of the Civitas Dei Medal include Monan Professor of Theology Lisa Sowle Cahill and former Center for Human Rights and International Justice Director David Hollenbach, S.J. A video of this year’s Civitas ceremony and lecture is available at villanova.edu/villanova/mission/office/civitas-deiaward.html.

A native of Washington, D.C., Dr. Kane cultivated interests outside the financial world, including horror movies and comic books. He donated a substantial collection of the latter to the University’s John J. Burns Library; the collection was subsequently utilized by students of Professor of History Heather Cox Richardson as the basis for a class project (including an exhibition and publication) that explored a range of cultural themes and trends in comic books reflecting major historical events and societal trends.

Dr. Kane earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Georgetown University

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.

Staff Psychologist or Staff Clinician

Associate Director, Athletics Communications

Assistant Director, Reporting & Data

Analytics, Law School

Senior Events Specialist

Patrol Officer

Staff Nurse

Lead Wait Staff

Associate Director, First Year Experience

Video Production Specialist

Head Librarian, Social Work Library

Associate Director, Prospect Development

Baker, Dining Services

A native of West Roxbury, Mr. Sullivan attended Mt. Alvernia Academy and Boston Latin School, and was a 2021 graduate of Catholic Memorial High School; he also attended Loyola University Chicago. He was active in sports, including rugby, indoor tracks, and football, and served as a peer minister, a student council member, and a youth group leader at Holy Name Church and the Mayor’s Mural Team.

Mr. Sullivan is survived by his parents, Giuseppina—a senior UC applications administrator for Boston College Network Services—and Dennis; his sister Grace Sullivan, a student in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences; grandparents Sabatino and Rosaria; grandmother Mary Sullivan; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

–University Communications

Associate Director, Student Affairs Title IX

Resident Director, Residential Life

Transitions & Summer Operations Assistant

Principal Data Architect

Research Economist, Center for Retirement Research

Quality Assurance Lead

Public Safety Dispatcher

“It was moving watching theologians listening attentively to bishops, and vice versa. It was the kind of ‘respectful encounter’ that Pope Francis is calling for in asking the entire Church to engage in the synodal process. It was an honor to sponsor the gathering.”

—Boisi Center Director Mark Massa, S.J.

A Historic Gathering at the Heights

Continued from page 1

worldwide are facing a common challenge to build a “synodal Church for the third millennium,” according to National Catholic Reporter.

“It is not enough simply to maintain and adapt what has existed until now. It is necessary to create something new.”

Luciani cited synodality as “a new phase in the Church’s response to Vatican II”—also known as the 1962 Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, opened by Pope John XXIII in response to the need for Church renewal to better connect with 20th-century Catholics in an increasingly secularized world. Today, as Luciani notes in his book, Pope Francis describes synodality as the new model of Church, representing a deepening of the ecclesiology of the People of God, that opens a new phase in the reception of the Council.

Bishop Christopher J. Coyne of the Diocese of Burlington, Vt., and Jaisy A. Joseph, assistant professor of systematic/constructive theology at Villanova University, provided the response to Luciani’s remarks.

In her keynote, “Synodality in the Early Church,” Catholic University of America

Associate Professor of Church History

Robin Darling Young noted that the Church had already experienced more than 200 regional synods by the fourth century, and that the first Christians adopted secular customs such as convening councils to govern their communities.

“This is deeply rooted in early Christianity,” she said, according to National Catholic Reporter.

Panelists responding to Darling Young’s remarks included Maria Clara Bingemer of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro; historian John T. McGreevy of the

University of Notre Dame; and Fordham University Professor of Theology Aristotle Papanikolaou.

The panel on the “Challenges to Synodality,” moderated by Anne Thompson, an NBC News correspondent who covers the Catholic Church, included BC’s Darald and Juliet Libby Professor of Law and Theology M. Cathleen Kaveny; Villanova University Professor of Theology and Religious Studies Massimo Faggioli; and Kathleen Sprows Cummings, professor of American Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

STM Associate Professor of Hispanic Ministry and Religious Education Hosffman Ospino, chair of the Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry Department, delivered the second day’s opening keynote, “Practical and Pastoral Theology.”

Concluding the event was Bishop Daniel Flores, Diocese of Brownsville, Tex., and chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Doctrine Committee, who focused on “Collegiality, Synodality, and the Pastoral Vision of Pope Francis.”

According to National Catholic Reporter, Fr. Flores noted that while synodality is rooted in the Church’s tradition, it was interrupted over the centuries by political dynamics, racial and linguistic divisions, and other challenges that “made it difficult to sit down and just be happy with the fact that we all in some way” are connected to the Church.

“If we’re going to take synodality seriously,” he said, “then we have some serious work to do.”

The convening was made possible by generous gifts from the Oswell Brown II Foundation, and the GHR Foundation, as well as the sponsoring academic centers.

Among the conference events was the discussion “Challenges to Synodality,” which included University of Notre Dame Professor Kathleen Sprows Cummings (foreground) and Libby Professor of Law and Theology M. Cathleen Kaveny (in background). NBC News correspondent Anne Thompson was the moderator.

Following his keynote, School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor Hosffman Ospino, right, chatted with respondent Susan B. Reynolds of Emory University, and Michael Murphy, director of the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University Chicago.

Lynch School Hosts Formative Education Experts

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

The Lynch School of Education and Human Development recently hosted leaders of the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, the England-based preeminent institute for character education around the world, for a seminar to inform the Lynch School’s pioneering work in formative education.

Jubilee Centre Co-founder and Director James Arthur joined Vice Provost for Global Engagement James F. Keenan, S.J., for a Kern Family Foundation-funded presentation, “Education, Thomism, and Virtue,” which focused on how virtue is critical to the formation of character.

“Flourishing involves various contingent socioeconomic and political factors, but it also relies centrally on the actualization

of human excellence through character strengths or virtues,” said Arthur, whose center is located at the University of Birmingham. “By putting the focus more firmly on the education of those virtues and how they contribute to student flourishing, universities can give academic credibility and practical traction to their increasing explicit goal of fulfilling potential. Furthermore, such a focus is not limited to the development of individual virtues, but also sheds light on how student flourishing can contribute to the building of a healthy, just and thriving society.

“The value of higher education is seen in the lives of university students—not only what they do, or the jobs they go into, but in what they contribute to society and who they become.”

Fr. Keenan, who is Canisius Professor of Theology and director of the Jesuit In-

stitute, emphasized that among the many virtues, he considered compassion as most important.

“A person can’t be considered ‘whole’ without an educated solidarity with other human beings in their hopes and fears and especially in their needs. We can’t pay attention to our experience and reflect on it without realizing how our own lives are connected with the dreams of all those with whom we share the journey of human existence, and therefore with the economic, political, and social realities that support or frustrate their dreams. This is why Jesuit education is so often said to produce ‘men and women for others.’”

The event also included a talk by the Jubilee Centre’s Honorary Research Professor Liz Gulliford on “Forgiveness, Gratitude and Hope,” with a response from Steve Sandage, the Danielsen Professor

of Psychology of Religion and Theology at Boston University. The presentation was co-sponsored by the Lynch School’s Department of Formative Education, the Center for Psychosocial Humanities & Ethics, and the Formative Leadership Education Project.

“The Lynch School was excited to welcome colleagues from the Jubilee Centre, whose work is aligned in many ways with Boston College’s emphasis on formative education,” said Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School. “The scholarship and the practical interventions developed by the Jubilee Centre have been helpful as we expand our work in understanding and facilitating young people’s ethical and spiritual development. We are grateful for the opportunity to learn from their expertise and receive their advice.”

Audience members listened to a panel discussion during the conference’s second day in Gasson 100.

photos by lee pellegrini