MARCH 28, 2019 VOL. 26 NO. 14
PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Upward Trend
Number of applications for Class of 2023 sets record; administrators tout academic strength, diversity
Embracing Hope
photo by christopher huang
Two students comforted one another at a candlelight community vigil last week on the Plaza at O’Neill Library, organized by the Muslim Student Association to reflect on and honor the victims of the March 15 massacre at two New Zealand mosques.
Boston College received 35,500 applications for the Class of 2023, the most in University history and a 14 percent increase over last year, according to the Office of Undergraduate Admission. The previous high-water mark for undergraduate applications was 34,061 for the Class of 2016. BC has extended approximately 9,500 offers of admission, representing an admit rate of 27 percent, compared to 32 percent two years ago and 28 percent a year ago. The average ACT score for admitted students is 33, while the average SAT score is 1465, up 17 points from last year.
‘There Has to Be a Better Way’ Compelled as much by family experiences as professional and academic interest, BCSSW’s Christina Matz seeks a new understanding of older adults’ physical and emotional health BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
Boston College School of Social Work Associate Professor Christina Matz only had to look within her own family to realize the problems facing older adults—and be motivated to do something about it. While she was in college, her grandfather died, after having spent practically all of his adult life as a greenhouse owner and wholesale plant and flower distributor. When Matz came home for the summer, she found her grandmother had deteriorated, becoming less active, more isolated and insular; less than a year later, she died. Her grandfather’s “work until you die” retirement plan, Matz adds, is the model for her father, also self-employed, and for Americans without employer-sponsored health insurance or 401(k) plans. “Defining ‘retirement’ is one of the great struggles of our time,” says Matz, who chairs the BCSSW Older Adults and Families concentration and is a research
Christina Matz
photo by lee pellegrini
faculty member at the BC Center on Aging and Work. “In the past, we’ve associated retirement with leisure and dwindling activity, but that’s not sustainable in an era when people are living longer. And there are questions beyond how long someone
will have to work. A lot of us have stories of family members or loved ones who, when they became older, had a serious decline in the quality of their lives. “I just remember my grandparents and think, ‘There has to be a better way.’” These experiences and impressions have helped fuel Matz’s interest in exploring the connections between health, wellbeing, and engagement during later life. In particular, she focused on the role of social and productive activities such as work, volunteerism, and caregiving in helping to promote more fulfilling lives among people 60 or older. Now, Matz is involved in multiple research projects and other initiatives that she hopes will lead to a better understanding of older adults’ physical and emotional health, and policies and practices that can improve their lives. “Not surprisingly, we tend to see aging mainly in terms of disability and decline—and death. But this population has
Students admitted to the Class of 2023 represent all 50 states and Washington, D.C., as well as two U.S. territories and more than 70 countries around the world. More than a third are AHANA students. “Those admitted to Boston College’s Class of 2023 are the most academically gifted and diverse collection of students ever admitted to the University,” said Director of Undergraduate Admission Grant Gosselin. “All have demonstrated themselves as exceptional scholars and contributors to their communities. Boston College’s future is bright.” –University Communications
Faculty Promotions Boston College has announced promotions for 25 faculty members. See page 3.
INSIDE 2 Around Campus
Second “Envision” program for freshmen, sophomores; faculty, students prepare for ACCelerate Festival in Washington, D.C.
3 Migration Conference
Boston College to host major forum on migration issues April 11 and 12.
5 Burns Visiting Scholar
Q&A with Patrick Lonergan, who researches the interaction between drama and current events and societal trends.
8 Beckman Scholars
Two BC sophomores earn premier fellowships in the sciences.
Continued on page 4
We’re not coming at this from the perspective that one great strike can change everything, but rather that a number of small projects developed with input from the community can make a difference. –Corcoran Center Director Neil McCullagh, page 4