Boston College Chronicle

The Boston College

Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of University Communications APRIL 12, 2018 VOL. 25 NO. 15

Atlanta Archbishop Gregory to Receive Honorary Degree University also will honor Fr. Joseph Duffy, Drew Gilpin Faust, Kendall Reid, Alberto Vasallo III

BY THE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Archbishop of Atlanta Wilton D. Gregory, the highest-ranking African American bishop in the United States, who heads one of the country’s fastest growing archdioceses, will address the graduates at Boston College’s 142nd Commencement Exercises on May 21.

University President William P. Leahy, SJ, will present Archbishop Gregory with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree at the ceremony, which will take place at 10 a.m. in Alumni Stadium, rain or shine. [Complete logistical information is available at the Commencement 2018 website, www.bc.edu/commencement.]

In addition, the University will present honorary degrees to: retired Boston College administrator Joseph Duffy, SJ, ’50, MA’51, STL’58, former University Secretary and former rector of the Jesuit Community; Drew Gilpin

INSIDE in Teaching 2 •Excellence Day set for May 7 athletic fields to 3 •Brighton be dedicated to Harrington

honor for LSOE’s 5 •AERA Cochran-Smith Festival marking 8 •Arts its 20th year

Faust, outgoing president of Harvard University; Kendall B. Reid ’79, award-winning HBO documentary producer; and Alberto Vasallo III ’89, president and CEO of El Mundo Boston.

Boston College students will receive their undergraduate and graduate degrees at separate ceremonies held around campus after the main Commencement event.

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory Archbishop Gregory was appointed in 2004 by Pope John Paul II as the sixth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Since his arrival, the archdiocese has grown from less than 400,000 members to 1.2 million, with 103 parishes and missions, 277 diocesan and religious priests and 18 archdiocesan Catholic schools.

The Chicago native has been at the forefront of critical issues facing the Catholic Church and wider society. As president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2001-04, he was praised

statements on controversies such as the death penalty and euthanasia/physician-assisted suicide, and articles on the subject of liturgy, particularly in the African American community.

Announcing an honorary degree for Archbishop Gregory last year, the University of Dallas lauded him for “[building] bridges across ethnicities and classes, and within the Catholic Church.”

Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory

by Time magazine and other observers for advocating and leading policy changes in the wake of the clergy sex abuse scandal.

He commissioned a conservation and sustainability action plan for the archdiocese in anticipation of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ encyclical on the environment. In 2016, he chaired a USCCB task force on racial issues in the wake of shootings that left citizens and police officers dead.

He also has released pastoral

Archbishop Gregory’s aspiration to the priesthood began when he was 11; he was ordained a priest of the Chicago Archdiocese in 1973. He became the youngest bishop in the US at age 35 as auxiliary bishop of Chicago. In 1994, he was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Belleville, Ill., where he served for 10 years. He holds a doctorate in sacred liturgy from Continued in page 4

Yang to Speak at BC Law Debra Wong Yang JD’85 – a partner in the Los Angeles office of the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and the first Asian American woman to serve as a US Attorney – will speak at the Boston College Law School Commencement, which will take place May 25.

Yang, who joined Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in 2006, chairs the firm’s Crisis Management Practice Group and sits on the

‘I Can Be My Authentic Self’

its executive committee. She formerly chaired the White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice and Information Technology and Data Privacy Practice groups.

In 2002, President George W. Bush appointed Yang – then a California state judge – as US Attorney for the Central District of California. As an Assistant US Attorney for seven years prior to her judicial career, she prosecuted vioContinued in page 4

Through service and leadership, Romero Scholarship winner Jorge Mejía found his strength, and his place, at Boston College

BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences junior Jorge Mejía, who has bridged academia and advocacy to serve the needs of the Hispanic/Latino community on campus and in his native Bronx, has been named winner of the University’s 2018 Archbishop Oscar A. Romero Scholarship.

The scholarship, which covers 75 percent of senior-year tuition, is given annually to a BC junior who has demonstrated superior academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, community service, and involvement with the Hispanic/Latino community and Hispanic/Latino issues both on and off campus.

Jorge Mejía ’19 receiving congratulations after winning the Archbishop Oscar A. Romero Scholarship: “To be awarded a scholarship in his name is the biggest honor I could ever receive.” (Photo by Peter Julian)

“Oscar Romero was, is, and always will be part of my life journey,” said Mejía in his acceptance speech at last month’s

QUOTE:

Archbishop Oscar A. Romero Scholarship Award Ceremony.

“To be awarded a scholarship in his name is the biggest honor I

could ever receive. I am not usually one to seek the spotlight, but the Romero Scholarship to me is not a spotlight. It’s a reminder of my/our duty as humans – to realize we are agents of history and hold the tools to rectify structures of injustice.”

Mejía’s parents, Patricia Guerrero and Jorge E. Mejía, were in attendance at the ceremony to see their son, a first-generation college student, win the scholarship.

Also recognized at the March 24 event were fellow finalists Kimberly Lozano and Roberto Garcia, as well as Juan Arteaga ’99, who was honored with the Rev. John A. Dinneen, SJ, Hispanic Alumni Community Service Award.

A political science major with Continued in page 5

“As I grow older and reflect on where I stand and the many good opportunities I was afforded, I always end up reflecting on my days at Boston College, with my teachers, classmates and old friends – along with my family – who helped to hold me together in difficult times. I am truly grateful.”

–John L. Harrington ’57, MBA’66, page 3

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Chronicle APRIL 12, 2018

2

A ROUND

C AMPUS

Boston College Distinguished Artist-in-Residence John Finney marked his 25th year as conductor of the University Chorale of Boston College with a silver anniversary concert at Symphony Hall last Saturday. The event featured the Chorale and the Boston College Symphony Orchestra, of which Finney also has long been at the helm.

Senior Sarah Pilgrim, co-president of the Campus School Volunteers, preparing to run in the Boston Marathon to support the school. (Photo by Peter Julian)

Photos by Yiting Chen

‘NOT HARD TO BE INSPIRED’ This Monday, Sarah Pilgrim ’18, a pre-med student majoring in biochemistry with a minor in inclusive education, will run in the Boston Marathon to raise funds for the Campus School at Boston College.

Located in Campion Hall, the Campus School provides a personalized approach to special education for children ages 3–21 with multiple disabilities. As the co-president of the Campus School Volunteers, Pilgrim is very passionate about the school and its students.

“The students are the most hard-working individuals that I know and inspiring in everything that they do,” said Pilgrim, a Naperville, Ill., native.

With them in mind, “running a marathon didn’t seem like such a hard feat.”

Pilgrim’s love of running began in middle school, where she participated in track and cross country. “I’ve always felt comfort and solace in running on my own and a sense of belonging when running in groups. I’m a huge proponent of running for yourself and not a time or place.”

She has been training for the marathon since learning of her entry in late January, not long after completing a half-marathon in late November. Throughout her preparation, she has been supported by fellow runners at BC who communicate through a group message, sharing advice and inspiration.

“Ever since I decided to go to school at BC, I wanted to run the Boston Marathon. I didn’t know if it would be possible as a student, as I was approaching my final year here, but when the opportunity presented itself to not only run in Boston but for the Campus School that has come to mean so much to me, I couldn’t turn it down.

“It wasn’t hard to be inspired by the great magnitude of runners in Boston, my fellow classmates at BC, and – most importantly – the students at the Campus School, to get out there and run.”

If you are interested in supporting Pilgrim’s marathon effort to raise funds for the Campus School, go to http://bit.ly/ pilgrim-marathon.

–Christine Balquist

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS Jack Dunn SENIOR DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS Patricia Delaney EDITOR Sean Smith

CONTRIBUTING STAFF Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan PHOTOGRAPHERS Gary Gilbert Peter Julian Lee Pellegrini

EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING DAY IS MAY 7 The Center for Teaching Excellence will hold its annual Excellence in Teaching Day on May 7, featuring a discussion between City University of New York Professor Cathy Davidson and Georgetown University Vice Provost for Education Randy Bass on topics ranging from the future of higher education to the intersection of technology and the liberal arts.

Additional speakers include Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley, who will lead a panel on the future of the liberal arts, as well as more than 25 University faculty and staff at breakout sessions focused on current topics in teaching in higher education.

“Excellence in Teaching Day seeks to bring faculty together for substantive conversations about important issues in teaching and learning,” said Stacy Grooters, director of faculty programs at CTE, which supports instructors as they create engaging and inclusive learning environments for students.

This year’s theme of “Imag-

The Boston College

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

ining the Future of Learning” will be underscored by the conversation between Davidson and Bass, said Grooters, which takes place at 1:30 p.m. in Robsham Theater.

Davidson is founding director of the Futures Initiative and a distinguished professor in the PhD Program in English at the CUNY Graduate Center. She co-directs the CUNY Humanities Alliance, a program in partnership with LaGuardia Community College, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and dedicated to training graduate students to teach in community colleges. Currently, her scholarship focuses on the future of higher education.

Bass is a professor of English at Georgetown, where he leads the Designing the Future(s) initiative and the Red House incubator for curricular transformation. The founding executive director of Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, Bass has been working at the crossroads of new media technologies and the scholar-

ship of teaching and learning for nearly 30 years.

“Bass and Davidson challenge us to rethink our assumptions about teaching and learning in the face of a changing higher education landscape,” said Grooters.

Breakout sessions held in Fulton Hall will feature faculty presenters discussing topics such as “#MeToo In the Classroom,” “Teaching Empathy,” “Ways to Support Low Income and First Generation College Students,” “Teaching with Simulations,” “Innovative Approaches to Grading,” and “Making Learning Public: Fostering Student Engagement with Authentic Audiences.”

In addition, the Teaching Innovation Poster Fair in the Bonn Studio Theater will showcase creative and cutting-edge approaches to teaching from faculty and graduate students from across campus, said Grooters.

Registration is required. To register or to learn more, go to www.bc.edu/bcteach.

–Ed Hayward

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)5523350. 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.

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle APRIL 12, 2018

Ballfields Dedication This Saturday

Brighton Campus athletic fields to be named for Trustee John Harrington

Boston College will honor University Trustee John L. Harrington ’57, MBA’66, H’10, P’82, ’89, ’94 with the dedication of the Harrington Athletics Village at Brighton Fields – the Brighton Campus home of BC’s new baseball, softball and intramural fields – this Saturday, April 14.

The dedication ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. and will feature an appearance by Harrington, the former CEO of the Boston Red Sox. University President William P. Leahy, SJ, Yawkey Foundations President James P. Healey ’75, P’05 and Martin Jarmond, the William V. Campbell Director of Athletics at BC, also will give remarks.

Following the dedication and “first pitch” on-field ceremonies, the BC softball team will take on Florida State, while the Eagles baseball team faces Wake Forest.

The Harrington Athletics Village – made possible through the generosity of Harrington and his family, as well as other donors – encompasses the three fields, situated between St. Clement’s Hall and Lake Street, as well as a onestory support building that provides restrooms and concessions space.

“This honor for me and my family is over the moon,” said Harrington. “I started at Boston College in 1953, just 65 years ago, and as I passed through the many stages of my life, from military service to marriage and family, and careers, I realize that my heart and mind were always inbedded in Boston College, mainly because of the gifts that the Jesuits gave to me and my family from the very start.

“As I grow older and reflect on where I stand and the many good opportunities I was afforded, I always end up reflecting on my

ecutive, Harrington is equally celebrated for his devotion to Boston College and his generous work in charitable circles.

A native of Boston’s Jamaica Plain neighborhood, Harrington was a commissioned officer in the US Navy for four years after graduating from BC. He worked at the Government Accountability Office and NASA before returning to Boston College for his MBA, then studied to become a CPA. After teaching at BC for four years as a full-time assistant professor of accounting, Harrington entered professional baseball in 1970 as controller of the American League.

In 1973, he began his long assoJohn L. Harrington ’57, MBA’66 days at Boston College, with my ciation with the Red Sox as team teachers, classmates and old friends treasurer; he was CEO and general – along with my family – who partner from 1986 to 2002.

In addition to supporting the helped to hold me together in difHarrington Athletics Village, Harficult times. I am truly grateful.” rington and his family have been Jarmond said the naming of longtime supporters of BC Athletthe Harrington Athletics Village is ics, providing scholarship funds for a tribute to Harrington’s legacy of student-athletes and Pops on the support to BC and in particular his Heights scholars. dedication to and investment in A Boston College trustee from the baseball program.

1998-2006, Harrington continues “We are honored to recognize to serve as a trustee associate. He John Harrington as we advance was also elected president of the our baseball and softball proBoston College Alumni Associagrams,” said Jarmond. “This facilition and received the William V. ty is a game-changer for our teams.

McKenney Award, the Alumni The Harrington family’s support of Boston College, and especially our Association’s highest honor, and athletics program, is another ex- the association’s John P. Curley ample of the pride so many of our ’13 Award, honoring a volunteer alumni, parents and friends have whose commitment has advanced for this University and our unwav- the efforts of BC and especially the ering commitment to uphold our Athletic Department. He was prestandards of competitive excellence sented with an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree at and academic achievement.

“Today is a great day for Bos- Commencement in 2010.

Harrington and his wife Mauton College Athletics and we are reen are also BC parents – their grateful to all those who made this children Debra, Brian and Sean all possible, including the Harrington attended Boston College. family.”

–University Communications Well-known for his accomplished career as a baseball ex-

Victoria Reggie Kennedy, president and co-founder of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, will discuss her life, work and faith in a special appearance on April 17 at Boston College.

The widow of US Senator Edward Kennedy, she is senior counsel at the Boston law firm of Greenberg Traurig and has taken leadership roles in a number of political, social and charitable organizations and initiatives, among them the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, Commission on Political Reform, Common Sense About Kids and Guns (of which she is co-founder) and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing

Denis Reggie Photographers

Kennedy Returns to Campus April 17

Victoria Reggie Kennedy

Arts.

Among her previous appearances at BC, Kennedy spoke as

part of the Graduate School of Social Work’s 75th anniversary in 2011, and the following year she spoke at the BC Law Commencement.

“Faith in Friendship: A Conversation with Victoria Reggie Kennedy” – which takes place at 5 p.m. in Gasson 100 – will be held as part of the Church in the 21st Century Center Women’s Voices Series, sponsored by the Council for Women of Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry Women’s Group, and the BC Women’s Center.

Go to www.bc.edu/c21 for the registration link and other information.

–University Communications

Information Session on Schiller Institute April 23

3

Boston College faculty and staff will have the opportunity to learn about the University’s innovative Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society at an information session on April 23 at 4 p.m. in the Devlin Hall Admission Auditorium.

Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, SJ, and Vice Provost for Research Thomas Chiles will speak at the event.

The Schiller Institute will be the centerpiece of a new 150,000 square-foot science facility scheduled for construction beginning in the spring of 2019. Named in honor of BC Trustee Phil Schiller ’82 and his wife, Kim Gassett-Schiller, through a multi-year lead gift totaling $25 million, the institute will create a multi-disciplinary, collaborative research process to address critical societal issues in the areas of energy, health and the environment.

For more about the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, see www.bc.edu/sciences.

–University Communications

Registration Now Open for Diversity & Inclusion Summit Boston College’s third annual Diversity and Inclusion Summit will take place on May 23 in Gasson 100, offering an opportunity for the University community to explore efforts to build and sustain “inclusive excellence,” according to organizers.

Sponsored by the Office for Institutional Diversity, “One Community, Many Perspectives” will feature a keynote by former American Association of Colleges & Universities Vice President Alma Clayton-Pedersen, now CEO of Emeritus Consulting Group.

Also that day will be a panel discussion on best practices in diversity and inclusion, with nationally recognized experts from BC including: Professor of English Min Hyoung Song; Graduate School of Social Work Associate Professor Rocío Calvo, director of the Latino Leadership Initiative; and Alfred Hamilton, program director of the Woods College of Advancing Studies Master of Healthcare Administration program. The discussion moderator will be BCSSW Professor of Macro Practice Tiziana Dearing, co-director of the Center for Social Innovation and founding co-director of the Research in Social, Economic and Environmental Equity (RISE3) collaborative.

Concurrent sessions, exhibits and posters also will be part of

Alma Clayton-Pedersen

the daylong summit.

As AAC&U vice president, Clayton-Pedersen directed major programs and initiatives, including “Making Excellence Inclusive,” and led grant-funded projects such as the Campus Diversity Initiative Evaluation Project, which provided a blueprint for implementing, evaluating and sustaining comprehensive campus diversity work. Since 2010, she has worked at Emeritus Consulting Group, a firm that uses organizational development principles to assist nonprofit, public and education entities in enhancing their effectiveness for the public.

For registration and full summit details, go to www.bc.edu/ offices/diversity.

–University Communications

The Boston College baseball team will host Florida State in the seventh annual ALS Awareness Game at Fenway Park on April 21 at 3 p.m. The game honors former BC captain Pete Frates ’07, whose struggle with ALS has become a national story. Tickets are $10, with proceeds benefiting the Pete Frates Home Health initiative, and include admission to the 10:30 a.m. game between St. John’s Prep and Xaverian. Go to www. redsox.com/alsgame.

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Boston College Announces This Year’s Honorary Degree Recipients

ee from 1982-88, he also was rector of the Jesuit Community – which, during his term, made a $1.5 million gift to help establish the Jesuit Institute. During his tenure as University Secretary, Fr. Duffy oversaw the myriad details involved in Boston College’s annual Commencement Exercises.

A Boston native, Fr. Duffy joined the Society of Jesus in 1944, after his graduation from Boston College High School. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in philosophy, and a licentiate in sacred theology, all from Boston College. He also earned a master’s of science degree and a doctorate from Fordham University.

During his teaching career, which began in 1951 at Fairfield Preparatory School in Conn., he also worked as assistant principal, then as principal, at Cheverus High School in Maine; as principal of Boston College High School, which established a scholarship in his name; and as a lecturer at Fairfield University. He also was superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Manchester, NH, and director of secondary education for the New England Province of the Society of Jesus.

Over the years, Fr. Duffy has been a member of numerous boards, committees and commissions in Jesuit, Catholic and public education; he also serves on the executive committee of BC’s Association of Retired Faculty.

He will receive an honorary Doctor of Science in Education degree.

units.

A Civil War historian, Faust is the author of six books and has been honored with the prestigious Francis Parkman Prize; she also received the Bancroft Prize in 2009 for her most recent book, This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War. In 2011, Faust delivered the inaugural lecture in a series to mark BC’s 150th anniversary and received the first Sesquicentennial Medal, to honor her contributions to higher education.

She will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

Kendall B. Reid Reid has developed some of the most compelling television for HBO Sports over a 27-year television career. She co-produced the 1996 Peabody Awardwinning documentary “Journey of the African American Athlete,” widely acclaimed as the most comprehensive examination of the history of the black athlete in America. She followed that achievement with another Peabody-winning film, “Dare to

Compete: The Struggle of Women in Sports,” which traced the history of American women and their fight for equality in sports.

Shellee Fisher

Lee Pellegrini

Drew Gilpin Faust The Lincoln Professor of History at Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Faust was named the university’s 28th president in July 2007, becoming the first woman to lead the institution.

She will step down from the post this summer.

As president of Harvard, Faust has expanded financial aid to improve access to Harvard College for students of all economic backgrounds and advocated for increased federal funding for scientific research.

In addition, Faust is credited with broadening the university’s international reach, raising the profile of the arts on campus, embracing sustainability, launching the online learning partnership “edX” with MIT, and promoting collaboration across academic disciplines and administrative

Stephanie Mitchell

Continued from page 1 the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome.

Joseph P. Duffy, SJ Fr. Duffy, who served as University Secretary for two decades, has given a lifetime of service to the University.

His BC career began in 1975 as a faculty member in the School of Education. A University trust-

From 2000-03, Reid produced a series of captivating sports documentaries, including “Bill Russell: My Life, My Way,” “A City on Fire: The Story of the ’68 Detroit Tigers,” and “OJ: A Study in Black & White,” followed by the Emmy Award-winning, 12-part documentary series “Legendary Nights,” a riveting collection of the most memorable fights in the 30-year history of HBO Sports Boxing. In 2005, she began producing content for HBO’s newest venture, HBO’s Digital Media. She retired from HBO in 2014, and now resides in Florida.

While at BC, she earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and communications. She is a member of the AHANA Alumni

Advisory Council, the AHANA Executive Committee, and the BC Energy and Environmental Network. Reid also served on the organizing committee for Reconnect, the first-ever reunion of AHANA alumni, held in 2009; she attended Reconnect II in 2016.

Reid will receive an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree.

Alberto Vasallo III Vasallo is president and CEO of El Mundo Boston, the largest Latino newspaper in New England.

Founded in 1972, El Mundo Boston is a Hispanic-owned and operated family business known for its strong commitment to the Latino community in Boston and beyond. El Mundo Boston has evolved beyond its Spanish-

language print newspaper to include a vibrant digital presence and sponsorship of events, prov-

ing itself the premier means of reaching the Hispanic marketplace of New England.

More than 20 years ago, Vasallo partnered with the Boston Red Sox to create Latino Youth Recognition Days at Fenway Park, which have honored more than 1,500 Latino schoolchildren for their academic achievements. In 2004, he launched the El Mundo Latino Career Expo, which has grown to be the largest Latino career fair in New England.

He also established El Mundo Latino Family Festival, an annual event that brings thousands of participants to Fenway Park to celebrate Latino culture. El Mundo Boston also hosts an annual Hispanic Heritage Breakfast, where leaders from the public and private sectors gather to honor the contributions of Latinos.

The son of Latino immigrants, Vasallo graduated from Boston College with a bachelor’s degree in finance. He is a founding member of the Latino Advisory Council of Boston Children’s Hospital Trust and a corporator of Eastern Bank Corporation.

Vasallo’s honors include a Community Service Award from Action for Boston Community Development and the John A. Dinneen, SJ, Hispanic Alumni Community Service Award from Boston College.

He will receive an honorary Doctor of Social Science degree.

1985 Alumna to Speak at Law Graduation Continued from page 1 lent crimes, white-collar crimes, arson and computer crimes at the trial and appellate levels. She has served on the Ninth Circuit Jury Reform Committee.

Yang has a strong background in addressing and resolving problems across the white-collar litigation spectrum, including through corporate and individual representations, internal investigations, crisis management and compliance. The Los Angeles Business Journal has included her in several “best-of” lists: Most Influential Minority Lawyers in Los Angeles (2018); Most Influential Women Lawyers in Los Angeles (2017); Top 500 most influential people in Los Angeles (2016); and one of 27 “stellar attorneys” on the Most Influential Lawyers: White Collar and Cyber Crime list (2015). LawDragon 2016 named her as one of the Top 500 lawyers in the United

Debra Wong Yang JD’85

States.

She has long represented companies, boards, and audit and other committees in internal investigations, compliance-related issues, and criminal investigations regarding the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA),

health care laws, financial controls, trade secrets, and cyber/ data intrusions, among multiple other areas. She was appointed as a corporate compliance monitor on health care matters by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and by the New York State Supreme Court.

Her many honors have included the Anti-Defamation League’s prestigious Deborah Award, in recognition for her “professional and philanthropic dedication to the Los Angeles community”; the Federalist Society LA Chapter “Lawyer of the Year”; the Asian Pacific Bar Association Public Service Award; and inclusion by peers in The Best Lawyers in America.

For details about BC Law Commencement, see www. bc.edu/law.

–Boston College Law School/ University Communications

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle APRIL 12, 2018

Mejía Is 2018 Romero Winner Continued from page 1 minors in Latin American Studies and history, Mejía cites several international experiences that have broadened his horizons and his skill set: a summer studying in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland for The Politics of Self-Rule course; another summer studying abroad in Kuwait, Qatar and United Arab Emirates; Sociology Associate Professor Eve Spangler’s Social Justice in Israel/Palestine course that concluded with an immersion trip to that region.

As director of Social and Political Action within the Organization of Latin American Affairs (OLAA), Mejía has been com-

leadership training program.

By connecting OLAA in innovative ways with the resources available on campus, Mejía said, “I feel like I was able to link academe with activism in ways OLAA hadn’t seen before.”

Mejía credits Undergraduate Admission Associate Director Howard Singer as one of the primary reasons he chose to attend Boston College. He met Singer at a student reception in Manhattan and when Mejía attended Admitted Eagle Day, Singer went out of his way to connect with him and give him a personalized campus tour.

Singer has stayed in touch

firmed that I belong here and I can be my authentic self.”

Last summer, he worked at the West Bronx Housing and Neighborhood Resource Center, helping low-income residents navigate housing and immigration issues. He also was an intern in the East Elmhurst office of NY State Senator José Peralta handling constituent outreach.

“For me, that was a capstone experience to all the academic formation I have had here. I was able to work at a communitybased level with people who were like me and my parents. They didn’t have PhDs or LinkedIn accounts. They weren’t parlia-

“I am not usually one to seek the spotlight, but the Romero Scholarship to me is not a spotlight,” says Jorge Mejía, shown with University President William Leahy, SJ, at the scholarship ceremony. “It’s a reminder of my/our duty as humans – to realize we are agents of history and hold the tools to rectify structures of injustice.”

Photo by Peter Julian

mitted to expanding the perception of OLAA as only a culture club by emphasizing its advocacy potential. Through his outreach, Mejía has been able to connect OLAA with sponsorships and partnerships with organizations such as the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy and the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics.

Last fall, Mejía organized a panel discussion on “Venezuela: The Origins, Development and Future of the Crisis” that brought together prominent economists, a BC international student from Venezuela and a BC student born in Venezuela and raised in the US, to examine the political and economic issues facing the South American country.

As an undergraduate research fellow at the Global Leadership Institute, he organized an intercultural luncheon between BC student leaders and members of the Mexican Police delegation who were participating in GLI’s professional development and

with Mejía throughout his time at BC, hosting lunches for him and other students.

“I see a man who lives up to the Jesuit ideology,” Mejía said of Singer. “He embodies BC’s mission. He has accompanied me since I was a name on a page to being named a scholar.”

Freshman year, Mejía admits, he questioned whether he belonged at BC. In class discussions, it was evident that he didn’t have the same educational foundation as other students.

“I felt so subpar,” said Mejía.

“For inner-city students, it is such a part of our experience, wondering, ‘Am I smart enough?

Do I belong here?’”

But through his courses and his international experiences, his work with OLAA and offices on campus, the tables have turned.

“I can talk in class about my experiences and involvement, and after class kids will approach me saying ‘How did you do that?’

“I think to myself, ‘Really?

You’re asking a kid from the Bronx how I did this?’ It con-

mentarians. They were low-income and received public assistance.”

His formative summer experiences helped him realize “there is a visceral de facto comfort that people feel when they talk with someone who looks like them and sounds like them and is willing to help them.”

Mejía would like to serve as Bronx borough president or a New York State senator someday.

“What do my accomplishments mean if I don’t use it to uplift underserved populations?

It means nothing,” he added.

“Every time I go from Chestnut Hill back to the Bronx, it is jarring. All inner-city students have a guiding mantra: ‘Get out the hood.’ Many do and it’s very tempting. That, for me, wasn’t the option. I couldn’t leave the Bronx behind.”

Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu

LSOE’s Cochran-Smith Chosen for AERA Award

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Marilyn Cochran-Smith, the Cawthorne Professor of Teacher Education for Urban Schools, was named the recipient of the 2018 American Education Research Association’s Division K Legacy Award, which recognizes scholars’ significant and exemplary contributions through research, teaching and professional service in teaching and teacher education.

Cochran-Smith, who served as AERA president from 200405, will receive her award at the worldwide association’s annual meeting in New York City on April 16.

“I am honored to be the recipient of this award recognizing my contributions to teacher education research, practice and policy over many years,” said Cochran-Smith. “It has been a professional pleasure to work in this area with so many LSOE colleagues and doctoral students, many of whom are now teacher education researchers at colleges and universities all over the country.”

“This is such an apt honor for a scholar who is doing such important and consequential work in teaching and teacher education,” said Katherine Schultz, vice president of Division K, and dean of the School of Education at the University of Colorado Boulder.

With more than 25,000 members globally, the Washington, DC-based AERA is the largest and most prominent interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Division K, one of the AERA’s 12 major areas of education research, is focused on the advancement of knowledge within instruction and teacher preparation.

“We’re very pleased that Marilyn will receive this welldeserved recognition,” said Stanton Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, SJ, Dean of the Lynch School of Education. “She is one of the most important experts in the fields of teaching and teacher education, and after all these decades, her work continues to be insightful, innovative and timely.”

Cochran-Smith, who began teaching at LSOE in 1996, has concentrated her research on teachers and teaching, including practice, policy, and teacher education, both domestic and international. Her topic areas of expertise include equity, diver-

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sity, and social justice in teaching and higher education. As teacher evaluation and credentialing have become targets of increasing scrutiny and public pressure in the US and Europe, she has been frequently sought after for her wide-ranging knowledge of assessment in teacher education.

Her extensive engagement at last year’s national AERA conference reflects her deep commitment and dynamic leadership in

Cawthorne Professor Marilyn Cochran-Smith, whose work is described by a colleague as “insightful, innovative and timely.” (Photo

by Lee Pellegrini)

the field. She participated in seven symposia, including “Teacher Education for Equity: National and International Perspectives” and “Getting Accountability Right in Teacher Education.”

The latter featured a discussion of developing democratic accountability standards that Cochran-Smith said would hold teachers “accountable for preparing people to work and live in a democratic society.”

She and longtime research collaborator Susan Lytle of the University of Pennsylvania also co-chaired a symposium that focused on marginalized students, families, and communities.

Cochran-Smith serves as an adjunct professor of education at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and has participated for four years in Project RITE (Rethinking Initial Teacher Education for Equity), a collaborative effort between Boston College and the University of Auckland to develop a theory of teacher learning in the context of initial teacher education.

In the past 30 years, she has written more than 200 books, chapters, and articles about her educational research, including those during her six-year term as editor of the Journal of Teacher Education.

Contact Phil Gloudemans at philip.gloudemans@bc.edu

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A Boston College senior with a unique research perspective on North Korea’s Kim regime is among a select group of New England-area undergraduates invited to participate in a symposium highlighting outstanding scholars that will be held at the eminent Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Jessica Lipton, an art history major in the Art, Art History, and Film Department, will present “Legitimizing and Immortalizing the Kim Family-State: Kumsusan Memorial Palace as Home and Shrine” on April 14 at the Visual Culture Consortium’s Tenth Annual Undergraduate Art History Symposium.

“I’m very excited to present my paper,” Lipton said. “I think it will be a great experience to share my own research in an academic setting.”

Her paper focuses on the North Korean state mausoleum Kumsusan Memorial Palace as an active agent in legitimizing the family-state structure of North Korea, namely the Kim family regime, she explained.

“I am interested in speaking about how architecture, and culture more broadly, can help us grapple with problems of history, memory and political unrest. I’ve been taking courses with [Assistant Professor] Aurelia Campbell relating to East Asian architecture, which led me to be interested in architecture as a field of study.”

Lipton wrote her paper for Divided Korea, a course taught

by Ingu Hwang, Korea Foundation visiting assistant professor in history and international studies.

“I really enjoyed the class, which

Peter Julian

BC Senior to Present Her Research at MFA Forum

Jessica Lipton ’18

is new to BC this year, and found that Korean art and architectural history is not as developed as other regions, giving me the opportunity to write something really original.”

Her work was chosen for the symposium from a competitive pool of 35 other abstracts by a committee of art historians.

“I think presenting my research will be a great step forward in pursuing that path,” said Lipton, who hopes to go to graduate school for art history and perhaps pursue academia as a career.

“BC has prepared me to take the further step towards graduate school. The fine arts department is small, but gives much attention to its students. I feel very supported by the faculty and think that they have provided me with a strong education in art history.”

The Visual Culture Consortium, an association of scholars in art history, architecture, art, and visual studies departments, sponsors the annual symposium with the MFA. The event, which begins at noon in the MFA’s Alfond Auditorium, is free and open to the public. For more information, email ssteck@lesley. edu.

–Rosanne Pellegrini

BC Hosts Poetry Festival on April 18 Undergraduate student poets from some 20 area colleges and universities will read their original poetry at the 2018 Greater Boston Intercollegiate Undergraduate Poetry Festival, to be hosted by Boston College on April 18.

The event, free and open to the public, takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the Yawkey Athletic Center Murray Room.

Jennifer Barber, scholar-in-residence at Suffolk University and founding and current editor of the literary journal Salamander, will begin the festival with a keynote address. Recipient of the 2017 MacDowell Colony Fellowship and 2015 Tenth Gate Prize, Barber is the author of Works on Paper, Given Away and Rigging the Wind. Her poems and stories have appeared in such publications as The New Yorker, Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Upstreet and Post Road.

Each student poet will make a three-minute presentation. Boston College’s representative is Walker Halstad ’18 from Westminster, Md., who submitted “The Elements.” A chapbook of poetry written by participating students is published in conjunction with the event.

For more information, contact Amanda Crowley at crowleag@ bc.edu or call Dan Soyer at ext.2-8928.

–University Communications

Q&A: DONAL RYAN

‘Language & Landscape & Lexicon’ Award-winning Irish novelist Donal Ryan, whose archives were recently acquired by the John J. Burns Library, has an uncommon profile for a successful author.

A Tipperary native who studied civil engineering and law, Ryan pursued a longtime career in Ireland’s civil service, and didn’t take up writing in earnest until about 10 years ago. His first published book, 2012’s The Spinning Heart – which evoked the personal as well as financial cost of Ireland’s recession through the “voices” of 21 characters – won several honors, including the European Union Prize for Literature, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. His subsequent novels, The Thing About December and All We Shall Know, and collection of stories, A Slanting of the Sun, also drew public and critical acclaim.

Ryan finally left his civil service job last year to become a full-time lecturer at the University of Limerick, where he had been a writer-inresidence, and is now preparing for the release of his newest book. He lives in Limerick with his wife Anne Marie – whom he has credited as a muse and sounding board – and their two school-age children.

To mark Burns’ acquisition of his papers and other materials, Ryan came to Boston College earlier this year to give a reading and meet with faculty and students. He spoke with Sean Smith of the Chronicle. [Read the full interview at http://bit.ly/ donal-ryan-bc] Donal, as a writer still early on in your career, what does it mean to you to have your archives housed in a place like the Burns Library?

Ryan: It’s a great relief, actually.

I’ve been collecting stuff for years, and while I’m not a hoarder, I’ve been loath to go through and see what I should get rid of. In the past, I’d never really thought about creating an archive; it seemed like navel-gazing. But I realize the value of having a record of one’s past projects, and to have it maintained at Boston College is a very good feeling.

Actually, I have no memory of writing some of the things in there.

My dad kept my juvenilia for years – thousands of stories and poems, a lot wound up being thrown out accidentally – long before I thought of preserving anything. It’s helpful to look back and see what you thought was important to express, and the mistakes you made. When you’re in the woods you can’t see the trees – as a young person, you tend not to examine anything beyond what’s in the moment.

You didn’t really focus on writing until about 10 years or

Award-winning author Donal Ryan talked with Assoc. Prof. James Smith (English), right, and students during his visit earlier this year. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

so ago, when you began work on what would become The Thing About December. Was there anything in particular that triggered this, or was it a case of just starting something for a lark and then building on the momentum?

Ryan: It was my wife, Anne Marie, recognizing that I needed to fulfill the promise I had made to myself, over and over again – and broken, over and over again – to finish a novel. I was a serial starter and an inveterate quitter when it came to writing. I could never sustain my confidence. I’d burn short stories and half-baked, quarter-finished novel drafts all the time. I lived for years, alone, in a haunted apartment in my 20s, and had nothing but space and time to write, and couldn’t find any traction.

Anne Marie shamed me into it, early in our marriage. I’d say she was sick of listening to my big talk: “Just shut up and do it,” she said.

And she kept the pressure on, page for page, until it was done, and I had a finished novel. The Thing About December was my gift to my wife, a desperate attempt to impress her. It worked, luckily for me.

The Spinning Heart, which you wound up publishing first, reads like an oral history as well as a sort of forensic investigation, and there’s a journalistic dimension, too: the impact of a major event – the Great Recession – on ordinary, and vulnerable, lives.

How did those elements all come together?

Ryan: I jumped straight and blind into polyphony. I’d just finished The Thing About December when I started The Spinning Heart, and felt a bit emotionally exhausted after it. That was an intense book to write, because I inhabited the main character, Johnsey Cunliffe, so completely as I wrote it.

I didn’t think I could sustain that level of involvement again so soon and so I decided to write a chorus of monologues, each character being given a small space to tell their story. It was actually a lot easier to write, and came together very quickly. The voices seemed to clamor and their stories formed easily. I was very much drawing

on familiar things: the language and landscape and lexicon of my native place, of the people I knew and loved.

After The Spinning Heart, you got a lot of attention from the media, but not just about your writing. There was the story about you contacting almost 50 different publishers before being accepted.

Ryan: Well, not all of my inquiries involved submitting a hard copy of the manuscript; sometimes I just sent e-mails. I didn’t always get an actual rejection, either – sometimes it was “We just don’t know if we’re taking on new books right now.” In some cases, I simply didn’t get a response.

Of course, there was an agent in New Jersey who told me, “I’d be embarrassed to submit this.” Or the publishing house that sent me a piece of paper that said, “Sorry, not for us,” and I just knew they hadn’t even read it.

I didn’t think it was at all unusual to have to make all these contacts, though. As far as I knew, it was par for the course in trying to get published.

And then when you went back to your civil service job – before you wound up taking the position at University of Limerick – some of the reporting made it seem like you were destitute.

Ryan: [laughs] “Best-selling author has to go to work to pay bills.” I had been on sabbatical, and planned all along to return to my job, which I happened to like doing. My point was that, even as a writer who had done pretty well so far, I wasn’t a millionaire who could now retire – that’s just not how it works in publishing, especially when you’ve got a wife and two kids plus a mortgage.

In fact, I like having a full-time occupation. It forces you to be disciplined and structured; you have to approach writing as work, not just art. There’s a tendency to think of writing more in artistic terms, but if you invest too much in the artistic side of yourself you may not do what’s necessary to make the book something people will actually want to read: “No, this is my art, I’m not going to change it for anyone.”

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Chronicle APRIL 12, 2018

BOSTON COLLEGE IN THE MEDIA An introduction to new faculty members at Boston College

John Fisher

Senior Lecturer in Marketing Carroll School of Management DEGREES: Marietta College (BA); Boston College (MBA) WHAT HE STUDIES: Strategic brand management, including brand identity, structure, and maintenance; communication platform development and advertising strategies.

WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Strategic Brand Management How has brand management changed over the course of your career in the field? “In comparison to my 30-plus years in the athletic footwear and apparel industry, today’s marketing decision matrix is undeniably far more complex, more challenging, and (often) comes with greater risk; yet marketing management success remains linked to the traditional brand-building principles common to all of the world’s leading brand names. Inasmuch as “brand” is arguably one of the strongest assets on any business’s balance sheet, it becomes essential for tomorrow’s marketers to master a deep understanding coupled with the analytical and practical application skills necessary to build, maintain, remedy, and/or reinvigorate, any brand.”

Drinan Professor of Law George Brown offered comments to the Washington Post on the increasing legal scrutiny of President Trump’s finances.

Assoc. Prof. Gil Manzon (CSOM) was among a group of experts asked by WalletHub.com to weigh in on how well taxpayer dollars turn into government services.

Internationalization perceived solely in terms of mobility across borders ignores the fact that most students and faculty will not have an opportunity to travel, wrote Center for International Higher Education Director Hans de Wit in a piece for University World News.

Interviewed by the Boston Herald, Asst. Prof. Michael Serazio (Communication) discussed the brand boycott facing Fox News’ Laura Ingraham after her criticism of a Florida mass shooting survivor.

Asst. Prof. Kari Hong (Law) spoke with NBC10 about how talk of new border legislation is raising concerns about DACA.

Three surveys underscore that Social Security is a very important source of retirement income and needs to be recognized in any debate about the program’s future,

Lyndon Garrett

Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Carroll School of Management DEGREES: Brigham Young University (BS); University of Michigan (PhD) WHAT HE STUDIES: Social processes of human connection in moments of interaction; how organizations can create contexts that promote the experience of genuine, meaningful and energizing connections.

WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Organizational Behavior What is at risk when organizations fail to appreciate and foster personal connections among employees?

“Most day-to-day interactions among colleagues at work feel somewhat contrived or superficial, which can be very de-energizing.

Organizations are generally not designed to promote human connection; work roles and political dynamics cause us to see others primarily by their roles, not as whole persons, and our interactions are primarily transaction-based. I look for ways that organizations can cultivate moments of high-quality connection in their practices, which are energizing, motivating, and improve workers’ psychological and even physiological health.”

Felix Palazzi

Associate Professor of the Practice School of Theology and Ministry DEGREES: Pontifical Gregorian University (BA, BS, STB, STL, STD) WHAT HE STUDIES: Karl Rahner; systematic theology; anthropology and creation; grace and eschatology; Mariology.

WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Eschatology and the Kingdom of God ​Talk about your outreach to Hispanic Catholics in Boston. “It started three years ago when I was teaching for the Boston Archdiocese. Since that moment, I started to reach the communities in the whole Boston area, visiting parishes to read the gospel, and teaching courses like the Joy of Love and the Book of Revelations. The STM has been a tremendous platform to reach not only the Hispanic communities in Boston and the United States but also the global communities through the online courses. My goal is to work with other Jesuit universities in the world to offer the best education and resources to our communities.”

–Ed Hayward and Kathleen Sullivan Photos by Gary Gilbert and Lee Pellegrini

Famous Anti-War Film to Be Screened April 21 in St. Ignatius The Institute for the Liberal Arts will sponsor a screening of “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” – often regarded as the first anti-war film – in commemoration of the World War I centennial, on April 21 at 7:30 p.m. in St. Ignatius Church. Organist Peter Krasinski will improvise the musical score to the 1921 silent movie, which helped catapult Rudolph Valentino into stardom.

Directed by Rex Ingram, “The Four Horsemen” was based on the Spanish novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez and adapted for the screen by June Mathis.

The screening is free and open to the public.

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wrote Carroll School of Management Drucker Professor Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research, in one of her recent column for Dow Jones MarketWatch; another column discussed public plans and social investments.

International media reported on the gathering April 3-4 of nearly 30 theologians from 10 different countries in Bogota for the second meeting of the Ibero-American Theology Group, launched at Boston College in 2017. The event – a collaborative effort between Boston College, the School of Theology and Ministry and Pontifical Universidad Javeriana’s Faculty of Theology – focused on the pastoral dimension of theology, or the so-called the principle of pastorality, defined by the Second Vatican Council and Pope Francis’ emphasis on theological reflection.

Among the media outlets covering the meeting were Vatican News, Agensir and Periodistadigital.com.

JOBS The following are among the most recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources.

For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/offices/hr: On April 4, the German Studies Department welcomed a group of students and faculty from Katholische Universität Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, a Catholic university in Bavaria, Germany, with whom Boston College has a study-abroad program. The visitors toured campus and heard talks from BC faculty and administrators. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

Alumni Association Honors Distinguished Volunteers The Boston College Alumni Association presented its annual Distinguished Volunteer Awards on April 6 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. This year’s winners were: •David P. O’Connor ’86, P’16, ’18, James F. Cleary Masters Award (for University Advancement volunteers who have distinguished themselves by providing ideas, energy and leadership) •Margaret “Peggy” Fleming Strakosch ’85, P’14, ’16, ’17, William V. McKenney Award (for BC graduates whose outstanding service to a chosen profession, community or cause reflects honor on the University) •Joseph V. Popolo Jr. ’89, P’20, John P. Curley Award (for outstanding volunteers committing time and resources to advance the efforts of Boston College and especially the Athletic Department) •Wynndell G. Bishop ’00, MBA ’07, John J. Griffin Sr. Alumni Association Award (for volunteers whose service contributes the advancement of the academic mission of higher education in the Jesuit tradition) •Elizabeth J. Donahue ’05, MSN’10, Philip J. Callan Sr. Young Alumni Award (for devotion to volunteer service, and to enlistment of others to increase the base of BC volunteers) •Anders Bill ’17 and Katherine F. McNally ’17, James F. Stanton Senior Class Gift Award (for graduates whose work on the Senior Class Gift Committee exemplifies the legacy of Stanton’s efforts to inspire lifelong giving to Boston College) Read more about the award winners at www.bc.edu/alumni/ get_involved/volunteer/volunteer_awards.html.

Campus Minister, University Mission & Ministry Director, Church in the 21st Century Center Assistant Director of Biology Labs, Academic Affairs/Provost Assistant/Associate Director, Leadership Giving, University Advancement Senior Philanthropic Advisor, University Advancement Development Assistant, University Advancement Broadcast Engineer, ACC Network Production Utility Worker, Dining & Catering/Auxiliary/Public Safety Senior Research Librarian/Bibliographer, Academic Affairs/ Provost Strategic Sourcing Officer, Financial/Budget Housing Assignments Specialist, Student Affairs/Residential Life Senior Marketing Campaign Manager, University Advancement Resident Director, Student Affairs/Residential Life Director, International Advancement, University Advancement Senior Middleware Systems Administrator, Information Technology

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“THE ADDAMS FAMILY” April 19-21, Robsham Theater Presented by the BC Dramatics Society

University Community to Celebrate Arts Festival’s Two Decades

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

The Boston College Arts Festival – a popular showcase for the University’s artistic talent – will mark its 20th year with an appearance by special guest and alumni honoree Natalia Majluf ’88, director of the National Gallery of Peru (Museo de Arte de Lima) and an internationally recognized promoter of Latin American artists.

The vibrant, campus-wide event, which takes place April 26-28, will highlight the depth and breadth of campus arts — including music, theater, dance, poetry, film, painting and sculpture — and the creative work of students, faculty and others at BC. The Arts Festival is open to the public and includes a variety of programming for all ages, most free of charge.

Many music and dance performances will take place in the main festival tent on the Plaza at O’Neill Library. The Art Tent and Stokes Lawn are also the site of children’s activities and a smaller stage for more intimate performances, displays and receptions.

“Creating Together,” this year’s festival theme, expresses “the art of culture and togetherness” organizers say has characterized the BC community’s devotion to, and expression of, the arts.

BC SCENES

“For 20 years, the Arts Festival has become the showcase of the growth, breadth and quality of the arts on campus,” said BC Theatre Department Chair and Associate

Student Ambassadors on April 26.

“We are very excited to be bringing an international guest and alumna, Dr. Natalia Majluf, to the festival this year,” Tiala Natalia Majluf ’88 (left) will receive an arts achievement award at the Arts Festival, which also features many student performers (right) as well as activities for children and families (below).

Professor Crystal Tiala, who also chairs Boston College’s Arts Council, which organizes the festival. “It is a spectacular showing of talent, creativity, and hard work all for the love of being part of the arts on campus. Come and enjoy the traditional, and some new programming, as well as an exciting new look inside our main tent.”

Tiala pointed to the visit by Majluf – who will participate in special Arts Festival programming and receive an alumni arts achievement award – as a festival highlight.

Majluf will discuss her career with Professor of Art History and McMullen Museum of Art Director Nancy Netzer at “Inside the BC Studio,” on April 27 at 2 p.m. in the Stokes Art Tent. She also will visit the McMullen Museum of Art and meet with the museum’s

added. “She is a world-renowned art historian, scholar and curator.

Moreover, she is an advocate for culturally relevant works of art that preserve local culture and history.

Dr. Majluf will bring a fascinating perspective on art to the Boston College community.”

During her tenure as director of the Museo de Arte de Lima (she also served as head curator), Majluf has overseen renovation of the historic building that houses the museum and has been responsible for expansion of its collections.

An accomplished art historian, Majluf has curated exhibitions, lectured and published widely on 19th- and 20th-century Latin American art. She held the Getty Curatorial Research Fellowship and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship, as well as fellowships at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual

Arts in Washington, DC, and the University of Cambridge. In addition to her art history degree from BC, Majluf holds a master’s degree from the New York University Institute of Fine Arts and a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.

In addition to Majluf, the University community will recognize artistic accomplishments and contributions of BC students and faculty on April 27 at 4 p.m. in Stokes Art Tent (a reception follows in the Faculty Dining Room).

This year’s faculty honorees are Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom – internationally acclaimed, married art historians who hold the Norma Jean Calderwood University Professorship in Islamic and Asian Art in BC’s Art, Art History, and Film Studies Department.

Activities for children and families will be held on April 28 from noon to 4 p.m., including a production of Alex Gaynor “The Little Mermaid” performed by BC students in the Theatre for Youth Class, and “From Film to Broadway:

The Songs of Disney,” a children’s musical and theater performance by the Chamber Music Society. There also will be arts and crafts and face painting.

Other Arts Festival events and activities include: •Cultural Showcase: This spotlight event showcases performances that demonstrate the range of cultural expression in Lee Pellegrini BC’s artistic community. Groups will present dances and musical performances in a variety of genres, as well as literary readings.

•Film events: Screenings include “Licorice” and “Smoke Grenade” and Q&As with, respectively, directors Gautam Chopra and Joe LaRocca, part-time faculty members at BC. •Got trash?: Students in the course Easy Being Green? Waste, Consumption and Environmental Justice in the 21st Century will display five installations as part of a project aimed at increasing awareness of environmental inequalities and inspiring creative interdisciplinary communication that empowers conversation and engagement.

•BC’s Best: Student musicians – winners of the “Battle of the Bands” and “Singer Songwriter” competitions – perform original works in a variety of genres.

All Arts Festival-related information and links can be found at www.bc.edu/artsfestival.

Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu

BEING MINDFUL Boston College hosted the ACC Meeting of the Minds conference on April 6-8, one of the signature annual events of the ACC Academic Consortium, which highlights academic excellence among the 15 Atlantic Coast Conference members.

Undergraduate student researchers from each university – including BC’s Cole Tamburri ’20 (far left) – gave presentations at speaking and poster sessions in Higgins Hall. Below, senior Stephen Gleason chatted with University of Pittsburgh students Rachel White (left) and Tara Taheri.

Photos by Frank Curran