Boston College Chronicle

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Page 3

Page 5

Page 6

Partnering up

Bellarmine Award

Boston College signs memorandum of understanding for partnership with the Jesuit Refugee Service.

Forgiveness

Philosophy Prof. Patrick Byrne, founder of the PULSE Program, to receive annual faculty honor.

BC doctoral student Marcel Uwineza, S.J., a survivor of the genocide in Rwanda, found the strength through his faith to build a new life.

APRIL 25, 2019 VOL. 26 NO. 16

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

COMMENCEMENT 2019

International Catholic Ed. Leader to Address Class of ’19 University also will honor Dan Bunch, Robert Farrell, S.J., Thomas O’Malley, and Marilynne Robinson

BY THE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Isabel Capeloa Gil, a passionate leader in international Catholic higher education who believes global engagement can advance stronger values for a more equitable world, will address the Boston College Class of 2019 at the University’s 143rd Commencement Exercises on May 20.

University President William P. Leahy, S.J., will present Gil—the first female president of the International Federation of Catholic Universities—with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters 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 2019 website, www.

bc.edu/commencement.]

In addition, the University will present honorary degrees to: retired Boston College administrator Dan Bunch ’79, BCSSW ’81; former assistant dean and professor Rev. Robert D. Farrell, S.J., MA ’58, STM ’65; benefactor and former Boston College Trustee Thomas D. O’Malley P ’87, P ’89, P ’00; and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson.

Some 4,000 Boston College students will receive their undergraduate and graduate degrees at separate ceremonies held around campus after the main Commencement event.

Isabel Capeloa Gil Gil, rector of Catholic University of Portugal (UCP), last year became the first woman elected president of the Interna-

Isabel Capeloa Gil

tional Federation of Catholic Universities, an organization of more than 200 Catholic higher education institutions around the world. Promoting research as well as experience and skill exchange, IFCU—which will hold its next general assembly at Boston College in 2021—contributes to the development of Catholic higher education and assertion of its unique identity. Last fall, she represented UCP at the launching of the Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities, whose members include BC. A childhood spent in China helped spark Gil’s interest in researching issues of diversity and conflict and structuring her work around the exploration of the disciplinary boundaries between literature, the arts, and other disciplines. As a professor Continued on page 4

Congressman/Alumnus Scott University to Hold Info Session on Schiller Institute Construction Project to Speak at BC Law Graduation

Boston College will hold an informational session on April 30 at 3:30 p.m. in Devlin 110 to provide details on the upcoming construction of the new science facility housing the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, and how it will affect traffic, parking, and other aspects of campus life.

Work on the 150,000-square-foot science building will begin shortly after this year’s Commencement. The facility, slated to open in 2021, will be built on the site adjacent to Higgins Hall now occupied by Cushing Hall.

The session will feature remarks by Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean

Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning Thomas Chiles, Vice President for Facilities Management Daniel Bourque, Associate Vice President for Capital Projects Management Mary Nardone, and Senior Construction Project Manager Thomas Runyon.

As the new facility’s cornerstone, the Schiller Institute will create a multi-disciplinary, collaborative research process to address critical societal issues in the areas of energy, health, and the environment.

More information about the institute is available at www.bc.edu/schiller.

–University Communications

U.S. Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott JD’73 (D-Va.), who in 2010 was recognized

by The Hill as one of the top 25 hardestworking members of Congress, will address the Boston College Law School 2019 graduates at the school’s Commencement Exercises on May 24 in Conte Forum.

Scott has represented Virginia’s third congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1993. His election earned him the distinction of being the first African-American elected to Congress from Virginia since Reconstruction and only the second African-American elected to Congress in the state’s history. He also is the first American with Filipino ancestry to

U.S. Rep. Robert “Bobby” Scott JD’73

serve as a voting member of Congress.

“Congressman Scott has served in many leadership roles and his public service

Continued on page 5

REMINDER: ARTS FESTIVAL The annual Boston College Arts Festival kicks off today at noon with a full slate of events and activities that will last through Saturday.

For schedules and other details, see www.bc.edu/artsfestival.

ADDRESS GOES HERE

Chronicle

2

April 25, 2019

Around Campus

C21 Introduces Faith Feeds Program The Church in the 21st Century Center at Boston College has announced a new program for Catholics interested in connecting with one another for a powerful faith conversation over a shared meal or just a cup of coffee.

C21’s Faith Feeds is a newly launched initiative that brings together small groups of Catholics in parishes to enjoy fellowship through a shared reading and discussion.

The Faith Feeds Guide provides step-bystep instructions for the host on how to put together the gathering, which typically has eight to 10 people and includes a potluck meal or simply coffee. The guide, which can be downloaded from the C21 website [www. bc.edu/c21], provides a collection of essays for participants to read that form the touchstone for conversation.

The guide also includes questions the host can use to facilitate discussion. The essays are selected articles from the center’s magazine, C21 Resources. The current Faith Feeds Guide feature essays on the themes of friendship, the Eucharist, and family. Future guides will include essays with themes such as sacraments, handing on the faith, intimacy, and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition.

While each Faith Feeds session meets only for an hour or two, participants can opt to participate in other Faith Feeds conversations

Snapshot

PHOTOS BY LEE PELLEGRINI AND YITING CHEN

Great Outdoors

Karen Kiefer

photo by gary wayne gilbert

April, inconsistent though its weather may be, invariably sees an uptick in outdoor campus events at the University. At right, the April 12 Earth Day Fair on Stokes Lawn, included a demonstration by the Bike BC Club of a bicycle-powered blender, set up by members Ben Li ’19 and Victoria Lyu ’19; Elizabeth Pacelle ’19 supplied the pedal power.

or host one of their own.

“We crave opportunities to meet fellow Catholics and share our faith in community and through conversation,” said C21 Director Karen Kiefer. “This model offers that and more, especially for those who can’t make a longer commitment, and it is parishioner led.

“It is a simple format that provides a powerful return. People find strength and solidarity in gathering together. We are hoping that, in the future, Catholics across the country will host Faith Feeds in parishes, classrooms, dormitories, retreat centers, homes, and in other places where having a faith conversation is as easy as setting a table.”

—Kathleen Sullivan

On April 7, the McMullen Museum of Art sponsored a “Kids and Families” event that included an egg hunt (left), basket-decorating, and other arts and crafts.

‘Her Commitment Was Unwavering’: Campus School’s Slattery to Depart Carol Slattery has been business manager for the Boston College Campus School for almost as long as it’s been on the BC campus, but after 40 years of dedicated service, she’ll be retiring at the end of the academic year.

The Campus School, housed in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, provides specialized educational and therapeutic services for children ages three to 21 with multiple disabilities.

The many photos of Campus School students adorning Slattery’s office reflect her love for the school and what she will miss in her retirement.

“It is the Campus School students, BC students, therapists, and staff here who have encouraged me to stay and work with everyone towards the school’s mission,” said Slattery of her long tenure. “I look forward to coming to work every day and I am going to miss everyone here, I really am.”

Slattery originally began working in BC’s Special Education Department but was encouraged by her colleague John Eichorn, ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Jack Dunn SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

co-founder of the Campus School—which opened in 1970—to apply for the job of managing financial operations for the school and the BC Supported Employment program, which provides employment opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities.

In her role, Slattery has to navigate University and state guidelines and work with some 30 cities and towns that contract with BC to provide services for their students. But colleagues say her impact went far beyond these responsibilities.

“Carol worked tirelessly for the programs, staff, students, clients, and families” said former Campus School director Donald Ricciato, now a part-time Lynch School faculty member. “Her commitment was unwavering. She is the epitome of someone who works outside of her job description. She did whatever was needed for the good of the programs—that is her hallmark.”

Campus School co-founder Philip DiMattia echoed Ricciato’s sentiments: “Carol was

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Chronicle

PHOTOGRAPHERS

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

Sean Smith

Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini Peter Julian

She also will continue to encourage members of the University community, or anyone else, to visit and get to know the Campus School [www.bc.edu/campusschool]. “And if anyone was ever thinking about where to make a donation, the Campus School would be a good choice.”

—Christine Balquist

Carol Slattery says she’ll miss “the Campus School students, BC students, therapists, and staff here who have encouraged me” when she retires. 2016 photo by tony rinaldo

Christine Balquist Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan

Patricia Delaney EDITOR

more than the fiscal administrator. She found time to engage staff and students in a caring and meaningful way. She knew every student by name and all staff as well.”

Slattery said she looks forward to spending time with her family and doing some travelling, but plans to keep attending the Campus School semi-formal dance she has organized every year during her career.

The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (617)552-3350.

Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus.

Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135.

A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail.

Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.

Chronicle

April 25, 2019

3

A Matter of Safety Boston College researchers see link between strict gun laws and safer public schools

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

A recent study led by Boston College School of Social Work Associate Professor Summer Sherburne Hawkins and Economics Department Chair Christopher F. Baum found that public schools located in states with stricter gun laws are safer, a link not previously uncovered.

The research, titled “Gun Laws and School Safety,” and recently published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, revealed that among the 1.3 million school discipline incidents reported nationally during the 2013-14 academic year, one in 20 was related to weapon possession. However, tougher state gun legislation was associated with teens experiencing fewer threats or gun-related injuries at school and fewer fear-motivated absences, and less likelihood of teens carrying a weapon.

Data were gleaned from more than 900,000 high school students in 45 states who participated in national surveys between 1999-2015, reported Baum, who is

“One of the study’s most important findings is that students felt less safe at schools in states with weaker gun laws.

This effect was relevant for the entire study sample, and individually across gender and racial/ethnic categories.”

–Christopher Baum

“With the prevalence of weapon threats and fights at school decreasing only slightly, and the percentage of students who miss school on the rise, school safety represents a policy priority across the fields of health and education.”

–Summer Sherburne Hawkins photos by peter julian

a professor of economics and social work.

“One of the study’s most important findings is that students felt less safe at schools in states with weaker gun laws,” said Baum. “This effect was relevant for

the entire study sample, and individually across gender and racial/ethnic categories.”

Co-author Marco Ghiani PhD ’18 noted that the team’s findings highlight the fact that during the last 20 years, gun

control laws were weakened in 17 states, which may result in teens’ increased access to weapons and higher levels of school violence.

“Overall, weapon carrying was more common among white students compared with black and Hispanic students, while perceived threats were less common among white students compared with other racial/ ethnic groups,” said Hawkins. “Stricter gun laws were more strongly associated with lower rates of weapon carrying among male students compared with female students.

Black students were more likely to carry weapons at school specifically in response to a strengthening in gun laws, but this may indicate a replacement for a firearm.

“With the prevalence of weapon threats and fights at school decreasing only slightly, and the percentage of students who miss school on the rise, school safety represents a policy priority across the fields of health and education,” added Hawkins.

“Gun Laws and School Safety” is available to read at: dx.doi.org/10.1136/jech-2018-211246.

BC, Jesuit Refugee Service in Partnership

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

Boston College will collaborate with the Jesuit Refugee Service—a Rome-based international Catholic relief and human services organization operating in more than 50 countries—to develop programs and activities aimed at improving the quality of life and care of refugees and forcibly displaced persons in areas of the world where JRS is involved.

University President William P. Leahy, S.J., and JRS International Director Thomas H. Smolich, S.J., signed a three-year memorandum of understanding to affirm the partnership on April 12 at a ceremony in Simboli Hall. Also attending were BC School of Social Work Dean Gautam Yadama, who signed a sub-agreement with the JRS on behalf of his school, and School of Theology and Ministry Dean Thomas Stegman, S.J.—whose school is discussing a similar sub-agreement with JRS—as well as other BC faculty and administrators and JRS representatives.

The BC-JRS partnership will include joint research and consultancy, mutual provision of educational and experiential services, production of academic materials and publications, and awareness-raising campaigns for the benefit of refugees in the care of JRS. JRS was founded in 1980 by thenSuperior General of the Society of Jesus Pedro Arrupe, S.J., and officially registered as a foundation of the Vatican City State in 2000. Its programs and initiatives are in the areas of education, emergency as-

University President William P. Leahy, S.J., right, and Jesuit Refugee Service International Director Thomas H. Smolich, S.J., signed a three-year memorandum of understanding earlier this month. Looking on is BC School of Social Work Dean Gautam Yadama, who signed a subagreement with JRS on behalf of his school. photo by lee pellegrini

sistance, health care, livelihoods, reconciliation, psychosocial support, advocacy and human rights work.

As speakers at the ceremony noted, the memorandum builds on, and formalizes, a longstanding association between BC and the JRS: Over the years, the organization has developed ties to STM, BCSSW, the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, BC Law School, and Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences through various initiatives involving administrators,

faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Among those present at the April 12 event was Sister Maryanne Loughry, who chairs the JRS Staff Care Advisory Board and has been a visiting professor at BCSSW for more than a decade.

In his remarks, Fr. Leahy said a dedicated partnership with JRS was important in the context of BC’s Strategic Plan, which calls for the University to broaden its international presence and impact.

“BC’s relationship with JRS has already

been fruitful,” he said. “This memorandum of understanding provides a valuable connection between both institutions, and for BC, a further manifestation of our international commitment.”

Turning to Fr. Smolich, Fr. Leahy added jovially, “Let’s partner up.”

“Being associated with BC helps us raise our game,” said Fr. Smolich. “It will help extend awareness of JRS, and create or expand interest in our work. JRS shares in the mission of the Society of Jesus and Boston College to build faith and promote justice, through study, reflection, service, and action.”

Vice Provost for Global Engagement Alberto Godenzi, who formally opened the signing ceremony, hailed the multiple ties between BC and JRS: “The best partnerships are bottom-up. There have been many lines of contact over the years between BC and JRS, and this memorandum of understanding codifies these affiliations on an institutional level.”

BC-JRS collaborations have included more than 30 BCSSW field placements in which students have provided therapy for trauma survivors in Malawi, taught job skills to asylum seekers in South Africa, and helped resettle refugees in Portugal; Lynch School Professor Dennis Shirley’s work with the JRS Global Education Initiative, which seeks to educate displaced children; and a conference co-sponsored with BC’s Center for Human Rights and International Justice that brought together JRS staff with BC theologians to discuss the moral, theological, and spiritual values guiding work with refugees.

Chronicle

4

April 25, 2019

COMMENCEMENT 2019

Five to Receive Honorary Degrees Continued from page 1

of culture studies at the UCP School of Human Sciences, Gil has written, co-authored, and co-edited more than 180 publications, her works encompassing cultural theory, inter-art studies, visual culture, and culture and conflict. She also weighs in on academic, social, and political issues on Twitter (@CapeloaGil).

She was a founding member and is a senior researcher at the Research Centre for Communication and Culture, where she coordinates the research group Culture, Art and Conflict. Fluent in five languages, Gil has held numerous visiting professorships at prestigious universities such as LMU (Munich), Hamburg University, Ca’Foscari University (Venice), the Houston School of Film at the National University of Ireland, PUC Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and USJ (China). She was a visiting fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg (Berlin) and Stanford’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. Her honors include a Fulbright Fellowship, and DAAD, FLAD, and Gulbenkian scholarships.

alec soth magnum photos

the Office of the Provost, the Division of University Mission and Ministry and the Office of Human Resources to foster student formation and inclusive excellence.

Bunch has contributed to the University as an advisor to the Black Student Forum, a former chair and member of the Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators Association, a founding member and former treasurer of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarship Committee, and as a member of the AHANA Alumni Council.

He also co-founded Dedicated Intellectuals of the People, a group of AHANA men dedicated to character-building, and Concerned Black Men of Massachusetts, a nonprofit mentoring organization.

Bunch earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1979 and master of social work degree in 1981, both from BC. He was the 2015 recipient of the Boston College Community Service Award.

Bunch will receive an honorary Doctor of Social Sciences degree.

During his years at BC, Fr. Farrell has stayed true to his regional roots, teaching a course focusing on New England writers Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Mary Rowlandson, whose captivity narrative from the 17th-century King Philip’s War was America’s first best seller.

In 2003, a scholarship fund at the Woods College to support local part-time students was established and named for Fr. Farrell.

Fr. Farrell will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

photos of bunch, fr. farrell by lee pellegrini

Dan Bunch Dan Bunch, who served as director of Boston College’s Learning to Learn program for 30 years, has helped generations of young people achieve their potential through his mentorship and advocacy.

In 1987, five years after his BC career began, Bunch became director of Learning to Learn, a program designed to provide students with the learning skills and problem-solving techniques they need to succeed in college. Learning to Learn’s support can be especially vital for first-generation college students, students with high financial need or a learning or physical disability.

Designated as an Exemplary Program by the U.S. Department of Education, Learning to Learn has been adopted by more than 100 colleges across the country.

After retiring from the University in 2017, Bunch returned to the Heights as special assistant to the vice president of student affairs, helping with outreach to AHANA students. He also worked with

Robert D. Farrell, S.J. Robert D. Farrell, S.J., joined the Boston College faculty in 1990 to teach writing in the Woods College of Advancing Studies. It was the ultimate stop in a vocation of faith, service, and ministry that included a fair measure of adventure.

A native of Leominster, Mass., Fr. Farrell entered the Society of Jesus in 1951. In 1958, he was sent to teach for three years at Baghdad College, an all-boy’s Jesuit high school in the capital of Iraq.

Before joining the faculty at Boston College, Fr. Farrell taught English at Shadowbrook Novitiate and Cranwell School in Lenox, Mass.; the University of Manitoba in Canada; and Cheverus High School in Portland, Me. He is a former assistant dean of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.

Thomas D. O’Malley Born to a working-class family in Staten Island, Thomas D. O’Malley, who paid for his college education through a series of jobs including taxi and school bus driver, cafeteria worker and lifeguard, has a long history of philanthropic and non-profit organization involvement. The parent of three BC graduates, O’Malley cumulatively served as a BC trustee and trustee associate for 14 years. In 2015, his family foundation established the O’Malley Family Athletic Endowed Scholarship Fund for BC student-athletes.

The former vice chair of the investment banking firm Salomon Brothers, and a long-time senior executive in the independent energy business, O’Malley and his wife, Mary Alice, are the most generous donors in Manhattan College’s history. The Catholic institution’s School of Business was re-named in their honor, preceded by leadership gifts to build the O’Malley Library and support the construction of the Student Commons. A 1963 Manhattan College graduate, he served as chair of the university’s board of trustees for seven years, and as a trustee for 15 years.

Recently, the O’Malleys funded Trinity Catholic High School scholarships for children of Stamford, Conn., police officers, firefighters, and nurses, and the couple was honored for their volunteerism, leadership, and philanthropy in support of Greenwich (Conn.) Hospital.

O’Malley will receive an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree.

Marilynne Robinson American novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson was awarded a 2012 National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama for “her grace and intelligence in writing.” She has received numerous other prestigious awards during her distinguished career, including the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction in 2016, as well as the Dayton Peace Prize’s Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award.

In 2013, she was awarded South Korea’s Pak Kyong-ni Prize for her contribution to international literature. Robinson is the author of Lila—one of her four acclaimed novels—which was a finalist for the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award; Gilead, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award; and Home, winner of the Orange Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and a finalist for the National Book Award. Her first novel, Housekeeping, won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award and was a 1982 Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Robinson’s nonfiction books include What Are We Doing Here?, The Givenness of Things, When I Was a Child I Read Books, Absence of Mind, The Death of Adam, and Mother Country, which was nominated for a National Book Award. Professor emeritus at the University of Iowa, Robinson taught at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop for 25 years. She did her undergraduate work at Pembroke College, the former women’s college at Brown University; she received a bachelor’s degree in 1966, and earned her doctoral degree in English in 1977 from the University of Washington.

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

Commencement information available at www.bc.edu/commencement

Chronicle

April 25, 2019

5

PULSE Founder Will Receive Bellarmine Award which led to formation of BC’s Intersections program. Among many other campus roles, he served as co-chair of the Task Force on Undergraduate Student Formation (part of the University Academic Planning Council) from 1996-97, and since 1991 has served as the University’s representative to Lilly Fellows Program in Faith, Humanities and the Arts.

In 2017, the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, New England Region presented him with

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

During his distinguished tenure at Boston College, Professor of Philosophy Patrick Byrne has served the University in myriad ways, such as founding one of its signature academic initiatives.

Byrne was the guiding force behind the PULSE service learning program, which educates students for social justice. He served as inaugural director from 1969 to 1972 (and as interim director in 2013-14), and has taught in PULSE for more than four decades. The program will reach the half-century mark during the 2019-20 academic year.

In recognition of his exemplary, longterm dedication to the mission of the University, he will receive the 2019 Saint Robert Bellarmine, S.J., Award. The faculty honor will be presented to Byrne by BC President William P. Leahy, S.J., at the University Commencement Exercises on May 20.

Named for a cardinal and influential Jesuit professor, the award was introduced last year; its inaugural recipient was Rattigan Professor of English Mary Crane, director of the Institute for the Liberal Arts.

“Our faculty, as teachers and scholars, play a critical role in animating and embodying Boston College’s distinctive mission,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “Joining Mary Crane, last year’s worthy inaugural honoree, Pat Byrne has long inspired his students and faculty colleagues with a passionate commitment to the Jesuit, Catholic dimensions of the University’s mission.”

When he learned from Quigley that he would receive the honor, Byrne said he was overwhelmed and profoundly grateful to all involved in the decision.

“Boston College is dear to me, and it means so much to have the institution I love say that I have contributed to it,” said Byrne, who—other than during his doc-

the Madonna Della Strada Award in recognition of his founding of PULSE. The group’s highest honor, it is presented to those who embody the Jesuit tradition of direct service to the poor, and of working and educating for a more just society.

The presentation of the award to Byrne at Commencement will coincide with the 50th anniversary of his graduation from the University in 1969, with a bachelor of science degree in physics.

‘Making Learning Visible’ Is Theme of May 6 Excellence in Teaching Day Patrick Byrne

photo by aran kessler

toral degree studies at SUNY-Stonybrook from 1972-75—has been at BC since he arrived as a freshman in 1965.

“I believe in every part of the University’s mission: educating the whole person— intellectually, ethically, and spiritually; pursuit of the highest standards of research, scholarship and teaching; contributing to a more just society and world; the mutually illuminating relationship between religious faith and free intellectual inquiry.

“My efforts to contribute to each of these dimensions has enriched my life enormously. Working with people at Boston College to achieve these goals has also given me scores of the best friends a person could have.”

A Philosophy Department faculty member since 1975, Byrne served as chairman from 2003-2010, and has directed BC’s Lonergan Institute since 2011. The associate director of the Jesuit Institute from 1997-2001, Byrne also was a member of the University Core Development and Core Renewal committees from 19912019, and a 10-year committee member for the Lilly Endowment Planning Grant on Undergraduate Student Vocations,

The annual Excellence in Teaching Day, which takes place on May 6, will feature speakers and breakout sessions focused on the challenge of “Making Learning Visible” in the classroom.

This year’s program is intended to help faculty consider how they design courses—assessments, class activities, exams, lectures—so that both instructors and students can identify and gauge the learning happening in their classes, say organizers.

As the University Council on Learning Outcomes works with faculty to build a more robust culture of assessment, faculty have the opportunity to shape the role that assessment plays in student learning.

The morning program will be devoted to breakout sessions and posters showcasing BC faculty’s innovative work in the classroom. Among the session topics are “Mapping for Learning: Insights from the Libraries GIS Faculty Cohort”; “Authentic Assignments: Helping Novices Think Like Experts”; “Disciplinary Approaches to Constructive Disagreement”; and “Developing Brains, Developing Lives: Promoting Student Well-being in the Classroom.”

University of Alabama Professor Claire Major will present the keynote, “Every

Teacher a Teacher-Scholar: Learning Assessment as a Way to Build Teacher Knowledge of Effective Teaching,” at 1:30 p.m. in McGuinn 121. She will also lead a breakout workshop in the morning focused on assessment in Core Curriculum courses. A professor of higher education, Major teaches courses on college teaching and technology in higher education and has authored several teaching guides for faculty.

Stacy Grooters, director of faculty programs at the Center for Teaching Excellence—which organizes the event— said the choice of “Making Learning Visible” as this year’s theme reflects Boston College’s push “for more meaningful assessment of student learning,” as evidenced by the work of the University Council on Learning Outcomes. She praised Major as “a leading thinker on evidence-based instruction and classroom assessment.”

For more information or to register for Excellence in Teaching Day programs, go to the CTE website at https:// www.bc.edu/cte.

—Ed Hayward

BC Law Commencement Set for May 24 Continued from page 1

record is exemplary,” said BC Law Dean Vincent Rougeau. “We are honored to have someone of his stature as a member of our alumni community. His is a voice of reason and compassion in a troubled world. He will bring a unique perspective to our graduating students and their guests.”

The current chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, Scott is advancing an agenda to improve equity in education, free students from the burdens of crippling debt, protect and expand access to affordable health care, ensure workers have a safe workplace where they can earn a living wage free from discrimination, and guarantee seniors a secure and dignified retirement.

From 2015-18, he was the ranking

member of what was then the Committee on Education and the Workforce and developed a strong record of working across the aisle to pass critical legislation. He was one of the four primary authors of the 2015 Every Student Succeeds Act, which reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act for the first time in 13 years and replaced the No Child Left Behind Act. In recent years, he worked to secure passage of legislation to reform and update the nation’s career and technical education system, as well as the juvenile justice system, bills which were both signed into law

by President Donald Trump. The latter act contained core tenets of Scott’s Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support, and

Education (Youth PROMISE) Act, which he had introduced in every Congress since 2007.

As a part of his effort to provide universal health care for all, prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Scott sponsored the All Healthy Children Act, which ensured a comprehensive set of health care services for uninsured children.

Scott also serves on the Committee on the Budget, where he is a leading voice on fiscal policy and reducing the deficit. He protected the right of all children with disabilities in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and fought efforts to permit employment discrimination in federally funded programs. Scott opposed passage of the USA PATRIOT Act, and has criticized both Republican and Democratic Adminis-

trations’ misuse of surveillance authorities.

Scott sponsored the Death in Custody Reporting Act and led efforts in the House to pass the Fair Sentencing Act, one of the first successful reductions in a mandatory minimum sentence in decades, and coauthored the Safe, Accountable, Fair, and Effective (SAFE) Justice Act, which has been recognized as one of the most comprehensive criminal justice reform bills in a generation.

A native of Washington, D.C., Scott is a graduate of Harvard College as well as BC Law. Before his election to Congress, he was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1978 to 1983 and the Senate of Virginia from 1983 to 1993.

—Boston College Law School

Chronicle

6

April 25, 2019

New Partnerships Strengthen, Diversify the Work of University’s Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies

BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

This past year has seen the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies at Boston College forge new partnerships—on campus and around the globe—to advance its mission to deepen the appreciation and knowledge of the history, spirituality, and pedagogy of the Society of Jesus, according to University Vice President and IAJS Director Casey Beaumier, S.J. Fortified by these collaborations, the institute released a new digital bibliography last month and in June will host its fifth annual International Symposium on Jesuit Studies.

The Jesuit Online Bibliography [jesuitonlinebibliography.bc.edu] is an openaccess, searchable database of 21st-century Jesuit Studies scholarship that provides the records, abstracts, subject categories, and direct links to books, chapters, articles, reviews, dissertations, and other materials related to the study of Jesuit history, spirituality, educational heritage, and pedagogy.

Developed and hosted by Boston College Libraries, the Jesuit Online Bibliography is a joint project among three founding institutions: the IAJS, the Archives of the Jesuit General Curia in Rome, and the Jesuitica Project of the University of Leuven, Belgium. Additional Jesuit archives, institutions, and research centers are joining the project as well.

The bibliography is an example of IAJS’ renewed spirit of collegiality in a global context, noted Fr. Beaumier, who also serves as University Secretary. “Jesuit history centers, Jesuit colleges and universities, and Jesuit high schools feel invited to be a part of this important work that the institute does through Boston College.”

IAJS Director Casey Beaumier, S.J., speaking at Laetare Sunday. photo by rose lincoln

“In joining together with Belgium and Rome, this curated collection is better able to magnify and amplify scholarship, while also reducing overlapping work,” said IAJS Associate Director Seth Meehan, who serves as executive editor of the bibliography and oversaw the bibliography project with IAJS Research Scholar Cristiano Casalini.

A previous version of the database was housed by an outside publisher, but this new bibliography resource was designed and customized by staff from BC Libraries using open source technology—a significant project that took some 600 hours to complete.

Fr. Beaumier and Meehan had high praise for the talent and expertise of BC Libraries’ digital scholarship team that created the database. Led by Senior Digital Scholarship Librarian Anna Kijas, the team

included: Jesse Martinez, Ben Florin, Sarah DeLorme, John O’Connor, and Margaret Critch.

According to Casalini, the bibliography will serve researchers looking for secondary source materials and conference papers as well as publishing houses and institutions seeking an outlet for their scholarship.

Researchers will be able to use the database citations to connect with other researchers in the field.

This year’s International Symposium on Jesuit Studies, “Engaging Sources: The Tradition and Future of Collecting History in the Society of Jesus,” which runs June 11-13, has drawn the greatest number of submissions ever for this series. Crossing thematic, chronological, and disciplinary boundaries, the event has featured scholarly presentations on topics such as the distinctiveness of Jesuits and their ministries and the encounters between Jesuits and Protestants in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

According to organizers, since its founding, the Society of Jesus has emphasized the importance of record-keeping—of corresponding, circulating, and preserving Jesuit materials from around the globe. As a result, this distinctive archival mentality has yielded immensely important source materials that have contributed to the ongoing collective history of the Society of Jesus and its self-understanding as a religious order. Thriving over time, a multitude of Jesuit sources stand today as unique perspectives, or Jesuit windows to history.

Some 70 scholars from around the world will present at the symposium, examining this engagement with sources, both its continuing tradition and its preservation and dissemination.

Simon Ditchfield, professor of Early History at the University of York (UK),

will deliver the keynote address. Burns Librarian Christian Dupont will chair a plenary session on “Jesuit Libraries of the Past, Present, and Future.”

In addition to Fr. Beaumier, Meehan, and Casalini, other BC-affiliated participants will include: Claude Pavur, S.J., Aislinn Muller, and Elisa Frei of IAJS, and André Brouillette, S.J., of the School of Theology and Ministry.

Casalini said the international symposia and the new online courses offered this past year through the institute promote Jesuit scholarship with an emphasis on a global perspective.

Other recent bridge-building IAJS endeavors include the Jesuit Studies Café, a monthly event that features a scholar presenting on a topic, followed by a Q&A with audience members. While attendees can come to the institute’s library to take part in the café, many presenters and audience members participate via Zoom video conferencing. Meehan noted that café presenters and participants have represented the U.S. and beyond, including Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.

For Meehan, all IAJS projects are rooted in a “dynamic collaboration” that has had a major influence on the institute’s outreach and mission of advancing Jesuit studies.

“BC is collaborating with institutions around the world to foster the opportunity for scholars to encounter and support one another. It is making global opportunities and possibilities for scholars a reality,” said Fr. Beaumier. He added that during a recent visit to Rome he had several conversations where he found that people had “confidence in, and appreciation of, the efforts of the University on behalf of the Society.”

For more on the institute, see www.bc.edu/iajs.

Physics Breakthrough in ‘Charge-stripe’ Crystal Phase

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

Boston College physicist Ilija Zeljkovic and a team of researchers have succeeded in modifying a cuprate high-temperature superconductor material into an insulating state, where they found an exotic liquid crystal phase.

The observation of a so-called “chargestripe” crystal phase was the first of its kind in the cuprate, part of a class of materials referred to as Mott insulators, the team reported recently in the journal Nature Materials.

The absence of free charge carriers denotes the material as “undoped.” The process of doping introduces charge carriers and theorists have held that when doped, a cuprate would see the charge carriers order and form liquid crystal phases marked by periodic “charge-stripe” patterns. Such patterns have thus far only been experimentally observed in the superconducting state.

Zeljkovic and the team, which included members of his lab, Boston College Professor of Physics Ziqiang Wang, and researchers from Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, used a new methodology to induce the charge ordering in the insulating state, they report in the article, titled “Charge-Stripe Crystal Phase in an Insulating Cuprate.”

The team applied a method of surface annealing, a head treatment used to alter the physical and chemical properties of metals, Zeljkovic said. The process allowed the team to extend the accessible doping range in the cuprate, composed of bismuth, strontium, calcium, copper, and oxygen.

Accessing new regions of the material, the team achieved a “lightly doped, chargetransfer insulator state,” Zeljkovic said.

The team analyzed the insulating state at the atomic level using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy at liquid helium temperatures.

Ilija Zeljkovic (Physics). photo by lee pellegrini

“Our measurements reveal the emergence of a unidirectional charge-stripe order with a wave-length of exactly 4 atomic

lattice constants,” Zeljkovic said. “Our data also proves that lightly-doped cuprates have a tendency to form stripes over the bidirectional ‘checkerboard’ order, thus resolving the long-standing controversy in the field that could not be settled using the existing data on higher-doped samples.”

Zeljkovic said he and his colleagues would like to next explore the relationship of the observed charge ordered phase and the charge ordered phases observed in the superconducting state.

The discovery raises the question of whether the “spin” of charge carriers also orders into periodic patterns, forming socalled spin-density waves, Zeljkovic said.

Zeljkovic’s research is supported by DARPA, the Army Research Office, and the National Science Foundation. In addition to Zeljkovic and Wang, co-authors of the paper include BC researchers He Zhao, Zheng Ren, and Bryan Rachmilowitz, and John Schneeloch, Ruidan Zhong, and Genda Gu from Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Chronicle

April 25, 2019

7

From Loss, Forgiveness Marcel Uwineza, S.J., lived through the genocide in Rwanda, but many in his family did not.

Years later, he met, and forgave, the man who killed his siblings.

BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

When Rev. Marcel Uwineza, S.J., a survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, was invited to give remarks at a recent commemoration of the event, he was asked to provide a photo of his parents.

He could not, because such a photo no longer exists.

Fr. Uwineza’s home and all his family’s belongings were burned during the genocide, when Rwanda’s Hutu-led government killed approximately one million Tutsi in the span of three months. Fr. Uwineza’s two brothers, a sister, and an aunt were killed. His mother was beaten and later died from her injuries. His father had already been killed by Hutus in a time of unrest before the genocide officially began.

Fr. Uwineza, just 14 years old, also was beaten.

Now a doctoral candidate in Boston College’s Theology Department and a member of the University’s Jesuit Community, Fr. Uwineza calls the horrific events in Rwanda an “intimate genocide.” It was not an invasion by an outside country, but an intensive, systematic killing of Rwandans

by Rwandans.

“No one was spared from the attacks,” said Fr. Uwineza, recalling the killing of babies and the disabled, and the rape of women. Family members killed in-laws.

Neighbors killed neighbors.

Fr. Uwineza and his three younger siblings were saved when a Hutu man, Joseph Kabera, hid them in a beehive compound on his property. When that became unsafe, they eventually found refuge in a cathedral until they were liberated by Tutsi rebels.

“I did not survive because I am better than other people,” said Fr. Uwineza, “but maybe I survived for a reason.”

Fr. Uwineza feels he can use what he calls as his “extra time” to be “a living bridge between the wounded in Rwanda and those who did the wounding. I want to be a messenger of reconciliation and a way for people to reach God.” On April 12, he brought that message to the United Nations General Assembly, where he gave remarks at the annual commemoration of the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations Ambassador Valentine Rugwabiza invited Fr. Uwineza to participate in the ceremony, which this year marked the 25th anniver-

“There is a higher power than us. You can’t measure it in a laboratory.

It gives meaning to our lives, but it can’t be explained. That power moved me that day.”

– BC doctoral student Rev. Marcel Uwineza, S.J.

photo by lee pellegrini

sary of the genocide. A number of dignitaries attended, including the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame.

During his speech, Fr. Uwineza shared a powerful story of his face-to-face encounter with the man who had killed his siblings.

When Fr. Uwineza was 23 and had finished the Jesuit Novitiate, but was not yet ordained, he returned to his village to pray at the burial site of his family. The man, who had been released from jail, came up to Fr. Uwineza.

At first, Fr. Uwineza feared he was going to be killed. Then he was confused. At last, the man knelt before Fr. Uwineza and asked him if he would have some space in his heart to forgive him.

Fr. Uwineza raised the man up, embraced him, and said, “I forgive you.”

For Fr. Uwineza, it was a transcendent moment. “I felt free.

“There is a higher power than us. You can’t measure it in a laboratory. It gives meaning to our lives, but it can’t be explained. That power moved me that day.”

Raised Catholic, Fr. Uwineza had fallen away from the Church after suffering through the atrocities of the genocide and being turned away by a Catholic priest when he initially sought sanctuary. He credits his uncle, Charles Muvara, for getting him to return to the Church, and the Jesuits for getting him to stay.

Fr. Uwineza said the preaching of the Jesuits drew him in. “They were great. They were down to earth. They shared some of their brokenness, and that appealed to me.

They were broken, yet free.”

Fr. Uwineza felt a calling to join the Jesuits. He says being a priest is like being a first responder. “They don’t fear the risks, they get in and put out the fire.”

When it came time to pursue advanced degrees, he chose to attend Boston College, he says, due in large part to the strength and reputation of the faculty at the School of Theology and Ministry and the Theology Department. He earned a licentiate in sacred theology and master of theology degree from the School of Theology and Ministry in 2015. He expects to complete his doctorate in systematic theology in 2020.

“I am grateful to Boston College because through it, I have been able to grow intellectually and holistically and to stand in front of the entire world and speak words that challenge, but also words of grace and love,” said Fr. Uwineza.

Professor of Theology M. Shawn Copeland, Fr. Uwineza’s dissertation advisor, accompanied Fr. Uwineza to the UN for his address as a gesture of support, along with Monan Professor of Theology Lisa Sowle Cahill, STM Associate Professor Francine Cardman, and Jesuits Juan Cristobal Gar-

cia-Huidobro, Paul Kalenzi, Reginald Tiesaah, Laurien Nyiribakwe, Cesar Muziotti, and Yannick Arsene Essengue Amougou.

During his remarks, Fr. Uwineza also forgave the Secretary-General of the United Nations and President of the UN General Assembly for abandoning Rwanda in its time of need.

His speech, which concluded with a standing ovation from the audience, was broadcast on television in Rwanda, according to Fr. Uwineza’s three siblings, who still live there.

Fr. Uwineza will return to Rwanda in June for a conference he co-organized with BC alumnus Elisée Rutagambwa, S.J., to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the genocide called “The Journey of Reconstruction and Reconciliation in Post-Genocide Rwanda: Challenges and Hopes.” The conference will bring together an international group of theologians, including Copeland, STM Dean Thomas Stegman, S.J., and Theology Department doctoral candidate Leocadie Lushombo.

For Fr. Uwineza, who is now the same age his father was when he was killed, commemorations of the genocide are essential. He said there are movements afoot to revise history or minimize the gravity of the genocide. “To remember is to act so that those criminal activities never happen again. So, to remember is to do justice.”

Chronicle

8

April 25, 2019

Templeton Grants Set Funding Record for BC

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

The John Templeton Foundation has awarded three grants totaling $4.7 million to two departments in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, the largest cumulative amount of private funding from one foundation within a single year in Boston College history.

The Psychology Department received two three-year awards equaling more than $3.6 million; the larger one ($2,743,961)— the most generous grant ever received by BC from this foundation—will support “Reasoning in Moral Thought and Action,” whose principal investigator is Associate Professor Liane Young. The second grant will fund “Building Virtue: Environmental and Social influences on the Development of Fairness, Forgiveness, Honesty and Trustworthiness,” led by Assistant Professor Katherine McAuliffe.

The Philosophy Department was awarded a three-year, $994,071 grant for “Philosophy, Theology, and Psychology of Christian Trust in God,” whose principal investigator is Associate Professor Daniel McKaughan.

“Our team is honored and excited to be working on this project that explores the role of reason in moral thought and action,” said Young, who is also the PI for BC’s Morality Lab. “We are truly grateful to the John Templeton Foundation for its generous support of our work on the psychology and neuroscience of moral reasoning. The project reflects a truly interdisciplinary effort; team members include faculty in the Psychology and Philosophy departments at BC, as well as psychology and philosophy faculty at Harvard, MIT, and Boston University.

BC Scenes

(L-R) Faculty members Katherine McAuliffe and Liane Young (Psychology), and Daniel McKaughan (Philosophy) received grants from the John Templeton Foundation to fund research on moral reasoning, virtue, and Christian trust in God. photos by lee pellegrini, gary wayne gilbert, and peter julian

“We’re hoping to investigate moral reasoning in new and interesting ways, leveraging the diverse strengths of our team members. We’re aiming to characterize how reasoning processes, including mental state inference, support moral learning, as well as decisions about moral behavior. We’re also interested in how the process of internalizing moral values can lead to ultimately rational behavior while circumventing reasoning in the moment.”

McAuliffe, who directs BC’s Cooperation Lab, said, “Thanks to a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, our next few years will be focused on studying how virtuous behaviors develop—and can be developed—in children across different societies.

We are specifically interested in how fairness, forgiveness, honesty and trustworthiness emerge in childhood and the extent to which culture shapes their emergence. We then want to understand the pathways that help guide children’s virtue development.

For instance, do children learn from explicit instruction from adults? By following role models? photos by chris soldt/mts

Global Migration Conference Boston College Law School was the site for the Boston College Global Migration Conference on April 11 and 12, a gathering of leading experts on legal, political, and other issues affecting migrants around the world. BC Law Dean Vincent Rougeau (below) helped introduce the event, which included a keynote address (right) by E. Tendayi Achiume, a UCLA School of Law faculty member who has worked with the United Nations on matters of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.

“Our hope is that findings from this project can help us better understand how virtuous behaviors can be cultivated and sustained across different societies.”

In addition to their other research projects, Young and McAuliffe are co-leaders of The Virtue Project, a new initiative that supports innovative interdisciplinary scholarship and teaching on the virtues [www. bcvirtueproject.com].

McKaughan says that trust in God plays a vital role In Christianity, but has been under-investigated in philosophy and theology.

“Our project will bring together philosophers, psychologists, and theologians for interdisciplinary work that aims to clarify a number of issues related to the attitude of trust in God,” he explained. “We will explore, for example, ways that theology conceives of its nature and value; examine the norms that govern it—including rational, moral, and practical norms of interest to a philosopher—and consider what relevant constructs might be worthy of empirical investigation by psychologists.

“The goal is both to advance discussions

in philosophy of religion and theology, including input from a substantial psychological literature on trust, and to facilitate a subsequent program of empirical research based on foundational conceptual work established in this project. We expect that work undertaken on the project will have implications for how we think about a cluster of ‘faith and reason’ issues of interest to philosophers and theologians, and even a potential practical impact for pastoral counselors helping people to think about how trust in God might co-exist with doubt in their own religious lives. We hope that aspects of the project will be of interest not only to religious communities but also of broad public interest, given significant disagreements and ambivalence about the value of trust in God.” Founded in 1987, the Templeton Foundation—ranked among the nation’s 25 largest grant-making foundations—supports efforts to advance human wellbeing through rigorous scientific research and field-leading scholarship across the sciences, theology, and philosophy.

Chronicle

April 25, 2019

9

Blustein Sees Wide-Ranging ‘Erosion’ in Workplace

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

The American workplace has eroded across many dimensions, leaving American workers feeling untethered and insecure about their futures, according to a new book by Lynch School of Education and Human Development Professor of Counseling Psychology David Blustein.

The Importance of Work in an Age of Uncertainty: The Eroding Work Experience in America details Blustein’s new research that finds American workers increasingly beset by anxiety and distress wrought by economic trends that have reshaped when, where, how, and how long Americans work to earn both a living and a sense of purpose.

“In interviews with dozens of workers from all sectors of the American workplace, we’ve identified the ways working sustains our sense of aliveness,” says Blustein, one of the nation’s foremost experts on the psychology of work. “Working helps us to survive and thrive, connect with others, contribute to something greater than ourselves, be the best we can be, care for others, and, ideally, to live without oppression and harassment.

“Yet American workers tell us that those essential tenets that underpin our desire to work are increasingly undermined by the conditions that confront us both within and outside the workplace,” says Blustein,

David Blustein: “Work policy should not be left to chance or to overly reified notions of a free market system that will take care of all of our citizens.” photo by peter julian

editor of The Oxford Handbook of the Psychology of Work.

Blustein’s new book finds that both individuals and communities must find new ways to adapt in order to mitigate trends that are reshaping working America.

He proposes public policy reforms that include workplace human rights, creating more sustainable working conditions, and developing supportive structures in society and the economy that allow all people to engage in decent and dignified work.

The book is the result of Blustein’s Boston College Working Project, through which he developed a portrait of the current landscape of working in America,

based on extensive interviews with 58 adults across the U.S, analyzing their thoughts and opinions in light of psychological research on work and careers.

In addition to the interviews, Blustein integrates cutting-edge research on the issues raised by the participants to provide an in-depth picture of the various ways that work functions in people’s lives and the ways that it can evoke both pain and joy.

“The main objective of this project has been to explore the inner experiences of working among a cross-section of Americans, with the intention of adding a needed psychological perspective in debates about the current and future of work,” says Blustein. “In contrast to current policies that are informed by economics and political ideas, this project seeks to include a needed psychological perspective, which has been largely missing from debates and policies about work.”

During the course of writing the book, Blustein says he was surprised by the

shared experience many respondents reported of an eroding work life that was also affecting their other life roles, such as raising families, maintaining relationships, or pursuing citizenship.

“There is a palpable and intense sense of erosion that many people experience in their working lives, even among people with reasonably stable and meaningful careers,” Blustein says. “The majority of the participants—even those with relatively stable careers—reported feeling concerned about their future in the face of growing precarity in the workplace.”

Blustein says there are avenues to correct these conditions and help to restore stability to the American workplace and bolster the stability of U.S. society as a whole. His specific policy recommendations include: new ways to develop and sustain work for all, including government-sponsored work programs; enhanced education and training; rewards for caregiving work; basic income guarantees; and restoring and affirming the human rights of workers.

“The U.S. cannot risk the long-term health of its workforce and the American workplace,” says Blustein. “The nation needs to develop a sound and humane work policy that will include intentional ways of ensuring decent work for all those who need to work. Work policy should not be left to chance or to overly reified notions of a free market system that will take care of all of our citizens.”

Air Force Selects ISR for $10.6m Ionospheric Study

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

Boston College’s Institute for Scientific Research, one of the world’s foremost centers for space research, has been awarded a fiveyear, $10.6 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to study the space environment and improve capacities to understand and respond to a range of space phenomena.

The institute will address a number of topics relevant to Air Force interests in the specification and forecasting of the space environment and the mitigation of risks to space assets under adverse conditions, according to ISR Director Patricia Doherty.

Specifically, the areas of study include solar emissions analysis and research, radio frequency wave propagation, ionospheric remote sensing, ionospheric irregularities, and multiple approaches for modeling ionospheric conditions, including empirical, data-driven, and physics-based algorithms applicable to both natural and artificial plasma environments.

“Our principal goals are to exploit and extend existing assets and knowledge to maximize near-term benefits to the government, while simultaneously generating new ideas, innovations, and basic research beneficial to our modern society—one that has become significantly dependent on space-based assets and technologies,” said Doherty.

The contract will involve a number

Institute for Scientific Research Director Patricia Doherty and Senior Research Physicist Keith Groves are among the ISR personnel involved in a five-year study of the space environment funded by the U.S. Air Force. photo of doherty by lee pellegrini

of the ISR team members in Boston and Albuquerque. Keith Groves will lead the effort as the project’s principal investigator, assisted by Doherty and ISR staff scientists, including Charles Carrano, Vadym Paznukhov, John Retterer, Charles Rino, Bill McNeil, Dwight Decker, Chris Bridgwood,

and Shaun Ard. Doherty said the project will require ISR to add two new research scientists and a post-doctoral researcher to the ISR team.

Under this contract, ISR will also award subcontract agreements to scientists from other universities with complementary

expertise, including Catholic University, Cornell University, Georgia Tech, the Universities of Colorado at Boulder and Denver, the University of Florida, and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

The ISR was formed in 1954 with a government grant to study signals from the earliest artificial satellites. Historically, the institute’s programs adapted to sponsors’ and societal interests in theoretical and experimental studies in space physics, space chemistry, solar-terrestrial research, space weather, and astrophysical investigations.

These studies have been supported by government, industry, and academic sponsors.

Although the ISR continues to work on those issues, its program has changed over the years in response to the advancement in the use of space-based technologies for communication and navigation systems— systems that society heavily depends on, but which can be negatively affected by space weather and irregularities of the space environment.

Most recently, institute programs have addressed the space environment, space weather phenomena, and mitigation of their effects on systems of societal interest. In support of global social justice, ISR has international partnerships that address capacity-building for space science research in developing countries; it also provides workshops that foster the intellectual development of young scientists from around the world.

Chronicle

10

April 25, 2019

Kelly Will End 50-Year Career in Chemistry Dept.

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

Step into T. Ross Kelly’s Merkert Chemistry Center office and you see signs of what has mattered most during the course of his 50-year career at Boston College: his students and an enduring sense of curiosity about the way things work.

There is a massive poster board bearing the photographs and names of the students from his last class in Organic Chemistry, a course that earned him a legendary reputation for his teaching. Long ago he started making the boards so students in the large lectures wouldn’t feel anonymous.

The shelves in his office are filled with more than 150 “curiosities”—handcrafted figures, motorized toys, and oddities that seemingly fool the eye, yet eventually showcase a scientific principle.

“In Organic Chemistry, I did a lot of demonstrations,” says Kelly, the University’s Thomas A. and Margaret A. Vanderslice Professor of Chemistry, who retires at the close of the academic year. “The students describe me as having a passion for the subject. I do. I think organic chemistry is neat and I always tried to communicate that with demonstrations and other things I talked about during the lectures.”

When Kelly arrived as a new faculty member in 1969, the Chemistry Department was located in Devlin Hall. Gradually, the department outgrew that building and in 1991 moved into Merkert.

“[The department] was getting better and continued to get better and BC continues to get better,” says Kelly.

In 1989, Kelly became the first science faculty member to receive an endowed professorship, the Thomas A. and Margaret A. Vanderslice chair.

“I am very grateful for all Tom and Peggy have done over the years. The chair gave me a lot of flexibility through financial support for research, student researchers, and travel. It gave me a lot of freedom.”

An organic chemist by training, Kelly says that during the course of his career he veered into related sub-fields such as carbocyclic and heterocyclic chemistry. He’s worked to formulate chemical reactions using natural materials and non-natural materials. His research has produced four patents over the years.

Kelly is best known for his work developing a “molecular motor” by using organic synthesis to construct molecules that could be made to rotate by providing a chemical fuel.

As they started their research, the concept of starting such a motor stymied Kelly and his team. “Then we thought, if we can’t start it, maybe we can learn something by stopping a motor that is already running,” says Kelly. “That got us going.”

Kelly’s research led to findings that were published in the prestigious journal Nature and other publications. His influential work was referenced in 2016, when three other researchers in the field received the

T. Ross Kelly has earned respect as an outstanding scientist and a highly effective and valued educator. photo by lee pellegrini

Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on “molecular machines.”

“Ross Kelly demonstrated early on that a Chemistry faculty member could be both an outstanding, internationally renowned scientist as well as a highly effective and valued educator,” says Chemistry Department Chairman and Professor Marc Snapper. “His research, funding, publication, and teaching successes raised the bar for all of us that followed him. Fortunately, Ross was also there to help guide and mentor us in achieving our successes as well. He was truly instrumental in elevating the department into what it is today.”

A native of Davis, Calif., Kelly said his interest in science—in chemistry—grew

out of his group of friends and their interest in deciphering how things worked, as well as “blowing things up.”

“We got into rockets and things that blew up,” says Kelly. “I think that’s still something that turns students on to chemistry.”

His route to the East Coast began in high school, when he attended a summer science program in Connecticut. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the College of the Holy Cross in 1964. He returned to the West Coast for graduate school, earning his PhD in chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 1968.

Kelly’s work has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health and the American Chemical Society. He was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2007. But he points to his 2004 selection as Teacher of the Year by members of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society as one of the most gratifying recognitions he has received.

“That is the thing I won that I’m most proud of,” says Kelly. “The students chose me. Not faculty. The top students at the University. So, that was very gratifying, especially when you are a teacher of organic chemistry, which is the bane of many a student’s existence.”

Lal’s Research on Africa Earns Her ACLS Fellowship

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

Associate Professor of History Priya Lal has been selected as a fellow by the 2019 American Council of Learned Societies for “Human Resources: Professional Labor and Nation Building in Southeastern Africa,” her research project on African professionals and their role in fueling the development of new African nations during the latter part of the 20th century.

The ACLS is a nonprofit federation of 75 scholarly organizations that supports and promotes American scholarship in the humanities and related social sciences.

ACLS’s fellowship and grant competitions provide opportunities for scholars at all career stages, working with varied disciplines and methodologies in the US and abroad.

This year, the council awarded 81 fellowships from more than 1,100 applicants in a review process with multiples stages. The awards will support six to 12 months of full-time research and writing.

“Human Resources” examines the work and experiences of the first generations of African professors, doctors, and nurses alongside the broader dynamics of nationbuilding, the Cold War, and neoliberalism with which they were intertwined. For six years, supported by BC research grants, Lal combed archives in Tanzania, Zambia, the U.S., and UK, and interviewed dozens of

Priya Lal (History). photo by peter julian

these professionals in Tanzania and Zambia.

For Lal, the project was born of a longstanding frustration about the lack of engagement between U.S.-based scholars of Africa and their counterparts in African universities. As she sought out relationships with her peers in Tanzania, Lal said, “I realized that their working conditions, social positions, and historical experiences were very different from mine. Since I had not encountered much scholarship on African professors, I sought to write about them myself.” She included doctors and nurses since they, along with educators, provided

critical services at the heart of welfare state and nation-building projects in southeastern Africa.

As Lal notes, these professionals had to deal with competing influences: their governments’ aspirations toward national sovereignty, the demands of their students and patients, and the expectations of foreign donors who paid for their training and equipment. In addition, they struggled to reconcile personal ambition with nationalist commitment, in the face of tempting job opportunities abroad and resource shortages and contentious workplace politics at home. Lal trained her focus on those who stayed.

“Their decision to stay meant forgoing higher salaries, better institutional facilities, less overwhelming demands on their time and energy, and so on,” she said. “The professionals I’m studying have had challenging careers that they look back on in varied ways. Many feel immense gratitude for the opportunities they have had, but many also feel regretful or frustrated that their research or work was sometimes derailed by political or economic factors outside of their control. Some of them have been happy to serve their countries, while others express disappointment that their countries have not been able to better support their labor.”

Lal’s research interests, which center on decolonization-era and post-colonial Africa,

seek to dispel what she cites as misrepresentations and stereotypes in Western attitudes toward the continent.

“Africans are more often seen as helpless and needy than capable and agentive; when most Americans think of medicine in Africa, for instance, they think of Western aid workers rather than African doctors.

My research showcases highly educated and highly skilled African professionals, a demographic that is frequently ignored because it doesn’t fit into conventional narratives of African underdevelopment.

I hope my book will bring to light a new dimension of recent African history that challenges popular misperceptions.”

Lal, who joined Boston College in 2013, also was selected for the ACLS’ Burkhardt Fellowship; limited to one award, she chose the ACLS honor.

“This award signals recognition of my study’s importance beyond the discipline of history and field of African studies,” said Lal. “It means a lot to me that ‘Human Resources’ was recognized by two separate award committees of the ACLS; this affirms my work’s potential to appeal to a wide readership. The ACLS Fellowship is gratifying because it gives me a year off from teaching to complete a draft of my book, but it is also rewarding to earn more visibility for a study on a group of historical actors that is usually overlooked in the Western academy.”

Chronicle

April 25, 2019

WELCOME ADDITIONS

BC in the Media

An Introduction to New Faculty at Boston College Corrine Jurgens

Associate Professor Connell School of Nursing DEGREES: University of Vermont (BS); Stony Brook University (MS); University of Massachuetts, Amherst (PhD) WHAT SHE STUDIES: Biobehavioral factors underpinning symptom perception among patients with heart failure.

WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: Principles of Evidence-Based Nursing; Secondary Analysis of Health-Related Datasets

You study people living with heart failure.

Why are patients’ perceptions of their symptoms an important consideration for health care providers? Isn’t all the information a care provider requires available through a physical assessment?

“Symptoms drive care-seeking, so no, a thorough physical assessment does not provide enough information. In addition, symptoms predict clinical event risk for both the early, subtle symptoms of impending decompensation as well as the more acute symptoms (e.g. acute shortness of breath).

There also are discrepancies between provider and patient assessment of status (e.g. functional status). Some symptoms of heart failure such as fatigue can only be determined by patient report (you can’t “see” fatigue).”

Kyoung-Yim Kim

Assistant Professor of the Practice of Social Science Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program DEGREES: Korea National Sport University (BA, MA); University of Ottawa (MA); University of Toronto (PhD) WHAT SHE STUDIES: Sport sociology, feminist transnational/postcolonial studies of sport, physical cultural studies.

WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: Sports in America Society; Gender and Sport; Sports, Media, Culture; Gender, Sexuality, and Athletics.

Cassie Ryan

Clinical Assistant Professor Connell School of Nursing DEGREES: College of the Holy Cross (BA); Columbia University (BS); Boston University (MPH, PhD) WHAT SHE STUDIES: Public health; health policy; educational technology.

WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: Contemporary Issues in Public Health

–Kathleen Sullivan, Sean Smith photos by peter julian

CSOM’s Lourdes German Wins Fr. Dinneen Award Lourdes German ’01, a lecturer in the Carroll School of Management Business Law and Society Department, was presented with the 2019 Rev. John A. Dinneen, S.J., Hispanic Alumni Community Service Award at the March 23 Saint Oscar A. Romero Scholarship event.

A member of the Carroll School’s Portico Program faculty and incoming codirector of the Managing for Social Impact minor and concentration this fall, German earned her juris doctor degree from Boston University. She joined BC after an accomplished professional career as an attorney and holding several leadership roles in finance, including at Fidelity Investments, Breckinridge Capital Advisors, and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. She has been an advisor to members of the U.S. Congress, the United Nations, the European Commission, and the G-24 Secretariat.

German has a deep commitment to community service. She is co-founder and director of the Civic Innovation Project, a global thought leadership initiative that seeks to foster the success and sustainability of cities. She chairs the Massachusetts State Finance and Governance Board, serves on the board of BC Law’s Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy, and was a member of the City of Boston Audit board. As a mentor, board member, and committee

11

Prof. Thomas Groome (STM) was interviewed by New England Cable News and Assoc. Prof. Julian Bourg (History) by CBS News Boston about the devastating fire that consumed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The Centers for Disease Control recently reported more than 500 confirmed cases of measles in 20 states. Asst. Prof. Nadia Abuelezam (CSON) discussed the outbreak on New England Cable News’ “The Take.”

Pope Benedict XVI, who expressed his intent to “remain hidden” following his abdication of the papacy in 2013, issued a letter on the clergy sexual abuse crisis.

Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology Richard Gaillardetz commented in National Catholic Reporter.

Appearing on New England Cable News’ “The Take,” Prof. David Deese (Political Science) talked about impact of Brexit on travel, trade, and Ireland.

In a piece for the American Interest, Prof.

Peter Skerry (Political Science) reflected on the death of Nathan Glazer in January, a month before his 96th birthday, and the end of an era in American political and intellectual life.

China’s global higher education role is about to change significantly, with implications for the rest of the world, wrote Center for International Higher Education Research Prof. Philip Altbach in University World News.

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: Software Developer, Academic Affairs/ Provost Dining Temporary Pool, Dining and Catering/Auxiliary/Public Safety Vice President for Development, President’s Office Stewardship Operations Assistant, University Advancement Assistant Dean, Student Conduct, Student Affairs/Residential Life Development Assistant, Corporate and Foundation Relations, University Advancement Custodial Supervisor, Facilities/Trades

chair for the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance in Accounting and the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, German developed programs to advance and guide young professionals of color. In addition to other outreach, she co-founded Boston Women in Public Finance, an organization focused on mentoring women in the industry.

Named for the late John A. Dinneen, S.J., a charter member of the Saint Oscar A. Romero Scholarship Committee, the Dinneen Award recognizes an alumnus whose work reflects both Saint Romero’s ideals and Fr. Dinneen’s commitment, leadership, and service to the Latino community.

–University Communications

Prof. Philip Landrigan (Biology) gave his views in The Lancet on the stymying of the EPA’s chemical carcinogenicity and toxicity assessments.

Resident Director, Student Affairs/Residential Life Events Assistant, Alumni Affinity Programs, University Advancement Senior Business Intelligence Analyst/Developer, University Advancement Business Manager, Academic Affairs/Provost Instructional Services Librarian, Academic Affairs/Provost Member Services and Operations Coordinator, Athletics Fiscal/Administrative Specialist, Academic Affairs/Provost Regional Director, Major Giving, University Advancement Professor of Catholic Educational Leadership, Academic Affairs/Provost

Boston College Club co-founder John E. “Jack” Joyce ‘61, MBA ‘70, Hon. ’16 and club officials recently met with University President William P. Leahy, S.J., and presented a check for $329,000 to BC for inner-city scholarships. The club has now donated more than $8 million to BC, funding a total of 107 scholarships. photo by peter julian

Chronicle

12

April 25, 2019

BC Global

BC Providing Assistance to Irish Cybersecurity Ireland seen as critical to European and transatlantic security efforts, say administrators

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

Boston College’s ties with Ireland, an emerging digital superpower, have provided the University an opportunity to support efforts in promoting transatlantic cybersecurity.

A central player in the endeavor is BC’s Global Leadership Institute, which has run a series of exchange programs with Irish and Northern Irish leaders in cybersecurity, and this spring has expanded the initiative to include NATO and the European Union.

GLI also is co-sponsoring a Cyber Security Transatlantic Policy Forum next month at Ireland’s Killarney Economic Conference, where politicians, law enforcement policy makers, and cyber industry leaders will gather to share insights on government and corporate partnerships in cybersecurity; among the participants will be Kevin Powers, who directs the University’s M.S. Cybersecurity Policy and Governance Program in the Woods College of Advancing Studies.

In addition, this fall BC will host an Irish cyber industry expert for four months of study, supported by a Tech Impact Award from Fulbright Ireland.

This foray into cyber issues reflects GLI’s propensity for adapting its resources and practices to suit a world of constantly shifting geopolitical and social realities.

Founded as the Irish Institute in 1997, and building on earlier work by the Center for Irish Management, it developed programs and initiatives aimed at fostering reconciliation between Ireland and Northern Ireland, with support from the U.S. State Department. In the post-Good Friday Agreement era, where the State Department’s focus on Irish issues lessened, the institute expanded its geographical scope to include other regions—notably the Middle East and North Africa—while also taking a broader role within the University to aid international outreach: For example, in 2017, GLI began a program to assist Mexico in professionalizing its police force.

GLI Director Robert Mauro says the institute’s well-established networks within Ireland, plus additional contacts through the Boston College Ireland Business Council, have helped maintain the BC-Irish connection over the years—which proved relevant when a confluence of events augured a new dimension in American-Irish relations.

“The U.S. Department of State sees Ireland as the frontline of cybersecurity defense for the U.S. in Europe,” he explains. “The reason for this is two-fold:

photo by lee pellegrini

“When you have a global perspective, being part of the conversation addressing issues and concerns that have become global is vital. There is a lot of uncertainty about how Brexit will play out, and what its economic, social, and political effects will be. But where Ireland—and its potential role in the future of cybersecurity—is concerned, Boston College is definitely part of that conversation.”

–Global Leadership Institute Director Robert Mauro First, Brexit has upset the role the UK can play in Europe. While the Brexit process has only started, the EU has already struck out on its own with new legislation such as General Data Protection Regulation, which governs data protection and privacy. Ireland has been very transparent about how they will seek to implement GDPR. And this has meant that they serve as a vital point of contact.

“Second, Ireland is home to a large number of U.S. multinationals that based their headquarters in Dublin. The U.S. is concerned about how Ireland responds to a full-on cyber attack from a rogue state and what the implications of that would be for U.S. multinationals and the American economy.”

Ireland’s high knowledge base and skill sets in digital infrastructure are among the assets it brings to cybersecurity, Mauro says. But it lacks an integrated national security policy and apparatus that would enable it to take on a major role in international and transatlantic cybersecurity.

GLI’s programming has given Irish and Northern Irish leaders in cybersecurity— army, police, academic, private sector, and industry representatives—a means by which to share expertise and best practices with cyber professionals in Boston and

Washington, D.C., says Mauro. In addition, GLI also provided a means for Irish cyber professionals to connect with officials from NATO and the EU, through an institute-arranged visit to the NATO cybersecurity centers for excellence in Estonia and Brussels.

“Not being part of NATO is an obstacle for Ireland,” Mauro explains. “There is no efficient framework for Ireland to share information with the other NATO powers, and it can’t take part in important defense exercises. So Ireland needs to strengthen its lines of communication with the U.S., the UK, and Europe, especially as Brexit unfolds.”

Powers, who will be a panelist in the discussion “Cyber Threat Vectors and Instant Response” at the May 10 Cyber Security Transatlantic Policy Forum, says Ireland’s challenge in cybersecurity is not one of technology.

“It’s a business issue, a management issue, from the top down. How do you approach cybersecurity as a priority? How do you plan, and align manpower and resources? What are the ethical considerations in formulating policies and practices? And how do you build the kind of partnerships between private industry, government, and academia that offer the promise of success?

“These are the kinds of questions we explore in our cybersecurity program, and they have great relevance for Ireland.”

Also in May, Powers will speak at another event co-organized by GLI: a joint conference on post-Brexit cybersecurity, East-West security, and intelligence frameworks, to be held at Queen’s University in Belfast. Mauro says the institute is working closely with the State Department, the Irish Department of Justice, and the UK Department of Defense “to ensure that security and intelligence-sharing can be improved even as the traditional lines of communication are removed.”

GLI’s partnership with the Woods cybersecurity program reflects the institute’s desire to collaborate with other BC entities, adds Mauro, who also cites Boston College Ireland as a key facilitator for the University’s Irish ventures.

“When you have a global perspective, being part of the conversation addressing issues and concerns that have become global is vital,” he says. “There is a lot of uncertainty about how Brexit will play out, and what its economic, social, and political effects will be. But where Ireland—and its potential role in the future of cybersecurity—is concerned, Boston College is definitely part of that conversation.”