Boston College Chronicle

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The Boston College

Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs april 28, 2016 vol. 23 no. 16

BC Survey Shows Strong Employee Satisfaction

INSIDE comes to 2 •C-SPAN campus

By Jack Dunn Director of News & Public Affairs

•BC helps start a special club at St. Columbkille •First Medical Humanities conference held

3 •Shaheen to speak at Law Commencement

Julia James ’17 prepared a costume for the Robsham Theater production “The Servant of Two Masters,” which premieres tonight as part of the annual Boston College Arts Festival [see below]. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

•Bilder is named Founders Professor

Biologist Receives a $10M NIH Grant to Study Antibiotic Resistance

•Bloomberg ranks Carroll School third

By Ed Hayward Staff Writer

•Shalala to head up reaccreditation visit

Assistant Professor of Biology Tim van Opijnen has been awarded a five-year, $10 million grant by the National Institutes of Health as part of a multi-disciplinary group – evolutionary biologists, infectious disease specialists and two computer scientists –­ that will study the role of the immune system in the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The research could aid the de-

5 •Excellence in Teaching Day will be May 9

delegation pres6 •BC ents at US science fair

•CSOM professor studies packaging for healthy foods •Obituary: Fr. Helmick, theologian and conflict resolution expert •Photo: BC hosts Irish trade mission Additions; BC 7 •Welcome in the Media; Jobs •Photo: Wall Street Council Tribute Dinner

8•Gawlick to present new composition

velopment of technological applications to help scientists forecast drug resistance in certain bacteria and identify effective courses of treatment for bacterial infections. “There are three factors at play: host, bacteria and antibiotic,” said van Opijnen, a microbial systems biologist who uses robotics, highthroughput sequencing and computational methods to study bacteria and antibiotic resistance. “In reality, we have very little understanding of how these three work Continued on page 5

Seeking Help for Her Home, Thousands of Miles Away By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor

Carroll School of Management senior Maria Daniela Concha can practically pinpoint the time to the minute – 8:20 – on that recent Saturday evening when everything changed. One moment, Concha was in Conte Forum watching the annual “Showdown” dance event with friends; the next, glancing at her phone, she noticed a highly active group chat that, when she opened it, turned out to be high school

friends in her native Ecuador. They were asking after one another – “if they had ‘felt it,’” Concha recalled – and sharing photos of damaged buildings and streets. An earthquake had struck Ecuador. Then her parents began texting in the group chat, and while they were unhurt and their home in the coastal city of Guayaquil had sustained no significant damage, both were highly stressed about the dangers posed by aftershocks and the possible threat of violence and lawlessness. It took a few days beContinued on page 4

NOTICE:

Eighty-seven percent of Boston College employees said that they feel valued as a member of the University community, according to the Faculty & Staff Experience Survey that was administered to all full-time BC employees in the fall of 2015. The survey, which yielded a 51 percent response rate from 1,607 BC employees representing a variety of demographics – including age, gender, years of service and areas of employment – assessed BC’s work environment and community characteristics as well as employees’ general satisfaction and perceived opportunities for professional development. Overall, the survey revealed that faculty and staff are very satisfied with their experience at Boston College and feel fulfilled in their efforts, despite some specific areas that call for improvement. Among the notable findings:

•90 percent of BC employees agree or strongly agree that they like working at Boston College because of its mission, vision and core values. •90 percent of employees said they feel moderately to extremely fulfilled at BC. •78 percent of faculty described themselves as somewhat or very satisfied as a BC faculty member and 74 percent said they would probably or definitely encourage a colleague to accept a faculty position at Boston College. •60 percent of respondents believe that they had sufficient opportunities for advancement and promotion. •Overall, BC employees described the community as collegial, mission-driven and very supportive. The survey also revealed areas for growth and improvement, including a desire among employees for a stronger work-life balance, especially among those with young children. A number of comments from both faculty and staff identified the Continued on page 4

Self-Studies Current Focus of Strategic Planning Effort By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor

For the past several weeks, the University Strategic Planning Initiative (USPI) has embarked on extensive conversations among groups – 24 in all – of administrators, faculty, staff and students, reviewing the University’s progress on a variety of fronts during the past decade, and identifying key issues and trends in higher education and elsewhere that will help inform the future of Boston College. This coming month, the substance of these discussions will be shared with the USPI Steering Committee, as the University’s newest comprehensive planning effort continues to take shape. Steering Committee members describe this part of the initiative’s

self-study phase as a period of “high engagement.” The working groups represent each of BC’s eight schools and other academic areas as well as most vice-presidential administrative divisions, including Student Affairs, Facilities Management, and Information Technology. Other self-study teams have assessed initiatives or areas of interest – such as undergraduate liberal arts or international programs – that involve multiple schools, departments, or divisions. To accomplish their tasks, these groups have sought additional insights by inviting comments and perspectives from elsewhere within the University community, among faculty, staff and students. The 24 self-studies are slated to be completed by the end of the spring semester, and will then be reviewed Continued on page 5

The annual Boston College Arts Festival begins today at noon and continues until Saturday. Programming, most free of charge, for all ages will be presented at the festival, which is open to the public as well as the BC community. There are daily events, exhibits, demonstrations (some with participation from attendees), music and dance showcases, and literary events. For all information, go to www.bc.edu/artsfestival.


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