MAY 9, 2019 VOL. 26 NO. 17
PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Muncaster Appointed Dean of Woods Coll.
INSIDE 2 Around Campus
Some things to know about the upcoming construction of BC’s new science building, future home of the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society.
3-4 Changes Forthcoming
BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Christopher Constas will succeed Brian Braman as Perspectives program director; John Rakestraw to retire as head of Center for Teaching Excellence.
Karen Muncaster, vice president of the Rabb School of Continuing Studies at Brandeis University and a nationally recognized leader in online education, has been named dean of the Woods College of Advancing Studies. She will begin her new role on July 22.
6-8 Seniors to Remember
Six members of the Class of 2019 reflect on their Boston College experiences.
Up in Arts
The artistic spirit abounded throughout campus when the University held its annual Arts Festival April 25-27, showcasing the talents of students—including Fuego del Corazon (above)—faculty, and staff alike. More photos on page 12. photo by lee pellegrini
Pointing to the Morrissey College Junior Is ‘True North’ BC’s Latest Goldwater Scholar Can an app aid student formation? Lynch School’s Belle Liang thinks so. BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
Imagine you’re an explorer searching for the geographic or “true” North Pole. Your compass won’t help you, because it points toward magnetic north—not “true north,” your actual destination. Students trying to discern the path toward their ultimate, personal, and professional goals face a similar problem if their own “compass”—like the magnetic compass pointing askew from true north— guides them to attractive yet unfulfilling outcomes. To help students explore the most significant questions of their young lives, and to scaffold them on their college and voca-
Continued on page 5
BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
Henry Dieckhaus, a junior majoring in chemistry, has been awarded a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, considered the nation’s premier undergraduate award in the sciences. The scholarships are presented on the basis of academic merit to the country’s most promising students in math, science, and engineering, according to the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. Many past Goldwater Scholars have gone on to earn prestigious post-graduate fellowships, including Rhodes, Marshall, and Churchill scholarships. “I am very honored to be named a Goldwater Scholar, and I am grateful for the support and confidence that the Goldwater Foundation has expressed in my future as a scientist,” said Dieckhaus, the son of Robert and Lisa Dieckhaus of Eureka,
Karen Muncaster will join BC July 22.
Henry Dieckhaus
photo by seth hammond
Mo., and a 2016 graduate of Eureka High School. At BC, Dieckhaus received the American Chemical Society Division of Ana-
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Muncaster, who received her PhD in higher education from the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, brings to the Woods College extensive experience in graduate and professional studies, summer and continuing studies, and pre-college and lifelong learning programs at the Rabb School, which serves approximately 2,000 students annually. She developed a strategic vision and action plan that positioned the Rabb School as a leader in online education, while creating quality
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“Everything had been leading up to that day, and I felt ready. I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to do it, and it’s going to be awesome.’” – nick claudio, a blind bc freshman who climbed mt. kilimanjaro, page 9
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May 9, 2019
Around Campus
Some Things to Know About BC’s Next Major Construction Project Last week, Boston College administrators briefed members of the University community on the upcoming construction of the new science facility—the future home of the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society—and its impact on traffic, parking, and other aspects of campus life. Work on the 157,000 square-foot building will begin shortly after Commencement. The facility, slated to open in the late fall of 2021, will be built on the site adjacent to Higgins Hall now occupied by Cushing Hall. Speaking at the April 30 information session were Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning Thomas Chiles, Associate Vice President for Capital Projects Management Mary Nardone, and Senior Construction Project Manager Thomas Runyon, along with Frank Davis, project superintendent for Suffolk Construction. Among the major takeaways: Under the project timetable, a lot will happen by the end of 2019. Cushing is scheduled to be vacated by May 29, Nardone said, with interior demolition taking place during June and July. Demolition of the building will take place from mid-July through September. The details of the schedule for the new building are under development now, she said, but
it is anticipated that September will see the start of site preparation, with excavation beginning in October and lasting through December; meanwhile, work on the foundation begins in November. The expected completion of the foundation next February will be followed by structural steel, exterior walls, interior fitouts, and the stone façade, Nardone continued. The final construction phase consists of systems commissioning and inspections, ending in late fall of 2021. Work for the day will be in progress by the time most employees arrive on campus. The construction hours are 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays. Both pedestrian and vehicular traffic will be affected in that area of Middle Campus. At the end of this month, fencing will be installed around the construction site, cordoning off much of the Higgins Green. However, pedestrian access between Devlin, Higgins, Fulton, and McGuinn halls will still be possible during the project. Construction vehicles will enter and exit the site via Beacon Street and the Campion/McGuinn gate. A Boston College Police detail will oversee vehicular as well as pedestrian traffic at the site. Yes, there will be some impact on
Snapshot
photo by lee pellegrini
Professors in the Pews
Architectural rendering of the new science facility, to be completed in 2021.
parking. Once the fencing is in place, there will be no BC parking in the lot between Cushing, Higgins, and the Service Building. However, permit changes for the Merkert Center and Conte Forum area will help offset the loss of parking spaces; also, the lot on the west side of McGuinn will still be available for use. Parking will be available on Newton Campus for project contractors, who will use a shuttle service to travel to the work site, so their vehicles will not be on Main Campus. It’s liable to be noisy at least some of the time. Ledge removal is often the most disruptive part of the excavation phase, Davis said, and will entail a fair amount of
hammering and pounding—though not blasting, he added. Suffolk Construction and its sub-contractors are committed to monitoring, and mitigating when possible, the impact of work on areas adjacent to the construction site, Davis said. Facilities Management wants to keep everyone informed of the project’s progress. Nardone said there are plans for ongoing construction updates on both a weekly and monthly basis, which will be available via BC News [www.bc.edu/bcnews]. A webcam link will provide another means to track how the project is going. Another information session for the University community will be held in the fall, Chiles noted. —University Communications
NY Times Now in BC Libraries’ Database
Church in the 21st Century Center Director Karen Kiefer, left, spoke with Boston College faculty members (L-R) Hosffman Ospino, Kristin Heyer, and Michael Pratt during the April 29 C21 event “Professors in the Pews,” which explored ideas from lay Catholics on revitalizing the Catholic Church.
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Jack Dunn SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
CONTRIBUTING STAFF
Christine Balquist Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan
Chronicle
PHOTOGRAPHERS
www.bc.edu/bcnews chronicle@bc.edu
Patricia Delaney EDITOR
Sean Smith
Boston College faculty, staff, and students now have access to the New York Times online through University Libraries. Through the renewable one-year subscription, BC users will have unlimited access to Times articles, including viewing and downloading (except for those published from 1923-1980, which are limited to five per day), as well as the paper’s archive—going back to the paper’s first edition in 1851—multimedia projects, Spanish and Chinese language editions, and NYT Education resources. Faculty, staff, and students can register
Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini Peter Julian
using their BC e-mail address; those who already have a personal subscription must cancel it before activating the University Libraries-provided account. When the oneyear subscription expires, faculty and staff can register again; graduating seniors will have access until Sept. 30 of their graduation year. For more information, and links to register for the Times subscription, go to https://libguides.bc.edu/nyt/access. To see the full list of databases offered through BC Libraries, including other newspapers, go to https://libguides.bc.edu/az.php.
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.
May 9, 2019
Change at the Top Constas to succeed Braman as director of the University’s popular Perspectives program BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
Perspectives, one of Boston College’s signature undergraduate programs, will undergo a leadership transition at the end of this academic year, as Christopher Constas, a veteran faculty member in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, succeeds long-time director Brian Braman. Constas, an associate professor of the practice in the Philosophy Department, earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and English from BC in 1988 and joined the faculty as a lecturer in 1995. Perspectives integrates the humanities and natural sciences by bringing faculty and students into conversation with the ancient, modern, and contemporary thinkers who have shaped Western intellectual and spiritual thought, from Greek philosophers
teaching in the program. “I am honored and grateful for this opportunity to lead the Perspectives program,” said Constas. “I understand its value to the University. I’m also mindful of the invaluable contribution Brian Braman has made to Perspectives; he has given his life to the program, and his continued presence in Perspectives will be enormously beneficial.” Constas added that another long-time Perspectives veteran, Lonergan Institute Associate Director and Center for Student Formation Fellow Kerry Cronin—“one of BC’s most admired and effective faculty members”—will be the program’s associate director. Explaining the program’s significance within BC’s Jesuit, Catholic tradition, Constas said Perspectives “is one of the places where the education of the whole person happens. It’s preparation for meaningful work in the context of meaningful lives. It’s where big ideas and enduring questions are posed and explored, and most of all, where we ask students to consider the intellectual, moral, and spiritual dimensions of their lives in a carefully
“Students are asked to do a lot, and to be ready for the conversations and reflections,” says Christopher Constas of the Perspectives program, for which he is the incoming director. “The relevance in the material should be right there for the students, but ultimately they have to go and get it.”
photo by gary wayne gilbert
and the Bible to Machiavelli, Hobbes, Freud, and Marx. The centerpiece of the program is Perspectives I, or Perspectives on Western Culture, a yearlong 12-credit course that attracts some of the University’s top freshmen. Through classroom discussion and extensive readings, the freshmen explore ways in which the course can help to shape their lives and the choices they make. Each year approximately 20-25 students complete the four-year Perspectives sequence and the senior year honors thesis it requires. The program was founded in 1971 by the late Philosophy Department Chairman Joseph Flanagan, S.J., and Lonergan Summer Workshop and Institute Director Frederick Lawrence. Braman, an adjunct associate professor of philosophy, has directed Perspectives since 1998; he will continue
reflective way that’s attentive, responsible, and charitable.” While Perspectives can be described as “an invitation into a conversation that has been going on for a millennium,” Constas said that offer carries demands and expectations with it. “Students are asked to do a lot, and to be ready for the conversations and reflections. The relevance in the material should be right there for the students, but ultimately they have to go and get it.” Constas said he foresees no significant changes to Perspectives. “With a program like this, you think more in terms of renewal than change. And Perspectives has a tradition of constant renewal.” After graduating from BC, Constas went on to earn master’s and doctoral degrees in philosophy from Fordham University. He also has taught at Merrimack College, Stonehill College, and Fordham College.
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Snapshot
PHOTO BY LEE PELLEGRINI
Showing Appreciation
Boston College Dining Services held an Employee Appreciation Day on May 1 for its staff members in all campus dining facilities, including Corcoran Commons (above).
Boston College Revises Its Consensual Relationship Policy Boston College has revised its Consensual Relationship Policy, which prohibits romantic or sexual relationships between members of the University community who are associated through supervisory, teaching, advisory, or evaluative roles. The policy revision explicitly outlines prohibited conduct and the reporting and response requirements for all members of the BC community in an effort, administrators say, to foster an environment that is respectful, fair, and free of harassment and discrimination. Specifically, the policy prohibits any faculty member, employee, graduate assistant, or undergraduate teaching assistant from engaging in a romantic or sexual relationship, or in any romantic or sexual conduct, with any individual whom they supervise, teach, advise, evaluate, counsel, or coach. Furthermore, the University prohibits any faculty member or other employee from engaging in a romantic or sexual relationship, or in any romantic or sexual conduct, with any student currently enrolled as an undergraduate at Boston College. The University also prohibits any faculty member or employee from engaging in a romantic or sexual relationship, or in any romantic or sexual conduct, with a graduate student who is enrolled in any academic program or department in which the faculty member participates. The policy states that any member of the University community who becomes aware of any such prohibited conduct should report it to the vice president of human resources or his or her designee, if the individual involved is a staff member; or to the provost, or his or her designee, if the involved individual is a faculty member, graduate assistant, or other student. The responsible office, working with other University administrators, will investigate the report and determine the
appropriate response. Members of the University community who violate this policy by engaging in a relationship or prohibited conduct with a subordinate student or employee will be subject to discipline, up to and including termination. Administrators said that the policy revision is intended to be an addition to existing University policies, including the University Statues, the Discriminatory Harassment Policy, and the Professional Standards and Business Conduct Policy. If any complaint of harassment or discrimination is made, they noted, the existence of a consensual relationship in violation of this policy will not be an acceptable defense in a University process or response. Administrators also stated that this policy is not intended to apply to relationships between spouses in cases where the spouse of a faculty member or employee enrolls as a student in a University course or program, or relationships between undergraduate students, provided in each case that the relationship does not involve individuals who are otherwise associated through supervisory, teaching, advisory, or evaluative roles. “Several high-profile incidents at colleges and universities nationwide have caused us to reexamine our policies to make sure they provide the appropriate protections for all members of our community,” said Vice President of Human Resources David Trainor. “Our goal remains to foster an environment that respects the rights and dignity of all employees, free from harassment in any form.” “As peer institutions revise their policies, it is important that we do the same to provide clarity on this issue,” said Billy Soo, vice provost for faculties. “These efforts will help us to maintain a safe work environment for all faculty and staff.” –University Communications
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May 9, 2019
After Five Years, Rakestraw Will Retire as Director of the University’s Center for Teaching Excellence John Rakestraw, executive director of the Boston College Center for Teaching Excellence since 2014, has announced that he will retire from his position this summer. Rakestraw, who came to the University from Georgetown University where he served as director of curriculum, assessment, and pedagogical practice at its Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, is credited with building a first-rate CTE that provides support for faculty to create engaging and inclusive learning environments for all BC students. Under his leadership, the center worked with BC faculty to explore new pedagogical and technological approaches, and to foster a culture of reflective and collaborative teaching. In addition, Rakestraw brought together disparate resources in academic technology and professional development, instructional design and teaching services, and the Connors Family Learning Center to work together to enhance overall teaching excellence within the University. Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley praised Rakestraw for his work in improving the teaching and learning environment at Boston College and inspiring faculty to think in new and creative ways
John Rakestraw
photo by caitlin cunningham
about their teaching. “John Rakestraw arrived on campus soon after I became provost in 2014, and over the last five years he has provided strong leadership as the founding director
of the Center for Teaching Excellence,” said Quigley. “He has developed a range of programs and events that have elevated the campus conversation about our shared commitment to transformative education.” Rakestraw said he was pleased with his accomplishments in the center but felt the time was right to retire after a distinguished career that included stops as an associate professor of philosophy and religious studies at Wesleyan College in Macon, Ga., a research fellow at Vanderbilt University’s Learning Technology Center, and assistant director of technology at its Center for Teaching. “What I’m most proud of is managing the transition from Instructional Design and eTeaching Services and Sue Barrett’s work with faculty and grad students, to what is now the CTE,” said Rakestraw. “I was especially concerned when I came to honor the good work of long-time IDeS staff, even as we expanded their work to faculty development more generally. I think we were successful in that. I think I’ve also made good contributions to BC’s work on assessment, in collaboration with [Special Assistant to the President] Bob Newton and the University Council on
Learning Outcomes, and to the core curriculum, working with Julian Bourg and Brian Gareau on the University Core Renewal Committee. “In addition, I am pleased that we established a thriving faculty cohort program that engaged several dozen faculty each year in focused collaborative and independent work on pedagogical issues and strategies; developed a five-day teaching retreat for faculty, modeled in part on Intersections’ writing retreat; expanded what was IDeS’ annual eTeaching Day into an annual Excellence in Teaching Day; and continued IDeS’ work to support effective use of instructional design and media production services to several of the new online education programs. “Above all, however, I am gratified to see the way in which many of the CTE staff have grown professionally during the last five years.” Quigley said that Stacy Grooters, director of faculty programs, will serve as interim director this coming academic year. –University Communications
Winstons’ Gift Endows McMullen Directorship BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER
McMullen Museum of Art director and Professor of Art History Nancy Netzer has been named the inaugural Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Director of the McMullen Museum of Art, through the generosity of Boston College benefactors Robert ’60 and Judith Winston, whose endowed directorship was celebrated on April 30. “I want to thank Bob and Judy for the gift as well as their support of Boston College and the McMullen Museum over many, many years,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley at the event. “The McMullen is a true jewel of Boston College and a resource that enriches the entire campus community and the greater Boston cultural and arts scene. Endowing its directorship at this moment in time is a profoundly powerful statement of its international prominence as well as its vibrant importance, and an investment in our collective future.” At the celebration, held in the Cadigan Alumni Center, Robert Winston spoke passionately about exhibitions which, he said, had “a major impact on him”—including the groundbreaking “Beyond Words: Illuminated Manuscripts in Boston Collections” (fall 2016) and “Carrie Mae Weems: Strategies of Engagement” (fall 2018)—and about the power of art to foster understanding among people of different backgrounds and beliefs. He also cited the admiration he and his wife have for Netzer.
“Nancy doesn’t settle for average. Good is not good enough. It’s superior results she wants, and achieves. She’s a leader who does things highly ethically, with a touch of grace.” Winston closed his remarks by wishing Netzer a “long, very successful reign.” Netzer thanked the Winstons for their vision and support, and said she was “deeply honored” to be the inaugural recipient of the directorship. The Winstons, she said, “have done so much to ensure the potential for realization of the ideas we generate today, for harnessing our University’s unique potential to be a leader in museum pedagogy, investigative practice, and presentation. These goals harmonize with the University’s commitment to the search for truth, generation of knowledge, and education through an open exchange of ideas.” Netzer added, “The McMullen Museum shares in the Winstons’ hope that if we present future generations of students with the best ideas and tools, those students will go on to put them in the service of a better future for all of us.” Quigley, who praised Netzer’s “extraordinary body of work,” said “she has been the force guiding the imagining, the development, and the growth of the McMullen since its opening in 1993.” Since her arrival at Boston College in 1990, Netzer has organized more than 70 major loan exhibitions with faculty curators from a variety of disciplines, and overseen publication of more than 40 scholarly catalogues. She also played a major role in
Robert ’60 and Judith Winston with Nancy Netzer, right, at the April 30 event where she was formally introduced as the inaugural Winston Director of the McMullen Museum of Art. “She’s a leader who does things highly ethically, with a touch of grace,” said Robert Winston of Netzer. photo by gretchen ertl
the renovation of the McMullen Museum’s Brighton Campus venue. In addition, she teaches courses on European medieval art and the history and philosophy of museums, and her research—on the illuminated manuscripts and metalwork of Britain, Ireland, and the Continent in the early medieval period and the reception and display of medieval art from the middle ages to the present—has resulted in a book as well as many articles and scholarly catalogues. The event featured a discussion with a
panel of interdisciplinary BC faculty members who collaborated on multiple projects at the McMullen Museum. The Winstons have supported many areas of the University over the years, including endowing the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics in the Carroll School of Management. In addition to the McMullen directorship, they have supported the division of University Mission and Ministry, and established scholarships at the St. Columbkille Partnership School.
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Liang Sees ‘True North’ App as a Potential Guide for Helping Students with Questions About Formation Continued from page 1
tional journey, Lynch School of Education and Human Development Professor Belle Liang and her research team are developing a digital application they’ve named “True North,” a term often defined as the force that guides and fuels a person’s ambitions. Said Liang, who teaches in Counseling Psychology, “In a world with so many challenges and infinite ways to make a difference, students are overwhelmed with critically important questions: How do I make good with the privileges I’ve been given? How do I focus my energies and talents? Who do I want to be and what direction do I want my life to go? How do I navigate the college experience so I can best leverage the opportunities before me during this fleeting ‘window of time?’” These student-posed questions prompted Liang and colleagues to envision a web-based app whose goal is to foster student formation and purpose during adolescence and emerging adulthood. The True North app uses evidence-based best practices in youth purpose and formative education to help students investigate and discover personal pathways to finding “purpose,” which goes well beyond the narrow definitions of success in a society that frequently emphasizes personal fame and fortune as the definitive measure of achievement. “BC students are part of Generation Z, the demographic cohort born between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s, who have grown up during the most ‘game-changing’ period of technological advancement in history,” she explained. “This digital generation is trying to find their purpose, but they need modern tools to do so, and that means applying our research findings on purpose development in classroom curricula as well as in digital spaces where they are most at home, socializing, connecting, and exploring.”
Liang, a BC parent, characterizes True North, now in beta testing, as a decisionmaking tool that guides students through a systematic discernment process, integrating and updating the Jesuit spirituality that grew out of the experience of Ignatius Loyola. “Based on our research findings, we’re building a flexible, in-person curricula as well as an app through which students can identify their respective ‘callings’ or long-term, personally meaningful aspirations that are simultaneously of consequence in the world. They then intentionally plot their college experience so that it aligns with what is personally meaningful to them, as well as what is professionally practical. True North will help students selectively design their undergraduate years, curate the abundance of resources BC has to offer, and set them up for success in college, their careers, and their lives.” True North guides students to zero in on four elements called the “4 P”s that contribute to finding purpose based on Liang’s and her colleagues’ research: People—empowering relationships with those who nurture and encourage them in their journey toward purposeful aspirations; Passion—defining what is loved and valued; Propensity—identifying particular skills and strengths related to one’s purpose; and Prosocial benefit—identifying ways to use one’s passions, strengths, and skills that contribute toward the greater good. “The desire for purpose seems universal,” she said. “Our research has focused on young people from a variety of demographic backgrounds, and ‘purpose’ was relevant for youth from the most marginalized to the most privileged communities. It’s critical to us that our work on the True North project represents a true community partnership of researchers and practitioners from diverse settings.” Specifically, the digital application has
“This digital generation is trying to find their purpose, but they need modern tools to do so,” says Belle Liang, “and that means applying our research findings on purpose development in classroom curricula as well as in digital spaces where they are most at home, socializing, connecting, and exploring.” photo by lee pellegrini
been developed in collaboration with her research colleagues, Professor Terese Lund (Wingate University) and Professor Angela DeSilva Mousseau (Rivier University), and Tim Klein, a former high school guidance counselor who is director of Strategic Partnerships at Project Wayfinder, a purposelearning curriculum designed at Stanford’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (known as “the d. school”) that equips students with tools and skills to create purposeful lives. Liang’s research team is informed by and comprised of Gen Z students from various backgrounds at BC and beyond. The True North curriculum will be piloted with firstgeneration, low-income college students this fall. Her effort dovetails with the University’s Strategic Plan that calls for a re-commitment “to formation among students, faculty, and staff to further Boston College’s mission and strengthen its institutional culture” during the next decade and beyond. Liang reports that she and her team have
already envisioned True North “2.0”—a more advanced version of their original concept—and are excited to join with Lynch School Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean Stanton Wortham and others at BC who are dedicated to creating tangible tools for purpose and formative education that will empower all higher education students to find their way from college to career. “The app and the purpose curricula are an effort to combine the best research and practice in formative education at the Lynch School, with what we know about helping people identify and pursue their purpose,” she said. “I’ve heard many people, including parents and professionals from various sectors, claim that you have to choose between pursuing a vocation that you’re passionate about and pursuing one that is professionally practical. They argue that students can’t have it both ways. What our research—and the tools we’re building—are about is finding that intersection, that true north.”
Brandeis VP Will Head Woods College
Continued from page 1
ship, it has grown in depth and stature. “Karen Muncaster stood out among a strong pool of candidates, and she impressed the search committee with her vision for the Woods College and her imaginative approach to developing and leading programs for a diverse mix of audiences,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “I look forward to welcoming her back to Boston College, from which she received her PhD in higher education administration, and to working together to strengthen Woods and its ties on campus and across the Boston area.” In addition to her work at Brandeis, Muncaster served as commissioner of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission of Institutes of Higher Education from 2012-18, and as vice president of professional and continuing education at the Boston Architectural College from 2012-14. Previously, she was associate vice president for academic
programs and policies for students, and resource development for its approximately 90 part-time faculty. She is also credited with expanding the number of programs within the school; creating partnerships to form innovative strategies to further growth among Brandeis’ four schools, administrative units, centers, and institutes; and providing leadership for the development of new program and course formats throughout the university. Founded in 1992 as a summer school program for undergraduate students, the Rabb School has grown to encompass four distinct divisions that include credit-based courses for Brandeis undergraduates and undergraduates from other schools; online part-time graduate degree programs for working professionals; summer residential experiences for high school students; and non-credit enrichment courses for mature adult learners. Under Muncaster’s leader-
technology and program planning at Lesley University, and dean of continuing education at Southern New Hampshire University, where she launched the school’s highly successful online educational division. She has also taught high school special education classes. “I am thrilled and honored to be the next dean of the Woods College,” said Muncaster. “I went into the field of education because I know the power that a good education has in transforming individual lives and in changing our world. Leading Woods College, with its rigorous programs and its focus on ethics and service, will allow me to use what I have learned about continuing and professional education to expand access to Boston College to students who will go on to lead change in our society. I look forward to getting started.” Muncaster becomes just the third dean of the Woods College, following James Burns, I.V.D., who served from 2014-
18 before being named president of St. Mary’s University in Winonna, Minn., and its founding dean and namesake James Woods, S.J., who served for 44 years until his retirement in 2012. She succeeds Interim Dean David Goodman, who was associate dean under Fr. Burns, and who provided outstanding leadership to the school during the past year, noted Quigley. “The University has greatly benefited from David Goodman’s hard work and leadership this academic year. I am confident he will continue to help drive our efforts to educate students from non-traditional backgrounds.” A resident of Westford, Mass., Muncaster received her bachelor’s degree in special and elementary education from Indiana University, and her MEd from Tufts University before pursuing her doctorate at the Lynch School.
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SENIORS TO REMEMBER
May 9, 2019
Six members of the Class of 2019 reflect on their BC experiences photos by peter julian and lee pellegrini
Natalee Deaette
Hometown: Newport Center, Vt. Major: Applied Psychology and Human
Development; minor in Leadership in Higher Education and Community Settings Notable Achievements/Activities: 2018 Truman Scholar; Alpha Sigma Nu National Honor Society; St. Ignatius Award-Personal Development; representative, Student Affairs Advisory Board; Emerging Leader Program senior coordinator; chief of staff, Undergraduate Government of Boston College; house manager, Robsham Theater Arts Center; teaching assistant, Courage to Know; studied abroad at Greece’s American College of Thessaloniki. Post-Graduation Plans: Spending the summer in Washington, D.C., as a public policy and communications intern for the Council for Opportunity in Education through the Truman Summer Institute; seeking a fulltime higher education position in Boulder, Colo., starting in August. Graduate school to follow.
Overview: Deaette, a first-generation college student, has demonstrated a tremendous passion for college access and equity during her four years at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, best exemplified by her service with a Vermont-based, federally funded Upward Bound program, which prepares low-income, first-generation high school students for postsecondary education. She is invested in finding and developing solutions for inequitable access to higher education in the frequently overlooked
and underserved population of rural, lowincome high school students, a reflection of her own background. How has BC made a difference in your life? BC has been a transformative experience. Where I grew up, opportunities like the ones available at BC were few and far between, specifically, to meaningfully engage in service. When I was in high school, service was little more than a bullet point you’d add to your resume. My BC experiences have completely transformed this definition into one that is no longer self-
Natalee Deaette: “From the moment I stepped foot on campus, I’ve been so impressed and inspired by the BC student body and the incredible things that everyone does for the causes they care about.”
Branick Weix
Hometown: St. Paul, Minn. Major: Finance, minor in Computer Science Notable Activities/Achievements: Carroll
School of Management Honors Program; winner, 2018 Strakosch Venture Competition, Shea Center for Entrepreneurship; teaching assistant for Associate Professor of Information Systems John Gallaugher; founder and chief executive officer of Aryeo. Post-Graduation Plans: CEO of his start-up Aryeo, which provides software to help real estate photographers run their businesses.
Overview: Weix learned to fly his first drone in high school, then added a camera and taught himself a good deal about aerial photography. His aerial videography has appeared in Boston College videos; as a freshman and sophomore, he was hired to travel to Costa Rica to assist researchers with the Leatherback Trust and Seeds of Change so they could use drones in their efforts to protect nesting Leatherneck turtles. He came to BC intent on learning as much as he could about entrepreneurship and shepherded his start-up, Aryeo, from concept to an award-winning proposal to a start-up company. Have you always had the entrepreneurship bug? When I was looking at colleges, I was constantly debating between doing engineering or business. During a BC visit I was listening to a panel and I heard someone talk about the TechTrek program and entrepre-
neurship at Boston College. In my mind this was the perfect combination of my interests where I could both build things and have a business experience. Over the past few years participating in the Carroll School classes, TechTrek, and the Shea Center for Entrepreneurship has really
serving, but instead reciprocal. I’m grateful to BC for creating an environment in which everyone on campus, both students and staff, find joy and fulfillment in responding to social injustice and standing in solidarity with people who are marginalized. This is a lesson I will take with me wherever I go. Who has had the greatest influence on you during your four years at BC? I’ve had a lot of mentors in my time at BC, but the one who has had the greatest influence on me is Lynch School Associate Dean for Undergraduate Student Services Julia DeVoy. I first met her as a sophomore when I took her Child Growth & Development course, and she has been in my corner ever since. In hearing her story, which is quite similar to my own, I’ve come to see her as a role model. She has never once doubted my abilities; instead, she’s encouraged me to pursue more than I ever envisioned myself capable of, including applying for the Truman and writing my senior thesis. I can’t imagine what my BC experience would have been like without her support. Another person who’s been important to me, although I just met her this year, is Office for Student Involvement Assistant Director for Leadership Development Kat Waxstein, who really took me under her wing, and empowered and encouraged me
in so many ways. She has been an incredible mentor and I am so grateful that I had the chance to work with her in my role as ELP coordinator. Your commitment to positive social change led to your selection as a 2018 Truman Scholar. How did the Truman award impact your life? Being selected as a Truman Scholar gave me a greater sense of my own worth. Imposter syndrome is real, and I spent my first few years feeling like I was accepted to BC because I “defied the odds” and achieved more than low-income kids are expected to, but not because I outshined other applicants on my own merit. Receiving the Truman was a wake-up call and a message that I belong, and that was truly empowering. What will you miss most about BC? I will miss being surrounded by so much passion and commitment. I know it seems clichéd, but BC students really embody our motto of “Ever to Excel.” From the moment I stepped foot on campus, I’ve been so impressed and inspired by the BC student body and the incredible things that everyone does for the causes they care about. I can easily say that I’ve learned just as much from the students at BC as I have from the faculty and staff, and I’ll miss that a lot. –PHIL GLOUDEMANS
Branick Weix: “I’m not sure I realized it when I decided to attend BC, but having such a strong core that emphasizes taking the time to think and evaluate has been very important to me.”
helped me refine that vision and give me the skills to get my business off the ground. Do you recommend starting a business in college? I’m a big fan of maximizing learning, wherever that may be. For me, I have looked at my business not necessarily as a place to make money but where I can learn the most and where I can apply what I’m learning in the classroom. My advice is to just get started with something, anything, and start talking to people and customers. That’s the best way to go. You end up changing your idea a hundred times, but it’s the stuff you learn through that process that’s important. What was your most influential experience at BC? Professor Gallaugher has had a huge influence on me. I took his Computers in Management course when I first arrived, and shortly thereafter I started TA-ing for him and applied for TechTrek. TechTrek Ghana was a tremendous experience. It allowed me to not only to understand technology and how it’s applied, but also to travel the world and see those applications in practice. Here in the U.S. a lot of new companies are focused on social media, but many companies we saw in Ghana were focused on very real, tangible problems that improve the quality of people’s lives, meet basic needs, and improve communications
or education. That gave me a good vision for what is possible and made me more excited to start my own business as well. What about your BC experience has changed you the most? I think the Portico and Perspectives classes freshman year did a great job of introducing me to the idea of reflection and the Examen. Over the last four years I was able to discover what part of that I liked and what I could apply. Especially in the college environment, you are around so many people—thousands of our best friends. It’s constant. There’s a lot going on, and a lot of moving parts. I’m not sure I realized it when I decided to attend BC, but having such a strong core that emphasizes taking the time to think and evaluate has been very important to me. –ED HAYWARD
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Anthony M. Smith
Hometown: Waltham, Mass. Majors: History, African and African Diaspora Studies
Notable Activities/Achievements:
Recipient of the 2018 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarship; co-founder of the First Generation Club, an organization for first-generation college students; Jamaica Magis service trip; AHANA Leadership Council; Dedicated Intellectuals of the People; site director for Let’s Get Ready, an SAT preparation program for area high school students. Post-Graduation Plans: Smith will earn his master’s degree through the Lynch School of Education and Human Development Donovan Urban Teaching Scholars Program and teach in Boston Public Schools; eventually, he will pursue a doctorate in higher education.
Overview: The son of Haitian immigrants, Smith grew up in a household where education was a priority. Now, Smith has made education the focus of his post-graduate journey. In retrospect, what impact did winning the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship have on you? At first, I had the feeling of the “imposter syndrome”: How could they have selected me? When I went through past MLK winners, I saw some very visible leaders, and I didn’t fit that profile. A lot of the work I’ve done is academic. But as I looked more, I realized that the most important thing about winning the scholarship is following your interest, whether art, politics, business, management, or leadership and activism. When you follow the things you love and are passionate about, they can manifest your leadership and activism. Stick to it,
follow it, love it. You’ve spoken about having had a difficult time early on at BC. What got you through it? It was an accumulation of things. I didn’t feel prepared academically, socially, or emotionally. What I came to understand was that I had to put in what I wanted to get out of my BC experience. So after freshman year I discovered myself in multifaceted ways. Mentorship was a large part of that discovery. I credit History Department faculty members like [Associate Professor] Cynthia Lynn Lyerly, with whom I talked about my experience as a black student; she let me know that I belonged here. That led to one of my proudest achievements at BC: producing my seniors honor thesis examining sexual violence during slavery and KKK violence during Recon-
Anthony M. Smith: “That’s what BC is all about: encouraging you to be vulnerable, open, and candid. It may not be fun all the time, but that’s how you grow, and learn from others.”
Daniel Croteau
Hometown: Claremont, NH Major: Nursing Notable Achievements/Activities: Peer advisor, Connell School of Nursing First-Year Nursing Seminar; leader, Connell School SCRUBS retreat; tour guide, Undergraduate Admission Office; Appalachia Volunteer (two years); studied abroad at University of Bergen, Norway via McGillycuddy-Logue Travel Grant; community health clinical in the Dominican Republic. Post-Graduation Plans: He will take the licensure exam (NCLEX) this summer and plans to relocate and work at a hospital in California.
Overview: A self-described “people person,” Croteau likes to be able to eliminate unnecessary anxiety in others, whether a high school student visiting BC on a campus tour, a Connell School student making the college transition in a First-Year Nursing Seminar, or—in the near future—a family member with a loved one in the ICU. Add to that an interest in science and service and Croteau has the qualities to be a compassionate and skilled nurse. You spent a semester abroad in Norway. Can you talk about that? Part of reason I chose to go to BC was because I knew I wanted to do nursing and I knew I wanted to go abroad. BC lets nursing students study abroad. Norway has mountains and I love hiking. It has a good health care system and I thought it would
be cool to experience it. I took an environmental psychology class, which is about how everything around you affects your brain. I did a project on how a patient’s hospital environment—the lighting, what’s on the walls, the windows—affects their healing process and their mental state. What was your role as a leader for the SCRUBS retreat? SCRUBS is about community building and decreasing anxiety for sophomores. We give small talks during the weekend. It’s really about letting them know they are not
struction. [Associate Professor] Martin Summers encouraged me to take myself seriously, which built my confidence; collaborating and working with him as an Undergraduate Research Fellow, and with my own research project, he normalized the process of writing and research for me—he basically said, “There’s room for you here.” Finding a community in which I can feel comfortable but also challenged has been a huge aspect of my time at BC. You had considered going for a law degree after graduating BC. What changed? I had some experiences that made me rethink my career path, like working in the Suffolk House of Corrections as a teacher’s assistant, where I was in front of a classroom of people who had never had a teacher who looked like me. Through the McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, I was able to contextualize these experiences by doing research on the underrepresentation of black men in higher education. Being in McNair made the idea of getting a PhD real for me, and built up my confidence. I began to question why I wanted to go to law school. It wasn’t an easy decision; I felt like I was giving up on a dream. But I accepted that this dream had blossomed into something that would enable me to make more of a meaningful impact. What I’ve come to believe is that education is truly interventional; it can make a critical difference in someone’s life, especially a person of color from a low-income
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background. There need to be more people of color in higher education, as teachers not just as students, to drive home the point that we belong. What things about BC—people, places, activities—will you miss? My experiences have been grounded in moments and lessons. One of my favorite places to spend time has been the African and African Diaspora Studies office. I know I’ll be safe there, and always welcome. It’s a hub to interact with faculty and other students, a lot of love and friendly conversation, and it’s where I can go to do work but also decompress. I’ll miss being challenged—intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually—although the challenge will continue with life. But if I looked for challenge at BC I could find it, not only in the classroom but at events like SLAM poetry. I always see myself through the work I do, and being able to do that in different ways, especially through my peers, brought me peace. I will miss the privilege of mentorship and storytelling. That is what also got me through BC, being able to be a mentor and be mentored. Speaking at an AHANA Summit organized by BC’s First Year Experience program, sharing my story with my peers and being vulnerable about some of my times here—good or bad—was a very humbling experience. That’s what BC is all about: encouraging you to be vulnerable, open, and candid. It may not be fun all the time, but that’s how you grow, and learn from others. –SEAN SMITH
Daniel Croteau: “BC has really encouraged me to take moments and pause and think about where I’m headed, especially when I’m really stressed out.” alone. Nursing is great because you have the same classmates in all your lectures. I know all my nursing classmates by name and that’s one thing I love about being in nursing. How has BC made a difference in your life? Reflection. There’s so much reflection! On the Appalachian trips, every single night there was a reflection. On the retreats like SCRUBS and Kairos, there’s tons of reflection. Having the opportunity to pause and think about where you’re at in life is so necessary. While I was abroad, I started journaling. BC has really encouraged me to take moments and pause and think about where I’m headed, especially when I’m really stressed out. I don’t think you get that at a lot of other places. Reflection is a big part of Ignatian spirituality. What has been one of your most memorable moments during your time at BC? I’d have to say the Dominican Republic trip. I got so close to everybody on that trip. There were only about 10 or 12 of us. Since getting back, we’ve gone out together two or three times. I went to the DR with an open mind. I really wanted to experience some place that was not as well off as the U.S. or Norway. I wasn’t sure what I would get out of it, but it was definitely an eye-opener. Some of houses we saw were literally made of old two-by-fours with a piece of tin across as a roof. I met a gentleman who was 100-something years old. I
learned about his life and some of his experiences in the DR. He’s someone I think back on. When I got back to BC, I called my parents. My mom asked me about the trip and what the conditions were like. I’m not an outwardly emotional person, but when I went to describe it, I started crying. Who has been a mentor to you? The Connell School is filled with some of the most supportive people on campus. It’s unreal how willing all the professors are to connect with students. I had [Clinical Instructor] Maureen Connolly for Health Assessment Lab my sophomore year. She was a really good mentor. Rosemary Byrne was my clinical faculty member when I went to the DR and I had the chance to get close to her. Whenever I’m in Maloney Hall, I check to see if they are around because I like talking to them. Also, [Assistant Director of Student Services] Brandon Huggon has been a great conversation partner. What will you miss most after graduation? My friends. I’m lucky enough to have some really, really good friends at BC. They’re very supportive. They’re friends I can be authentic around. –KATHLEEN SULLIVAN
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SENIORS TO REMEMBER Gawain Dornelly
Hometown: Micoud, Saint Lucia Major: Corporate Systems Notable Activities/Achievements: Woods College of Advancing Studies Manresa Scholar; Information Technology Services intern; chosen to sing at the Woods College graduation later this month. Post-Graduation Plans: Pursue master’s degrees in cybersecurity and leadership and administration with a project management focus.
Overview: A native of a small farming village on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, Dornelly moved to Boston to pursue his higher education dreams. After earning an associate’s degree from Bunker Hill Community College, he transferred to the Woods College in 2017 and is now preparing to pursue a master’s degree. What was it like coming to the U.S. for the first time? It took me seven years to save up enough money to start on this journey. In 2014, I quit my job at a bank in Saint Lucia and came to Boston. I’m the first person in my family to earn a bachelor’s degree, so it was daunting and scary but also exciting. My fear of failing was something that almost impeded my ability to just step out and do it, but a family member told me “If you want something bad enough, you will do whatever is necessary to make it happen.” These words resonated with me.
Why did you choose BC? I went to several college fairs at Bunker Hill and always ended up at the BC table. One thing that attracted me was being able to connect with my Catholic identity. I was raised Catholic, so coming to a Jesuit college felt right. Separately, when I stepped on campus I remember feeling at peace. There’s just something magical about the BC campus that does that to you. More importantly, every encounter with Woods personnel gave me a great sense of value as a human being. In the last sentence of my application letter I wrote that, “I see the Woods College as a place where
Gawain Dornelly: “Pride is one of the things that can get in my way, and I think my growth at BC has really been steeped in humility.”
Annie Haws Hometown: River Vale, NJ Major: Geological Sciences, minor in Ancient Civilizations
Notable Activities/Achievements: Yale University Bateman Prize; Scholar of the College; Order of the Cross and Crown; Phi Beta Kappa; Advanced Study Grants: field work in the Italian Alps (2018), research at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (2016); Dean’s Scholar; Chamber Music Society; Geology Club. Post-Graduation Plans: Haws will pursue a doctorate in geology and geophysics at Yale University; her long-term goal is to teach at a college or university emphasizing undergraduate liberal arts education.
Overview: Haws had always known that she wanted to be a scientist, but it wasn’t until she came to BC that she was able to fully explore her interest in geology and become involved in research. Her enthusiasm for both the sciences and the humanities became one of the defining themes of her academic life at BC. How has BC made a difference in your life? Although I’ve learned many valuable scientific skills here, my education has not been just career preparation, but life preparation. The Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program has taught me how to think critically and deeply about big questions, and develop my own beliefs and values, which I believe will help me lead a
more thoughtful, fulfilling life. I’ve been able to consider my responsibilities toward the world and other human beings, and how I can have a positive impact. How have your studies and experiences here prepared you for the future? Working in [Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor and Department Chair] Ethan Baxter’s lab played a pivotal role in preparing me for my future. I’ve spent time doing research and had the opportunity to do field work abroad, collaborate with scientists at other institutions, and present my research at an international conference. In
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I will be valued not just as a student but as a person.” At the time, it was just a hope, but that hope ended up being a literal manifestation of my experience here. All of it came to fruition during my time at Woods. Who has been a mentor to you? Every professor I’ve encountered has in one way or another supported me both academically and personally. In particular, [Vice Provost for Undergraduate Academic Affairs] Akua Sarr was really instrumental in my educational journey here. I took Contemporary American Ethnic Literature with her and it was such an eye-opening course because it addressed issues of race in America. My experience of being black from a Caribbean island is different from that of someone from the U.S., and being in the U.S. made my blackness more salient, especially as someone to be feared or fetishized. For the first time in my entire schooling process, I was in a course that challenged and illuminated the notions I had of what it means to be black in America. The conversations were uncomfortable but Professor Sarr made it easier to have that dialogue. What has been your most formative BC experience? Being accepted as a Manresa Scholar changed me. In addition to the scholarly work, it’s really about formation—who I want to be as a person and how I see my-
self being in the world. We all read Tattoos on the Heart by Gregory Boyle, S.J., which focuses on the theme of kinship. For him, kinship is about being in a place and connecting with people. His story really resonated with me, and I saw a lot of parallels with the way that Woods has supported and said “yes” to me. Being a Manresa Scholar also required me to be vulnerable, and being vulnerable is not my strength. Pride is one of the things that can get in my way, and I think my growth at BC has really been steeped in humility. Being humble enough to ask for help, and being humble enough to accept help. What interests you about cybersecurity and project management? I’ve always been interested in technology—it’s where we are now, and it’s where we’re headed. I’ve taken two cybersecurity courses on policy and risk, and found them to be so relevant to people and systems today. Cybersecurity is greatly complemented by project management, which is the area I’m focusing on for my summer internship. Project management can significantly benefit and assist in cyber strategy and risk, and it appeals to my love of problem solving and seeking greater efficiencies. With the skill sets from cybersecurity and project management, I think I’ll be able to achieve my goals regardless of the industry I’m in—finance, technology, or health care. –ALIX HACKETT
Annie Haws: “Although I’ve learned many valuable scientific skills here, my education has not been just career preparation, but life preparation.” addition to helping me decide that I want to pursue scientific research, the experience I have gained is invaluable. How have your geology and Ancient Civilizations studies complemented each other? Many geochemical and geophysical techniques can be quite useful in archaeology. Although this is not my primary research interest, I hope to work with archaeologists in my career, and I think having some background in classical studies will help me bridge the two disciplines. I think geology and classics are different perspectives on history, one material and one cultural. Both have helped me feel a strong connection to the history of humanity and the world. Who have been some of the most influential people you’ve known at BC? I started working in Ethan Baxter’s lab my freshman year, and he has become one of the most important mentors of my college career. From giving me the research opportunity as a freshman to helping me apply to graduate programs as a senior, Ethan has been immensely helpful as I’ve discerned my path over the last four years. [Associate Professor] Gail Hoffman of the Classics Department, whom I have known since freshman year, has helped me strike a balance between my studies in the sciences and the humanities, and has been instrumental in helping me find my way not only as a scholar but as a person.
What experiences at BC have had the most significant impact on you? The Honors Program has had a profound influence by exposing me to different perspectives on life from antiquity to the 21st century. It has helped me better understand what it means to be human, and develop my own perspectives on many of life’s big questions. The program has also shown me how necessary both the sciences and the humanities are for working toward an understanding the world and our place in it, something I have become very conscious of as a scientist. Playing the cello in the BC Chamber Music Society over the last four years has also had a big impact. I don’t intend to pursue music professionally, but I’ve been able to spend a significant amount of time doing something for sheer enjoyment. Despite the changes in my life during my time at BC, music has been a constant. What will you miss most about BC? I think I’ll miss the everyday things that are easy to take for granted: late-night conversations with my roommates, sightreading and practicing with my chamber group, walking across campus on a snowy evening. I’ll also miss the communities I’ve had the privilege of being a part of on campus, from my closest group of friends to Ethan’s lab group. —ROSANNE PELLEGRINI
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On Top of Africa Nick Claudio ’22 hasn’t let blindness stop him from achieving his goals, whether it’s going to college, or summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro BY ALIX HACKETT SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
At three in the morning of Jan. 7, Boston College freshman Nick Claudio awoke to the sound of harsh winds whipping the flaps of his nylon tent. Wearing four layers to protect against the cold, he prepared for a day of hiking in grueling conditions. In seven hours, if all went well, he would achieve a remarkable goal: to reach the summit of Africa’s tallest mountain, without being able to see it. “Everything had been leading up to that day, and I felt ready,” he said. “I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to do it, and it’s going to be awesome.’” The story of Claudio’s journey to Mt. Kilimanjaro began years before he ever seriously contemplated making the trip. Diagnosed with cancer at the age of nine, Claudio—a native of Marion, Mass.—lost his vision during a surgery to remove an orange-sized tumor from his brain. Two years later, two more tumors emerged, and he was referred to the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center, where he underwent radiation and chemotherapy. In 2012, Claudio’s family applied to the recently established Travel for Treatment Assistance Program run by Endure to Cure [https://enduretocure.org], a pediatric cancer foundation that supports families of children facing cancer. They received financial assistance to defray some of the travel costs associated with frequent treatments, along with a visit from the foundation’s founder, Jason Sissel. Sissel and Claudio struck up a friendship, bonding over their mutual love of the outdoors. After losing his vision, Claudio had taken up downhill skiing, and later even taught himself to waterski. He told Sissel that he enjoyed hiking and hoped to one day climb a mountain. “I said, ‘Wait, you know I climb mountains, right?’” recalled Sissel. “I said, ‘Tell you what, once you beat this thing, if you want to climb a mountain with me, let me know.’ And that’s how it all began.” The journey to the summit At 19,341 feet of elevation, Mt. Kilimanjaro is the tallest freestanding mountain in the world, its snow-capped peak visible for miles in any direction. Hikers pass through five different climate zones on their way to the summit, including dense rainforest, moorland, and glaciers. Sissel, Claudio, and Claudio’s childhood friend, Zech, began their trek on Jan. 1 with a team of guides from Tusker Trail and two other Endure to Cure members. For the first few days, Claudio used hiking poles to navigate the uneven ground. When the trail grew rockier and more winding, he switched tactics, gripping the backpack of the person in front of him. “If I’m holding on to someone I can tell exactly what foot they’re stepping with and where they’re stepping,” he explained. “So I just followed their footsteps.” The most challenging day came mid-
Nick Claudio ’22:“There’s no one person who isn’t going to face challenges. But there’s always a way out, and there’s always a purpose to things, whether or not you can see it now. There’s always something to be gained or something to learn from it.” photo by gary wayne gilbert
way through the trek, when icy conditions made it unsafe at times for Claudio to hike independently. He allowed a guide to carry him over the worst sections, but he wasn’t happy about it. That evening, he and Sissel discussed his frustration, and by morning, Claudio was re-energized and ready to take on the famed Barranco Wall—an 850-foot headwall that requires hikers to scramble on all fours. “My mom put me through six years of rock climbing lessons as a child, so I was in my element,” Claudio recalled. “I was holding on to [Endure to Cure member] Watch a video about Nick Claudio at vimeo.com/333461697
Ben’s backpack and we were just scaling the rocks like nothing, finding footholds really quickly. I feel like that was the turning point where I knew I was going to be ok.” On Day 7, Sissel and Claudio hiked through wind, rain, and hail to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Underneath the worn wooden sign, they posed for photos holding an Endure to Cure banner, celebrating an accomplishment six years in the making. “For me it was amazing but it was also a very surreal moment,” Claudio said. “I was thinking, ‘Is this happening? Is this physically possible?’ It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.” At home at BC Claudio has trouble pinpointing the exact reason he chose to attend Boston College. There’s the campus, which felt peaceful despite its proximity to Boston, he said, and the emphasis on interdisciplinary education, which encourages students to study outside their majors. “The people were also a huge factor,” he said. “There’s a sense of community here, everybody watches out for each other and cares about each other. It’s very different from other colleges I’ve been to.” During his freshman year in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Claudio was busy with classes and extracurricular activities. He was a member of The Common Tones of Boston College, an a
capella group, and served on his residence hall council as the vice president for student advocacy. He’s double majoring in history and philosophy, with hopes of becoming a social studies teacher. Claudio navigates BC’s sprawling campus with ease thanks to summer practice sessions with an orientation and mobility specialist and a natural aptitude for committing routes to memory. He utilizes a note-taker in certain classes and is granted extended time on assignments when he needs it, but otherwise, his college experience is similar to that of his peers. “I probably couldn’t have asked for a better start to college,” he said. “It’s going pretty well so far.” Learning from the challenge When he signed on to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, Claudio wasn’t exactly sure what
to expect. He knew what the mountain meant to Sissel, who was midway through his first trek when he decided to quit his Wall Street career and start Endure to Cure. And he knew that making it to the summit would require him to push himself both physically and mentally. According to Sissel, the dual challenge is precisely what makes the trip transformative. “That’s what makes it special,” he said. “When you’re mountaineering you have to adjust and constantly adapt, otherwise you fail. I hope Nick looks back on this and remembers what he accomplished and that it gives him a sense of confidence in the unknown.” Although he’s still processing what the hike meant to him, Claudio has noticed a shift in his perspective since returning to the Heights in January. “Things don’t seem as hard,” he acknowledged. “I have this sense that I can do anything.” The experience reinforced something Claudio learned while undergoing treatment for cancer: setbacks are unavoidable, but how you handle them is within your control. “I mean, stuff happens,” he said. “There’s no exception to the rule. There’s no one person who isn’t going to face challenges. But there’s always a way out, and there’s always a purpose to things, whether or not you can see it now. There’s always something to be gained or something to learn from it.” –Alix Hackett is a senior digital content writer for the Office of University Communications
Landrigan to Give Talk Next Week on Environmental Toxins, Children’s Health Professor of Biology Philip Landrigan ’63, MD, director of the Global Public Health Program, will discuss the impact of environmental toxins on children during a lecture at Cadigan Alumni Center on May 14. The talk, sponsored by the Boston College Energy and Environment Alumni Network, starts at 6 p.m. and includes a networking reception following his remarks. A pediatrician and epidemiologist by training, Landrigan is one of the world’s preeminent public health experts. His research explores the impact of environmental toxins on the health and wellbeing of children and adults. In 2017, Landrigan co-authored a study commissioned by the British journal The Lancet, which found that pollution accounts for approximately nine million deaths worldwide each year – deaths which are largely preventable with existing technology.
Following a long career at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, Landrigan joined BC and the new Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society last summer. He then launched the Global Observatory on Pollution and Health, a research center. At his talk, Landrigan will discuss why children are getting sick from being exposed to thousands of new chemicals that never before existed and which were not tested for safety or toxicity before they were brought to market. Many of these chemicals have been found to cause or been linked to diseases in children, including asthma, cancer, learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, birth defects, and diabetes. The cost to attend the event is $10 for GOLD alumni (members of the classes of 2009 through 2018); and $15 for other alumni, parents, and friends. For more information, please call ext.2-4700. –University Communications
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May 9, 2019
Boston College Strong An accident in high school left Conor McCormick paralyzed. But the BC Strong Scholarship recipient is pursuing his dream of becoming a doctor. BY CHRISTINE BALQUIST STAFF WRITER
Boston College freshman Conor McCormick was awarded the second annual Boston College Strong Scholarship by Boston Marathon bombing survivors Patrick Downes ’05, and his wife Jessica Kensky, at a ceremony on April 22. The scholarship fund, established in their honor by Downes’ classmates from the Class of 2005, supports Boston College students who have overcome adversity. At the age of 16, a tragic swimming pool accident left McCormick, of West Springfield, Mass., paralyzed from the waist down. After surviving multiple surgeries and life-threatening infections, McCormick is enjoying his freshman year at BC, where he navigates campus in a wheelchair. “A year ago I could not imagine being in this spot,” said McCormick. “I believed that I lost my independence and that my physical disability would transcend to both my social and academic experience as well. But it all changed with one phone call from [Vice Provost for Enrollment] John Mahoney to my guidance counselor. And it all changed with the steps this committee made to create this scholarship so that I can come to this school.”
After Downes and Kensky were gravely injured at the Boston Marathon finish line in 2013, Downes’ friends and classmates raised money for the scholarship to honor their strength and resiliency. “What happened to Patrick and me was very public and therefore there was a huge response, a tidal wave of love and support from Boston and beyond,” said Kensky. “Since our lives were turned upside down, we have met so many people who have been overcoming obstacles much greater than ours, but more anonymously and more quietly. One of the goals of this scholarship is to harness that love and support and feed it to others.” “This young man embodies perfectly the BC Strong spirit, having overcome great adversity while continuing to excel in his academic, community, and spiritual pursuits” said Downes. McCormick is currently studying biology in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences and plans to become a doctor. “I am filled with overwhelming gratitude because this gift that was given to me is extraordinary” said McCormick. “I want to thank everyone who invested a part of their lives to provide me with possibly the rest of my life.”
Last month, Conor McCormick ’22 received the Boston College Strong Scholarship and spoke at a reception with Boston Marathon bombing survivors Patrick Downes ’05 and his wife Jessica Kensky, the couple in whose honor the scholarship was established. photos by lee pellegrini
‘Memory, Freedom, and Solidarity’
Conference Celebrates Life, Work of Theologian Copeland Colleagues, former students, and other scholars gathered recently on campus to honor the life and work of influential Boston College theologian M. Shawn Copeland, who will retire from the University at the end of the academic year after a 35-year career, including the last 17 years at BC. “Celebrating M. Shawn Copeland: Memory, Freedom, and Solidarity” was organized by Associate Professors of Theology Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM, and Andrew Prevot, and was sponsored by the Institute for the Liberal Arts with the Theology Department and the African and African Diaspora Studies Program. Scholars who spoke at the April 26-27 event paid tribute to Copeland’s achievements and explored themes found in her scholarship. A professor in the Theology Department and African and African Diaspora Studies program, Copeland has made groundbreaking contributions to the fields of theological anthropology and political theology as well as the African and African American intellectual history and religious experience. She is the author of Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race, and Being, regarded as a modern theological classic, Knowing Christ Crucified: The Witness of African American Religious Experience, and The Subversive
Power of Love: The Vision of Henriette Delille, co-editor of four theological volumes, and has published more than 125 articles, book chapters, and reviews. “Copeland’s voice is one that is indefatigable, fighting to show those who say they love God, how they have failed to love their neighbor,” said Assistant Professor of Theology and African and African Diaspora Studies Amey Victoria Adkins-Jones. “Theologizing from the treatment of black women’s bodies historically through chattel slavery to the present, Shawn raised the alarm—for the church at large, and for the Catholic Church in particular—that failing to address theologically the questions of race and gender and poverty and oppression was a failure to serve God rightly.” She added that Copeland belongs alongside Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, and Angela Davis as someone who gave “voice to black women and to all those who are oppressed, changing the horizon of black freedom struggles.” Joining Adkins-Jones, Sr. Hinsdale, and Prevot as conference participants were Professor of Theology Fred Lawrence and STM Associate Professors Francine Cardman and Nancy Pineda-Madrid. Other participants were: BC alumnus Robert J. Rivera (St. John’s University); theologian Sister Jamie T. Phelps, OP; Mi-
M. Shawn Copeland chatted with well-wishers during the two-day conference held last month to honor her life and work. photo by lee pellegrini
chele Saracino (Manhattan College); Karen Teel (University of San Diego); Pamela Lightsey (Meadville Lombard Theological School); Bryan N. Massingale (Fordham University); Mayra Rivera (Harvard University); Shawnee Marie Daniels-Sykes (Mount Mary University), and Christine Firer Hinze (Fordham University).
Several of the speakers had also contributed to a recently published Festschrift in Copeland’s honor, titled Enfleshing Theology: Embodiment, Discipleship, and Politics in the Work of M. Shawn Copeland. –Kathleen Sullivan To read a longer version of this story, see http://bit.ly/copeland-retirement.
Chronicle
May 9, 2019
“He has an incredibly bright future in research,” says Chemistry Department Chairman Marc Snapper of
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BC in the Media
Goldwater Scholarship winner Henry Dieckhaus.
Dieckhaus Joins BC Goldwater Winners Continued from page 1
lytical Chemistry Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry and is a Dean’s Scholar in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. The Chemistry Department has honored him with the Brian Lawrence Gray Prize for scholarship and named him a Sophomore Scholar. He is currently studying abroad at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom In the Chemistry Department, Dieckhaus has conducted research with department chair Marc Snapper, and faculty members Frederik Haeffner and Shih-Yuan Liu. Last summer, he worked with Cong Liu at Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago. “Professor Haeffner and I had the pleasure of working with Henry on a shared research project last semester,” said Snapper. “Even though our time together was cut short by Henry’s plans for a semester abroad, it was remarkable how much progress he was able to make on this project. In each of our weekly meetings, Henry’s accomplishments and his clear thought process for achieving the next goal in the project were evident and impressive. Since Henry was a natural in the laboratory, combined with his performance as the overall top student in our Honors Chemistry Program, this award is a wonderful and well-deserved recognition for him. He has an incredibly bright future in research.”
Dieckhaus’ research focuses on computational chemistry, which uses computer simulations to help solve problems that were previously too complex or impractical to attempt using traditional “wet” chemistry methods in a laboratory. He plans to pursue a PhD in computational chemistry in the future. “My research is focused on narrowing the gap between computational chemistry and ‘wet’ chemistry, so that challenges such as drug design or catalyst development can be solved in a more interdisciplinary way,” he said. Dieckhaus, who looks forward to connecting with his fellow Goldwater Scholars in the next two years, said his interest in the sciences has been driven by a desire to find ways to answer tough questions and solve problems. “I have always been fascinated by the problem solving that all science necessitates, but as I have gained exposure to the world of modern research, I have been further compelled by other components of science,” Dieckhaus said. “It’s all been quite exciting to participate in and contribute toward the collaboration, communication, and education involved in research.” Dieckhaus is the eighth BC student to win a Goldwater this decade. The most recent Goldwater Scholar was Mattia Pizzagalli, who graduated last year.
BC Earns Recognition for Its Sustainability Practices Boston College’s sustainability practices continue to receive national and professional recognition, as the University was recently awarded a Silver rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) through its STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System) program. STARS lauded the Lynch School of Education and Human Development’s initiative in teaching Massachusetts urban public school students about the science and enterprise of hydroponic gardening, calling the program a “unique effort to engage area youth in hydroponics and social justice.” In a letter accompanying BC’s submission to STARS, Vice President for Planning and Assessment Kelli Armstrong pointed to the University’s commitment to designing and constructing sustainable buildings and innovative energy and water conservation methods while minimizing waste and emissions. She added that BC students have been active in conservation
and sustainability efforts, as evidenced by the 11 sustainability-oriented clubs officially recognized by the University, and students’ top placement in the 2018 Recyclemania competition. Armstrong also noted the University’s launch of the Global Observatory on Pollution and Health, which will track efforts to control pollution and prevent pollution-related diseases that account for an estimated nine million deaths worldwide each year. “Boston College recognizes there are limits to the world’s resources,” wrote Armstrong, “and as such, seeks to follow our motto of ‘Ever to Excel’ in environmental stewardship and sustainability.” Established in 2005, AASHE is the leading association for the advancement of sustainability in higher education, serving a full range of higher education faculty, administrators, staff, and students “who are change agents and drivers of sustainability innovation.” –University Communications
Los Angeles Times investigative reporter Matt Hamilton ’09, right, with colleagues Paul Pringle and Harriet Ryan last month after hearing they had won a Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting. copyright, mel melcon, 2019, los angeles times. used with permission.
A New York Times op-ed writer who struggled to master French during the 15 years since she moved to Paris in her 30s turned to Asst. Prof. Joshua Hartshorne (Psychology), whose research focuses on the critical period for acquisition of a second language. Los Angeles Times investigative reporter Matt Hamilton ’09 and his colleagues Paul Pringle and Harriet Ryan were awarded a Pulitzer Prize last month for investigative reporting. The trio wrote a series of stories about a former USC gynecologist accused of sexually abusing hundreds of students during three decades at a campus clinic. Murray and Monti Professor of Economics Peter Ireland, a member of the Shadow Open Market Committee that monitors Federal Reserve policy, offered comments to CNBC on a proposed program that could be another version of “quantitative
easing.” Commentary by Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology Richard Gaillardetz on shifting power and accountability in the Catholic Church was featured in an America Media audio series on the clergy abuse crisis. He also is interviewed in episode 10 regarding accountability. Assoc. Prof. of the Practice of Finance Richard McGowan, S.J. (CSOM), appeared on WBUR News to weigh in on the Massachusetts Gaming Commission ruling that Wynn Resorts will not lose the license for its planned casino. Assoc. Prof. Robert Murphy (Economics) discussed credit card fees for foreign transactions in a Q&A with WalletHub. Prof. Juliet Schor (Sociology) was interviewed by National Public Radio on why people join the rental and sharing economy.
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: Senior/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 Clinician/Case Manager, Student Affairs/ Residential Life
Residential Life Systems Administrator, Student Affairs/Residential Life Events Assistant, Alumni Affinity Programs, University Advancement Senior Business Systems Analyst, Academic Affairs/Provost Business Manager, Academic Affairs/Provost Instructional Services Librarian, Academic Affairs/Provost Member Services and Operations Coordinator, Athletics Grant and Contract Post Award Administrator, Academic Affairs/Provost Regional Director, Major Giving, University Advancement Professor of Catholic Educational Leadership, Academic Affairs/Provost Multimedia Producer/Senior Multimedia Producer, University Advancement
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May 9, 2019
Campus Rec Director to Lead EMass Girl Scouts Caitriona Taylor, MBA ’08, MEd ’18, director of Campus Recreation at the Flynn Recreation Complex since 2011, was named CEO of the Girls Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, the 10th largest Girl Scout council in the United States. She will take the helm of the Boston-based, 30,000-member, 15,000-volunteer organization on June 3. “I’m very grateful and appreciative of my time at BC, especially to those who have mentored me along the way,” said Taylor, who left the University last week. “My professional and academic experiences have helped form the woman I am.” Taylor began her work with BC recreation in late 2004, serving as assistant director of Varsity Youth Camps & Clinics, Aquatics, Instructional Programs and Technology for five years. After a brief stint as an executive at an eco-friendly, fitness product company, she returned to Boston College in 2011 to assume the directorship of the Flynn Complex. During her tenure, she was credited for many strategic accomplishments, including the sdevelopment and implementation of a five-year recreation plan that resulted in respective double-digit increases in center visits, intramural participation, club sport involvement, and revenue. Ninety percent of BC undergraduates participate in center programs, and more than 15,000 faculty, staff, and students visit the complex annually.
BC Scenes
Caitriona Taylor
She also contributed to planning and development for the new, $150 million, 244,000-square-foot Margot Connell Recreation Center, slated to open this summer. As a member of BC’s 10-year, “Student Life, Culture, and Formation” strategic planning committee, she helped enhance the overall student experience through focus groups, surveys, and tracking international trends. Taylor also earned praise for increasing program access for low-income BC students by establishing a fund to cover club sports and outdoor activity fees. She was part of a Student Affairs team that introduced Bystander Intervention, a sexual assault prevention program that focuses
PHOTOS BY PETER JULIAN AND LEE PELLEGRINI
Arts Hit the Heights The annual Boston College Arts Festival took place April 25-27, and among its attractions were (clockwise from right) the Best Singer-Songwriter Competition, won by Isobel Knight, an Australian native studying at BC; a performance by the African Music Ensemble, along with some guest stars; “Out of the Studio,” at which BC artists exhibited and discussed their works; a conversation between Professor of English Suzanne Matson and poet, writer, editor, physician, and educator C. Dale Young ’91, this year’s recipient of the BC Arts Council Alumni Award for Distinguished Achievement; and a series of “Design Swarms,” where students used an extreme-lean approach to create innovative solutions to social problems.
on prosocial witness behavior, and Title IX training for staff and student clubs. “I am honored to serve as the leader of Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts,” said Taylor. “Our programs provide spaces for girls to develop their voice and explore their passions. As CEO, I look forward to working with our exceptional network of girls, volunteers, corporate partners, and staff members as we help our girls stand up, speak out, and make a difference.” BC Law Professor Robert Bloom, a frequent user of the recreation center, said he often spoke with Taylor during his exercise visits, and “officiated” at an informal ceremony to acknowledge the recent conferral of her master’s degree in higher education
from the Lynch School of Education and Human Development. “Caitriona was always welcoming and tried to make the Rec Plex responsive to everyone,” said Bloom. “She has been a great asset and will be missed.” Added Mary Nardone, associate vice president for capital projects management, “It has been a pleasure to work with Caitriona during the years of planning, design, and construction of the Margot Connell Recreation Center. She brought a combination of expertise and passion that has directly contributed to this wonderful building. I will miss her presence on campus but wish her luck in this exciting next chapter.” –University Communications
BC Women’s Lacrosse Begins NCAA Tournament Play Sunday The Boston College women’s lacrosse team will begin its quest to return to the national championship game this Sunday, as the NCAA tournament gets under way this Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Newton Campus Fields. The 19-1 Eagles, seeded second in the tournament, will host the winner of Friday’s first-round Dartmouth-Colorado game, which also will take place on Newton Campus. BC sat atop the national rankings and me-
dia polls throughout the season before taking their first loss in the ACC Championship on April 28, falling 15-13 to North Carolina. BC will have home-field advantage through the quarterfinal round of the tournament. The Final Four for women’s lacrosse will be held at Homewood Field at Johns Hopkins University. Last season, the Eagles compiled a 22-2 record and earned a berth in the NCAA final, but fell short against James Madison, 16-15.