Walsh to Be Presented With Bellarmine Award

Continued from page 1 and its signature initiative, City Connects, have grown to annually serve 50,000 students in public, charter, and Catholic schools in Massachusetts and other states, as well as Dublin, Ireland.

She recently retired from teaching but has continued as the executive director of City Connects, and the Walsh Center for Thriving Children.

“We are thrilled that Mary Walsh and her extraordinary work are being recognized with this prestigious University award,” said Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J. Dean of the Lynch School. “She and the City Connects team exemplify a powerful blend of firstrate research brought into practice for the benefit of others, exactly the kind of work that we aim to do at the Lynch School and Boston College.”

City Connects, an intervention that Walsh and her Boston Public School colleagues launched in 2001 within schools serving predominantly under-resourced neighborhoods and families, has demonstrated gains in academic achievement and student success by effectively addressing both the in- and out-of-school needs of students. Her focus on improving education for urban school students emanated from her initial research with homeless children and families, a formative experience that identified and linked the harmful impact of out-of-school challenges on students’ academic performance. City Connects has become one of the nation’s leading networks for connecting students in high-needs urban schools with the resources required to thrive.

Through an anonymous $10 million gift, the Center for Optimized Student Support was renamed the Mary E. Walsh Center for Thriving Children in February 2022, to honor its founder.

“For three decades, Mary Walsh has been building an exceptional program that is improving the lives of tens of thousands of children,” said Wortham at the renaming event. “She conceptualized it, raised funds for it, and commissioned research that shows it is both successful and costeffective. Her consistent focus on developing the whole child fits wonderfully with the BC formative education mission.”

Walsh has published and presented widely in the area of school-community supports for students and their families, and written or co-written three books: Children, Health and Learning; Meeting at the Hyphen: Schools-Universities-Communities-Professions in Collaboration for Student Achievement and Well-Being, and Moving to Nowhere: Children’s Stories of Homelessness.

Walsh earned a bachelor’s degree from the Catholic University of America, and a master’s degree in developmental psychology and a doctorate in clinical-developmental psychology from Clark University, from which she received an honorary Doctor of Science degree in 2005.

She began her academic career as a lecturer at Assumption College and Clark University, then served as clinical and research consultant and an adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and an associate professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Regis College, before joining the BC faculty.

Wesner is beloved by students both within the Carroll School and across the University, reflected by the lines of students outside his office who seek his mentorship and want to discuss coursework and career discernment. In the classroom, Wesner pushes students to think critically about the myriad ways that law impacts all aspects of business, as well as the responsibility businesses have to the common good. He mixes lecture, Socratic dialogue, and discussion to create a high-energy, intellectually stimulating environment infused with Jesuit pedagogy and its service-oriented focus.

Describing his approach to teaching, Wesner said, “We are training future leaders who will play critical roles in society. Knowing that an exchange in class, or comments that I make on student work, could positively influence their thinking and actions years from now motivates me.”

The Teacher of the Year Award presented by the BC chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities, recognizes an outstanding teacher who significantly affects their students and the academic community, and who embodies values such as intellectual rigor, moral courage, and a commitment to social justice. It is considered one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon an educator at a Jesuit, Catholic institution.

The student-nominated Ever to Excel Faculty Award recognizes a faculty member who expands the horizons, skills, and value systems of Boston College students by providing support outside the classroom.

At the recent Alpha Sigma Nu award ceremony, Chloe Lelon ’23 said of Wesner, “Although he has nearly 120 students every semester and his office is always full, he treats each student as his only one. He is attentive to the unique needs of his students and never overlooks anyone. I strongly admire Professor Wesner’s teaching skills, but I admire his dedication, hard work, wisdom, and care for his students even more.”

“I am extremely grateful, yet want to be very clear that no educator does anything alone,” said Wesner of the awards. “BC’s multi-layered ecosystem ensures that we have everything we need to be successful and there are so many great people here

“We are training future leaders who will play critical roles in society,” says Thomas Wesner. “Knowing that an exchange in class, or comments that I make on student work, could positively influence their thinking and actions years from now motivates me.” who make our work possible.”

Wesner’s reverence for this ecosystem and the tradition of Jesuit education can be traced to the experiences of his father and uncle, which he cites as inspiration for his work at Boston College today.

“During World War II, my father and uncle left Boston Latin School to join the service. They survived the war, received their GEDs and attended BC on the GI Bill. My grandfather died while my dad was a senior and my uncle a junior. Ten Jesuits took part in the funeral Mass and a few days later, BC’s business manager (a Jesuit) saw my dad on campus, recognizing him from the funeral. This Jesuit told him to visit St. Mary’s, where he proceeded to waive my dad and uncle’s attendance fees after learning my grandmother didn’t have a job.

“Throughout my childhood, I was reminded often about these acts of kindness as among the most important factors in my family having a shot at the American dream. I am forever indebted to BC for this.”

Reflecting on the significance of receiving these two awards in the same year, Wesner said, “How grateful I am to teach at my alma mater, a place that seeks to provide an experience that transforms lives. I had many teachers at BC who cared deeply about our intellectual lives, yet cared as much about the kind of people we would become. These teachers provided a model for me of how teaching can be such transformational work; I dedicate these awards to them.”

John Walsh is director of creative video services in the Office of University Communications