SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 VOL. 27 NO. 2
PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
New PhD Program
INSIDE 2x Affinity Headline Groups
The University’s Affinity Groups will xxxxx. hold a luncheon as they reach out xforHeadline new members. xxx.
Earth and Environmental Sciences Dept. to welcome first candidates in 2020
3 New Vanderslice Chair x Headline Dunwei Wang succeeds T. Ross Kelly as Margaret and Thomas xxxxx. Vanderslice Prof. of Chemistry.
BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
8 BC Global
Graduate student Zainabu Mohamed seeks to apply what she learns at BC to help the school she founded in a small Kenyan village.
Counseling Services Offers Drop-In Discussions in Wake of Recent Deaths
Igniting the Ignatian Spirit
First-year students gathered on Linden Lane last Thursday for the First Flight procession, at which they were encouraged to follow St. Ignatius’ call to “Go set the world aflame.” The procession preceded the First Year Academic Convocation, where they listened to Chris Wilson, one-time prisoner turned entrepreneur. More photos on page 8. photo by peter julian
‘A Place to Gather and Play’ University dedicates Margot Connell Recreation Center BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
Boston College officially dedicated the Margot Connell Recreation Center in a ceremony attended by the Connell family and In response to the deaths of five Boston other members of the University commuCollege undergraduates since March, nity last Friday outside the building’s main University Counseling Services (UCS) is entrance. offering drop-in group conversations for The 244,000-square foot facility—locatmembers of the BC community who want ed on St. Thomas More Road, near the now to talk and share any feelings regarding demolished Flynn Recreation Complex—is these recent losses. named for Margot Connell, a trustee associTwo sessions have been held so far, and ate, honorary degree recipient, wife of the two more are scheduled for Sept. 19 and late William (Bill) F. Connell ’59, mother 27 at noon in Gasson 001. Lunch will be of six Boston College graduates, and grandprovided. mother of three BC graduates and three unAll members of the BC community are dergraduates, whose $50 million leadership welcome to join these conversations, even gift made the state-of-the-art center a reality. if they were not acquainted with any of the “I know how important a place to gather students who died, said Senior Staff Psyand play can be,” said Margot Connell, an chologist Emily Kates. avid golfer who is part of a sports-minded “A lot of people feel that if they did family, at the ceremony. “A place that offers not personally know the deceased, they something for everyone. A place where all Continued on page 4 students could come [to] work out, exercise, BY CHRISTINE BALQUIST STAFF WRITER
BC President William P. Leahy, S.J., with Margot Connell last week. photo by rose lincoln
and participate in all kinds of athletic activities. “Athletics and academics go hand in hand. Both are so important in the development of young adults. Athletic participation relieves stress, builds character as well as bodies, and promotes friendships.”
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The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences will offer a new PhD program that will welcome its first doctoral candidates in the fall of 2020, a move that will further expand the capacity and expertise of the department, according to EES Professor and Chairman Ethan Baxter. The new doctoral program was approved by the Board of Trustees in June and recruitment of the first cohort of approximately five PhD candidates is underway, Baxter said. Between the existing EES master’s degree program and the new doctoral program, Baxter said the department anticipates its total number of graduate students will ultimately be about 21, with approximately 15 doctoral students. “It was just the right time for Earth and Environmental Sciences to launch our doctoral program,” said Baxter. “We have world-renowned faculty who helped to establish BC’s excellence in the geosciences. We’ve grown through many exciting faculty hires in the past few years, along with strategic improvements in our laboratory facilities. Our doctoral students will find a department with broad capacity to develop them as leading-edge scholars of the Earth and its environment.” Baxter said the program will focus on three interrelated sub-disciplines at the center of faculty expertise: environmental and climate change, tectonics and dynamics of the Earth’s interior, and water throughout the Earth system. The doctoral program will support a deeper exploration of the ways in which these areas intersect and interact, including interwoven human dimensions. The addition of doctoral students will
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REMINDER: EARLY CLOSING FRIDAY
Boston College administrative offices will close at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow, Sept. 13, due to the BC-Kansas football game beginning at 7:30 p.m. To help with the preparations, and to ease potential traffic and parking congestion, the University asks that all vehicles be removed from campus as close to 3:30 p.m. as possible.
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September 12, 2019
Around Campus
BC Affinity Groups Add to Numbers, Will Hold Welcome Luncheon Sept. 19 With the fall semester underway, members of the University’s Affinity Groups will convene next week at a community-building welcome luncheon. The Sept. 19 event, which will be held from noon-1:30 p.m., in the Corcoran Commons Heights Room, provides an opportunity for members to reconnect, socialize, and lay the groundwork for coming events. These volunteer, employee-managed groups promote the interests of their respective constituencies, and bring together individuals with common interests to facilitate efforts that promote education and awareness while helping to advance and sustain a campus culture and climate that welcomes diversity and inclusiveness. They are open to all University employees. The ninth and newest group is ABLED@BC, which stands for Awareness Benefiting Leadership and Employees about Disabilities. It aims to promote and affirm an inclusive campus environment for persons with disabilities at Boston College, while providing social and professional awareness opportunities for all faculty, staff, and administrators. “In keeping with the University’s mission of fostering a diverse workforce culture that welcomes, promotes, and cele-
Above, last year’s Boston College Affinity Groups welcome luncheon in Gasson 100. This year’s event takes place on Sept. 19 in the Corcoran Commons Heights Room. photo by lee pellegrini
brates inclusivity, the Office for Institutional Diversity—in conjunction with Human Resources—is pleased to introduce the newest affinity group to our campus, ABLED@ BC,” said OID Executive Director Patricia Lowe. The group, she explained, “provides members with support and an opportunity
to network and connect with colleagues with similar interests and concerns as well as opportunities to share personal insights that support the mission. Bringing together a wide community around disability awareness, ABLED@BC is open to all current faculty, staff, and administrators at Boston College.”
The group’s contact, Lynch School of Education and Human Development Associate Professor Richard Jackson added: “Beginning my 40th year of service as a faculty member with disabilities, I am excited to help launch ABLED@BC. ‘Nothing about us without us’ conveys a powerful message for leaders and employees with disabilities within our University. My hope is that many will join our affinity group to increase awareness that people with disabilities are also capable of serving others, consistent with our University’s mission.” Jackson’s research interests include universal design for learning as a framework for curriculum reform; access to the general curriculum by students with disabilities; integration of special education with general education, and assistive technology. He is a member of the Perkins Education Advisory Committee for the Perkins School for the Blind and is an advisor to the Braille Literacy Advisory Council. For more details about ABLED@BC, contact Jackson at richard.jackson@bc.edu. More information the University’s Affinity Groups is available at www.bc.edu/ offices/diversity/diversityresources/affinitygroups.html. —Rosanne Pellegrini
Read Aloud Program Seeks Volunteers
Stokes Lawn was filled to the brim on Aug. 30 for the annual Student Involvement Fair. Representatives from Boston College’s some 200 student clubs and organizations were on hand to recruit new members. The event is sponsored by the Office of Student Involvement in the Student Affairs division. photo by peter julian
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
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Patricia Delaney EDITOR
Sean Smith
The Read Aloud Program is seeking Boston College faculty and staff interested in sharing the joys of reading with Boston-area schoolchildren. Now in its 24th year, the program—a partnership between BC, Boston Public Schools, and Boston Partners in Education—brings BC volunteers to read to students in a Catholic school and public school in Brighton once a month. Participants have the choice of reading to any class ranging from kindergarten to fifth grade. Read Aloud volunteers are assigned to teams of four that each work with one classroom throughout the year; a team member makes one 20-minute visit per week to the designated classroom. The one-hour monthly commitment per volunteer includes travel time between Boston College and the school. The schools typically schedule readings between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Readings begin in mid-October and run until the end of the academic year. No prior classroom experience is neces-
Lee Pellegrini Peter Julian
Read Aloud volunteers received this note of appreciation in 2014.
sary, but new Read Aloud volunteers must attend a training session on Sept. 18, from noon-1:30 p.m. in the Walsh Hall Function Room. All Read Aloud participants must submit an application form, which is available at the Read Aloud website, www. bc.edu/offices/comaf/community_affairs/ Volunteer/readaloud.html. —University Communications
The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (617)552-3350. Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135. A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail. Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.
Chronicle
September 12, 2019
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Dunwei Wang Named Vanderslice Professor BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
Chemistry Department Chairman Dunwei Wang, whose research explores molecular solutions to produce new, cleaner sources of energy, has been named the Margaret A. and Thomas A. Vanderslice Professor of Chemistry, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., announced. Wang, who joined the Boston College chemistry faculty in 2007, succeeds T. Ross Kelly, the inaugural holder of the endowed Vanderslice chair, who retired this year after 50 years at the University. “I am humbled to be named the Vanderslice Professor and grateful to the Vanderslice family for their generous support of my work, our department, and the University,” Wang said. “I would also like to thank my colleagues, who have been very supportive, and the members of the Wang Research Group, who have contributed so much over the years.” Wang said it was an honor to succeed Kelly, an internationally recognized researcher who was also regarded as one of the BC’s finest classroom teachers. In 1989,
Chemistry Dept. Chairman and Vanderslice Prof. Dunwei Wang photo by lee pellegrini
Kelly became the first faculty member in the physical sciences to receive an endowed professorship when he was named the Vanderslice Professor. Kelly, said Wang, “set the highest of standards as a researcher, teacher, and colleague. I will continue to strive to do the same.” In announcing the appointment, Fr.
Kalscheur said Wang’s research expertise will make him a key contributor to the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, and position him to serve as a valuable bridge between the Chemistry Department and a future engineering program. “Dunwei is widely regarded as a rising star in energy science research on the international stage,” said Fr. Kalscheur. “His research is at the cutting edge of the study of nanomaterials and their application in solar energy conversion, and this work regarding energy science has global impact. It is fitting recognition that he should hold the Margaret A. and Thomas A. Vanderslice Chair. His research, teaching, and role in the BC community have enriched not only his field, but the University as a whole.” Wang’s research has focused on clean energy conversion and storage. In particular, his experimental work in artificial photosynthesis explores how to more efficiently harvest and store energy with an eye toward large-scale energy solutions. Wang seeks solutions to mimic the natural process by which energy from the sun is captured and stored. Prior efforts to copy this process have proved inefficient, expensive, or both. Wang’s lab, which numbers approximately
BC Ranked 37th in Latest U.S. News Survey
Connell Contined from page 1
In his remarks, University President William P. Leahy, S.J., said that Boston College is the “beneficiary of decades of Connell family involvement, engagement, loyalty, and commitment.” He went on to call Margot Connell a “remarkable woman” who has the best characteristics of a matriarch: someone who leads by example, is present in so many ways, builds bridges, provides challenge, when needed, and always supports. Senior Vice President for University Advancement Jim Husson expressed the University’s gratitude to Connell, citing her “transformational generosity” and “unwavering commitment” to the BC community. “Throughout her years of engagement, Margot’s leadership, wisdom, and philanthropy have touched all corners of our University.” Husson called the Margot Connell Recreation Center a “dynamic new addition to the Boston College campus” that has “reshaped the look and feel of our campus and has already begun to redefine the culture of fitness and recreation at Boston College.” The four-story Margot Connell Recreation Center houses a fitness center, rockclimbing wall, jogging track, aquatics center, wood floor basketball courts, tennis courts, rooms for spin, yoga and fitness classes, and more. At the dedication, William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond called the center, which opened July 9, a “game changer.” He noted the early signs that the new facility is already having an impact: There are 8,047 Campus Recreation memberships, a 25 percent increase from a year ago, and the first week of classes showed 40
15 members, works to solve these challenges by developing new material designs and precise synthesis controls. In addition, Wang’s research aims to advance the stable operation of the lithium air battery through molecular strategies that have shown promise yielding superior long cycle lifetimes. His research is supported by approximately $3 million in funding through six federal grants awarded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as additional funding from the American Chemical Society’s Petroleum Research Fund. Wang is as proud of his teaching as he is of his research agenda. In addition to teaching a range of chemistry courses, he partnered with Professor of English Elizabeth Kowaleski Wallace to develop an Enduring Questions course in the core curriculum, Living in the Material World, which explores the world from viewpoints in science and the humanities. “My philosophy has always been one of the teacher-scholar,” said Wang. “These things go hand-in-hand. My teaching benefits from my research and my research is also informed by my teaching.”
Margot Connell and Fr. Leahy (center), with members of the Connell family, at the entrance to the Margot Connell Recreation Center. photo by rose lincoln
percent more activity/usage over that same time period the previous year when the Flynn Recreation Complex was still in use. Connell grew up in Ossining, NY, and attended Michigan State University, where she was on the swim team. She taught math and science in New York and California. Most recently, she served as chair of the advisory board of Connell Limited Partnerships, a company founded by her late husband. She served on the University’s Board of Trustees and as a convening co-chair of Boston College’s Light the World capital campaign. In 2009, she was awarded an honorary doctor of humane letters from the University. In addition to Boston College, Connell supports Massachusetts General Hospital, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center. She is a director of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. She was recognized for her enduring support of Catholic education with the Richard
Cardinal Cushing Award from St. Mary’s High School of Lynn. At the dedication ceremony, Connell expressed her appreciation to Fr. Leahy, Husson, members of the Board of Trustees, family and friends, other Margot Connell Recreation Center benefactors, as well as BC Facilities Management, Athletics, and Recreation, and others at BC, for their talents and thoughtful input on the facility. “My husband Bill would have loved this project,” added Connell, citing his love for golf, fly-fishing, and sailing. The dedication ceremony concluded with a blessing offered by Haub Vice President for Mission and Ministry Jack Butler, S.J., followed by Connell and her children— Monica Healey ’88, Lisa McNamara ’89, Courtenay ’91, Bill ’94, Terence ’02 and Timothy ’03, JD’12—unveiling the nameplate above the building’s entrance to the cheers of those in attendance and music from the BC Marching Band.
Boston College placed 37th in the 2020 survey of national universities by U.S. News & World Report, an increase of one point from last year’s rankings. The University saw an improvement in its peer assessment score, from 3.6 to 3.7, and in its graduation and retention rank, but continued to be negatively affected by the 2019 change in methodology that rewards state universities with a high volume of Pell Grant-eligible students. BC fared well in several specialty rankings this year, including “Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching,” ranked seventh; “Service Learning,” ranked eighth; and “Study Abroad Programs,” ranked 23rd. The University also placed 34th on the “Best Value Colleges” listing, and 54th in the new ranking for “Most Innovative Schools.” The Carroll School of Management ranked 22nd out of 504 schools in the “Best Undergraduate Business Programs,” and placed 11th overall in finance; 12th in accounting; 13th in management; and 26th in marketing. Overall, Princeton University ranked first among national universities, followed by Harvard, with Columbia, MIT, and Yale tied for third. Among Massachusetts universities, BC placed fourth following Harvard, MIT, and Tufts (29th) and ahead of Boston University, Brandeis, and Northeastern, all of which were tied at 40th. The U.S. News rankings of all colleges and universities can be accessed at usnews. com. –Jack Dunn
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September 12, 2019
Opposites Attract Carroll School researcher finds conflicting interpersonal orientations can produce decisions that satisfy both parties regardless of who drives the decision, both partners are likely to reach a joint decision that is relatively preferred by both of them.” Conventional wisdom suggests that standing one’s ground is associated with positive outcomes, Nikolova said. But that’s not necessarily the case. “In the context of joint choices, however, we find that two selfish heads do worse than one altruistic and one selfish head; two selfish consumers jointly choose options that neither of them prefers. This happens because both partners are likely to be rigidly self-oriented when negotiating with others,” she said. For those who are selfish in nature, conceding runs counter to their nature. The study found that selfish individuals are likely to meet suggestions with counteroffers even when the suggestions somewhat coincide with their own preferences, Nikolova said.
BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
Opposites may attract and drive each other a little crazy, but together they can make satisfactory decisions despite their divergent attitudes, according to a Carroll School of Management researcher who led a study that explored how selfish and altruistic consumers join in decision making. Consumers routinely make joint decisions with others—which restaurant to eat in, what movie to watch, or where to go on vacation. Researchers from Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Washington State University wanted to see if people with opposite attitudes could come to satisfactory decisions together. The studies found that when paired with a selfish partner, it is better to behave altruistically rather than selfishly. Similarly, when paired with an altruistic partner, it is better to behave selfishly to achieve a desired outcome, according to the findings, reported recently in the Journal of Consumer Psychology. In both scenarios, the paired respondents were able to come to decisions that best reflected their individual preferences, or what both partners personally liked—if they took the opposite attitude as that of their partner, said Coughlin Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor of Marketing Hristina Nikolova of the Carroll School. “When you see that your partner is acting selfishly, it is better to let it go and act altruistically instead; let them make the decision because this will ultimately ensure a better outcome for you than if you act selfishly too,” said Nikolova, a co-author of
And that might actually be a bad thing. “This propensity to counteroffer rather than concede inadvertently leads to negotiation,” she said. “The two selfish partners trade rejected offers until they land on an option that is further down both of their preference lists but is deemed acceptable by both partners.” There is limited research on joint decision making in the fields of marketing and consumer behavior. Nikolova sees future studies further investigating how interpersonal orientations influence decision making. While the study examined decision outcomes among pairs of individuals, it didn’t focus on how the pairs went about making their specific decisions. She said she hopes to look at whether pairs with similar outlooks—two selfish persons, or two altruistic persons—use the same decision tactics as paired opposites. That would require a closer look at the decision process, rather than the outcome.
Coughlin Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor Hristina Nikolova photo by lee pellegrini
UCS Offers Drop-in Sessions
the article “Ceding and Succeeding: How the Altruistic Can Benefit from the Selfish in Joint Decisions.” “In the joint decision making of an altruistic and selfish consumer, the selfish partner would willingly express her desired preference, while the altruistic partner will likely accept these suggestions,” Nikolova continued. “Since consumers’ preferences are more similar than they recognize, an altruistic individual will likely get an option that she somewhat prefers even when a selfish partner drives the decision. Thus,
shouldn’t be having a reaction,” she said. “We are trying to let people know that it is normal to have a reaction to news of any death, and especially multiple deaths, within a community.” These sessions are meant to provide a space to discuss emotions related to loss and grief as well as how to move forward after these tragic events. UCS staff will serve as facilitators for the discussions and will offer advice on coping skills, psychoeducation on grief, and any additional resources necessary.
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“One of the powerful things about groups is that people arrive and realize that they are not alone in their experience,” said Senior Staff Psychologist Johanna Malaga. “That can be very therapeutic.” “We want to help students talk to each other about these hard things,” said Kates. “Grief can be really isolating for some people so we are trying to help people feel not quite as alone. Community is healing. “We hope that people come. But even if people don’t come, we hope knowing that we are having these discussions is helpful.”
Pops on The Heights Gala Is Set to Mark 27th Year Multifaceted Tony and Grammy awardwinning performer Leslie Odom Jr.— best known for his breakout role in the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton”—will headline the sold-out Pops on the Heights Barbara and Jim Cleary Scholarship Gala on Sept. 27 in Conte Forum. Now in its 27th year, the University’s largest fundraising event for financial aid has made a Boston College education a reality for more than 2,500 students. Last year’s gala raised more than $13 million for student scholarships. A marquee event of Parents’ Weekend, Pops on the Heights is once again co-chaired by BC Board of Trustees and Board of Regents member John Fish and his wife, Cyndy P’13, ’18. Also serving as this year’s co-chairs are Trustee Associate Phil Schiller ’82 and Kim Gassett-Schiller, and Rob and Karen Hale P’22. “It’s hard to describe the Pops on the Heights experience and it’s even harder to describe what this incredible gala means to BC,” said Senior Vice President for University Advancement Jim Husson. “Where else can you see the Boston Pops, the BC Chorale
and the BC Marching Band share the stage? But at its core, Pops is about family because we are all there to support BC students. We are incredibly lucky this year to have the dedication of three co-chair families, John and Cyndy Fish, Rob and Karen Hale, and Phil and Kim Schiller. Thanks to their leadership, Pops results in hundreds of student scholarships each and every year. They, along with our table benefactors, are the real stars of Pops on the Heights and they always bring down the house.” The annual musical extravaganza also brings to campus the Boston Pops Orchestra, under the direction of celebrated conductor Keith Lockhart, and features performances by BC student musical groups. Special guest Odom has taken the entertainment world by storm—on Broadway as well as in the music, film, and television industries. For his performance as Aaron Burr in “Hamilton,” he won the Tony Award for best actor in a musical, received a 2015 Drama Desk Award nomination, and won a Grammy Award as a principal soloist on the original cast recording. In addition to high-profile television work,
This year’s Pops on the Heights gala will feature “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom Jr., a Tony and Grammy award-winning performer.
Odom has a lead role in “The Many Saints of Newark,” the much-anticipated movie prequel to the award-winning HBO series “The Sopranos.” He recently completed production on four feature films, and authored Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning. The Pops on the Heights gala was founded in 1993 by the late Barbara and James F.
Cleary ’50, H’93, a BC trustee and founder of the Fides and President’s Circle annual giving societies. Today, their children—Kara ’84, MA’91; Kristin ’89, JD’93; and Jim Jr.— continue their legacy as Pops benefactors. Its mission, uniting BC families in support of financial aid to shape the futures of deserving students, continues to stand strong. Current Pops Scholars underscore the impact of these transformational gifts. “[The] scholarship means so much to me because it affirms my passion to pursue higher education at Boston College,” said Lynch School of Education and Human Development senior Robyn D. Beatty, a Waring Family Pops Scholar, in a message thanking benefactors. “One day I want to make a difference in another person’s life, just like you have in mine.” Added Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Bryan J. Montenegro, a Hale Family Pops Scholar: “I am very fortunate to be able to pursue my dream of becoming a neurosurgeon at such a distinguished institution. Without your philanthropic generosity, I would not be at BC.” –Rosanne Pellegrini
Chronicle
September 12, 2019
SNAPSHOT
Mass of the Holy Spirit
PHOTOS BY PETER JULIAN
Boston College held the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit on Sept. 5 in the Plaza at O’Neill Library, with University President William P. Leahy, S.J., as the celebrant; members of the BC Jesuit communities and other priests in the University were the concelebrants. A tradition for the opening of the school year at Jesuit institutions dating back to the Middle Ages, the Mass of the Holy Spirit is organized by the Office of Campus Ministry in the Division of University Mission and Ministry.
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Lynch School to Study Educators’ Response to Immigration Policy Changes The Lynch School of Education and Human Development has received a two-year, $574,488 award from the William T. Grant Foundation to study how public school educators interpret and respond to rapidly changing immigration policies, announced Lynch School Associate Professor Rebecca Lowenhaupt, principal investigator for the project. Lowenhaupt leads an interdisciplinary team of researchers from Boston College, the University of Washington, Rutgers University, and Harvard University. Launched on June 1, the mixed-methods project will partner with six school districts in distinct immigration contexts across the U.S., working to find ways to support their students. “The ongoing changes to the immigration system are threatening immigrantorigin students’ socioemotional well-being and exacerbate existing inequalities in many ways,” said Lowenhaupt. “These policies also impact educators, who navigate these challenges as they work to support these youths and their families in the midst of uncertainty. Our initial research has shown that educators are feeling an impact on their day-to-day work, as well as their own personal sense of well-being. Simultaneously, we’re seeing how they innovate new practices in response to ongoing concerns about their students.” Through qualitative case studies, survey
Rebecca Lowenhaupt, principal investigator photo by caitlin cunningham
research, and design-based implementation research with district partners, the team will document, develop, and share these innovative practices in an effort to support immigrant-origin students. The New York City-based William T. Grant Foundation, founded in 1936, invests in high-quality research focused on reducing inequality in youth outcomes and improving the use of research evidence in decisions that affect young people in the United States. –Phil Gloudemans
Earth/Environmental Sciences Announces PhD Program Contined from page 1
also continue to expand the capacity of the department in areas of research, sponsored funding, classroom teaching, and mentoring. “We can do so much more for BC undergraduates as we grow this new doctoral program,” Baxter said. “It will help us develop richer, deeper, and more sophisticated opportunities in the lab and in the field. Having PhD students here teaching labs, leading complex discussions, and serving as mentors adds a whole new tier to the student experience in Earth and Environmental Sciences.” EES has approximately 50-60 majors, and 50-60 additional students in the Environmental Studies program, an interdisciplinary major that the department supports. There are currently approximately 15 students pursuing their master’s degrees. Associate Professor Mark Behn, who directs graduate studies for the department, said the overall number of graduate students will grow modestly, but PhD students will ultimately make up a majority of the graduate student ranks. “We have a lot of very good master’s students right now and many of them are going on to PhDs,” Behn said. “Up until now, they have not had the option to do that here. We have master’s students who
“We have a lot of very good master’s students right now and many of them are going on to PhDs,” says Associate Professor Mark Behn, director of graduate studies for Earth and Environmental Sciences. “Up until now, they have not had the option to do that here.” photo by lee pellegrini
enroll in other PhD programs all around the country. The new program gives students the opportunity to come here for the PhD track. It also gives our master’s degree students the chance to continue if they decide a PhD is what they want. The goal is to accommodate both tracks toward a PhD.” The geological sciences have embodied an interdisciplinary approach for years, said Baxter. Department faculty possess expertise often at the intersection of geology, chemistry, physics, and marine biogeochemistry, and have also been at the forefront of the renewal of BC’s Core Curriculum, developing co-taught courses with colleagues from disciplines such as history, sociology, philosophy, theology, and art history. That commitment to an interdisciplinary approach will take on added dimensions when the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society opens in the fall of 2021. With its emphasis on finding solutions to problems in public health, energy, and the environment, Baxter said department faculty are poised to make significant contributions to the institute’s research and educational agenda. “Our ability to be at the forefront of research and leadership in complex earth
and environmental science issues—be it at Schiller or within our discipline—is enhanced by the PhD-level science taking place,” he said. The addition of doctoral students will help support the work of faculty labs, as they do in the departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. In recent years, the University has invested approximately $3 million in department facilities, including a new clean lab, mass spectrometry lab, scanning electron microscopy lab, computational resources, and office improvements. Doctoral candidates will expand the department’s capacity to produce more impactful research, which Baxter said will support grant writing and lead to even more research sponsored by government agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, where the department gets most of its external funding. The presence of doctoral students also aids in new faculty recruitment. “This is a really exciting time for the department, what with a number of new faculty, a PhD program coming on line, and the Schiller Institute under construction,” said Behn. “There is going to be a lot of activity and a lot of excitement taking place in Earth and Environmental Sciences in the years to come.”
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September 12, 2019
Playwright/Actress Is Monan Professor for 2019-20 Award-winning playwright Melinda Lopez has joined the Boston College Theatre Department as the Rev. J. Donald Monan, S.J. Professor in Theatre Arts for the 20192020 academic year. With a body of work that spans more than two decades, Lopez was called “one of Boston’s most important writers,” by WBUR-FM. She was the 2019 recipient of both the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s (MCC) Award in Dramatic Writing, and the Boston Theater Critics Association’s (BTCA) Elliot Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence for “consistently enriching the Boston theater community as a playwright, actress and educator.” At Boston College, Lopez is teaching Contemporary American Theatre this fall and in the spring will lead Playwriting 1. In January, the BC Theatre Department will stage her play “Back the Night,” which explores sexual violence on college campuses; the production will be directed by Boston-based director and educator Pascale Florestal. Lopez’s plays have been performed around the country at such notable theaters as Steppenwolf Theatre Company, The Guthrie Theater, Laguna Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Shakespeare and Company, The Huntington Theatre Company, and ArtsEmerson. As a Cuban-American, Lopez said in a 2015 MCC interview, she intentionally places “brave, complicated, and uncompromising Latina women” at the center of her
J. Donald Monan, S.J., Professor in Theatre Arts Melinda Lopez photo by adam detour
work, and frequently focuses on the stories of Cuban or Cuban-American characters. Her most recent work, “Yerma,” is an adaptation and new translation of Federico García Lorca’s play of the same name. Yerma, described as a woman “consumed by her dream of motherhood,” defies her husband and “confronts her community,” which ultimately “propels her into a col-
lision with the universe that is urgent and terrible in scope.” Arts Fuse praised Lopez for “putting her own stamp on the work without disrupting or diverting the play’s dramatic contours.” Her one-woman show “Mala,” which Lopez wrote and performed, was presented at ArtsEmerson in 2016. “An utterly unsentimental journey towards the end of life,” according to her website (melindalopez.com), “the play is an irreverent exploration of how we live, cope, and survive in the moment.” WBUR’s The ARTery praised “Mala” as “an exquisitely fashioned theater piece, brimming with humor, frustration, and honesty,” and Boston Magazine called it her “most profound work yet.” “Mala” won the BTCA Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding New Play, and Lopez earned the Arts Impulse Award for Best Solo Performance. In honor of the world premiere of “Mala”—and in recognition of her many accomplishments—Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh proclaimed October 29, 2016, as “Melinda Lopez Day” in the city, and urged “fellow Bostonians to celebrate her enormous contribution to the theatre field both locally and throughout the world.” Lopez was Huntington Theatre Company’s playwright-in-residence from 2013 to 2019, through the Mellon Foundation National Playwright Residency Program. Her other honors and achievements include being named a “Woman of Courage Honoree” by La Alianza Hispana; the Ken-
nedy Center’s inaugural Charlotte Woolard Award, given to “a promising new voice in American theatre”; and awards from the Independent Reviewers of New England and BTCA for her play “Sonia Flew.” Also an accomplished actress, Lopez has performed at regional theaters across the country. An assistant professor of playwriting at Boston University and a visiting lecturer of theatre and performance at Wellesley College, Lopez has a master’s degree in playwriting from BU and a bachelor’s degree in drama from Dartmouth College. Offering her advice for new playwrights in a 2017 interview, she said, “Write what you want to write. Tell the truth. Be good to everyone you work with and work for. Listen to actors. Have faith, have faith, have faith.” The Monan Professorship in Theatre Arts was established in 2007 by a gift to Boston College in honor of the late University Chancellor and former BC President J. Donald Monan, S.J. The position, which also commemorates the late Trustee E. Paul Robsham, enables the Theatre Department to bring nationally and internationally known professional theater artists to Boston College to teach and work with undergraduate students. Previous Monan professors include actor Maurice Parent, Nederlander Executive Vice President Nick Scandalios ’87, playwright Sheri Wilner, director/actor Michelle Miller ’98, and director/actor Tina Packer, among others. —University Communications
Asst. Attorney General Offers Insights on National Security Challenges BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
Speaking to an audience at Boston College Law School last Thursday, less than a week before the anniversary of 9/11, Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers recalled one of the many long-term effects of the event—for him as well as many of his colleagues. “In light of what happened, it made me want to go to Washington, D.C., to offer my services,” said Demers, now on the front lines of the U.S. government’s fight against Chinese cyberattacks. “For the Department of Justice, we learned we weren’t well organized. The strict separation among the branches of government, and believing it was improper to share information—while at the time was the conventional wisdom—became conventional foolishness.” Demers shared his thoughts with law, graduate, and undergraduate students during a one-hour program co-coordinated by Kevin Powers, director of the Woods College of Advancing Studies Master of Science in Cybersecurity Policy and Governance Program, and a professor of the practice at BC Law, and BC Law Associate Professor David Olson, faculty director for the Program on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. As Demers explained, what emerged from the devastation of the 2001 terrorist attacks was the Department of Homeland
Security, which combined 22 different federal departments and agencies into a unified, integrated cabinet agency. In 2006, the Department of Justice’s National Security Division (NSD) was created, which consolidated the DOJ’s primary national security operations and focused on counter-terrorism, counter espionage/export control, and the Office of Intelligence. Last November, Demers joined NSD as assistant attorney general for security and was selected to lead the U.S. Attorney General’s China Initiative, established to counter the persistent and aggressive economic espionage, trade-secret theft, hacking, and related crimes conducted by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Since then, Demers has consistently spoken out against China’s activities, such as its suspected involvement in the hack of the Starwood hotel chain’s reservation system, exposing the private data and travel details of as many as 500 million people. “The playbook is simple—rob, replicate, and replace,” he said at a hearing last December. “Rob the American company of its intellectual property. Replicate the technology. And replace the American company in the Chinese market and one day in the global market.” At last week’s BC Law talk, Demers said, “While all are sophisticated cyber actors, China is the number-one nation state threat, followed by Iran, Russia, and North Korea. A seminal moment which motivated the launch of the China Initiative was
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers speaking at Boston College Law School last week. photo by rose lincoln
the repeated theft of American companies’ intellectual property, which reflected a collaborative effort by the PRC and Chinese companies to drive their economic development. If you examine the government’s goals—the development of high-speed rail, artificial intelligence, commercial airlines— it’s a guide to what they steal.” “It is fitting that we host a discussion on some of the hottest and most important legal issues of our day,” said BC Law Dean Vincent Rougeau in his welcoming remarks. “How to preserve national security, provide cybersecurity, and properly use laws and law enforcement as tools to protect our nation and our citizens’ interests, while respecting the rule of law, individual
rights, and freedom of trade and association.” Demers worked at the DOJ as an attorney advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel from 2003-05, then clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia for one year before returning to the National Security Division, first as senior counsel to the assistant attorney general, and then as deputy assistant attorney general for the Office of Law and Policy. In 2008, Demers helped draft an amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which allows the National Security Agency to collect electronic communications of foreign targets, including exchanges with U.S. citizens.
Chronicle
September 12, 2019
Beshansky Is Choice to Lead Woods College’s MHA Program Educator and research scientist Joni R. Beshansky joined the Woods College of Advancing Studies this summer as academic director of its online Master of Healthcare Administration program. An accomplished scientist and clinical operations leader, Beshansky has extensive experience in developing, designing, and executing complex strategies resulting in successful completion of major healthcare research initiatives, notably in the fields of cardiovascular disease and emergency medicine, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Food and Drug Administration. Her role as a key contributor to the scientific direction, investigator-initiated grant acquisition, and execution of national clinical research studies has led to a federal funding portfolio of more than $60 million. Her most recent research focused on the evaluation of state vaccination policymaking, and its impact on healthcare, children, and communities. Prior to joining Boston College, Beshansky was an associate professor at Regis College and director of its regulatory affairs and clinical research management graduate program. Previously, she was an associate professor at Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine, where she was a major contributor to the organizational success of research and research training. She also was co-founder and associate director of the clinical translational science master’s/doctoral program at Tufts’ Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences. Beshansky has mentored numerous predoctoral and post-doctoral students, as well as fellows and faculty from multiple disciplines, is co-author of more than 60 publications, and was an appointed-member of an NIH data safety monitoring board. Announcing her appointment, Woods College Interim Dean David Goodman— who has since been succeeded by Karen Muncaster as dean of Woods College—said Beshansky brings “a broad and expert perspective of the healthcare industry, which will be of great value to our program, faculty, and students.” Beshansky, who holds a master’s in public health from Boston University and a doctoral degree in law and policy from Northeastern University, said she relished the opportunity to lead the healthcare administration graduate program, “and to becoming an integral part of Boston College, where I can contribute to its mission of educating the whole person and continue to focus on healthcare policy, bioethics, and economic mobility.” The Master of Healthcare Administration program Beshansky administers is designed to address the growing demand for high caliber, ethical leadership for an increasingly complex healthcare industry. Launched in 2016, the online BC MHA
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BC in the Media Research by University Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley, a professor of history, on the economic relationship between New York and the Southern cotton trade was cited in The New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project. Prof. Ray Madoff (Law) spoke with Bloomberg News on Lyft Inc.’s co-founders donating more than 1.5 million company shares to one of the largest operators of donoradvised funds. Joni R. Beshansky
is an employer-aligned, patient-focused, competency-based program with participants and partners drawn from a range of leading healthcare organizations such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Cambridge Health Alliance, Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, among others. With Beshansky’s appointment, Emily Raviola, who served as interim director of the program for two years, has assumed the position of administrative program director. During her tenure as interim director, she grew the program from five to 115 students and established 17 institutional partnerships, including with Partners HealthCare. Raviola, who will complete the MBA program at the Carroll School of Management this year, said the Woods College MHA program also will continue to benefit from the strong contributions of IT Operations Manager Jessica Holmes. “I look forward to working with administrative director Emily Raviola to achieve the program’s goal of creating transformative leaders in healthcare,” added Beshansky, who also is a clinical associate professor in the Connell School of Nursing. —University Communications
Sept. 22 Concert Will Mark 30 Years Since the Fall of Berlin Wall A free public concert featuring chamber works by Associate Professor of Music Ralf Yusuf Gawlick will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. in Gasson 100. “Berlin Walls: What Still Divides Us” features Gawlick’s “Berlin Suite” and “Sorores” as part of an audiovisual event that aims to engage the audience to reflect on divisions that remain, even beyond stone walls or other physical barriers. The “Berlin Suite” has been included in documentaries by Professor of Film John Michalczyk, one on the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, and the other— produced with former BC employee and filmmaker Ronald Marsh—tracing the history and impact of the Berlin Wall.
Assoc. Prof. Michael Serazio (Communication) weighed in on the sudden retirement of NFL star quarterback Andrew Luck with an op-ed for The New York Times and in an interview on WBUR-FM’s “Radio Boston.” Serazio also wrote about the changing labor ideals in sports—reflecting the broader labor market—in an op-ed for the Washington Post. Assoc. Prof. Brian Quinn (Law) offered comments to The Wall Street Journal on the role of shareholders in the planned merger between Philip Morris International and Altria Group. Historian Peter Moloney of the Woods College of Advancing Studies was interviewed by WBZ-FM’s “Boston Sunday Review” on the Brexit movement in Britain, and what it will mean to the UK, the EU, and British-American trade.
sary in a piece for Commonweal. Grandparents, whether near or far, can shape the faith life of their grandchildren, according to Prof. Thomas Groome (STM), who commented on the subject for America magazine. Assoc. Prof. Régine Jean-Charles (Romance Languages and Literatures) discussed the proper representation of French involvement in the slave trade and the experiences of enslaved people in commentary for the website Africa Is a Country. Bryan Blakeley, executive director of the Center for Digital Innovation in Learning, talked with Inside Higher Ed about the importance of research in the adoption of new ed-tech tools aimed at improving student learning. Assoc. Prof. Hosffman Ospino (STM) wrote about Catholics and immigrants in a column for Catholic News Service. Assoc. Prof. of the Practice Richard McGowan, S.J. (CSOM), commented on early revenue reports from new casino Encore Boston Harbor in the Boston Globe and CommonWealth magazine.
Jobs
Was “Easy Rider” a time capsule of the 1960s or a lasting work of art? Part-time faculty member Santiago Ramos (Philosophy) looked back at the film on its 50th anniver-
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:
OBITUARY
Research Associate, Academic Affairs/Provost
Patrick Walsh, Woods College Class of 2023 A Mass of Christian Burial was held Monday for Patrick Walsh, a student in the Woods College of Advancing Studies Class of 2023 who died suddenly in his sleep on Sept. 1. He was 27. A resident of Westwood, Mass., and a graduate of Westwood High School, Mr. Walsh had studied at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and worked in the biotech field in Boston before enrolling in the Woods College. His brother, Aidan, and sister, Maria, are also students in the Woods College. His father, John, is a longstanding member of the Boston College Police Department security staff who is well known to visitors to Burns Library. Woods College Dean Karen Muncaster, in a letter to administrators, faculty, and students, said staff from BC Counseling Services and Campus Ministry are available to members of the Woods and wider BC community who are in need of assistance. —University Communications
Director, Event Management, Dining and Catering/Auxiliary/Public Safety Writer, University Advancement Senior Integrated Security System Technician, Dining and Catering/Auxiliary/ Public Safety Assistant Director, Financial Aid, Academic Affairs Development Assistant, University Advancement Communications Specialist, Center for Retirement Research, Academic Affairs/ Provost Senior Research Consultant, Information Technology Evening Access Services Assistant, Academic Affairs/Provost Social Work Library Supervisor, Academic Affairs/Provost Assistant Manager, Dining Services, Dining and Catering/Auxiliary/Public Safety Intern, Business Administration, Athletics Fiscal Administrator, Facilities/Trades Graduate Programs Assistant, History, Academic Affairs/Provost Report Writer, University Advancement
Chronicle
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September 12, 2019
BC Global
On a Mission to Fuel Children’s Dreams Graduate student applying lessons learned at BC to aid Kenyan school she founded BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
This summer, Zainabu Mohamed journeyed more than 7,000 miles to attend Boston College. She’s hoping her 45 grade school students in Anyiko, a remote western Kenyan village, will follow her one day. Mohamed, founder of St. Christabel School in Yala Township and a Lynch School of Education and Human Development graduate student, traded a Nairobi banking and hospitality career—fraught with what she characterized as “emptiness”—for the arduous challenge of selflaunching a Catholic primary school in the western Kenyan village of her late grandmother, for whom the school is named (“beautiful Christian”). Raised as a Muslim but taught in Kenyan Catholic schools, Mohamed said her early education memories left a lasting impression: “Learning went hand-in-hand with joy. We read many books, produced beautiful Christmas plays, took swimming lessons, and sung our lungs out at Mass. We laughed and played hard, and the friendships I made then, continue today.” Mohamed converted to Catholicism in spring 2017, and six months later, she— with the advocacy of the local priest— broke ground on her grandmother’s land for a new school building, which opened in January 2018. Following a recruitment effort that netted 15 students, most of whom attend tuition-free, her dream became a reality. While friends have been supportive, Mohamed shoulders the bulk of the school’s financial responsibilities. “I own a local restaurant, and after those bills are paid, the remainder of the revenue goes to the school,” explained Mohamed, who is enrolled in the Lynch School online M.Ed. in Global Perspectives program and attended last July’s Emmaus Leadership
“St. Christabel School has given me more than I have given to it. I have found my joy, and that is priceless.” –Zainabu Mohamed
photo by lee pellegrini
Series Foundational Retreat, a program of BC’s Roche Center for Catholic Education that helps prepare Catholic school presidents, principals, and heads of school for the demands of leadership. “Yala used to be home to a white sugar company, the Maize and Produce Board, the railway, and Moi University’s Odera Akang’o campus, but all have collapsed, leaving just small businesses that employ few people,” said Mohamed. “Many households are without electricity, and water must be fetched from the river. There are no jobs, young girls get into early marriages, and sadly, the cycle of poverty remains unbroken.” Mohamed, whose travel and BC program attendance were covered by scholarships, explained that the student-teacher ratio at the village’s only other school makes learning very difficult. St. Christabel offers an uncrowded and low-cost alternative that preserves the students’ hope of attending high school, graduating, and ideally, enrolling in a college.
Anyiko Village, a Luo-speaking community, was once ruled by traditional leaders; one of the most famous, according to Mohamed, was Senior Chief Odera Akang’o, a forceful education advocate who introduced compulsory primary and secondary education in 1915. Some of the most educated and influential Kenyans emerged from Akang’o’s Gem (an electoral constituency) area, she said. “This is our heritage, our shared story, and it’s told to every Luo child from Gem. It’s shared with pride, but sadly, for the current generation, it’s just a story. Part of our mission is to help them see beyond their homes, to fuel their dreams, and to provide the tools to help them get there.” St. Christabel now enrolls 45 students in preschool through grade 3 in three classrooms, and employs six teachers, a gardener, two security guards, and a cook; all are paid but each employee is willing to make sacrifices, and understands that their pay may be late or less than anticipated at times, she said.
Ironically, Mohamed found BC while attending an entrepreneurship workshop for African women at Babson College in 2018. While perusing the conference’s supplier and sponsor tables, she spotted a Roche Center brochure, which led to an inquiry, and the eventual enrollment of the Kenyan-born Catholic school founder, dedicated to seeing her dream fulfilled. “Zainabu possesses both deep wisdom and a profound faith,” said Kristin Melley, the Roche Center’s director of professional development, who has forged a strong relationship with Mohamed. “Her wisdom enables her to see the challenges around her and respond intelligently and meaningfully; her faith has trained her vision to see the most vulnerable and place her gifts at their service.” Her actions were further informed by an understanding that education reforms society. A village school calls for community involvement, and if opportunities for change could be seeded from within, in time, they would become lasting solutions. “In her graduate studies, Zainabu was challenged to undertake a social justice project through which her efforts would make the world a better place—no minor undertaking,” said Lynch School Associate Professor Patrick J. McQuillan. “After just a quick overview of the work she is doing at her school, it became apparent that she was living a life of social justice, and her efforts are seen as improving the life chances of students in her village.” “We are striving to build authentic partnerships with Anyiko Village families and communities in the hope that in a few years, we will see our children step onto the world stage, and eventually, return to the village to become productive change leaders,” said Mohamed. “We are in dire need of classrooms, books and education scholarships. Digital learning is still a dream, but despite these challenges, St. Christabel School has given me more than I have given to it. I have found my joy, and that is priceless.”
BC Scenes
First Flight/First Year Academic Convocation
First-year students participated in the First Flight procession last Thursday (near right), which took them from Linden Lane to Conte Forum for the First Year Academic Convocation. The featured speaker was Chris Wilson, author of The Master Plan: My Journey from Life in Prison to a Life of Purpose, who talked about his transition from crime and prison to a new life as an entrepreneur and motivational speaker. Students spoke with Wilson following his talk (far right).
PHOTOS BY PETER JULIAN (LEFT) AND YITING CHEN