The Boston College
Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs september 6, 2012 VOL. 21 no. 1
BC Sesquicentennial to Begin Sept. 15 Fenway Park Mass will usher in 18-month celebration By Jack Dunn Director of News & Public Affairs
Boston College will formally launch its Sesquicentennial Celebration with a historic Mass at Fenway Park on Sept. 15 that will include students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents among its 20,000 guests. The Mass, which will be celebrated by University President William P. Leahy, SJ, with BC theologian Fr. Michael Himes as homilist, will include up to 100 Jesuits and alumni priests as concelebrants. Boston Archbishop Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM, Cap., will preside.
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The Sesquicentennial Mass will serve this year as Boston College’s Mass of the Holy Spirit, traditionally celebrated at the beginning of the academic year at Jesuit schools. It will include an academic procession with faculty, trustees, trustee associates, senior administrators and deans from Boston College and Boston College High School (which shares the Sesquicentennial anniversary), as well as alumni priests, members of the Jesuit communities of both schools, and local bishops. BC students will play an active role in the Mass, providing music through the University Chorale and Liturgical Arts Group and offering the prayers of the faithful. Some 200 Eucharistic ministers, including students, faculty and staff, will assist in distribut-
MANY HANDS
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sity’s Sesquicentennial Celebration.
University mobile website, historical markers (page 6) BC’s story one of success but also survival (page 7)
Frank Curran
which will open at 3 p.m.” Boston College has arranged for busses to transport students, faculty and Jesuits to and from Fenway Park, with student de-
•Preview of First Year Convocation, page 3 •News from the past summer, pages 4-5 Bettina Riddle ’15, left, helps freshman Elise Bailey and her mother, Leah, on moving-in day last week on Newton Campus. More photos on page 12.
•New leadership for Clough Ctr., page 9
Stayer Hall Dedication Tomorrow
•Five trustees named, page 9
The residence hall at 110 St. Thomas More Road will be named Stayer Hall in recognition of the generosity of Ralph and Shelly Stayer, and family, during a ceremony on Sept. 7. Located on the Lower Campus at the Saint Ignatius gate and offering beautiful views of the BC campus and the Boston skyline, Stayer Hall provides housing for 300 Boston College students. Ralph Stayer, a member of the
•McMullen exhibition on Paul Klee, page 12
Boston College Board of Trustees [see story on page 9], is the chairman and chief executive officer of Johnsonville Sausage, LLC, of Wisconsin, the nation’s leading sausage brand. His company has been recognized for its award-winning business operation method that blends teamwork and individual accountability. He and his wife are the parents of BC junior Brooke Beth Stayer-Wagner. The dedication ceremony will be followed by a reception and barbecue. —Office of News & Public Affairs
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partures beginning at 2:30 p.m. from Lower Campus, College Road and Newton Campus. Additional details will be available on the Sesquicentennial website. Continued on page 6
University Convocation
Fr. Leahy: Celebrate BC’s Past by Building Its Future By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
•Mariani’s Epitaphs, page 10
ing Communion. “Preparing for the Mass has been a herculean effort, and has involved hundreds of members of the BC community,” said Vice President and University Secretary Mary Lou DeLong, who chairs the 15-member Sesquicentennial Steering Committee. “While tickets are still available, I encourage anyone who has not yet registered to do so today by going to www.bc.edu/150, as the seating is nearly at full capacity. Those who have registered are reminded to bring their printed tickets to Fenway Park and to About 20,000 Boston College students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents are enter through Gates A, D and E, expected at the Sept. 15 Mass in Fenway Park that will launch the Univer-
•Construction changes face of campus, page 3
•Soot and climate warming, page 8
THE
Boston College’s 150th anniversary, University President William P. Leahy, SJ, told the audience at last night’s annual University Convocation, is an opportunity to celebrate BC’s past but also its present — and to look at its future with confidence. “We go forward with a compelling educational and religious heritage, talented students, faculty, and staff, solid financial foundations, and dedicated, enthusiastic alumni,” said Fr. Leahy. “For more than 40 years, we have been guided by a twofold approach in planning: Build on proven strengths and move BC to the next level of excellence and distinction in areas appropriate to its heritage and mission and where the University has a clear path to be among the best.” The University’s Sesquicentennial Celebration, which begins Sept. 15 with a Mass at Fenway Park [see separate story on page 1], provided the main theme for Fr. Leahy’s talk.
Also speaking at the event, which was held in Robsham Theater, were Executive Vice President Patrick Keating, who discussed construction, budget and finance matters, and Provost and Dean of Faculties Cutberto Garza, who spoke on the quality of faculty-student interaction at the University. Campus Ministry Director Fr. Tony Penna gave the benediction and offered a tribute to faculty, administrators, staff and students who had died during the previous year. Fr. Leahy noted the appointment of Kelli Armstrong as vice president for planning and assessment, and the imminent retirements of Athletics Director Gene DeFilippo and Vice President and University Secretary Mary Lou Delong — who will be succeeded by Terrence Devino, SJ [stories on pages 4-5]. The University’s Sesquicentennial Celebration, Fr. Leahy said, is an invitation to “give thanks for the vision, people, and decisions that have shaped Boston College over Continued on page 8
“Like most success stories, BC’s is full of triumphs and setbacks, bold decisions and ambitious moves, and many dynamic personalities that led the school through 150 eventful years marked by two world wars and a bevy of social changes in the US and the American Catholic community.” —“A Century and a Half of Achievement — and Perseverance,” page 7
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tion, the prevention of relationship violence, and bystander intervention. Health Promotion Director Elise Tofias Phillips said she and her colleagues look forward to building on the success of its inaugural year, which she credited to the partnerships Health Promotion has formed with departments, offices, programs and students, staff and faculty. As an example of the cooperation her office has enjoyed, Phillips pointed to the donations of time, food, service, staff and resources for this year’s “Healthapalooza” from Dining Services, Counseling Services, Health Services, Campus Ministry, Campus Recreation, Eagle EMS, Information Technology Services, the offices of Environmental Health and Safety, Residence Life, and Emergency Management and Preparedness, the Boston College Police Department and HEALTHY YOU. “I am so encouraged with the excitement from students about health promotion and feel so much support from all of our collaborating partners across campus that help to make Healthapalooza and our program a reality,” she said. “It is all about helping students to be healthy and successful at Boston College.” For information on the Office of Health Promotion and its programs, see www.bc.edu/healthpro. —Sean Smith
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The University’s Office of Health Promotion will formally kick off its second year with an encore of its popular “Healthapalooza” event on Sept. 19. This year’s edition, “Healthapalooza: Be Healthy. Be Safe. Be Together,” which takes place from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Plaza at O’Neill Library, will again feature health and safety information and resources as well as giveaways, chair massage, food tastings, yoga and exercise demonstrations. The event is free (rain date is Sept. 21). In addition to “Healthapalooza,” the office will continue providing education and support to the University community on various health issues in individual, small and largegroup settings. Among its initiatives this year, Health Promotion will introduce a “Sweet Dreamzzz: Sleep for Health. Sleep Smart. Sleep for 8” campaign that focuses on the importance of sleep to one’s health, offer another “Be Well” series of talks on health issues, and coordinate a “Love Your Body Week” through the Women’s Resource Center Nov. 12-16. The Office of Health Promotion encompasses the areas of general health, alcohol and drug education, nutrition services, and the Women’s Resource Center. The office trains and certifies students as health coaches to educate and guide their peers to lead healthy lifestyles, covering topics such as stress and time management, nutrition, alcohol and drug educa-
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As the start of the academic year drew near, new and returning BC students (and a parent or two) shared their movingin experiences via Twitter. A sampling of recent Tweets:
Taking the global view Boston College students have only just arrived on campus for the academic year, but some are already thinking about going away — maybe even to the other side of the world. It’s these students the Office of International Programs has in mind when it holds its annual Study Abroad Fair on Sept. 19 from 6-8 p.m. in Conte Forum. The event offers students the opportunity to get information on the 60-plus programs OIP coordinates in some 30 countries, according to OIP Study Abroad Applications Specialist Maria Segala, whether for a semester or the full academic year, as well as four to eightweek-long summer seminars led by BC faculty. About 2,000 students typically attend the fair, Segala says. —Sean Smith
The Boston College
Chronicle
Director of NEWS & Public Affairs
Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS
Patricia Delaney Editor
Sean Smith Contributing Staff
Melissa Beecher Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Michael Maloney Photographers
Gary Gilbert
(L-R) Jerry York, Peter Lynch, Chris O’Donnell, Navyn Salem and Cynthia Bigelow are among BC alumni appearing in the University’s new PSA.
New PSA a toast to BC’s 150th Investment guru Peter Lynch ’65, actor Chris O’Donnell ’92, NFL quarterback Matt Ryan ’08, distinguished chemistry professor Peter Dervan ’67, and social entrepreneur Navyn Salem ’94 are among 10 Boston College alumni to extend best wishes to their alma mater in a Sesquicentennial-themed public service announcement (PSA) produced by the Office of News & Public Affairs. The 30-second PSA, which made its television debut on
Sept. 1 during BC’s season opener versus the University of Miami, features prominent grads in a celebratory tribute to Boston College on the occasion of the school’s 150th anniversary. “We enlisted the support of some of our most distinguished alumni from a variety of fields in helping Boston College to celebrate this special birthday,” said News & Public Affairs Director Jack Dunn. “Their affection for and loyalty to Boston College is clearly demonstrated in this spot.”
BC men’s hockey coach Jerry York ’67, Hill Holliday founder Jack Connors ’63, T. Rowe Price President of Retirement Planning Services Cynthia Egan ’78, Walgreens Divisional Vice President and author Steve Pemberton ’89, and Bigelow Tea President Cynthia Bigelow ’82 also appear in the PSA, which will be shown during all of Boston College’s televised NCAA sporting events this academic year. The PSA can be viewed on BCInfo at http://bit.ly/TAcJn6. —Office of News & Public Affairs
Lee Pellegrini
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 News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (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 News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. Contact Chronicle via e-mail: chronicle@bc.edu.Electronic editions of the Boston College Chronicle are available via the World Wide Web at http://www. bc.edu/chronicle.
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A Very Constructive Summer on Campus Lee Pellegrini
New-look plaza, Stokes, College Road highlight projects By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
If this summer seemed a particularly busy one, construction-wise, for Boston College — especially on Middle Campus — it’s not your imagination, says Associate Vice President for Capital Projects Mary Nardone. Of the approximately 165 active annual projects — renovations, improvements and other work on existing structures and facilities — this year, more than 100 were completed during the summer season, explains Nardone. Add to that some major undertakings like the transformation of the Plaza at O’Neill Library, the ongoing Stokes Hall project, new turf for Alumni Stadium and work on utilities along College Road, and you have a campus with an awful lot going on. Fortunately, says Nardone, Facilities Management administra-
A view of the Plaza at O’Neill Library as it appeared this week (above), and how it looked in April (right). (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)
tion and staff, and the contractors they worked with, were up to the challenge. “These last several months have been a real test for the department. I don’t remember such a concentration of large projects like this — not just on the calendar but in terms of physical proximity. At times, we seemed to literally bump into each other.
“But we’ve been very pleased by the professionalism we’ve seen displayed by the workers, whether they’re affiliated with BC or not, on everything from Stokes and the library plaza to tasks like painting and installing carpeting. The campus is all the better for their efforts.” One of the more conspicuous, and high-profile, construction
Barry to Speak at First Year Convocation Sept. 13 By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
Dan Barry, a Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter and columnist for the New York Times, will address the ninth annual First Year Academic Convocation next Thursday in Conte Forum, speaking about his book Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption and Baseball’s Longest Game, an award-winning chronicle of the longest baseball game ever played. Barry’s 7 p.m. speech will follow “First Flight,” the freshman procession to Conte from Linden Lane, where members of the University’s Jesuit Community, faculty and administration offer a blessing and challenge BC’s newest students to answer the call of Society of Jesus Founder St. Ignatius of Loyola to “set the world aflame.” As part of the First Year Experience program that guides freshman students, every member of the Class of 2016 received a copy of Bottom of the 33rd, a book selected to unite new students in conversation, welcome them to their academic studies and initiate their growth as men and women for others. “We’ve created a fairly expansive effort to integrate a variety of experiences, ideas and people within the mission of the university, which is both academic and formational,” said Fr. Joseph Marchese, director of First Year Experience. “We include not only undergraduates, but also alumni, administration
Dan Barry is the author of Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption and Baseball’s Longest Game.
and faculty in a very important ritual. The theme extends 500 years back to St. Ignatius himself, whose words still urge us today to go ‘set the world aflame.’” A detailed account of the 33-inning minor league baseball game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings played April 18-19, 1981, in Pawtucket, RI, Bottom of the 33rd offers examples of aspiration and perseverance, as well as hope and redemption, Fr. Marchese said. In Bottom of the 33rd, Barry tells the stories of future major league stars and career minor leaguers. Along the way, he also chronicles other participants in the game, including umpires, batboys and fans who endured the marathon game on a cold April night. The study of America’s pastime touches on the
history of the Boston Red Sox toplevel minor league team, its host city of Pawtucket, RI, and McCoy Stadium. Fr. Marchese said there are deliberate connections between the book and events this year that will mark the University’s 150th anniversary celebration. Just two days after First Year Convocation, the Boston Red Sox 100-year-old Fenway Park will be the site of a Sesquicentennial Mass for Boston College students, faculty, staff and alumni [see story on page 1]. The book has earned critical praise, including last month’s announcement that Barry will receive the 2012 PEN/ESPN Award for a nonfiction book on the subject of sports. Fr. Marchese said the class reading assignment is a valuable opportunity to inspire students to appreciate carefully crafted books in an age where technological tools are re-shaping the way people think about the written word. “Reading is something we need to work very hard at today, in an age where texting and the Internet have become the primary ways in which students communicate and find their information,” said Fr. Marchese. “We want to keep their minds open to the idea of literature – in the form of great nonfiction and fiction – as a way of being a learner throughout life.” Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu
projects was the new look given the Plaza at O’Neill Library. Most of the plaza’s original granite, brick and concrete were replaced by grass, while tulip trees were planted along the front of the library and flowering pink cherry trees on the opposite side near Gasson Hall. The newly configured plaza was regraded, and contains a pedestrian walkway running diagonally from the front of O’Neill Library toward the Quad between Gasson, Lyons, Devlin and Fulton Halls. Senior Construction Project Manager Thomas Runyon lauded the performance of Richard White Sons in completing the project, which began the day after Commencement and finished up late last week. “They were on top of it from Day 1. There were a few changes in some aspects of the project, and some concerns about getting materials delivered. But they were committed to the schedule and did whatever they could to get the work done.” The drier-than-usual summer affected some of the new trees and shrubs, Runyon says, “but they should come back just fine.” And as inviting as the lawn in the plaza may look, he adds, it will need a couple of weeks to establish itself, so the grassy areas have been roped off. “This is a hardy kind of grass, obviously, what with its location in a high-traffic area, and welldesigned.”
Stokes Hall, meanwhile, is on track for its January opening for classes, according to Senior Construction Project Manager Edward Stokes. The building’s exterior masonry and roof took shape over the summer, while inside work focused on the millwork and finishes. In addition, permanent walkways and lighting were placed around the perimeter of the 183,000 squarefoot structure. Stokes said exterior and interior construction is expected to be completed in October, and furnishings and equipment installation by the end of November. Site work and landscaping will take place throughout November, and occupants will begin moving into the building in December. He said Walsh Brothers Construction is “producing a high-quality product.” Nardone notes that there is already considerable anticipation for BC’s new humanities building. “We took a group of Student Admission Program volunteers on a tour, so they can start getting a feel for what the building will look like in the spring when they bring prospective students through. They were very impressed.” The new Astroturf playing surface installed this summer in Alumni Stadium had its official introduction this past Saturday Continued on page 9
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, offered a welcome to the Class of 2016 this past Friday in Conte Forum. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
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W h i l e Y o u W e r e A way . . . University Announces Several Key Administrative Changes During the summer, Boston College announced some key administrative changes: •Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, director of faculty outreach and program assessment for University Mission and Ministry at Boston College, was named the interim dean of the Woods College of Advancing Studies. He succeeds the school’s Fr. Burns namesake, James A. Woods, SJ, who retired this spring after 44 years as dean. A search for a new dean will begin this year. Prior to his 2010 appointment in University Mission and Ministry, Fr. Burns served as co-chairman and associate professor of the Graduate Armstrong School of Psychology at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul,
Minn. He also served as an adjunct assistant professor in counseling psychology and religion at Boston University and as an instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School. •Kelli Armstrong, associate vice president for institutional research, planning and assessment, was promoted to vice president for planning and assessment. Armstrong, who has guided the University’s institutional research and planning, space management and strategic services efforts since coming to Boston College in 2004, was recognized for establishing one of the premier planning and assessment programs in American higher education, as well as her commitment to the mission of Boston College. •Terrence P. Devino, SJ, spe-
cial assistant to the president and director of Manresa House, the University’s center for vocational discernment, has been appointed vice president and University secretary by the Boston College Board of Trustees, effective Dec. 31, 2012. Fr. Devino will succeed Mary Lou DeLong following her retirement at the end of the year after Fr. Devino 33 years of service to the University. The Office of the University Secretary oversees special projects such as the annual Commencement Exercises and BC’s Sesquicentennial Celebration, which will take place during the next three semesters. Fr. Devino, who this year marked his Fr. Kalscheur 25th year as a priest, spent the past two years directing Manresa
House and providing students seeking to explore a religious calling with thoughtful counsel and spiritual guidance. Previously, he served as vice president for university ministries at the University of Scranton. He also worked in Campus Ministry at Fairfield University and was at BC from 1998-2001. •Gregory Kalscheur, SJ, an associate professor in the Law School, has taken on a new set of responsibilities as senior associate dean for strategic planning and faculty development in the College of Arts and Sciences. Fr. Kalscheur will assist in reviewing A&S academic programs and in the school’s faculty hiring process. A major facet of his job as senior associate dean will be to promote conversations in the school on faculty engagement
with the University’s intellectual, spiritual and formational mission. Fr. Kalscheur will continue to teach a course in civil procedure at BC Law, where he has been a faculty member since 2003. In addition, the University announced the appointment of M. Katherine Hutchinson as associate dean for graduate programs at the Connell School of Nursing, and Scott Cann as technology director of Information Technology Support Services. Formerly an associate professor at New York University’s College of Nursing, Hutchinson succeeds CSON Associate Professor Patricia Tabloski, who will return to the Connell School faculty after a one-year sabbatical. Cann served as director of Information Services Customer Services at Northeastern University, and led IT customer service at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Library. —Office of News & Public Affairs Photos by Lee Pellegrini
Two members of the Boston College faculty have assumed important leadership positions in the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA), the principal association of Catholic theologians in North America and the largest professional society of theologians in the world. Joseph McCarthy Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology Richard R. Gaillardetz succeeded to the position of president-elect of CTSA at its annual meeting held this summer in St. Louis. He will assume the role of CTSA president in June of next year. Also at the annual meeting, Founders Professor of Theology James F. Keenan, SJ, was elected to a two-year membership on the board of directors of the CTSA. An ecclesiologist, Gaillardetz is an expert on ecumenical councils, particularly the Second Vatican Council. He recently co-authored Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II, which presents a less intimidating and more accessible introduction to the vision of the Vatican II. His newest publication is a volume he edited titled When the Magisterium Intervenes: The Magisterium and Theologians in Today’s Church, a collection of papers by leading Catholic
scholars on the Church’s official teaching authority in a postmodern world. An expert in theological ethics and moral theology, Fr. Keenan has been a member of the Society of Jesus since 1970. He is an advisor to the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance, chair of the Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church, and a member of the board of directors of the Society of Christian Ethics. At Boston College, Fr. Keenan directs the Presidential Scholars Program, an integrated honors educational experience for select University undergraduates of exceptional academic talent and leadership potential. —Kathleen Sullivan
Forbes: BC Among ‘America’s Top Colleges’ Boston College placed at 26 overall on Forbes magazine’s 2012 survey of “America’s Top Colleges,” which surveys 650 public and private undergraduate institutions. BC is ranked at 25 among private colleges and 14 among research universities by the survey.
Website Chronicles Jesuit Work in China Fr. Clarke’s project builds on Burns Library Jesuitica Collection
An exquisite collection of rare books that chronicles the scholarly work of Jesuit missionaries in China from the 16th through the 18th centuries has been digitized for the web through the year-long effort of a Jesuit historian and scholar working with the Jesuitica Collection in Burns Library. Australian Jesuit Jeremy Clarke, SJ, an assistant professor of history, has launched Beyond Ricci, www.bc.edu/beyondricci, a searchable website that provides scholars and researchers access to books containing historical narratives, maps, correspondence and musical compositions in five languages that depict life in China in early modern history and the East-West exchanges initiated by the early Jesuit missionaries. The website focuses on books from the Jesuitica Collection by or about Jesuit missionaries including Matteo Ricci, Philippe Couplet and Alvaro Semedo, as well as Roman-based Jesuits Christopher Clavius and Athanasius Kircher, who made use of the information sent back by the missionaries in China. It was written by Fr. Clarke, who selected the books and images from the library’s collection of 2,500 volumes, all of which were
Lee Pellegrini
Gaillardetz, Fr. Keenan Take on Leadership Positions in CTSA
Jeremy Clarke, SJ: “This website [Beyond Ricci] takes knowledge and information that is rare and beautiful and puts it into the academic domain, providing an interdisciplinary resource for scholars and students.”
published prior to the order’s suppression in 1773. Among the many people involved in the project throughout Boston College, Fr. Clarke credits Tim Lindgren, Jeanne Po and Cristina Joy of Instructional Design and eTeaching Services, William Donovan and Elizabeth McKelvey from Digital Services, Bridget Burke from Burns Library, and Kerry Burke from Media Technology Services with helping to produce the website, which they hope will serve as a model for digital humanities.
“This website takes knowledge and information that is rare and beautiful and puts it into the academic domain, providing an interdisciplinary resource for scholars and students of disciplines ranging from history and geography, to Latin and Chinese,” said Fr. Clarke, whose project was funded through a grant from the Academic Teaching Advisory Board and the Office of the Provost. “It was a labor of love, and an act of homage to my Jesuit brothers and their Chinese counterparts whose remarkable scholarship is preserved in these rare books that will now be available to visitors from Chestnut Hill to Canberra, San Francisco to Shanghai.” Among the many notable digitized items from the rare book collection are a 1735 translation of a French encyclopedia of China; an extensively detailed 18th century atlas; melody lines from the Chinese Imperial Court that were transcribed by Jesuits in the mid-18th century; and a translation of Confucian texts by the Jesuit missionaries that represented the first introduction of Confucius to the Western world. —Jack Dunn
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A LOOK AT BOSTON COLLEGE NEWS FROM THE SUMMER of 2012 o b i t u a r ies A memorial celebration will be held this Saturday from 12:30-3:30 p.m. at Hibernian Hall in Roxbury for retired Lynch School of Education Associate Dean John Cawthorne [in photo], who died of cancer last month. He was 70. John Gillooly/PEI
An urban education expert whose care and regard for students made him one of the Lynch School’s most popular administrators, Dean Cawthorne officially retired this past spring from Boston College after having served for 13 years as associate dean for students and outreach at the school. In addition to coordinating the Office of Professional Practicum Experiences, he provided advising services to undergraduate and master’s degree students. “John Cawthorne was a tremendous advocate for our students both inside and outside of the classroom,” said Lynch School Interim Dean Maureen Kenny. “His passing is a tremendous loss to our community, but the impact of his work and his dedication to the Lynch School will live on through the accomplishments of the many persons whose lives were transformed by his heart and his spirit.” Hibernian Hall is located at 184 Dudley St. in Roxbury. Donations in Dean Cawthorne’s memory can be made to the American Cancer Society or the Dana-Farber Cancer Research
Institute/The Jimmy Fund. Also this Saturday, a funeral Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. in St. George’s Church, Saxonville, Mass., for long-time English Department faculty member Daniel McCue ’40, who died Aug. 31. Dr. McCue, who was 94, taught in the English Department for 40 years until his retirement in 1987. Other members of the Boston College community whose passing was mourned this summer include: •Robert T. Caggiano, a stationary engineer in the boiler room at BC for 44 years, who died Aug. 17. •Frank J. Umbro, former security guard at the University’s McMullen Museum of Art, who died July 13. •Judy Kissane, a long-time, highly valued staff member in the Office of the Executive Vice President who died July 6. Ms. Kissane served 33 of her 36 years at Boston College in the EVP’s office, retiring in 2009. She drew praise for the able assistance she provided to the BC executive team in a number of major University initiatives, especially in the construction of various new buildings and projects, that helped fuel BC’s rise to national prominence. •Lynch School of Education graduate student Kelsey Rennebohm, who died on June 1 after she was struck by a vehicle while on her bike in Boston. She was 28. Ms. Rennebohm was recalled as a gifted student and an experienced teacher who worked to provide high-quality instruction and support services for all children. A 2006 honors graduate of Barnard College, Ms. Rennebohm was enrolled full-time in the Lynch School’s counseling psychology program. Prior to attending BC, she had worked for two years as a teacher in New York City.
Graduate students in Ms. Rennebohm’s program participated in a commemorative “Walk for Kelsey” on June 4 at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. •Kevin Bellot, C.Ss.R, a 2012 School of Theology and Ministry graduate, who died June 10 while doing ministry work in St. Lucia. He was 29. Deacon Bellot belonged to a world-wide religious order called the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. He was ordained a deacon in October of last year and was to have been ordained a priest in August. •Patrick E. Roche ’51, Hon.’01, co-founder of Roche Brothers supermarkets and benefactor of the Boston College Center for Catholic Education, who died on May 26. He was 83. In 2010, Mr. Roche and his wife, Barbara, gave $20 million to Boston College to help train teachers for Catholic schools and universities. The University named its Center for Catholic Education, which had been established in 2007, after the Roches. “Catholic education was a great gift in my life,” said Mr. Roche in announcing the gift. “When Barbara and I saw the number of Catholic schools that were closing, we wanted to do something — BC gave us an opportunity to do so through this Center.” The Barbara and Patrick Roche Center for Catholic Education provides opportunities for professional advancement, applied research, support programs, and outreach for professional Catholic educators to ensure the success and the advancement of Catholic education beyond the 21st century. —Office of News & Public Affairs
Political Scientist Laurence Earns Berlin Prize Associate Professor of Political Science Jonathan Laurence is among this fall’s recipients of the prestigious Berlin Prize, awarded by The American Academy in Berlin, a private, nonprofit, non-partisan center for advanced research in a range of academic and cultural fields. Laurence — whose areas of teaching and research interest are comparative politics, transatlantic relations, European politics, and the integration of Muslims into European politics and society, and whose latest book The Emancipation of Eu-
rope’s Muslims, was published earlier this year — will use the fellowship to support a research project titled “Turkey and Morocco in Germany: European Muslims or Citizens Abroad?” A non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a faculty affiliate of the Center for European Studies at Harvard University, Laurence holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, a C.E.P. from Sciences Po, and master’s and doctoral degrees from Harvard University,
where his thesis was awarded the American Political Science Association’s Harold D. Lasswell Prize in 2006, as the best dissertation in public policy completed in 2004 or 2005. The class of Berlin Prize fellows for 2012-13 consists of 24 outstanding scholars, writers, artists and policy experts who will pursue independent study while engaging with their German counterparts and with Berlin’s vibrant academic, cultural, and political life. —Office of News & Public Affairs
Oprah Winfrey came to campus Aug. 2, meeting with University President William P. Leahy, SJ, and graduates of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, who attended a summer enrichment program at BC. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
DeFilippo Stepping Down on Sept. 30 Boston College Athletics Director Gene DeFilippo, whose 15-year tenure has seen BC’s transition to the Atlantic Coast Conference and four national men’s hockey championships, will retire from his position on Sept. 30. Senior Associate Athletics Director John Kane will serve as interim director until a successor is named. “My wife Anne and I have been discussing this decision for some time and we agree that this is the right time for me to retire,” DeFilippo said in a recent statement. “It is also the right time for Boston College to have new leadership in the athletics director’s position. In light of my recent bout with melanoma, which is treatable, this decision became clearer to me this summer. “After the intensity of 40 years of intercollegiate athletics, this change will enable me to spend more time with Anne, my three children, and our granddaughter, Katherine. I look forward to this next stage of my personal and professional life.” Following a mini-sabbatical, DeFilippo plans to teach courses in sports management and to work as a consultant. University President William P. Leahy, SJ, thanked DeFilippo for his vision, dedication and service to BC Athletics during his 15 years as AD. “Gene devoted himself to building a strong, successful athletics program, one that reflected BC’s commitment to quality academics and institutional integrity,” said Fr. Leahy. “Doing that has been his passion and joy, and the BC community, particularly our student athletes, have benefitted immensely from his care, advice and hard work.” During DeFilippo’s years as athletics director, Boston College won four national championships in men’s ice hockey, 11 national team and individual championships in sailing, and enjoyed 12 consecutive winning seasons in football, with a total of 103 victories. He oversaw the successful transition to the Atlantic Coast Confer-
Athletics Director Gene DeFilippo
ence, considered among the best and most stable conferences in the NCAA, and led an athletics program where the graduation rates of BC student-athletes ranked among the highest in Division IA sports. In 2010, BC student-athletes earned the prestigious National Student Athlete Advisory Committee Award of Excellence in Athletics in recognition of the volunteer outreach and community service initiatives of BC’s 750 varsity athletes. DeFilippo also worked to upgrade the University’s athletics facilities, including multi-million dollar renovations of Alumni Stadium and Conte Forum, new soccer, field hockey and lacrosse playing fields on the Newton Campus, an airinflated bubble over Alumni Stadium for winter practice use, and a new Astroturf surface on Alumni Stadium. He played a key role in raising money to build the privately funded $27 million Yawkey Athletics Center, which included space for the BC football program and the Office of Learning Resources for Student-Athletes, and a function area for University events. During his years as athletics director, donations in support of BC Athletics rose from $5 million annually in 1998 to more than $20 million in 2011. “I’d like to thank Fr. Leahy for allowing me to serve as athletics director for the past 15 years,” said DeFilippo. “He was always supportive and was the best boss anyone could have. I will always be indebted to him for giving me the opportunity to work at such a great institution.” —Jack Dunn
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Sesquicentennial MOBILE WEBSITE, MARKERS OFFER LOOK AT BC’S HISTORY To facilitate self-guided tours of campus and provide a better understanding of the University’s historical and cultural landmarks, Boston College will unveil 13 historical markers and a GPS-navigated campus tour app and mobile website to coincide with the launch of the Sesquicentennial Celebration on Sept. 15. Seven of the historical markers, which will be placed in front of the University’s oldest buildings, will provide biographical information on the individuals after whom the buildings are named — from Jesuit Presidents Gasson and Bapst to Lyons and Fulton — as well as the buildings’ past and current uses. The remaining markers will provide information on prominent campus sites, ranging from Alumni Stadium to the Campus Green. The historical markers project was conceived by the Office of News & Public Affairs in conjunction with the late University Historian Thomas H. O’Connor, who had written narratives that described the buildings and their namesakes. In anticipation of the Sesquicentennial Celebration, News & Public Affairs Director Jack Dunn approached University
Historical markers, like the one pictured at left, will be installed across campus. Boston College is also launching a GPS-navigated tour and mobile website — as shown in image at right — as part of the University’s Sesquicentennial Celebration. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
President William P. Leahy, SJ, and the Sesquicentennial Steering Committee with the idea of turning his depictions into historical markers. With the president’s approval, the University hired campus architects Stephen Stimson Associates, which produced the bronze-plated markers in time for the Sesquicentennial kickoff. The campus markers include Gasson, St. Mary’s, Devlin, Fulton and Lyons halls, Bapst,
Burns and O’Neill libraries, Linden Lane, the Campus Green, Conte Forum, the Lowell Lecture Series and Alumni Stadium. “This project is a tribute to Tom O’Connor, whose poignant descriptions of the University’s historic buildings and prominent sites will provide a lasting resource that will benefit all who visit our campus,” said Dunn. To meet the longstanding need of providing a mobile tour of campus, the University has of the Heights” guides visitors also launched a campus tour through the BC campus and cross-platform app and mobile provides multimedia information on prominent sites ranging website called from the St. Ig“Tour of the “This is a wonderful natius and Flutie Heights,” which provides text, vid- resource that will be a statues to the eo, audio and still highlight of the Sesqui- Veterans Memorial and the Higphotos of these 13 historical sites centennial Celebration.” gins Stairs. The “Tour and 15 additional —Joseph Quinn of the Heights” campus sites of inapp and mobile terest. Accessible website include the voice talents through smart phones, or virtuof BC faculty and administraally through the web, the “Tour tors, ranging from English Professor Carlo Rotella and Vice President William Neenan, SJ, to Rattigan Professor of Engthe Boston College campus [see lish Emeritus John Mahoney separate story], and a volunteer and Men’s Hockey Coach Jerry service program in which each York, as well as several BC stuBC student and alumnus will be dents who auditioned for the asked to perform 150 minutes role. Funded by the Office of the of volunteer community service. President for the SesquicentenTwo books — The Illustrated nial, the app — available for Boston College 1863-2013 and free download later this month the new History of Boston Colthrough the Apple Store and lege — and a documentary film accessible through www.bc.edu/ on the history of Boston College
University Prepares to Celebrate 150 Years Continued from page 1 Following the Mass, guests will be invited to walk along the perimeter of the field and view the 2004 and 2007 Red Sox World Series Championship trophies. A reception, with food and beverages available for purchase, will be held in the Fenway Concourse until sunset. In the event of inclement weather, a rain date for the Mass will be Sunday, Sept. 16, at 4 p.m. The Fenway Mass will kick off three semesters of events that will include academic symposia, a Sesquicentennial Speakers Series, a Founders Day celebration, a student concert at Symphony Hall and a convocation of leading Catholic college presidents. This fall semester will feature the first of seven scheduled academic symposia showcasing Boston College’s distinctive strengths and societal outreach, with an Oct. 5 symposium titled
“Public Education and the Future of Democracy,” featuring Lynch School of Education Professors Marilyn Cochran-Smith and Dennis Shirley. The first of three scheduled Sesquicentennial Speakers Series will take place on Oct. 10 with Harvard University President and noted historian Drew Faust addressing the Boston College community on the theme of scholarship. The second symposium, “Religion and the Liberal Aims of Higher Education,” sponsored by Lynch School of Education Professor and Boisi Chair Henry Braun and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Theology Erik Owens, will be held Nov. 8-9. In addition, the start of the Sesquicentennial will feature the unveiling of 13 historical markers and a GPS-guided “Tour of the Heights” app and mobile website that will provide on-campus and virtual tours of
are in production. “The Sesquicentennial Celebration gives us an opportunity to celebrate Boston College’s first 150 years, to reflect on how Boston College has evolved over the decades, and to rededicate ourselves to the educational and religious vision that has animated BC since its founding in 1863,” said Fr. Leahy. Information on upcoming events is available on the Sesquicentennial website, www. bc.edu/150. Contact Jack Dunn at jack.dunn@bc.edu
tour — was created by the Office of News & Public Affairs, BC ITS Web Technology Group and Modo Labs of Cambridge. Dunn said his staff worked on the project for more than a year and incorporated new video, photos and interviews with existing footage from Media Technology Services (which did audio recordings), the Office of Marketing Communications and University Archives. He praised News & Public Affairs staffer Melissa Beecher as the project director whose efforts enabled the app to be completed in time for the Sesquicentennial launch. “Thanks especially to Melissa, and the News & Public Affairs staff, as well as Scott Olivieri and Kul Thapa from ITS, this ‘Tour of the Heights’ app and mobile website will greatly enhance the visitor experience for prospective students and returning alumni by providing a multimedia tour of Boston College that can now be accessed from any point on campus, or from the comfort of their own homes,” said Dunn. “This is a wonderful resource that will be a highlight of the Sesquicentennial Celebration,” said McIntyre Professor of Economics and Sesquicentennial Steering Committee member Joseph Quinn. “It will benefit admissions, faculty recruiting, alumni relations and community relations, while providing a better understanding for all who visit of the rich history of the Boston College campus.” —Office of News & Public Affairs
SESQUICENTENNIAL CALENDAR •Sept. 15: Boston College Mass at Fenway Park •Oct. 5: Sesquicentennial Academic Symposium, “Public Education and the Future of Democracy” •Oct. 10: Sesquicentennial Speakers Series with Harvard University President Drew Faust •Nov. 8-9: Sesquicentennial Academic Symposium, “Religion and the Liberal Aims of Higher Education”
Information at www.bc.edu/150
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A Century and a Half of Achievement — and Perseverance Throughout its 150-year history, Boston College has made a habit of overcoming the odds It is one of the most compelling, often-told chapters of Boston College’s long and storied history: An all-but-bankrupt BC, its future rumored to be in doubt, staves off disaster and gradually emerges as an elite university. But this recent era of transformation, which began in the early 1970s, was only one of several points in time when BC overcame significant challenges, in some cases facing the very real prospect of shutting down. Instead, Boston College grew from a school founded to serve the sons of Boston Irish immigrants to one of the world’s leading Jesuit, Catholic universities — one of the greatest success stories in American higher education. Like most success stories, BC’s is full of triumphs and setbacks, bold decisions and ambitious moves, and many dynamic personalities that led the school through 150 eventful years marked by two world wars and a bevy of social changes in the US and the American Catholic community. When the school opened its doors on September 5, 1864, only 22 young men showed up to partake of this bold new experiment. In his diary, Rev. Robert Fulton, SJ, the first dean of Boston College, offered a candid assessment of the first students: “Many came gratuitously, and only one or two had talent.” The reality, however, was that their parents were poor, uneducated Irish immigrants who, as Fr. Fulton realized “were not eager to pay for what could be had for nothing in the schools and academies of the city.” Nonetheless, they possessed a deep, abiding faith in Catholic education and in the Jesuits who offered it. And so, from the humblest beginnings, Boston College was born. The student body would grow by approximately 15 students each year during its first 10 years, before experiencing steady growth during the next three decades. This trend would end upon the turn of the century when it became clear that the school had outgrown both its original structure and the South End, which had fallen into a state of neglect with the advent of the
The Boston College campus in 1932.
It had a negative net worth and had experienced five consecutive years of major deficits. The endowment was $5 million. Faculty salaries were at the 50th percentile of Category I universities. Undergraduate applications totaled 8,400. Nearly 90 percent of its students came from New England, New York and New Jersey. There were hushed whispers among faculty and staff that the school might not survive. Fortunately, through excellent leadership and strong fiscal governance in BC Presidents J. Donald Monan, SJ and William P. Leahy, SJ, dedicated faculty, and the generosity of BC alumni, Boston College staved off bankruptcy and began its transformation from a regional to a national and ultimately an international university.
Photos courtesy Burns Library Archives
overall. BC’s student profile is also among the most selective in the United States. Average SAT scores stand at 2020 on the 2400 scale, and 80 percent of incoming freshmen are in the top 10 percent of their high school classes. BC student athletes continue to be ranked in the Top 10 NCAA Division IA programs in graduation rates. To continue its momentum, in 2007 Boston College announced its $1.6 billion Strategic Plan, which calls for increases in faculty, endowed chairs and academic centers. To provide the infrastructure to support the Strategic Plan, the University’s Institutional Master Plan will add new academic buildings, a student center, recreation complex and fine arts district, as well as beds to meet 100% of undergraduate demand. The first academic building, Stokes Hall, a 183,000-square
more fashionable Back Bay. which had exceeded 1200 in As a result, Boston College 1941, had fallen to 236 students, President Thomas Gasson, SJ, and the Jesuits again faced the made the decision to purchase grim reality that the college could the “magnificent site on Com- not sustain itself. Their fortunes monwealth Avenue toward were reversed only by the Army Today, Boston College has an Brighton,” to house the new Specialized Training Program annual budget of $862 million Boston College. He developed a and the allied victory in 1945. and its endowment is among the plan for a campus on the former After World War II, Boston Lawrence Farm consisting of 15 College would surge in enrollbuildings in the English Colle- ment thanks to the GI Bill and giate Gothic arthe dedication of its chitectural style BC’s inaugural dean, Jesuit and lay faculthat would serve ty who would steer as an American Robert Fulton, SJ, had the school through Oxford, breakthe next 25 years this assessment of the ing ground in of transition from a school’s first students: college to a univer1909, with the first building, sity. Having added “Many came gratuthen known as the Law School and the Recitation itously, and only one or Evening College in Building, open1929, the Gradutwo had talent.” ing in 1913. ate School of SoHis ambicial Work in 1936 tion, however, and the College of would exceed the school’s means, Business Administration in 1938, Two of Boston College’s most renowned leaders, Robert Fulton, SJ, left, and as BC would construct only three Boston College would further fill Thomas Gasson, SJ. other buildings — St Mary’s, out its charter as a university durBapst Library and Devlin Hall — ing the post-war years, adding 40th largest in the United States. foot humanities building, will before a lack of finances would schools of Nursing and Educa- Undergraduate applications have open in January, and the 65curb its plans. tion in 1947 and 1952, respec- surpassed 34,000, making BC acre Brighton Campus has been tively. Graduate and doctoral among the most applied-to pri- transformed into a vibrant and There would be, not surpris- programs would soon follow. vate universities in the nation. integral part of the BC campus. The bold experiment, first ingly, other setbacks along the And yet, by the late 1960s, BC students come from all 50 way. the upward social mobility of states and 60 countries. Faculty conceived by its Jesuit founders, During World War I, enroll- Boston’s ethnic Catholic popula- are compensated in the 90th per- has succeeded beyond their loftiment, which had stood at 671 tion would provide options for centile of Category I universities. est aspirations. Boston College in the fall of 1916, would fall to college-aged males that enabled Boston College is now one of has indeed fulfilled its motto of 125 in 1918, a loss of 81 percent. them to look beyond the city’s only 21 private universities in the “Ever to Excel.” And, clearly for Had the war not ended that year, premier Catholic college, setting United States that is need blind BC, on the verge of its 150th the college may well have closed. the stage for Boston College’s and meets the full demonstrated anniversary, the very best is yet Twenty-five years later, this most serious financial challenge. financial need of all accepted stu- to come. The article is taken from an esscenario would repeat itself with The numbers paint a clear pic- dents, awarding $90 million in the outbreak of World War II. ture. In 1973, Boston College’s need-based financial aid for un- say by the late University historian By April of 1944 enrollment, was on the verge of bankruptcy. dergraduates, and $143 million Thomas H. O’Connor
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Convocation Continued from page 1 the decades; deepen knowledge and commitment to our institutional history and mission; and dream and reach into the future in ways that are consistent with BC’s intellectual and religious roots and that respond appropriately to new realities and needs.” Fr. Leahy’s address highlighted some of people who contributed to the establishment and growth of BC over the years. They included Jesuits founder St. Ignatius Loyola; early BC leaders John McElroy, SJ, Robert Fulton, SJ, and Thomas Gasson, SJ; benefactors and supporters like Andrew Carney, Mary Werner Roberts, Cardinal Richard Cushing ’13 and Wallace Carroll ’28; key academic and administrative figures of the past several decades such as Adele Dalsimer, Jeong-Long Lin, Thomas O’Connor, John Smith, Charles Donovan, SJ, Rita Kelleher, Robert Drinan, SJ, and Alice Bourneuf. The University’s desire to build on the work done by these individuals and others and stay true to its Jesuit, Catholic heritage, Fr. Leahy said, is reflected in its Strategic Plan as well as its other institutional goals and aspirations. “Let us celebrate our sesquicentennial with gratitude, joy and hope, remembering God’s blessings and those who came before us, and resolving as members of this community today to continue working to raise Boston College to even greater heights.” Keating remarked on the scope of construction taking place around campus, especially during the summer, singling out the work on Plaza at O’Neill Library, Alumni Stadium, College Road and Stokes Hall [see story on page 3], among other projects. He praised BC Facilities Management personnel and contractors involved in the projects, and the patience and cooperation that is “emblematic of the BC community.” Future projects will include renovations and the transfer of some academic offices to Maloney Hall, landscaping in the Quad between Gasson, Lyons, Fulton and Devlin Halls and a long-awaited pedestrian crossing at the Beacon StreetLawrence Avenue intersection. The University also will continue to hold discussions with the City of Boston
on the construction of a new residence hall at Lake Street and Commonwealth Avenue, and evaluate a renovation project for St. Mary’s Hall. Reviewing finance-related trends, Keating noted that, despite challenges, the University’s health care expenses were lower than forecast, utility programs were aided by conservation initiatives and a relatively warm winter, and the financial aid budget “was on target.” Keating announced the debut of a new program later this semester, “Our BC,” that will provide information about initiatives, opportunities and resources that aid BC’s financial management goals while advancing its other objectives — including that of maintaining a desirable workplace for employees. “Our financial management is, in a sense, living our mission, respecting our heritage, being good stewards, and colleagues — being part of this community,” he said. Garza described faculty-student interaction as a crucial part of BC’s mission and character, and in how the University “transmits its Jesuit, Catholic values to students.” He cited the Institute of the Liberal Arts, the Clough Center for the Study of Institutional Democracy and the Undergraduate Research Fellowships and the Carroll School of Management’s “Take Home Prof” program as among the examples of BC’s commitment to faculty-student interaction, whether in classroom, research or informal settings. Other current and upcoming efforts include the introduction of a new advisory evaluation form this coming spring, a collaboration between the Biology and Chemistry departments with the University’s McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program to improve retention of first-generation college students, and the establishment of a Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation. Garza touched on the issue of technology’s impact on faculty-student rapport, notably in the area of online learning. BC’s path, he said, is “not to embrace uncritically nor to ignore” such trends, but to focus on “cultivating lasting habits of scholarship.” Accordingly, he said, his office will seek to promote a university-wide conversation on the role of the Internet in higher education.
Lou Montgomery Honored
The late Lou Montgomery ’41, the first African American to play football for Boston College, was recognized at halftime of Saturday’s BC-Miami game. With members of Montgomery’s family looking on, his jersey was retired and displayed on the southwest façade of Alumni Stadium. Montgomery was a talented running back and a major contributor to the Boston College teams that won 19 of 20 regular season games in his junior and senior seasons and earned invitations to the 1940 Cotton Bowl and 1941 Sugar Bowl. But in an era of Jim Crow segregation laws and customs, he was denied the opportunity to play in games against teams from the South, including the two bowl games. The Brockton, Mass., native, who died in 1993, was inducted into the BC Hall of Fame in 1997. —Office of News & Public Affairs
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Paul Davidovits, right, with Timothy Onasch.
Questions on Soot and Climate Black carbon’s impact on warming may be overestimated, say BC researchers By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
Airborne black carbon particles – better known as soot – have long been viewed as one of the many factors that contribute to climate change. But a first-of-its-kind study by an international team that includes Boston College researchers has scientists re-evaluating the extent of black carbon’s impact on atmospheric warming. Field studies in California found atmospheric black carbon particles absorb significantly less sunlight than scientists had predicted, according to the new report in the journal Science, co-authored by Professor of Chemistry Paul Davidovits and chemist Timothy Onasch, a principal scientist at Aerodyne Research Inc. and an associate research professor at BC. Mathematical models and laboratory experiments used to study airborne soot particles led to projections that the absorption-boosting chemicals coating black carbon could yield an increase in absorption by as much as 100 percent. But field studies – using measurement instruments and models developed in the Davidovits lab – found black carbon absorption enhancements of just six percent, suggesting that climate models may be overestimating warming by black carbon, the researchers report. “The team’s field measurements in California showed the enhancement of absorption was very small – approximately six percent instead of by a factor of two,” said Davidovits, an authority on airborne particles, known as aerosols. “In one respect, it shows that nature is much more complicated than our initial laboratory experiments and modeling indicated. Now we will try to unravel and understand that complexity.” The surprising results highlight the early challenges in a nascent sector of climate science and could have implications for regulatory ef-
forts to reduce the production of black carbon, or soot, by curbing the burning of fossil fuels. Still, scientists agree that black carbon in the atmosphere has a significant effect on global and regional climate, with earlier studies ranking the warming effects of black carbon particles second only to carbon dioxide gas. For the past several years, Davidovits has collaborated with Aerodyne Research Inc., and colleagues from universities and government labs in the US, Canada and Finland. Their research has focused on the chemical and optical properties
“Black carbon particles...collect inorganic and organic materials, they grow, change shapes, and change composition. These changes affect the absorption or warming capability of the black carbon. So the question remains: to what extent exactly?” —Timothy Onasch
of submicron airborne particles of black carbon produced by commercial and industrial activity. Unlike carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses, which can survive in the atmosphere for decades and centuries, black carbon has a relatively short life span of approximately one to two weeks. During that span, black carbon particles are coated with airborne chemicals, which sophisticated laboratory tests have shown can act like lenses capable of increasing the ability of the particles to absorb sunlight and heat the atmosphere. That has raised a critical question as to whether targeting black carbon emissions in an effort to reduce climate change could yield relatively quick results on a regional or global level. Researchers tested air samples
using a combination of real-time techniques, including aerosol mass spectrometry and photoacoustic spectroscopy. These techniques are capable of making measurements to determine the chemical, physical and optical properties of the black carbon particles, said Onasch, whose Billerica, Mass.-based company has developed the aerosol mass spectrometer instruments. Onasch said the recent findings set the stage for further studies around the world under different atmospheric conditions in order to better understand how chemical coatings from a range of emission sources affect the absorptive properties of black carbon. “When you put a soot particle into the atmosphere, we know it contains an elemental carbon component and we know what it’s absorption will be based on mass and size,” said Onasch. “But black carbon particles in the air are constantly changing. They collect inorganic and organic materials, they grow, change shapes, and change composition. These changes affect the absorption or warming capability of the black carbon. So the question remains: to what extent exactly?” The recent findings only add to the challenge of understanding complex chemical activity in the atmosphere, said Davidovits, whose research is supported by the National Science Foundation’s Atmospheric Chemistry division and the US Department of Energy’s Atmospheric System Research program. “These findings do require us to reduce our projections about the amount of heating soot produces, at least under some experimental conditions. But the findings don’t point to soot as being a harmless climate forcer,” said Davidovits. “Soot remains an important climate heating agent, as well as a health problem that has been well documented.” Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu
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Vlad Perju
ter will include a panel discussion on Global Environmental Constitutionalism (Sept. 26), a conference titled “The 2012 Election in Comparative and Historical Perspective” (Oct. 19-20) and a talk by renowned political scientist Francis Fukuyama (Oct. 29). “It’s enormously exciting to be starting my first year as director of the Clough Center,” said
Perju, who joined the BC Law faculty in 2007. “Much of the intellectual life at BC happens around interdisciplinary centers, and the Clough Center has been a wonderful addition in that regard. I would not have taken this job if I did not believe the Clough Center has the potential to be one of the most important centers in the world for the study of constitutional democracy.” Accordingly, Perju sees the center moving in a “more international, comparative direction” as it moves further into its first decade. “Although there will still be a focus on the US, you’ll see attention being paid to political and social developments in, for example, China, Latin America and Europe,” explained Perju. “BC has enough expertise to make this kind of exploration possible.” For more on the Clough Center and its events, see http://www. bc.edu/ cloughcenter. —Sean Smith
Five Join Board of Trustees for 2012-13 The Boston College Board of Trustees welcomes three new and two returning members for the 2012-13 academic year: Ralph Stayer is the chairman and chief executive officer of Johnsonville Sausage, LLC, of Wisconsin. Under his leadership, Johnsonville has become the nation’s leading sausage brand, and is recognized for its award-winning business operation method that blends teamwork and individual accountability. Stayer serves on the board of directors of Brunswick Corp., the Boys and Girls Clubs in the Midwest Region, and the Boomer Esiason Foundation. He is also a past chairman of the Marian College Board of Trustees. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, he and his wife, Shelly, are the parents of seven children, including Brooke Beth Stayer-Wagner ’14. Joseph “Jay” Hooley III ’79 is the chairman and chief executive officer of State Street Corp., a Boston-based financial services holding company. A member of the Carroll School of Management’s Finance Advisory Board and chairman of the Center for
Asset Management, Hooley also serves on the boards of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Boston Financial Data Services, Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, and the President’s Council of the Massachusetts General Hospital. He and his wife, Linda, are the parents of four children, including Lauren ’10, MS ’11 and Sean ’15. Michael H. Devlin II ’88 is the managing director of Curragh Capital Advisors, a private investment firm in New York City. An active member of the University’s New York Campaign Leadership and Wall Street councils, Devlin established the Katharine B. and Robert M. Devlin StudentAthlete for Education Leadership Development Program at Boston College along with his brother, Matthew ’90. He also serves on the boards of the Forethought Life Insurance Company of New York and the Baltic Jesuit Advancement Project. Patrick Carney ’70, who has nearly 40 years of real estate investment and development experience, is chairman and CEO of Claremont Companies, a privately owned and
closely held real estate investment, development and asset management firm he started in 1968. A director in the Massachusetts Technology Park Corp., he has also served as chair of the Trustee Committee on Development, and he and his wife, Lillian, established the Frederick J. Adelmann, SJ, Chair in the University’s Philosophy Department. The Carneys are the parents of Patrick Jr., Kathleen, Colleen, Michael and Edward. Mario J. Gabelli is chairman and chief executive officer of GAMCO Investors, an institutional broker-dealer firm he founded in 1977. A frequent commentator on CNBC and CNN, Gabelli is regularly featured in articles in Institutional Investor, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes and Money magazines. A summa cum laude graduate of Fordham University, he holds an MBA from Columbia University, and serves as an overseer at Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and on the boards of Roger Williams University and the Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States. He is married to Regina M. Pitaro and is the father of four children and two stepchildren. —Office of News & Public Affairs Photos of Patrick Carney and Mario Gabelli by Lee Pellegrini
Stokes Hall is on schedule for a January opening.
Campus Construction Continued from page 3 with the BC-Miami football game. There were other improvements to the stadium, adds Stokes: a new brick and precast wall on its lower “bowl” — done by McCourt Construction, which also installed the Astroturf — and a new coat of paint along the concourse. College Road was another center of activity this summer, as the University undertook a longenvisioned project to relocate the street’s utilities underground. As of last week, according to Runyon, all of the new below-grade conduits and telecommunication wiring had been installed along College Road from Beacon Street to Commonwealth Avenue. Over the next several weeks,
he says, NSTAR will be pulling the electrical cabling in their below-grade conduits. After that, the College Road buildings will be switched over the new underground utilities on a house-byhouse sequence. In late fall, the old wires will be removed, along with the 15 wooden utility poles. “We looked at putting the wires underground several years ago, but at the time it didn’t make sense,” says Runyon. “With the Stokes project, this was a perfect opportunity. While running utilities underground is practical, the other advantage is that you will get a pristine view of Stokes, without utility poles and wires blocking the way.” Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
Caitlin Cunningham
The Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy begins its fifth year with a new director and a new direction in its mission to promote interdisciplinary reflection on constitutional government in the United States and throughout the world. During the summer, Associate Professor of Law Vlad Perju succeeded Associate Professor of Political Science Ken Kersch, the center’s director since its establishment in 2008 through a donation by Charles Clough ’64 and Gloria Clough CGSON ’96. In addition to sponsoring scholarly lectures and other events, the center provides support for research, and offers programs and resources. The center kicks off its fall schedule next Wednesday, Sept. 12, with the lecture “Law, Culture and Legacies of Slavery,” presented by Pulitzer Prize-winning Harvard University historian Annette Gordon-Reed. Other Clough Center events this semes-
Caitlin Cunningham
Perju Takes Clough Center Reins
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Corcoran Commons’ “On the Fly” is open for business.
New Dining Services Features Are a Matter of Convenience The Boston College community has a new dining option, with the addition of three “On the Fly” convenience stores that have opened on campus. Customers can purchase a wide variety of products, including groceries and beverages, as well as specialty items like self-serve bulk candy items, fresh granola and smoothies. “Students have been asking for them for quite some time,” said BC Dining Services Director Helen Wechsler, “and we finally came up with the space and the means to make it happen.” The “On the Fly” locations are on the second floor of Corcoran Commons (adjacent to The Loft@Addie’s), in Stuart Hall on Newton Campus and in McElroy Commons at the previous site of The Chocolate Bar, a popular campus eatery that will reopen as part of the new Stokes Hall [see separate story]. Each “On the Fly” store is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and accepts all major credit cards, Dining Services meal plans and EagleBucks. For more information, see the Dining Services website at www.bc.edu/ dining. —Michael Maloney
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Mariani Offers His ‘Epitaphs’ BC poet brings together past and present works in his newest volume By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer
A new collection by acclaimed and award-winning poet University Professor of English Paul Mariani offers the best of his long and distinguished career, bringing together new poetry and revisiting his extensive fourdecade body of work, along with revisions of his earlier, highly praised compositions. Epitaphs for the Journey: New, Selected and Revised Poems is described by the book’s publisher as Mariani’s “magnum opus”: the story of a rich life lived and lived again over the past seven decades. Mariani’s lyrics chronicle his journey from the streets of New York in the mid20th century, growing up in a working-class family, to his own marriage, fatherhood and grandfatherhood. Mariani, who terms Epitaphs for the Journey as “a Catholic book through and through,” with Boston College as an integral part of the story, regards it as his best book of poems.
University Professor of English Paul Mariani. (Photo by Gary Gilbert)
“I feel it is the culmination of a lifetime’s work with poetry, autobiography, and teaching poetry and the classics, and I was delighted to have free reign to say what I had to say,” said Mariani, who is currently working on a biography of Wallace Stevens and a memoir of growing up on the mean streets of New York in the 1940s. “This is a carefully crafted life in poetry in the tradition of St. Augustine’s Confessions, with the help of so many of the poets whom I have learned from, including Gerard Manley Hopkins, William Carlos Williams, Wallace Stevens, Robert Lowell,
John Berryman and Hart Crane, as well as poets ranging from Virgil, Dante, Milton, Baudelaire, Rilke, Emily Dickinson and Elizabeth Bishop, Philip Levine and so many others.” Epitaphs for the Journey contains 96 poems in eight sections, or cantos, of 12 poems, which each cover a decade of Mariani’s life. According to the publisher, they “contour Mariani’s search for answers to the unknown. His verse is born out of the relationship between the felt presence of mystery — what some might call God — and the modern imagination.” It is designed and illustrated by Mariani’s friend,
Barry Moser, with whom he had talked about do- The John Hopkins University, ing the book when the he let me know, as I staggered time was right, for the half dizzy from lifting cases of Campbell’s Soup cans by the hour past 35 years. Of Boston College, Mariani added: “As a from off the high-strung metal roller, Catholic, poet, writer, rising from the cellar to greet him teacher, and scholar, I as my father had taught me am blessed to be part of to shake the hand of any man who held such a great Jesuit institution. I remember my his hand out, his rugger’s grip first day teaching here hard enough to granulate my knuckles, back in September 2000, his lips curled up beneath saying to myself that, fi- his steady Anglo-Saxon star blue gaze. nally, I felt I had come —from “A&P Nightshift: January 1959” home. I was 60 then, and had taught at Colgate, Hunter, John Jay College, and for 32 years at starred in “The Broken Tower,” the University of Massachusetts- which featured Mariani in the Amherst, as well as lecturing at part of photographer and artmany other universities, but I ist Alfred Stieglitz. Franco prefeel more than ever that BC is viewed the film at Boston Colmy real home, intellectually, cre- lege in 2011 and joined Mariani atively, and spiritually.” for a question-and-answer sesMariani has published more sion following the screening. than 200 essays and reviews and Mariani’s many honors and is the author of 17 books, in- awards include a Guggenheim cluding seven volumes of poetry Fellowship, a National Endowand biographies of poets William ment for the Arts fellowship and Carlos Williams (for which he two National Endowment for was a finalist for the American the Humanities fellowships. In Book Award), John Berryman, 2009 he received the John Ciardi Robert Lowell, Gerard Manley Award for Lifetime Achievement Hopkins and Hart Crane. in Poetry. Actor James Franco adapted Mariani’s biography The Broken Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at Tower: The Life of Hart Crane rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu into a film. Franco directed and
Starting a Conversation, Instead of an Argument STM dean helps create dialogue on issues in the Church and society By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer
Weary of the polarization in American society that often turns discussions into heated ideological debates, a group of Catholic theologians is seeking to transcend the harmful rhetoric and limiting labels and build community by engaging in honest and open-minded dialogue about issues facing the Catholic Church and society. The Catholic Conversation Project (CCP), created by School of Theology and Ministry Dean Mark Massa, SJ, and Fordham University Assistant Professor Charles Camosy, gathers young, pre-tenured, published Catholic theologians in higher education who are seeking to build dynamic relationships between theologians, other scholars, the Magisterium, and the faithful. Project members work together to tackle the challenging questions of the day by modeling conversations and sponsoring projects in a spirit of unity, charity, and communion in service to the Church and the world.
“It is especially pertinent in the current political, cultural and ecclesiastical climate to move beyond ‘left’ and ‘right’ labels and say, ‘We are Catholics. We have a lot of things in common. We differ about some things. Can we have a conversation?’” said Fr. Massa. “This is one of the few places where serious conversation across the ideological divide is happening. It’s respectful and very fruitful.” Added Camosy, “Our culture is now more polarized than any time since the Civil War. And the Church — having largely accepted both the categories and rhetoric of secular politics — is similarly polarized. But the CCP shows that we can get beyond the simplistic and harmful left/right binary thinking.” Now in its third year, the CCP convened last month at the Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center on BC’s Dover campus for a conference hosted by Fr. Massa and the School of Theology and Ministry. Camosy and STM Assistant Professor Hosffman Ospino served as co-conveners. In addition to Boston College and Fordham, theologians in attendance represented higher education institutions such as Regis University (Denver), Marymount University, Catholic Theological Union, St.
Michael’s College and Providence College, among others. This year’s theme was “The Church in the Public Square” and conversations touched upon the Health and Human Services mandate that contraception be covered in health plans. Both Vatican II’s Declaration on Religious Freedom (Dignitatis Humanae) and the US
“This is one of the few places where serious conversation across the ideological divide is happening. It’s respectful and very fruitful.” —Mark Massa, SJ
Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2012 statement on religious liberty were required reading. “The overall spirit at the CCP meetings is very positive. We do not shy away from asking hard questions, challenging each other, and realizing our differences,” said Ospino. The CCP has made a conscious move to invite a member of the Church hierarchy to its gatherings, according to Camosy, who said
“the left/right polarization in the Church has put pressure on relationships between bishops and theologians.” Last month’s conference featured Boston Archbishop Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM, Cap., and Bishop Daniel Flores of Brownsville, Tex., who is a member of the USCCB’s Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty. Last year, Bishop Michael Mulvey of Corpus Christi, Tex., participated in the CCP meeting. “Theologians benefit from being connected to the institutional Church, and bishops benefit by learning from diverse perspectives of people who not only know the tradition so well, but are ‘in the trenches’ seeing how that tradition can relate to our students and with secular discourses,” Camosy said. Ospino said, “Often bishops and theologians consult with each other to address a crisis or to respond to immediate questions. This is important. But it is also important to gather together on a regular basis without a tightly defined agenda, enter in conversation about matters that are important to both groups. “It is humbling and reaffirming to learn how much we share in common and how much we want
to help the Church do the best as part of her evangelizing mission. That alone is worth having meetings like the CCP.” The conference organizers also set aside time for the young theologians to hear from senior scholars and experts such as Boston College Center for Human Rights and International Justice Director David Hollenbach, SJ, and Fr. J. Bryan Hehir, a professor of religion and public life at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. “After each meeting we leave with new questions and a new commitment to do a better job as Catholic theologians,” said Ospino. Camosy said the CCP seeks to form relationships between bishops and theologians on a more local level, facilitating relationships between local departments of theology and seminaries, and publishing a book together. “It’s exciting and it’s important,” said Fr. Massa. “Making peace in the Church and building bridges within the community is something I think BC should be involved in.” Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle september 6, 2012
NEWSMAKERS Drucker Professor and Center for Retirement Research Director Alicia Munnell spoke with Forbes magazine on a new CRR report that suggests even more serious problems ahead for future retirees. Munnell also wrote a piece for MarketWatch on how the shift from defined benefit plans to 401(k)s makes baby boomers the first generation to decide how much of their savings to spend each year in retirement.
A Sept. 25 concert featuring Boston-area musician Joey Abarta will kick off this fall’s Gaelic Roots series.
Gaelic Roots Fall Slate Appearances by Chieftains cofounder Michael Tubridy and keyboardist-composer Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin — who helped establish Boston College as an important venue for Irish and other Gaelic music — highlight the fall 2012 schedule for the Gaelic Roots Music, Song, Dance, Workshop and Lecture Series at Boston College. The series, directed by Sullivan Artist-in-Residence and master fiddler Séamus Connolly and sponsored by the Boston College Center for Irish Programs, brings to campus acclaimed musicians and experts in Irish, Scottish and other related Gaelic music traditions. The fall Gaelic Roots events are free and open to the public. Gaelic Roots will open on Sept. 25 with a concert by Joey Abarta, a talented young performer on the uilleann pipes who has been based in Boston the past couple of years. Abarta, whose debut solo album is due out this fall, tours with Mick Moloney and the group The Green Fields of America, teaches at the local music school of the Irish cultural association Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann and organizes various traditional music concerts and events. Accompanying Abarta will be another local musician, guitarist-percussionist Paddy League. The concert will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at 2101 Commonwealth Avenue on the Brighton Campus. On Oct. 23, Connolly and Tubridy will be the featured musicians at a participatory Irish dance and ceili evening co-organized by Kieran Jordan ’96, who teaches Irish dance at BC. Tubridy was a founding member of The Chieftains, one of the most celebrated Irish bands of the past five decades, and his prowess on flute, whistle and concertina was a hallmark of the group, which he left in 1979 to resume his career as an engineer. He continues to be active in traditional music circles
as a teacher and performer. The event will take place in the Gasson Hall Irish Room from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The trio of Kathleen Conneely (whistle), Dan Gurney (accordion) and Eamon O’Leary (guitar, vocals) will perform Nov. 1 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Gasson Irish Room. Conneely is a widely respected musician and teacher who has often appeared at BC. Gurney, who lived in Boston while attending Harvard University, released a well-received solo album last year. Dublin native O’Leary has been part of the thriving New York City Irish music scene for the past two decades. The Gasson Irish Room also will be the setting on Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. for “Between Worlds,” a concert by Ó Súilleabháin, who will perform with Connolly and a string quartet. While a visiting professor at BC in 1990, Ó Súilleabháin organized the “My Love Is in America” fiddle festival that laid the groundwork for Irish music activities at BC. His recorded interviews of musicians at the festival, along with other recordings of the event, inaugurated what is now the University’s Irish Music Archives. The Gaelic Roots fall schedule concludes on Dec. 5 with “A Christmas Gathering: Irish Music, Songs and Stories,” with singer and multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Donohue — his resume includes performances with Eileen Ivers, Cherish the Ladies and The Chieftains — and Marian Makins, who was trained in classical and popular vocal styles but in recent years has emerged as a gifted traditional-style singer in Irish and English. Also appearing will be Connolly and students from BC’s Irish music classes. The event takes place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Walsh Hall Function Room. See the Gaelic Roots website at www.bc.edu/gaelicroots. —Sean Smith
Success is a simple matter of hard work and avoiding a few pitfalls, according to American Studies Director Prof. Carlo Rotella (English), who offered advice to new collegians in his column for the Boston Globe. In an interview with US Catholic, Lonergan Institute Associate Director Kerry Cronin, a fellow at the University’s Center for Student Formation, said the love lives of college students leave a lot to be desired, and suggested old-school dating as a remedy. Getting back onto a path of worktime reductions, which the US abandoned in the 1970s, may be essential to curing not just our unemployment woes, but our ecological ones too, Prof. Juliet Schor (Sociology) wrote in WBUR-FM’s online “Cognosecenti” column.
At what point do we realize that we do have it all? At what point do we grasp that making trade-offs or not reaching the pinnacle in everything isn’t a tragedy, it’s simply reality? Center for Work & Family Executive Director Brad Harrington shared his thoughts in a piece for Huffington Post. New research points to a disturbing fact: While some Americans are well represented in the multibillion-dollar influence game, others have no place at the table at all, according to Moakley Professor
BC BRIEFING of Political Science Kay Lehman Schlozman, co-author of a piece in the “Ideas” section of the Boston Sunday Globe. Writing in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life Director Prof. Alan Wolfe (Political Science) discussed the renewed interest in author Ayn Rand, thanks to GOP vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan.
PUBLICATIONS Catholic Theological Ethics, Past, Present, and Future: The Trento Conference, Founders Professor of Theology James Keenan, SJ, has
NOTA BENE Lynch School of Education Professor Joseph M. O’Keefe, SJ, one of the nation’s foremost experts in Catholic education, has been appointed to the National Assessment Governing Board, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced recently. Fr. O’Keefe, who most recently served as dean of the Lynch School of Education, was appointed to a four-year term as a representative of non-public schools. Board members help set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as The Nation’s Report Card. Since 1969, NAEP has helped educators, policymakers and researchers evaluate American education. In addition to Fr. O’Keefe, other new representatives on the board include Rebecca Gagnon, director of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education; Andrew Ho, assistant professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education; and Terry Mazan, president and CEO of the Chicago Community Trust. David P. Driscoll ’64, PhD ’81, the former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education, chairs the board. More information about the Governing Board can be found at http://www.nagb.org. More information about The Nation’s Report Card can be found at http://nces.ed.gov/ nationsreportcard/. —Ed Hayward
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been published now in an Indian edition. Prof. Maxim D. Shrayer (Slavic and Eastern Languages) published “The Jews of Russian Literature” in Canadian Slavonic Papers, and contributed English translations of 11 poems from the Russian of David Shrayer-Petrov to Four Centuries: Russian Poetry in Translation 2.
HONORS Adj. Assoc. Prof. Michael C. Keith (Communication) was nominated for the 2012 Million Writers Award for his short story “The Smell of Summer Asphalt.” McIntyre Professor of Economics Joseph Quinn, Sloan Center on Aging and Work research economist Kevin Cahill and Michael Giandrea PhD ’02 received the Lawrence R. Klein Award for their article, “Reentering the Labor Force After Retirement,” which appeared in Monthly Labor Review.
TIME AND A HALF Founders Professor of Theology James Keenan, SJ, presented “Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Today” at the “National Workshop: Moral Theology in India” and taught a graduate course at Dharmaram Vidya Khestram in Bangalore. Assoc. Prof. Margaret Schatkin (Theology) presented “The Christology of St. John Chrysostom in the Analysis of Theodor Foerster” at Primer Congreso Internacional de Estudios Patristicos: La Identidad de Jesus. Unidad y Diversidad en la Epoca de la Patristica, sponsored by the Universidad Catolica de Cuyo, Instituto de Estudios Patristicos in Argentina.
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/: Marketing Database Analyst, Center for Corporate Citizenship Reference and Instruction Librarian, O’Neill Library Nursing Clinical Placement Specialist, Connell School Of Nursing Web & Social Media Manager, Center for Corporate Citizenship Program/Communication Specialist, STM Continuing Education Program Assistant, Nursing Continuing Education, Connell School of Nursing Job Coach, Campus School, Lynch School of Education
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle september 6, 2012
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LOOKING AHEAD
“Paul Klee: Philosophical Vision; From Nature to Art”
McMullen Exhibition Explores Intersection of Art and Philosophy By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer
The McMullen Museum of Art’s current exhibition examines the work of Swiss-born artist Paul Klee (1879–1940), whose art influenced prominent 20thcentury European philosophers like Martin Heidegger and Michel Foucault. “Paul Klee: Philosophical Vision; From Nature to Art,” which opened Sept. 1 and runs through Dec. 9, is the first exhibition to focus on the relationship between philosophy and Klee’s prolific artistic oeuvre, and to reveal the broad impact the artist has had on recent philosophical thought. The exclusive show and accompanying catalogue demonstrate how Klee’s groundbreaking theories — of nature, words, and music as developed in his writings and lectures — are translated into form, line, and color in his works of art, and reveals Klee as an astute critic of modern society, especially with regard to the impact of technology and the political failures that led to the rise of Nazism in Germany. “The McMullen is pleased to present this first exhibition examining Paul Klee as both a seminal artist and philosophical thinker of the 20th century,” said McMullen Museum Director and Professor of Art History Nancy Netzer. “The exhibition reflects the new scholarship of 15 leading philosophers and art historians,
published in the accompanying catalogue, to demonstrate how Klee’s theories on nature, words, and music are manifest visually in his paintings, drawings, and prints.” “Paul Klee: Philosophical Vision” comprises more than 65 watercolors, drawings, etchings, illustrations, and oil paintings. In addition to the catalogue, an audio tour and screening of films on Klee’s life and works, as well as an international conference in October, will supplement the exhibition. The exhibition displays a large number of outstanding works lent by the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland, in addition to those from several other lenders. The Klee exhibition is organized by the McMullen Museum and curated by John Sallis, who is the Frederick J. Adelmann, SJ, Professor of Philosophy, in consultation with BC Fine Arts Department Professors Claude
Images from the recently opened McMullen Museum exhibition “Paul Klee: Philosophical Vision; From Nature to Art,” which runs through Dec. 9
Cernuschi and Jeffery Howe. “This exhibition is the first to explore the relation between Klee’s artistic works and his theoretical reflections on art as expressed in his essays, lectures, and diaries,” said Sallis. “Its aim is to understand how Klee’s thought is exemplified in his art and how, on the other hand, his art serves to extend and articulate his thought.” The display of Klee’s notes, sketchbooks, and diagrams for the classes he taught at Bauhaus — the renowned German school of art, design and architecture — provide insight into his philosophical thinking. A selection of sketches from 1933, laden with violent imagery, reveals Klee’s views of modern society, especially of the political failures that led to the rise of the Nazis in Germany. The
Nazis branded Klee’s art as “degenerate,” and he was denounced in newspapers and fired from his teaching position at the Düsseldorf Academy. Several works in the exhibition show how strongly the worsening climate in Germany affected Klee, although he was never politically active. In 1933 he left the country to spend his last years in his hometown of Bern, Switzerland. The exhibition concludes with a selection of works that brings the relationship between artist and philosopher full circle, including a 1940 sketch of a philosopher that whimsically recalls Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker. Heidegger and Foucault, as well as other philosophers of note, including Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Walter Benjamin, engaged with Klee’s works. They read his writings, viewed,
BC SCENES
and sometimes purchased, his art. In turn, Klee’s influences are evident in their writings. Sallis noted: “Because the artist delves beneath the surface, because he seeks to make visible the hidden origination of things from their primal ground,” he is himself a philosopher. Klee concurred with that concept, as he noted that as an artist, “he is perhaps, without really wanting to be, a philosopher.” The exhibition has been underwritten by Boston College, the Patrons of the McMullen Museum, and the Newton College Class of 1967, with additional support from swissnex and Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. An international conference to be held at BC Oct. 17–19 will focus on the philosophical dimension of Klee’s work as presented in his writings and artistic creations. Sponsored by the University’s Institute for the Liberal Arts, College of Arts and Sciences and Philosophy Department, speakers include art historians and philosophers, including leading authorities on Klee’s work. In addition, a concert featuring works inspired by Klee, composed by cellist and composer Peter Schuback of Stockholm, will take place Oct. 18 from 5 to 7 p.m. in Gasson 100. For information on museum days and hours of operation, tours, and other details, see www. bc.edu/artmuseum. Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu
NEW FACES ON NEWTON Photos by Frank Curran
The Class of 2016 came to Newton Campus last week, as freshmen moved into their residence halls, with assistance from family members and (above, center) the BC Welcome Wagon student volunteers. At left, Xavier Orellana ’15 and Julia Jeoung fill up a cart. Right, Kevin and Beth Clancy help daughter Caroline sort through her belongings.