Boston College Chronicle

The Boston College

Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of University Communications SUMMER 2017 EDITION

INSIDE interrupted, 2 •Celebration but Wahhab relishes his 25 years at BC

•Digital storytelling

A Summer of Moving Earth

BC relies on ‘effort, skill and organization’ for major construction work

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

commu3 •Allston-Brighton nity grants awarded •Fr. Devino steps down •Faculty win Catholic Press Assoc. honors gift expands 4 •Family international opportunities

Boston College is in the midst of an extraordinarily busy summer on the construction front, with several major projects in progress.

Work is underway on the Connell Recreation Center and new athletic field house – both on the Chestnut Hill Campus – and the baseball, softball and recreational fields on Brighton Campus.

In addition, renovations have begun at Devlin Hall that will result in a larger, improved visitor center for the Office of Undergraduate Admission.

As always, there also are dozens of smaller-scale projects as well as the repair-and-rebuild jobs,

Foundation work is beginning for the Connell Recreation Center, which is being built on the former site of Edmond’s Hall. (Photo by Gary Wayne Gilbert)

planned and routine maintenance and other tasks that fill the Facilities Management to-do list every summer.

“The recreation center, field house and baseball-softball projects affect some 20 acres of land

‘Dedication and Steadfast Advocacy’ SEP employees 5 •Long-time bid farewell to BC •Chemistry’s Roberts reflects on BC career •Bush, Burns speak at Finance Conference

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•Bailey wins Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award •Mexican university representatives visit campus

7 •Sub Turri recognized •Obituary: Eugene Bronstein, CSOM •BC in the Media; Quote/ Unquote; BC Briefings; Jobs Diversty & 8 •Second Inclusion Summit held

Community Service Award winner Mary Ellen Fulton a true believer in quality education for all ages

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

Lynch School of Education Associate Dean for Finance, Research and Administration Mary Ellen Fulton’s bond with Boston College extends far and wide, including two tours of duty as an employee. Now she has another, as this year’s winner of the University’s Community Service Award.

The award, presented by the Office of Governmental and Community Affairs, recognizes a BC employee whose actions exemplify the Jesuit spirit of community service and involvement. Fulton received her honor from University President William P. Leahy, SJ, at a May 30 reception.

Fulton’s record of service is marked by “dedication and steadfast advocacy” for quality education from the elementary to college level, according to the award citation, citing her work with two Boston-area

altogether, and involve some of the largest quantities of earthwork here on campus,” said Associate Vice President for Capital Projects Management Mary Nardone.

“It takes a phenomenal amount of effort, skill and organization,

but we have confidence in both our Facilities staff and the outside firms involved in the work.

“We also have confidence in the practices and procedures we follow during planning and in undertaking construction projects,” she added. “The results, we believe, are beneficial to the University community.”

Nardone and her Facilities Management colleagues recently discussed the progress of the major campus projects: •The Brighton Athletic Fields – expected to be completed this coming March – will consist of three athletics fields, situated between St. Clement’s Hall and Lake Street, and a support building.

Project Manager Michael Leone said the current phase of the project involves installation of piping and other infrastructure to Continued on page 8

“Summer awards are instrumental in helping students – regardless of background or means – take full advantage of study, research, and internship opportunities abroad.”

–Office of International Programs Director Nick Gozik

World of Opportunities Travel on the summer agenda for undergraduate and graduate recipients of study-abroad grants

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

Mary Ellen Fulton

Lee Pellegrini

Catholic schools, Saint Joseph’s Preparatory Academy and Saint Columbkille Partnership School, and the Natick Education Foundation, a nonprofit in her home community.

“When I look at the people who have won the Community Service Award, I’m truly humbled by the honor,” said Fulton in a recent interview. “I feel blessed to be here: Continued on page 6

QUOTE:

Travel to France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, and South Africa is on the summer academic agenda for some 30 Boston College undergraduate recipients of McGillycuddy-Logue grants, which provide the opportunity for study abroad through faculty-led programs, or for professional experience via international internships.

This year’s awardees, who represent the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, Lynch School of Education, and Carroll School of Management, are studying local language, art, history, and food writing, among other topics, while immersed in rich cultures of their respective host countries.

Awarded through the OIP’s McGillycuddy-Logue Center for Undergraduate Global Studies, the summer travel grants provide enriching experiences for academically excellent BC undergraduate students, for whom such opportunities would otherwise remain out of reach.

“Summer awards are instrumental in helping students – regardless of background or means – take full advantage of study, research, and internship opportunities abroad,” said OIP Director Nick Gozik.

“Such awards would not have been possible without the generosity of donors, who recognize the value of preparing BC students for an increasingly competitive and globallyoriented workforce.”

Continued on page 4

“Once you scratch the surface, you find really interesting people in our students.

And they deeply appreciate the effort. Students remember the personal relationships developed with faculty long after the material we taught them has faded from memory.”

–Associate Professor of the Practice of Political Science Kathleen Bailey, page 6

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle SUMMER 2017

2

A ROUND

C AMPUS

‘ANTICIPATE THE UNEXPECTED’

Lee Pellegrini

Thomas Wahhab thought he knew what his evening plans were for May 4.

A senior technology consultant for Information Technology Services, Wahhab looked forward to attending the President’s Annual Recognition Dinner, where he and 36 other employees would formally celebrate their 25th anniversary years at Boston College.

Then, late in the day, Wahhab received a call from a faculty member asking for assistance in installing a sorely needed application for data analysis. It didn’t seem like it would be a big deal.

But it was. And by the time he had helped solve the problem, the 25th anniversary reception was over.

Much as he might have liked to attend the event, however, Wahhab is not about to grouse: As far as he’s concerned, he was simply

Thomas Wahhab

providing the kind of support and reassurance that characterizes the job he and his IT colleagues do, day in and day out.

“When you’re a professional in information technology, you have to anticipate the unexpected,” he

says. “Our task is to ensure our customers have the resources so they can get their work done.”

Moreover, Wahhab is able to look back with satisfaction on a quarter-century association with BC that has helped enable him, and his sons, to thrive since they arrived in Boston in 1990 as refugees from the Liberian civil war.

Starting out as a housekeeper at BC, Wahhab found himself becoming interested in computers, and enrolled in the Woods College of Advancing Studies, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in information systems.

“There was a lot of self-education and learning on the job,” recalls Wahhab, who went on to earn a master’s degree from Woods College in leadership and administration and is now studying in Woods’ cybersecurity master’s program. “Back in Liberia, computers

were not so common, so having a computer lab here to work in was a big help.”

Wahhab then found a job in the University’s Data Center, and worked in several IT positions before becoming a technology consultant for the Connell School of Nursing in 2007.

“There are many things I’ve enjoyed about being a TC in the Connell School,” he says. “You deal with people on a daily or weekly basis, and you get to know and build relationships with your customers. I’ve found it very rewarding.”

Wahhab is quick to praise his fellow IT staffers and the division’s administration (“Everyone is helpful and approachable. They make coming to work a pleasure.”), who must confront challenges that have only grown with the proliferation of technology in academia in the

years since he joined BC. “Computers have become a major part of the University community. But increasingly, the community faces threats, like phishing scams or viruses, that imperil not only professional but even personal lives. So in IT, we have to be on the front lines to help everyone be vigilant and prepared – and to handle problems when they occur.

“It’s a partnership: We IT professionals need customers as much as they need us.”

Wahhab is grateful not only for what BC has meant to him, but to his sons, Jeffrey and Greg, both of them alumni (Greg also worked at the Law School for a while after graduation).

“My kids and I all have enjoyed a quality education here, and that has made a big difference in our lives. BC has been a savior to me, and I can’t say that enough.” ­–Sean Smith

WHAT’S THE STORY? Digital storytelling seemingly overflows in today’s technological society. The capacity to deploy video, photos, text – even emojis – is only as far away as the nearest smartphone. The challenge for teachers is to harness the power of these tools to enhance classroom teaching, as well as shape the ability of their students to tell cogent, meaningful stories that connect learning to life.

At Brighton’s St. Columbkille Partnership School, a three-week digital storytelling project led by Lynch School of Education Associate Professors Deoksoon Kim and David Scanlon concluded with a recent capstone event for sixth and seventh graders, who used their pictures, graphics, and videos to tell stories that touched on their class subjects, the community, and their own lives.

The students shared their personal stories with their classmates, making connections between their classwork this spring and their own experiences. Topics included urban gardening, cooking family recipes, personality traits, and potential careers.

Deoksoon Kim speaks to St. Columbkille Partnership School students about a digital storytelling project she coordinated with Lynch School colleagues.

The 63 students worked with seven teachers, two Lynch School graduate students and three Boston College undergraduate students during the course of the project, said Kim, who conducted the project as part of her research into technology and teaching.

In addition to assisting teachers with lessons and projects, Kim said her team conducted surveys, interviews and video analysis of students and teachers. All of the data will be reviewed to determine ways to strengthen digital storytelling cur-

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS Jack Dunn DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS Patricia Delaney EDITOR Sean Smith

CONTRIBUTING STAFF Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Siobhan Sullivan PHOTOGRAPHERS Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini

ricula, she said.

“Teachers really love these tools,” said Kim. “Students are digital natives, so they are often more familiar with technology than their teachers. The students were very engaged and able to express themselves in detailed ways, showing their knowledge and sharing it with their classmates. Digital technology also allows students to share this experience with family and friends.

It is an opportunity for them to see what they have done well and what they can do better the next time.”

The Boston College

Chronicle www.bc.edu/bcnews chronicle@bc.edu

The program asked students to make connections between their coursework, their own experiences and the community surrounding the Brighton K-8 school, which partners with BC on a range of initiatives.

“I thought it was a great handson project,” said Brittany Colford, a School of Theology and Ministry alumna who teaches science and religion at St. Columbkille. “The students were truly invested in it.

It also helped focus on community involvement by taking field trips to a Brighton community garden and

a local produce shop.”

Seventh-grade student Teresa Moore’s presentation examined the different facets of her personality.

Moore said she enjoyed putting together the video and her poster presentation, which included a portrait of angel from spray paint and white feathers.

“I liked using the spray paint the best,” said Moore, who titled her presentation “Inside & Out.” “I think this showed me that I can do a lot if I put my mind to it.”

—Ed Hayward

A sampling of the titles at Boston College’s recent annual summer book swap, sponsored by the Volunteer and Service Learning Center and the Student Affairs division: How Lincoln Learned to Read, Daniel Wolff Pretend You Don’t See Her, Mary Higgins Clark Philosophical Arguments, Charles Taylor Best Sports Stories of 1961, edited by Irving T. Marsh and Edward Ehre The Mystery of Easter, Ramiero Cantalamessa Strangers from a Distant Shore, Ronald Takaki Frogs & French Kisses, Sarah Mylnowski Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice – Day of Reckoning, Jude Watson Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand The Innocent Man, John Grisham The Lecturer’s Tale, James Hynes Alden All Stars: Duel on the Diamond, Tommy Hallowell Lives of Moral Leadership, Robert Coles

All unclaimed books were donated to a local non-profit, More Than Words Inc.

The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (617)5523350. Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135.

A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail. Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle SUMMER 2017

Fr. Devino Steps Down as BC, Allston-Brighton Collaboration Will Fund 19 Local Projects and Programs VP/University Secretary a permeable pavement, to create a smooth walking surface, increase accessibility and allow for healthy tree growth.

•Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation: $59,000 for improvements to Chestnut Hill Reservoir, including planting of new trees and vegetation, installing chip seal on pathways and new stone dust to address erosion and repair hazardous areas.

•VFW Post 669 and Boston Parks and Recreation: $100,000 for installation of bronze relief in the Smith Park Amphitheater of Allston native Army Major General George W. Casey recognizing his heroism and service in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War. •Artists for Humanity: $30,798

picking up litter.

•The Civic Conversations Project: $1,860 to create a signature event for an initiative that encourages meaningful conversations about shared concerns and topics.

•Franciscan Children’s Hospital: $3,000 to support an adaptive sports program for children with disabilities.

•Friends of the Faneuil Library Branch of Boston Public Library: $2,100 to expand educational science programs for children aged six to 11 years old during school vacation weeks.

•Horace Mann School for the Deaf: $3,000 to aid research, organization and display of historical artifacts for the Horace Mann Sesquicentennial Archives.

•Jackson-Mann Community

Vice President and University Secretary Terry Devino, SJ, has left Boston College to take a new assignment as a retreat director at Eastern Point Retreat House in Gloucester.

Fr. Devino said he made the decision to return to work in spiritual ministry, “after months of conversation, prayer and discernment.”

“In 1987 I made the first of many retreats to that beautiful spot [Eastern Point] and there felt God’s Spirit which led me to join the Jesuits,” said Fr. Devino. “As a novice, I made the Spiritual Exercises, 30-day silent retreat at Gloucester.

In missioning me to this work, my Provincial wrote, ‘You will be engaged in the foundational ministry of the Society of Jesus, a great privilege that I know you value deeply.’ And that is at the heart of my decision, to leave a remarkable place, people and ministry at BC and engage myself in this first work of the Jesuits. I am looking forward to this new phase of my journey.”

A respected administrator, Fr. Devino worked at Boston College from 1998-2001, before returning in 2010 to serve as special assistant to the president and director of

Lee Pellegrini

Representatives of 19 local organizations gathered at Boston College on July 11 as University President William P. Leahy, SJ, and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh presented the Allston-Brighton Neighborhood Improvement Fund and Community Fund grant awards.

The awards support area programs, projects and initiatives that benefit the community: Among those selected for funding were a new playground at the JacksonMann Community School, summer teen development programs for the Oak Square YMCA, and an adaptive sports program for Bostonarea children with disabilities.

The Neighborhood Improvement Fund was created by the University – along with the Boston Redevelopment Authority – as part

3

Terry Devino, SJ

Manresa House, the University’s center for vocational discernment, where he provided spiritual guidance and counselling to students considering religious life.

In 2012 he was named vice president and university secretary, and was responsible for coordinating Commencement and special events.

Fr. Devino joined the Society of Jesus in 1994. Prior to his work at Boston College, he served as a campus minister at Fairfield University and as vice president for university ministries at the University of Scranton.

—Jack Dunn

University President William P. Leahy, SJ, right, and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh flank some recipients of Allston-Brighton Neighborhood Improvement Fund and Community Fund grant awards. Among the projects supported are a new community playground and a tribute to Allston native and war hero George W. Casey (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

of a public benefits package related to its Institutional Master Plan. The fund aids Allston-Brighton public and private non-profit entities undertaking projects that involve neighborhood beautification; public safety, transportation and roadway improvements; public art; and enhancements to public parks and open space.

The Allston/Brighton-Boston College Community Fund supports programs and services that are available to the people of Allston and Brighton. Special consideration is given to the benefit of the potential award on the youth, senior citizens, and the needy in the Allston and Brighton neighborhoods; beautification projects are also encouraged.

A look at the grant recipients: •Jackson-Mann Community School and Council: $100,000 for the construction of a state-of-the-art playground for children aged two to five years old.

•Allston Village Main Streets Inc.: $36,000 to replace 56 tree pits in Allston village with Flexi-pave,

for installation of life-size sculptural art works on Brighton High School lawn; the organization will work with Brighton High teachers and students to design works reflecting student activities such as reading, writing, scientific inquiry, sports and the arts.

•Allston Brighton Substance Abuse Task Force: $1,500 to fund 5K Annual Walk for Recovery, to raise awareness about substance abuse, treatment and recovery.

•Boston Police Department: $2,500 to purchase coloring books and other items for officers to use as teaching tools at area schools and camps, and to purchase materials for use in the annual Allston-Brighton “Halloween Walk.”

•Brighton Main Streets: $2,400 for directional signage and seating for Brighton Common events and farmers market.

•Charles River Conservancy: $2,255 for community volunteer projects including maintenance and repair of the Herter Park Public Theatre, painting park benches and

Center After School/Pre-school Program: $3,000 to incorporate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics activities into program offerings.

•Oak Square YMCA: $3,000 to support summer teen development programs.

•Presentation School Foundation Community Center: $2,000 to aid a partnership with Boston College Music Department faculty member Barbara Gawlick that will provide subsidized music instruction to children of various ages.

•Tenacity Inc.: $2,500 to support a Summer, Tennis and Reading Program for youths in 23 public parks.

•West End House Camp Inc.: $3,000 to provide scholarships for 10 Allston-Brighton boys to participate in a summer camp program.

•West End House Girls Camp: $3,000 to provide scholarships for 10 Allston-Brighton girls to participate in a summer camp program.

–University Communications

Kristin Heyer, left, and Cathleen Kaveny (Photos by Lee Pellegrini)

CPA Honors for Heyer, Kaveny Two Boston College professors have been honored for their books by the Catholic Press Association of the US and Canada.

Public Theology and the Global Common Good: The Contribution of David Hollenbach, co-edited by Professor of Theology Kristin E. Heyer, earned a first-place Catholic Press Association Book Award in the category of Faithful Citizenship/Religious Freedom.

Public Theology and the Global Common Good is a tribute to moral theologian David Hollenbach, SJ, who taught at Boston College for more than 20 years and served as the inaugural director of the University’s Center for Human Rights and International Justice. Fr. Hollenbach’s former doctoral students contributed essays reflecting his hallmark challenge to exemplify the practice of social ethics under the sign of the cross.

A Culture of Engagement: Law, Religion, and Morality, by Darald and Juliet Libby Professor of Theology and Law Cathleen Kaveny, garnered a second-place Catholic Press Association Book Award in the Faithful Citizenship/Religious Freedom category.

A Culture of Engagement is a provocative collection of Kaveny’s articles from Commonweal magazine, substantially revised and updated, that demonstrates how thoughtful and purposeful engagement can contribute to rich, constructive, and difficult discussions between moral and cultural traditions.

According to Kaveny, a culture of engagement – that accommodates and respects tradition – is needed for society to remain relevant and to offer critiques of social, political, legal, and economic practices.

–Kathleen Sullivan

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle SUMMER 2017

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INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT

New travel and research fellowship program exemplifies BC approach to study-abroad experiences

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

A group of Boston College seniors that visited Kuwait earlier this year had a short but eventful itinerary: meetings with high-level diplomats; tours of major cultural, economic and educational sites; a treasure hunt in Kuwait City’s iconic marketplace; gatherings with Kuwaiti peers – and even the country’s first officially sanctioned hip-hop concert, a milestone for a nation seeking to balance modernity and tradition.

The Kuwait trip – the centerpiece of a one-credit course, Intercultural Dialogue and Diplomacy – was sponsored through the Omar During their visit to Kuwait, these BC students met with diplomats, toured major A. Aggad Travel and Research Fel- sites, and even attended the country’s first officially sanctioned hip-hop concert. lowship program, recently estabIlaria’s comment reflects the ership Institute is a partner of the lished through a gift by a BC family aims of the Aggad program, ac- program). for the purpose of inspiring BC un- cording to a member of the family “Much like themselves, the dergraduate and graduate students whose gift helped create it. young people our students met repto expand their understandings of “Travel is an integral part of resented a range of views, beliefs and the Arab world, and the relation- education,” said Tarek Aggad, fa- interests, so this was a very enlightships between Arab and Western ther of a current BC undergraduate. ening experience,” noted Bailey, societies.

“There are significant misconcep- winner of this year’s Phi Beta Kappa Recently, Aggad Fellowships tions in the US about Arabs and Teaching Award [see page 6]. were awarded to three undergradu- Muslims, so encouraging students The students also got to take ates and one doctoral student that to travel to countries in the region will support studies in Qatar, Leba- will hopefully change this, one small non, Morocco and United Arab step at a time – especially at a time Emirates [see separate story on this when there are increasing voices of Continued from page 1 During the upcoming fall sepage]. division in the US.” Associate Professor of the PracIf students benefit from visit- mester, the grant program will tice of Political Science Kathleen ing other countries, Aggad added, fund study-abroad opportunities Bailey, who organized the Kuwait then so do their hosts. “Nothing is for some 20 juniors, from a range visit and accompanied the 10 stu- more valuable than highlighting the of the University’s undergraduate dents along with a graduate assis- commonalities between the people schools, at universities in South tant, said the experience was aimed of this world, and their hopes and Korea, South Africa, the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, at helping the seniors broaden their aspirations.” perspectives on citizenship, religion During their weeklong stay in New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, Spain, in public life, pluralism, national Kuwait, the BC contingent met Norway, Ecuador, Australia, Jasecurity and other issues. with the deputy prime minister, pan, and France.

The McGillycuddy-Logue Cen“A major objective of the Aggad minister of interior and under-minprogram is to encourage face-to-face ister of information (who earned ter, established in 2008 through a diplomacy among young people, so her doctorate at BC), the American, generous gift from alumni Kathleen McGillycuddy and Ron they can better understand Logue, fosters innovative internathe differences and similaritional learning for BC undergraduties among us all,” said Bailey, ates. McGillycuddy – former chair who has led a BC summer and current member of the Boston program in Kuwait for a deCollege Board of Trustees – is a cade. “That’s an idea which 1971 graduate of Newton College resonates in so much of what of the Sacred Heart, which was we do here at BC: to bring acquired by BC in 1975. Logue our students closer to the received bachelor of science and world at large.” master of business administration “College, to me, has been degrees from BC. a time to push my comfort The McGillycuddy-Logue zone as well as a way to learn at every chance I get,” said The visit to Kuwait “is something I know awardees are among many other undergraduate and graduate stuJessica Ilaria ’17, a student of Bailey as a sophomore who that I will carry with me beyond my time dent scholarship recipients, whose at Boston College,” said one student. prestigious awards support studyhad been disappointed at not abroad plans during the summer as being able to attend the summer program. “Knowing Professor Bhutanese and Saudi ambassadors well as in the upcoming academic Bailey well at this point, I knew that to Kuwait, and two Kuwaiti execu- year. Their awards include Boren it would be an invaluable experience tives. They also visited with students Scholarships, Gilman Internationthat would help shape and perhaps from the American University of al Scholarships, US State Departsolidify more of my interests mov- Kuwait, and members of the Pro- ment Critical Language Scholaring forward. This is something I tégés program, an initiative to help ships and other OPI-administered know that I will carry with me be- Kuwaitis aged 16-24 become com- fellowships.

An overview of the most recent yond my time at Boston College.” munity leaders (BC’s Global Lead-

part in a traditional staple of Kuwaiti life, the diwaniya: a gathering for dinner and conversation about politics, society and current events.

“The diwaniya spark ideas that are then shared in the political and government sector,” explained Bailey. “So these get-togethers are seen as very important in Kuwait, because they are the means through which its civil society was built.”

Another part of the itinerary included an equally insightful, if unconventional activity: a treasure hunt in the souk, or marketplace.

Students were given a series of clues to help them find items – such as a food-related product – and then bargain with the sellers on the price.

“They had to really fend for themselves: If they got stuck on something, they had to find someone who spoke English and could help them,” said Bailey. “As it turned out, half the people they met came back with them to the meeting place at the end.

“That’s intercultural diplomacy at work.”

The group also was a witness to cultural history, attending a hip-hop

concert that had been approved by the government, noted Bailey.

“It was the first time hip-hop had been performed in a public place, and the first time males and females were allowed to dance together on stage. So this was significant for Kuwait, which is quite conservative socially, and meant a lot to its young people.”

For students like Ilaria and Isra Hussain ’17, who expressed appreciation for the kindness and generosity they received in Kuwait, the visit pointed the way to possible career paths.

“I learned a lot about foreign service and diplomacy during this trip, and realized that it’s something I might be interested in later on in life,” said Hussain, who found herself drawn to the US Embassy’s public affairs department and its direct work with Kuwaiti citizens.

“Community engagement is such an important way to cross bridges and learn about other cultures. I’ve always been interested in international affairs and I would highly consider diplomacy in the future.”

Grants Support Summer Travel and Study awards: •Three undergraduates won Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships, which enable students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad and gain skills critical to American national security and economic competitiveness: Layla Aboukhater ’18 (France), Tenzin Pelzom ’20 (Ecuador), Francesca von Krauland ’20 (Italy).

•Stephen Ferguson ’15, who is pursuing a master’s degree in philosophy at BC, was named a Lilly Graduate Fellow by the Lilly Foundation. The fellows program allows outstanding graduate students to explore the connections among Christianity, higher education, and the vocation of the teacher-scholar as they pursue degrees in humanities and the arts.

•Omar Aggad Travel and Research Fellowships, created to expand the understanding of the Arab world, and the relationships between Arab societies and the West, were awarded to the following students: Echo Yiyang Zhuge ’20, to study “Qatar through Art, internship at the Museum of Islamic Art” in Doha, Qatar; Sarya Baladi ’19, to study “Colloquial Arabic Language Acquisition to Study the Palestinian and Syrian Refugee Crisis in Lebanon” in Beirut, Lebanon; Selene Campion PhD ’20, for colloquial Arabic language study at the Moroccan Center for Arabic Studies in Rabat, Morocco; and Austin Bodetti

’18, for “Studying the Role of the Emirates in the War in Afghanistan” in United Arab Emirates.

[For more about the Aggad Travel and Research Fellowships program, see separate story on this page.]

•Mizna Fellowships, which fund research, language study, internships and service learning initiatives throughout the Islamic world, were awarded to two rising sophomores: Echo Yiyang Zhuge, for “Bridging Two Worlds: Understanding Modern Islam and Moroccan Society through a Chinese Lens” in Rabat, Morocco; and Trevor R. Jones, for “Religious Minorities Seeking Refuge in the Hashemite Kingdom: Investigating the Political, Economic and Social Role of Religious Minority Refugees in the Sunni-Majority Jordan” in Amman, Jordan.

•Lidya Mesgna ’17 won a Humanity in Action Fellowship that enables her to build on her interest in issues of inclusivity and tolerance. An international studies major with a political science concentration and economics minor, she will study minority rights in a German historical context and conduct research on how and why individual and societies have resisted intolerance and protected democratic values.

For more news about prestigious fellowships and other grants awarded recently to Boston College students and alumni, see http://bit.ly/fellowships-2017.

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle SUMMER 2017

Two longtime members of BC’s Supported Employment Program departed this summer, cheered by good memories and friends

Among the other various ceremonies, rites and events that take place in late spring at Boston College, the end of the academic year is a time when the University fetes its retiring employees.

The milestone was all the more special this year for two of those employees, Kevin Browne and Jimmy LaCroix, and the campus program that hired them.

Browne and LaCroix, who worked at BC for 30 years, were among the first to join the University through the Supported Employment Program (SEP), which provides jobs for adults with developmental disabilities. SEP threw retirement parties for Browne and LaCroix, who were congratulated by co-workers and friends from across the University, especially Dining Services – which hosted the parties – and Facilities, where both of them worked over the course of their careers at BC. Each SEP employee works one-to-one with a job coach who handles training and assessment and provides ongoing support as needed. In addition to Dining Services and Facilities, SEP participants are currently employed in University Libraries, the Flynn Recreation Complex, BC Bookstore, Human Resources, the BC School of Social Work, Connell School of Nursing, Woods College of Advancing Studies, and the Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Assessment.

SEP, marking its own 30th anniversary in 2017, has been honored by the Arc of Massachusetts, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life and services for Massachusetts citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

A few weeks after their retirements began, Browne and LaCroix reminisced about their time at BC, recounting some of the many tasks

Kevin Browne (above) and Jimmy LaCroix at their retirement parties.

and responsibilities they undertook: cleaning dishes, emptying trash, doing laundry, cleaning tables, weeding.

But working at BC was more than just work, they added. LaCroix liked the feeling of “working together as a team – everybody treated me well and helped me out.

Hugo, Rudolpho [members of the Corcoran Commons kitchen staff] and others – I liked listening to them and doing things together: teamwork.”

Browne said he always enjoyed “seeing all my friends” on campus, especially fellow SEP employee Kevin Slattery, his frequent lunch partner. He also spoke fondly of another Dining Services co-worker and friend, Cely Garcia: “Cely is my friend. I’m lucky. She makes me happy, helped me get better.”

SEP offers its employees the opportunity to build vocational and social skills, enjoy friendships that can extend beyond BC, and derive a sense of personal fulfillment from participating in the workforce. But the University also benefits, says SEP Program Coordinator Julianne Ferro.

“SEP employees bring a unique set of contributions to the workplace, and with that comes disability awareness and understanding. Ben-

eficial relationships form between participants and their supervisors and co-workers, creating experiences for mutual learning and an appreciation of differences. These individuals bring a variety of essential skill sets and colorful personalities that positively contribute to campus diversity.

“With the right supports, participants are able to strive to meet their fullest potential while SEP and their BC partnering departments continue to promote an environment of inclusion and social justice.”

To learn more about the Supported Employment Program, see http:// bit.ly/bc-sep.

–Sean Smith

Scientist, Teacher, Mentor

After 30 years, Roberts says farewell to Boston College While her research focused on tiny cells, molecules and microorganisms, Professor of Chemistry Mary Roberts, who retired this year after 30 years at BC, never lost sight of the big picture.

An accomplished researcher and teacher, Roberts was part of the growth of the natural sciences at BC, and worked to increase the ranks of undergraduate women studying in the scientific disciplines and pursuing graduate studies or careers in the sciences and medicine.

“The biggest changes since I got here: Faculty research in science was not a strong priority in 1987,” said Roberts. “Since the early ’90s, chemistry has grown in faculty and stature – a wonderful development. As a bonus, good researchers are usually more excited about science and that certainly leaks into the classroom.

Roberts, who earned her PhD in chemistry from Stanford University in 1974, has focused her research on two primary areas: defining how membrane components control certain enzyme activities and how this affects cell signaling; and understanding how cells and microorganisms respond to stress by adjusting their small molecule pools.

Roberts was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2007 and in 2008 received BC’s Distinguished Senior Research Award. The National Science Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation have also recognized her work.

Teaching, advising, and mentoring students were among the best parts of the job, Roberts said.

“I have loved interacting with the students – undergraduates and graduate students,” Roberts said. “Students keep you young.”

Gary Wayne Gilbert

More Than a Job

5

Mary Roberts

Roberts served as the faculty advisor to students applying for – and annually winning – some of the most prestigious fellowships in the sciences, including the Goldwater and Churchill scholarships. Recipients routinely cite Roberts’ counsel and support on their behalf during the application process.

In 2006, Roberts was among the faculty who assisted in the launch of the Women in Science and Technology program, which brought high school-age female students to campus to study with BC undergraduates and faculty.

WST has since encouraged other pre-collegiate initiatives in the sciences.

“Over the years, there has been an increase in female biochemistry and chemistry majors,” said Roberts. “This has been wonderful to see. However, we still need more women and minorities in chemistry, particularly at the faculty level. I would like to see a significant increase in the number of female chemistry faculty at BC, and I hope to see many female BC alums (undergraduate and graduate) occupying top roles in technology companies.

Our young women are terrific.”

–Ed Hayward

Talks by Bush, Burns Highlight Carroll School Finance Conference

The political storms in Washington and around the world took center stage at the Carroll School of Management’s 12th Annual Finance Conference on June 8, with former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and international relations expert R. Nicholas Burns ’78 offering their perspectives on an era of instability at home and abroad.

Prior to Bush taking the stage, John and Linda Powers Family Dean Andy Boynton welcomed a capacity crowd to Fulton Hall, and said the program was designed to provide faculty and industry experts with insights into both the markets and world events. “We’re all going to learn from each other today.”

Bush, whose 2016 candidacy for

the Republican presidential nomination found little traction with voters, revisited many of his progrowth, less-government campaign themes in his delivery of the Dorothy Margaret Rose Knight Economic Keynote Address.

“The US has always done better when we celebrate the success of people from the bottom up,” Bush said. “We don’t do as well when we abdicate our own responsibility over our own lives, our families’ lives, or the people around us who may be struggling. America at its best is an America that solves problems from the bottom up, that allows a dynamic approach to things, that lets failure happen. We have to have a society that allows for more

trial and error, more dynamism for more people – not just those who have already made it. If we do that, we’ll lead the world.”

Burns, now on the faculty of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, expressed concern that few in Washington have tried to counter the Trump administration’s missteps in foreign policy.

“We have a leadership crisis and we need great leadership to be a great country,” said Burns, a former US Ambassador to NATO, who worked in Washington under both Republican and Democratic presidents.

For more on the conference, see http://bit.ly/finance-conference-2017 –Ed Hayward

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush speaking at the June 8 Carroll School of Management Finance Conference. (Photo by Gary Wayne Gilbert)

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Fulton Wins Service Award Bailey Chosen as PBK Award Winner from a Boston zip code. This was a true labor of love for all of us on the board, and I have been honored to be part of it.”

Since stepping down as chair in 2015, Fulton has continued to be an active board member, chairing the enrollment and advancement committees. The award citation praised Fulton for “her leadership skills, drive and positive attitude” in guiding Saint Joseph’s through its transition to “a high-quality” institution serving some 400 diverse students “on their journey to college and in life.”

Fulton also has been involved in a joint oversight committee for Saint Joseph’s and the Saint Columbkille Partnership School. The latter school, which serves pre-K through eighth-grade children, is operated jointly by BC, the Archdiocese of Boston and Saint Columbkille.

“The idea behind the committee

University President William P. Leahy, SJ, congratulating Mary Ellen Fulton on her Community Service Award. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

rewarding as working for an institution with a mission like BC’s,” she said.

Rejoining BC in 1996 as assistant director of the BC Neighborhood Center, Fulton joined the Lynch School administration a year later.

Her professional skills in finance and administration, along with her admiration for Jesuit, Catholic education, proved useful when she was asked to serve as the inaugural trustees chair for Saint Joseph’s, which was founded in 2012 through the merger of Mount Saint Joseph Academy and Trinity Catholic High School. BC is one of the school’s strategic partners.

Fulton drew praise for her efforts in assisting the school with teacher training resources, board recruitment and fundraising activities.

“The mission of Saint Joseph’s – tradition, integrity and excellence – resonated with the core values I’d known through working at BC,” said Fulton. “It’s wonderful to see the two schools come together instead of having to close. Saint Joseph’s is such a great school, and some 40 percent of its students are

is to see in what ways Saint Joseph’s and Saint Columbkille can partner together,” she said. “It’s all part of Fr. Leahy’s vision to ensure highquality Catholic education, from pre-K all the way to college, is available for families in the Brighton area. As an administrator in the Lynch School, I’m especially pleased to see the role that our faculty and students play in these partnerships.”

Fulton’s interest in education has been equally strong on the home front, through her longtime association with the Natick Education Foundation, which helps to support Natick Public Schools. Over a period of nearly four decades, she has served on the foundation’s board of directors and its finance and grants committees, and continues to volunteer.

“I got involved with the foundation when my children were young – like any parent, you want to help your kids have a positive experience in school,” she said. “But education isn’t just about your family, it’s about your community. I’m just glad I’ve been able to contribute in whatever way I can to making things better.”

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

Professor of the Practice of Political Science Kathleen Bailey, codirector of the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program and an energetic supporter of international education opportunities, was named winner of the Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award for 2017.

Each year, Boston College students in the prestigious honor society submit nominations for outstanding teachers who have positively influenced their experiences at BC, either inside or outside the classroom. Winners are selected for the award based on the cumulative nominations from students over multiple years.

Bailey, a 1976 alumna who also is associate director of the Islamic Civilization & Societies Program, began teaching at BC in 1984. She is an expert on ethnic and regional politics with focus on former areas of the Soviet Union, notably Uzbekistan and Central Asia; her current research involves leadership and regional elites in Central Asia.

“It was such a surprise when I received the news about winning the award,” said Bailey, who also holds a doctorate from BC. “I felt truly humbled, especially when I saw the list of past recipients, all of whom I admired for years – and some of whom I was lucky enough to have as teachers when I was a BC undergraduate and grad student.

“To be recognized for doing something that I so love to do is incredible. And the fact that the students are the ones who nominate faculty was very gratifying. I feel I have higher expectations to live up to now, and I’m happy to do that.”

Bailey’s range of activities in international education includes developing and teaching in the nearly decade-old summer studyabroad program “Politics and Oil in the Gulf” in Kuwait; helping create undergraduate fellowships and travel and research grants in collaboration with the McGillycuddy-Logue Center for Undergraduate Global Studies; and serving as lead faculty member for an ACC-IAC initiative for student research abroad.

She also collaborated on the Mizna Fellowship Fund to provide undergraduates with opportunities for research, language study, internships and service learning initiatives throughout the Islamic World, and played a key role in the development of an overseas faculty development seminar. In recognition of these and other efforts, the University’s Office of International Programs selected Bailey as winner of its 2014 Faculty International

Lee Pellegrini

Continued from page 1 Working at BC, I believe, offers the opportunity to give back – something that is very rewarding.”

Fulton holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from BC, but her ties with the University are multigenerational: Her father and two children also are alumni. It was her father’s experience at BC that helped inspire Fulton’s own academic and formational journey.

“After BC, Dad went into social work,” she explained. “He set the example of ‘men and women for others.’ The idea of giving back is something we grew up with.”

After graduating from BC in 1975, Fulton stayed on for eight years to work under then-Vice President of Student Affairs Kevin Duffy before leaving to start her own family. But Fulton always had the desire to return, even after she took a job in the private sector.

“I got a sense that working for the ‘bottom line’ was simply not as

Kathleen Bailey

Excellence Award.

Students who nominated Bailey for the Phi Beta Kappa award cited her attentiveness, encouragement and caring, all of which contributed to their successful undergraduate experiences.

“From grants to research to a Scholar of the College thesis, she has sacrificed her own time and energy to propel me to where I am today,” wrote one student.

“She has pushed me to experience new subjects, ideas, places and people. She is the epitome of liberal arts ideals and values her students immensely,” commented another.

A student who had taken three courses with Bailey and worked on a senior thesis with her assistance said Bailey’s guidance “allowed me to explore areas of international and comparative politics that I would not have been able to learn about otherwise. Professor Bailey is extremely busy but she always takes the time to respond to students’ emails and answer any questions they may have – whether regarding course requirements, paper topics, or job inquiries.”

Through a kinship with BC that flowered as an undergraduate (“I arrived here when I was 18 and basically never left.”) and has continued to grow, Bailey says she has developed a keen appreciation for the University’s educational and formational mission.

“We take the education of the whole person seriously, and I see the transformative power of this in our students. They are intellectually gifted, but they’re also generous, just, and caring. My favorite courses are those I teach abroad in Kuwait because I really get to know my BC students fully and in all aspects of their lives. They are great people, simply put.”

For Bailey, knowing her material well and conveying it in engaging and innovative ways are key components of being a college professor – but these also must involve a personal connection.

“Students benefit when they see that we are passionate about what we study — it has a way of rubbing off on students and gets them motivated and excited to learn more deeply,” she explained.

“Beyond challenging our students intellectually, and in keeping with the mission of BC, students need to be appreciated and cared for as a whole person. I try to develop a mentoring relationship with students, and BC offers a variety of structured ways for faculty to do this.

“I especially enjoy being a mentor with the Rise Program, as well as the Gabelli Presidential Scholars.

Once you scratch the surface, you find really interesting people in our students. And they deeply appreciate the effort. Students remember the personal relationships developed with faculty long after the material we taught them has faded from memory.”

Student Affairs Hosts Mexican Officials The Boston College Division of Student Affairs recently hosted a delegation from Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico’s most recognized private university, with 90,000 students across 31 campuses. They came to campus to speak to and learn from administrators whose work supports the wellbeing of BC students. Boston College was chosen for a site visit based on its academic quality and “outstanding” student life model.

The Tecnológico de Monterrey team, which represented the the institution’s academic, student affairs, and athletics divisions, was interested in issues such as the alignment of the Jesuit vision and student programming, counseling and student support, and student formation and vocation.

They met with Vice President for University Mission and Ministry Jack Butler, SJ, and the Student Affairs leadership team, including Associate VP of Residential Life George Arey; Assistant to the VP/Director of Special Projects Carrie Klemovitch; Associate VP and Dean of Students Thomas Mogan and Interim Associate VP Kathleen Yorkis.

Other key University administrators the delegation spoke with included Beth Emery and Michael Forcier of Dining Services; Mike Pimental of Institutional Research, Planning & Assessment; Craig Burns of Counseling Services; Cristina Mirshekari of the Center for Teaching Excellence; Andy Petigny of the Thea Bowman AHANA Intercultural Center; Ken Turbush of Campus Recreation and Global Leadership Institute Director Bob Mauro.

–University Communications

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Boston College Yearbook BOSTON COLLEGE IN THE MEDIA Earns Premier Print Award The Boston College student yearbook Sub Turri won a major honor in the graphic art industry’s largest and most prestigious international printing competition.

Boston College and Jostens – which publishes Sub Turri –were selected for a 2017 Premier Print Award for outstanding achievement, chosen from an elite selection of 300 nominees culled from more than 2,200 entries

worldwide. Their Certificate of Merit is one of 20 total 2017 Premier Print Awards for Jostenspublished books.

Sponsored by Printing Industries of America, the Premier Print Awards – now in its 67th year – promote excellence in print communications and rewards companies and individuals who produce the best in printed media [more information at www.printing.org/ppa].

–University Communications

OBITUARY

CSOM Prof. Eugene Bronstein, 92 Eugene Bronstein, who followed an accomplished career in retail with a successful 22-year tenure at the Carroll School of Management, died on March 5 at the age of 92.

Prof. Bronstein had spent 20 years at Filene’s department store in Boston – starting as a research assistant and finishing as a merchandising vice president – when he joined the Carroll School faculty in 1975 as a lecturer. He taught retailing, marketing, merchandising and management courses to undergraduate and MBA students.

In 1983, he became director of the school’s honors program, where he taught and mentored leading Carroll School students. During his 10 years at the helm, the program introduced a senior thesis, strengthened relationships with the College of Arts and Sciences, created a mentoring program with honors alumni and encouraged greater student management of the program.

Interviewed by The Heights near the end of his term as director, Prof.

Bronstein said running the honors program had been a chance for him to “shape a small business,” and he had enjoyed the increased contact with students.

Prof. Bronstein said the advent of the senior thesis had reflected a desire to give Carroll School students a chance to “spread out” –

to broaden their interests and use their creativity. Where in the past CSOM theses had been largely confined to business and management topics, he said that 75 percent now delved into other areas; one student, he noted, had put together an instructional video on golf.

“You have influenced my life and career more than you will ever know,” one student wrote to Prof.

Bronstein.

While pleased with the program’s growth, Prof. Bronstein told The Heights that he had didn’t expect status quo under new leadership. “I would throw it on the wall and start brainstorming. That is the advantage of a new set of eyes. Take a fresh look.”

After retiring in 1997, Prof.

Bronstein was a member of the Boston College Association of Retired Faculty.

A native of Cambridge, Prof.

Bronstein enlisted in the Navy in World War II and served in the South Pacific, taking part in crucial battles such as Okinawa and Iwo Jima.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Prof. Bronstein is survived by his wife, Fay, his sons Jeffrey, David and Fred, and a grandson.

–University Communications

The Wall Street Journal highlighted a Boston College Center for Retirement Research study showing that women gain more than men do from working longer. The center’s director, Alicia Munnell, spoke with CNBC on the seriousness of America’s retirement crisis.

The New York Times featured award-winning research by Cleary Professor of Finance Jeffrey Pontiff, which showed the effectiveness of investing strategies seems to diminish, but not disappear, after publication.

One of 25 experts invited by Time magazine to identify “Moments That Changed America,” Founders Professor of Law Mary Sarah Bilder selected the ratification of the 12th Amendment in 1804 –

which created the procedure for selecting the president and vice president.

Prof. Robert Bloom (Law) spoke with CBS News on Fourth Amendment issues related to use of surveillance and policing technologies under the Trump administration.

Research by Prof. Karen Arnold (LSOE) on the post-graduation progress of valedictorians was included in a new book by Carroll School of Management MBA alumnus Eric Barker, and featured

by Money magazine and CNBC. O’Neill Professor of American Politics R. Shep Melnick wrote for Education Next about late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Sca-

QUOTE/UNQUOTE “...Anxieties about ‘kids these days’ are misguided, not because nothing changes, but because historical change cannot be predicted.

Chaucer envisioned a linear decay of language and poetry stretching into the future, and Malory yearned to restore a (makebelieve) past of courtly love.

“But that’s not how history works. The status quo, for better or worse, is a moving target. What’s unthinkable to one era becomes so ubiquitous it’s invisible in the next.

“Millennial bashers are responding to real tectonic shifts in culture. But their response is just a symptom of the changes they claim to diagnose. As millennials achieve Lee Pellegrini more representation in the workforce, in politics and in media, the world will change in ways we can’t anticipate.

“By then, there will be new problems and a new generation to take the blame for them.”

–Assistant Professor of English Eric Weiskott, in a piece for The Conversation, “Millennial Bashing in Medieval Times” [http:// bit.ly/weiskott-millennials]

Assoc. Prof. Andrea Vicini (STM) and Assoc. Prof. Ashley Duggan (Communication) were co-authors on the article “The Role of Emotions at the End of Human Life,” published in Studia Moralia. They also were co-authored on “Cultivating the Inner Life of a Physician Through Written Reflection,” published in Annals of Family Medicine.

BC BRIEFING

Members of the Class of 2021 marked the end of their First Year Experience orientation session last week. They and their fellow freshmen will return to campus in about a month for moving-in week. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

Prof. Andrew Sofer (English) served as a visiting foreign scholar through a travel grant from the Program of Overseas Experts Funding at the Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS) in Guangzhou. In addition to lecturing on “New Trends in Shakespeare Studies” and on “Shakespeare’s Dark Matter” at Beijing Foreign Studies University and at GDUFS, he conducted academic writing/publishing workshops for graduate students and faculty at both institutions.

lia’s record on race and education.

Prof. Kent Greenfield (Law) discussed the Supreme Court travel ban ruling, among other SCOTUS-related issues, on New England Cable News’ “The Take.”

Prof. Robert Ross (Political Science) spoke about the rise of China’s naval power and its implications for the Trump administration in a Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy podcast.

WGBH News aired a feature on a project being undertaken by Asst.

Prof. Jeremy Shakun (Earth and Environmental Sciences) and colleagues to predict how quickly climate change will melt ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland by studying local mountain areas, specifically boulders that offer clues to how New England glaciers melted thousands of years ago.

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: Administrative & Events Assistant, Academic Affairs/Provost Director of Development, Law School Director, Advancement Talent, University Advancement Director, Learning Resources for Student Athletes Associate Vice President, Principal Gifts, University Advancement Intern, Facilities and Operations, Athletics Recruiting Manager, Academic Affairs/Provost Senior Writer, University Advancement Teacher of the Visually Impaired, Academic Affairs/Provost Producer, ACC Network Production, Athletics Senior/Web Developer, University Advancement Special Collections Cataloging Assistant, Academic Affairs/Provost Senior Philanthropic Advisor, University Advancement Senior Creative Video Producer, President’s Office Clinical Social Worker, Academic Affairs/Provost

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Campus Construction Makes for a Busy Summer at BC Continued from page 1 ensure the fields have sufficient drainage. This will likely be finished by the end of August.

“As we get toward the fall, you’ll start to see foundations rising from the ground, like the grandstands and press boxes,” he said.

On the eastern-most edge, facing toward St. Clement’s, will be the 3.5-acre baseball field, which will have a capacity for 1,000 spectators. The field will include a press box for media and public address functions, a synthetic playing surface and lighting.

Immediately adjacent to the baseball field will be the softball field, which is about 1.5 acres and will seat 300 spectators. The softball field will include a similar, albeit smaller, press box, and also feature a synthetic/clay playing surface and lighting.

On the western edge will be the 250-by-270-foot intramural and recreation field with natural grass, as well as lighting for nighttime use.

The one-story support building, approximately 3,000 square feet, will be primarily restrooms and concessions support space.

Leone also noted that the project will include upgrades to the existing roadway to provide for improved vehicular and pedestrian pathways near 129 Lake Street.

The project architect is CHA Consulting Inc./DLR Group,

and Bond is the construction manager.

•The 115,000-square foot athletic field house, located adjacent to Alumni Stadium, will provide much-needed space for varsity football and other field sports, as well as campus recreation, club sports, and intramurals. It is expected to open in August of 2018.

Excavation at the site is currently underway, according to Project Manager Thomas Runyon, resulting into two enormous piles – each about 35 to 40 feet high – of soil that will remain on Shea Field while other work continues. Some of the soil will eventually be used as subsoil for drainage-related purposes, he said.

Foundation work was expected to start this month and is likely to continue until the end of August; structural steel for the building is scheduled to arrive in September, Runyon said.

One important aspect of the project, Runyon noted, is that its proximity to a major MWRA waterline requires the University to follow strict guidelines on how work is conducted. “We are extremely careful in all phases of the construction activities.”

ARC/Architectural Resources Cambridge is the architect for the recreation center project, while Suffolk is the construction manager.

The Brighton Athletic Fields, which include baseball, softball and recreational-intramural fields, are expected to be completed this coming spring.

(Photo by Gary Wayne Gilbert)

•The 244,000 square-foot, four-story Connell Recreation Center, which will replace the Flynn Recreation Complex, is being built at the former site of Edmond’s Hall on Thomas More Road. Expected to open in the summer of 2019, the center will include a state-of-the-art fitness center, jogging track, natatorium with lap and instructional pools, four wood-floor basketball courts, three tennis courts, two multi-activity courts and multipurpose rooms for spin, yoga and fitness classes, among other amenities.

With demolition of Edmond’s and site excavation completed previously, said Project Manager Edward Stokes, foundation work

will begin in earnest this month, with pressure-injected footings ­– similar to those for the field house – to be driven into the ground.

Like most of Lower Campus, the center site sits atop what used to be a reservoir, Stokes pointed out, which means “a significant amount of concrete pouring” is required for the foundation – especially the parts of the building that extend the deepest, such as the basement and the swimming pool. The four-foot-thick concrete slab will withstand the water pressure from below.

By the third week of August, Stokes said, the structural steel phase of the project should be ready to begin.

While there is never a 100 percent guarantee against something unexpected happening as a project progresses, BC does a lot of due diligence before shovels – or any other equipment – go into the ground, Stokes added.

“We drill test pits to make sure our information about the site is as complete and reliable as possible,” he said. “It really helps in reducing surprises.”

CannonDesign is the project architect; Skanska is the construction manager.

In Devlin Hall, work should be finished next month on an expanded reception area for the Office of Undergraduate Admission that improves the flow of foot traffic, especially during admission tours. Another feature of the project will be the construction of a 250-seat lecture hall – in space formerly occupied by the McMullen Museum of Art – that will be used for admission programs, expected to be finished during the spring semester.

Other summer projects include renovations to the Greycliff Hall portico, creation of a student lounge, and study and reflection space in Kostka Hall, and an upgrade to the Lyons Hall dining area highlighted by a new entrance with glass walls.

Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu

More than 200 faculty and staff gathered in Gasson Hall on May 24 for Boston College’s 2017 Diversity and Inclusion Summit, a daylong event that explored promising practices that contribute to BC’s commitment to enhancing a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive community that respects all and fosters dialogue within the University’s Jesuit, Catholic tradition.

The Office for Institutional Diversity sponsored the summit, titled “Learn, Reflect, Engage.” It was BC’s second Diversity and Inclusion Summit, following the inaugural event in June 2016.

“Our vision in hosting the summit is to provide participants the opportunity to recognize shared qualities while embracing each others’ differences,” said OID Executive Director Patricia Lowe.

“It is the Office for Institutional Diversity’s goal that participants, with a sense of openness, take the time to foster the learning offered through the keynote address, panel of thought leaders, and educational

Lee Pellegrini

University Holds Second Diversity and Inclusion Summit

(L-R) Vice President for Human Resources David Trainor, Office for Institutional Diversity Associate Director Judy Ferres, OID Executive Director Patricia Lowe, guest speaker Daryl G. Smith, OID Associate Director Damita Davis and OID Assistant Director Edilma Hosein at the Diversity and Inclusion Summit.

concurrent sessions, as well as the exhibits and posters that reflect the work being done across campus, and engage in continuous conversations and connections across campus that build community.

“Diversity and inclusion is everyone’s responsibility,” added

Lowe.

In his opening remarks, University President William P. Leahy, SJ, said that gatherings such as the summit provided an opportunity for individuals to celebrate the bonds that unite but also to hear from those who are different.

Individuals who embrace the differences and the ideas of others, he said, become better, stronger individuals, ultimately strengthening Boston College.

“When individuals are not recognized, or don’t feel at home, or [are] unable to contribute as they might, we all suffer, we’re all weakened. We’re not as strong as we could be,” said Fr. Leahy.

“Therefore, spending a day as you are doing is critical to Boston College. We are hoping to be a better institution the more and more we have conversations like this one.”

Daryl G. Smith, senior research fellow and professor emerita of education and psychology at the Claremont Graduate University, delivered the keynote address, “Diversity’s Promise for Excellence: Building Capacity for a Pluralistic Society that Works,” which addressed the importance of building capacity to advance and sustain an institution of inclusive excellence.

“Diversity success will depend on every single person sitting in this

room,” said Smith, a higher education diversity expert and author of the landmark publication Diversity’s Promise for Higher Education.

In the afternoon, BC Law School Dean Vincent Rougeau moderated a panel discussion featuring Auxiliary Services Associate Vice President Patricia Bando, Information Technology Services Vice President Michael Bourque, and BC School of Social Dean Gautam Yadama.

Two concurrent sessions offered attendees the opportunity to choose from a dozen talks on topics such as lessons from the corporate world, implicit bias, creating inclusive classrooms, the Supported Employment Program, and PULSE, among others.

The event concluded with a reception that also marked the 45th anniversary of the Office for Institutional Diversity.

–Kathleen Sullivan Read a longer version of this story at http://bit.ly/2017-diversity-summit