The Boston College
Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs november 14, 2013 vol. 22 no. 6 Photos by Lee Pellegrini
•STM taking part in video conference, page 2
By Sean Hennessey Staff Writer
•Scottish students muse on independence, page 2 •Romance dead? Not in Burns Library, page 2 •Lynch Leadership Academy launches new program, page 3 •CSON, Facilities collaborate on daffodil planting, page 3
•Stokes, Gasson fires under investigation, page 3 •Marth and team play role in 1000 Genomes project, page 4 •Trinity (Dublin), Melbourne join Semester Online, page 4 •Boston College Roundtable assesses Catholic higher ed mission, page 5 •Double success for PoliSci professor Gerald Easter, page 5
•Multi-faith Thanksgiving celebration, page 5 •Solomon Friedberg named as AMS fellow, page 7 •Forum on state of political discourse, page 7 •Burns Library exhibits touch on 19th century Boston history, page 8 •Noone to direct concert of 16th-century music, page 8
Center’s Study Shows Benefit of Working Until Age 70
‘Politics Are About Getting Through the Things You Need to Get Through’ Belfast-born Mary McAleese served two terms as president of Ireland during 1997-2011, the first native of Northern Ireland to hold that office. McAleese’s presidency was marked by her advocacy for peace and reconciliation through regular trips to Northern Ireland and by hosting visitors from the North at her official residence. This fall, McAleese is serving as the Burns Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies, accompanied by her husband Martin. She recently spoke with Sean Smith of the Chronicle. [For the full interview, go to www.bc.edu/chronicle] Q: I understand you have quite a lot on your plate this fall, in addition to being Burns Scholar. Well, I’m also studying for my doctoral degree in canon law at Gregorian University in Rome, and doing some work for the European Commission on modernization of the European Union’s higher education sector. So I’ve spent these past several months going from Dublin to Rome to Brussels and now to Boston. This is called “retirement.” Q: So, what with the studies at Gregorian and the work for the European Commission, why take the appointment at Boston College? Boston College has a phenomenal reputation in Ireland as a university that has made, and is making, important contributions to Irish life. BC also is a remarkable story of success, going through tough times but then managing to become one of the best universities in the United States. And I thought the leitmotif of that is where I see the Catholic Church. And maybe there’s something in the
air here that I could breathe, perhaps that eternal American optimism. I have so much respect for BC’s Irish programs, because they have helped Ireland to understand itself better; not just its literature and arts, but its politics, the whole panoply. The faculty members are deeply versed in Ireland. You think you know every nook and cranny, but then you talk with someone like Tom Hachey, Bob O’Neill, Bob Mauro or Robert Savage, and they’ll tell you things you never knew. And this is what’s missing in our Church: discourse. Listening to people who are doing the work, doing the research, who are seeing other aspects of the situation. Q: Talk a little about your studies in Rome – what prompted you to pursue the doctoral degree in canon law? I’m a civil lawyer by training, and that’s been a major part of my life. I grew up Catholic in Belfast with a civil war right outside the door, in a household with parents who believed that, rather than resort to violence, we should try to use the law, try to do things democratically, by discussion, by persuasion, by discourse. So that’s where I pitched my tent, and trained to be a lawyer and use not only democratic discourse but Christian discourse, and the great commandment to love one another. I’ve been studying canon law privately for a number of years, and Continued on page 4
QUOTE:
For generations, it’s been the accepted norm, and hope, of Americans: Stop working at 65, collect Social Security, and enjoy retirement. But a new study from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College says following that plan will cost you financially. “If you retire at 65, you get 70 percent of what you’d get at age 70,” says Drucker Professor of Manage-
ment Sciences Alicia Munnell, director of the center. “It’s the best-kept secret in town that the way you get the highest monthly benefit from Social Security is to wait until 70, and it’s so much higher. Nobody knows that, and if we really think it’s important for people to work longer, it’d be really nice to tell them that it makes a huge difference on how much they get from Social Security.” The report, “Social Security’s Real Retirement Age Is 70,” cites the Continued on page 6
Campus School, Kennedy Day School Explore Affiliation By Jack Dunn Director of News & Public Affairs
Campus School Director Don Ricciato has informed his staff that Boston College is exploring a collaborative relationship with the Kennedy Day School at Franciscan Hospital for Children in Brighton that could result in an affiliation of the two entities. Ricciato said that a letter of intent
has been signed that will explore affiliation possibilities, with the goal of providing the best possible educational and therapeutic experience for students at both schools. “These discussions are in the early stages, so we do not have specific details to share at this time, but we wanted our staff and the parents of Campus School students to be aware that discussions are taking place that are focused on how best to serve the Continued on page 3
Caitlin Cunningham
INSIDE
Q&A: Mary McAleese
Elizabeth Wilson ’15 tutors Gardner Pilot Academy student Roxnny Roche as part of the Music Outreach volunteer program.
Lending an Ear
BC volunteers share the gift of music education By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
For some Boston College students, music isn’t just something they happen to be good at, or enjoy playing. It’s a means to make an impact on a child’s life. Some 15 BC undergraduates spend part of their week giving music lessons to children — about
60 in all — at the Gardner Pilot Academy of Allston and Brighton High School, as part of the Music Outreach program coordinated by Music Lecturer Barbara Gawlick and her husband, Assistant Professor Ralf Gawlick. The BC volunteers spend at least a half-hour a week, sometimes more if they can, working with the schoolchildren individually or Continued on page 6
“We are working hard to return operations to normal as soon as possible, but we ask for the community’s patience and assistance as we deal with this cleanup process.” —Facilities VP Daniel Bourque, on last weekend’s fires in Stokes and Gasson halls, page 3
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A ROUND
C AMPUS LOVE BLOOMS IN BURNS
FROM ASIA TO STM On Nov. 15, the voices and visions of women Catholic theologians in Asia will be heard around the globe, including at the School of Theology and Ministry, through an interactive video conference organized by STM Professor Andrea Vicini, SJ. Three theologians will present papers in Bangalore, India, as part of the Ecclesia of Women in Asia (EWA) biennial conference. Students and faculty from Boston College and six other colleges and universities representing three continents will watch the presentations and then participate in a Q&A with the presenters. The other universities taking part are Fordham University, Santa Clara University, Catholic Theological Union, University of Glasgow in Scotland, Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, and Saint Augustine College in South Africa. “This is a simple way to promote connections and engage with theologians throughout the world. It is economical and ecological — no carbon footprint,” said Fr. Vicini. The Ecclesia of Women in Asia meets every other year in a different Asian country. This year’s conference, “Liberating Power: Asian Feminist Theological Perspectives,” includes presentations from: Sharon Bong of Malaysia University, on the transforming power of personal narratives; Kristine Meneses of the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, on deafness among Filipinas in light of one of Jesus’ healings; and Jeane Cana Peracullo of De la Salle University in Manila, on the original theological contribu-
tions of EWA. The interactive video conference is sponsored by the global network Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church, launched by Founders Professor of Theology James Keenan, SJ. The CTEWC is committed to global theological interactions and has held two world conferences, in Padua (2006) and Trent (2010), established a website, and created a newsletter and book series. Fr. Vicini, who co-chairs the CTEWC’s Development Committee, said his group was seeking additional ways to promote theological conversation across the world when they developed this idea of connecting with EWA. The first EWA video conference, held in 2011, involved BC and four other US universities and used Skype technology. Building on that success, this year’s event has expanded to include higher education institutions in Europe and Africa and will use GoToMeeting technology. Each location will have a faculty member serve as a point person. Students, faculty and other attendees will listen to the presentations and then partake in an online chat-style Q&A with the presenters and others at the various video conference sites. Fr. Vicini said he expects faculty, STM students, graduate students in the Theology Department and members of the Boston Theological Institute to be among the attendees. “As a moral theologian, I am very much interested in this,” he said. “This is how moral theology should be looked at today in the world. It is truly catholic, universal.” —Kathleen Sullivan
Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, who served as the first Department of Homeland Security secretary, spoke on Nov. 7 in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons as part of the Clough Colloquium. (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham) Director of NEWS & Public Affairs Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS Patricia Delaney Editor Sean Smith
Contributing Staff Melissa Beecher Ed Hayward Sean Hennessey Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Michael Maloney Photographers Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini
Timothy McLaughlin JD’09 (second from left) and his collaborators on the “Invasion: Diaries and Memories of War in Iraq” exhibit — now on display in the Law School Library — discussed their project at an opening event Nov. 5. To see a related video, go to http://www.youtube.com/ bostoncollege. (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)
CALEDONIAN CONUNDRUM
The prospect of Scotland’s secession from the United Kingdom tends to get lost among other international sociopolitical issues, but it’s a hot topic for two Scottish undergraduates studying at Boston College. Glasgow University students Mairead MacRae and Martin Bain hope to enlighten the University community by holding a discussion this morning about Scottish independence. The event, organized as part of International Education Week at BC [www.bc.edu/ iew], will take place at 10 a.m. in Higgins 280. Scotland is scheduled to vote on independence next September, fueling debate about the potential economic and political fall-out, as well as the impact on Scotland’s educational, financial, military and other sectors. Bain, an Edinburgh native studying politics and history, is solidly against independence. “I feel it is unnecessary as we already have recognition as a nation and we receive a number of benefits from being in union with the rest of the United Kingdom.” Glasgow-born MacRae, a major in English literature and history, is more nuanced: Rather than independence, she favors a renegotiation over Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom. A nation, she says, is “a social or cultural entity based on shared cultural history, experiences and traditions, and does not require separate statehood to exist and thrive.” MacRae also is uncomfortable with what she describes as “excessive nationalism” on the part of the pro-independence campaign – this dynamic, she says, has “historically led to a great deal of conflict and division” in the world. But MacRae feels Scotland’s in-
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terests are not well-represented in the current political arrangement — Scotland has its own parliament but the British Parliament retains overall governing authority. Scotland has no say on defense and national security, she notes, even though the UK’s Trident nuclear weapons program is based on Scotland’s west coast, and is unpopular among many Scots. Bain believes the vote will be close, but independence will be rejected. While MacRae says most of the people she knows are anti-independence, she is less certain of the outcome: “People’s views often change according to different events.” The two students acknowledge that while many Americans tend to overlook the Scottish independence debate, larger questions lurking within – such as national identity — may make it more compelling. “I would think that Americans would find it interesting to see how numerous levels of even individual identity exist in the UK,” says MacRae. “I’d say I’m Scottish, but my Dad grew up in England and the majority of his family live there so I also identify with a British identity. I’m a Scot with Irish roots on my mother’s side but if I were to describe my citizenship, I’d say I was British. “Here’s another example: In sports, I support the soccer club Celtic, a Scottish team who have a huge fan base in the Glasgow Irish population and those descended from Irish immigrants who settled in the west coast. I also support Arsenal, a London team, when Celtic fails to advance in European tournaments — unfortunately, this is quite frequently!” —Sean Smith
John Boyle O’Reilly — the subject of a new exhibit at Burns Library [see page 8] — was not only a prolific writer and editor of The Pilot but also a poet whose words, even years later, can still work some romantic magic. Especially where a couple of Burns staffers are concerned. Carolyn Twomey, a doctoral candidate in the History Department working in Burns, was reviewing the library’s materials on O’Reilly to answer a reference question, when she came upon his poem “A White Rose.” The poem includes this stanza:
But I send you a cream-white rosebud With a flush on its petal tips For the love that is purest and sweetest Has a kiss of desire on the lips
“I noticed it because white roses were already my favorite flower and the message of the poem spoke to me about what love really was,” recalls Twomey. “Some people, especially younger people, think it’s all passion, butterflies, and fire, but what I was learning was that it’s equally about warmth, being comfortable with someone, being understood, and being able to sit in your pajamas on a Friday night and watch ‘Star Wars’ together. The white rose with the touch of red melds these two aspects perfectly; that was what I thought upon reading it and I copied it down to save.” Some while later, Twomey showed the poem to her fellow library staffer Thomas Fraatz, a doctoral student in the Theology Department she had been dating for about six months. Soon afterwards, Fraatz presented Twomey with a bouquet of white roses, complete with pink blush (the roses, that is, not Fraatz). “I had no inkling Tom would remember the poem or would do something so romantic,” says Twomey. “It was a sweet moment.” That moment was two years ago, but it’s apparently had a long-lasting effect. The couple is still together and, in fact, both still work at Burns part-time. Library administrators would neither confirm nor deny as to whether they may post labels warning that browsing archival materials “may trigger incipient romantic feelings.” —Sean Smith
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.
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Principal Interest
Lynch Leadership Academy adds development program for area principals By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
Now in its third year, the Lynch Leadership Academy has added a new program that’s preparing educators to become principals through an intensive, yearlong immersion in school leadership. The Aspiring Principals Program (APP) is built around a model similar to the Lynch Leadership Academy’s cornerstone program, which offers a one-year leadership development program to approximately 20 principals from Boston Public Schools (BPS), charter and Catholic schools. Academy Director Thaly Germain said leadership development and collaboration across the three education sectors are at the core of the APP program. The program participants are mentored by the principals at the schools where they work, assigned executive coaches from the private sector and taught by BC leaders and experts in the fields of education, management and leadership. “The aspiring principals are essentially leading a small portion of their school for the year and their school principal serves as a coach
and mentor,” said Germain. “Each fellow is also working with two executives from the Boston area who help them build executive skills like project management, people management and marketing and branding. That’s a new level of support.” The new program is funded by a $1.5 million grant from Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch ’65 through the Lynch Foundation, and run by the Academy, which is affiliated with the Carroll School of Management and the Lynch School of Education. Launched in 2010 through a gift from the Lynches, the academy has established a new leadership development model for school leaders from district, charter, and Catholic urban schools. Germain said working with educators who want to become principals was a logical extension of the program. The inaugural APP group is Emily Bozeman, Eliot K-8 School (BPS), North End; Robby Chisholm, Mather School (BPS), Dorchester; Pauline Lugira, Dever/ McCormack Middle School (BPS), Dorchester; Samantha Varano, Thomas A. Edison K-8 School (BPS), Brighton; Megan Webb,
Orchard Gardens K-8 School (BPS), Roxbury; Aliece Dutson, Mission Grammar School, Mission Hill; and Katharine Needham, Match Community Day Charter School, Jamaica Plain. Some members of the group – Dutson, Varano and Needham – are already assistant principals. The others, all veteran teachers, are serving as leadership fellows in their schools for the year. Germain said all members are being prepared to run “autonomous” schools that give principals bold mandates to drive school improvement. Even BPS candidates are being prepared to run the city’s pilot schools, which function in a similar fashion to independent public charter schools. The APP cohort attended a 10day summer institute and meets together twice a month on campus and at school sites. The participants traveled to Chicago last month for three days of collaboration and school visits with Chicago educators. At the close of the program, each member will have prepared a school design plan – a leadership blueprint for an effective school – and receive principalship certification. Each participant agrees to
Participants in the Lynch Leadership Academy Aspiring Principals Program during a recent discussion. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
lead an urban school for at least three years. Lugira, who has worked in private, charter and public schools during her 12-year career, said she’s been impressed with the program’s focus on executive leadership in areas from budgeting and fundraising to marketing and branding. “I’ve never had the opportunity to be coached for leadership development,” said Lugira. “This is an opportunity to learn by interacting with colleagues in a similar situation. The guidance and support from the Lynch Leadership Academy is tremendous.” Dutson, a nine-year educator now in the Archdiocese of Bos-
ton’s Mission Grammar School, said working with educators from public district and charter schools has given her a solid network of supporters. “Something Thaly has pushed us to think about is the power we have as a cohort,” said Dutson, whose principal mentor, Maura Bradley, was part of the Academy’s first cohort. “If something is getting in our way, or in the way of our kids, we can work together to overcome that to the benefit of the kids – not just in the school I’m in, but in schools across the entire city.” Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu
Investigation Continues on Stokes, Gasson Hall Fires No injuries, but some smoke and water damage reported in Stokes following Saturday’s blaze
Members of the Boston College community gathered last Friday to plant some 3,500 daffodil bulbs on Commonwealth Avenue bordering the Brighton Campus (photo above, L-R, Connell School of Nursing Asst. Prof. Tam Nguyen, Staff Assistant Catherine Hill and Administrative Assistant Zanifer John; photo at right, CSON Staff Assistant Michele Hubley and daughter Samantha ’15). The planting was in support of the Marathon Daffodils project, which aims to line the 26.2-mile route of the Boston Marathon with daffodils to honor victims and first responders of last year’s bombing and to send a message of hope. Organizers expect to plant 100,000 bulbs in communities from Hopkinton to Boston. The BC planting was co-sponsored by the Connell School and Facilities Management. (Photos by Lee Pellegrini)
BC Campus School Exploring Affiliation
Continued from page 1 students at both schools,” said Ricciato. “A joint advisory committee has been formed to lead the process, and we will provide additional information as it becomes available.” After meeting with Campus School staff, Ricciato called and later met with the school’s parents to inform them of the development. He has also scheduled a meeting with BC students and volunteers who have supported the school since its founding in 1970. Both the Campus School and Kennedy Day School provide special education and related services
to children and young adults ages 3-21 with severe disabilities. Currently, the Kennedy Day School hosts approximately 70 students from communities in the Greater Boston area. The Campus School serves 38 students. Founded in 1963, the Kennedy Day School underwent a major renovation in 2012 that resulted in new state-of-the art facilities in a 20,000 square-foot building on a 10-acre setting on the Franciscan Hospital for Children campus. Its facilities include a therapy pool, gymnasium, health care room and vocational
service center, as well as assistive technology in each classroom. Ricciato, who has led the Campus School as its director since 2007 and had served as program director since 1989, said he is open to the discussions and the collaborative possibilities that may result from them. “I care deeply for our students, and have been committed to ensuring the best possible care for them for the past 43 years, so I believe that we should explore these options for the benefits they may hold for our students.” Contact Jack Dunn at jack.dunn@bc.edu
Boston College Police are investigating three small fires that were apparently set in Gasson and Stokes halls last Saturday evening. No one was injured, but the North wing of the fourth floor of Stokes Hall sustained smoke and water damage caused by the fire and the activated sprinkler system. Administrators from Facilities Management said that several offices in the North wing will be closed for repairs this week as a result of the damage, and that classes held in the two classrooms on the fourth floor will be relocated to Carney Hall. Staff and several firms that specialize in fire clean-up are working to restore the offices. Boston College Police Chief and Director of Public Safety John King described the fires as suspicious in nature and asked members of the BC community to provide BCPD with any information they may have. The cause of the fires remains under investigation. Vice President for Facilities Daniel Bourque said that while
most of the clean-up effort on the fourth floor of the North wing of Stokes Hall has been completed, some areas affected by the sprinkler water will require additional work. “It is important to stress, however, that the building is safe to occupy during this clean-up period,” Bourque said. Bourque said his office has worked with College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean David Quigley to assist faculty and staff affected by the fire and helped coordinate temporary assignments. “We are working hard to return operations to normal as soon as possible, but we ask for the community’s patience and assistance as we deal with this clean-up process,” said Bourque. —Office of News & Public Affairs
Because of the Thanksgiving break, the next edition of Chronicle will be published on Monday, Dec. 2. All editorial copy for that edition must be submitted by Nov. 21.
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Caitlin Cunningham Associate Professor of Biology Gabor Marth talks with his research team.
BC Biologists Play Major Part in 1000 Genomes Project By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
Associate Professor of Biology Gabor Marth and his bioinformatics lab have played an integral role in the massive data analysis required by the five-year-old 1000 Genomes Project, which is producing the most detailed map yet of human genetic variation. Last month, Marth and his data-crunching colleagues released the project’s latest report, an analysis in the journal Science of the discovery of regions of the human genome where mutations occur that could be at the root of various forms of cancer. Further, the team developed a computer program capable of sifting through millions of pieces data to identify approximately 100 regions of the genome that are likely drivers of the disease. Marth, a member of the Functional Information Group, said making connections between the
genome and human health is a very satisfying aspect of the project. “This is very exciting,” said Marth. “We never know what to expect. To have an analysis like this come out, with so many components, yet so very accurate, is a significant accomplishment.” Marth, whose lab focused on creating accurate computational approaches to analyze genetic mutations that are difficult to find, credited doctoral student Erik Garrison, a co-author on the paper, with developing a rigorous analytic approach. Last month, Marth and other members of the massive 1000 Genomes Project team met in Boston, where many were also attending the American Society of Human Genetics annual meeting at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Marth led an invited session at the conference on Oct. 23.
Semester Online Extends Reach to Ireland, Australia
Semester Online, an innovative for-credit, online-learning consortium that includes Boston College, has achieved an international dimension with the addition of Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) and the University of Melbourne (Australia). The two institutions, which will each offer an online course beginning in the spring 2014 semester, join BC, Brandeis University, Emory University, Northwestern University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Notre Dame, and Washington University in St. Louis — all regarded as leading teaching and research universities — in Semester Online, the first education consortium to offer for-credit online courses to academically qualified undergraduate students. In partnership with 2U, the nation’s preeminent online education provider, Semester Online courses feature live class sessions with esteemed professors, self-paced course materials, and a strong social network that allows students to collaborate and establish personal relationships with peers online and with the host institution’s teaching staff. The program is available to students who are currently enrolled in a four-year, regionally accredited institution and are in good academic standing. Consortium students’ costs for participating in Semester Online are paid through their tuition; students from non-consortium institutions pay a fee for each course. Enrollment for Semester Online courses is capped, with individual sections limited to no more than approximately 20 students. Courses currently offered by BC through Semester Online are How to Rule the World, by Behrakis Professor of Hellenic Political Studies Robert Bartlett, and Vietnam: America’s War at Home and Abroad, by Associate Professor of History Seth Jacobs. For more information, see www.semesteronline.org. —Office of News & Public Affairs
McAleese
Continued from page 1 have a master’s degree and licentiate in it. My interest grew because of my concern about what has been happening in my church — the sexual abuse scandal, but other things, too. When I looked at the scandal, I was struck by what investigators said about canon law and canon lawyers. It was a scathing indictment: In not one single incidence of sexual abuse had canon law been able to do anything on the victim’s side, nothing useful or helpful. So I decided to make it my business to study canon law, something very few laypeople have done. And what I’m most interested in is, how is it that we’ve arrived at a situation in the Church where the increasingly educated laity feels more and more excluded from the discourse that is necessary to run an organization this big and this advanced? And how can we now trust the judgment of the people we’ve learned, to our cost, cannot be trusted in matters of children and abusive priests? Why should they continue to make decisions for the 1.2 billion of us on the same terms as before? ...I can’t walk away from the Church, my spiritual home, just like I couldn’t walk away from Northern Ireland, my birthplace. I had to hang in there and see if I could make some sort of contribution. I don’t flatter myself that I’ll be able to do anything in my lifetime, but I also believe that if I don’t help plant the seed, then nothing new will grow. Q: It seems fair to say that “peace and reconciliation” has been a continual theme for your career, political or otherwise. In a world that often seems jaded, cynical and dubious about good intentions, how do you make these words real and substantive? I can understand the cynicism, because too many things that have looked like peace and reconciliation wind up being photo opportunities. The words sound twee if you’ve never been put in a situation where they are the difference between life and death. I don’t regard peace and reconciliation as nice, soft, soapy words – to me, they are damned hard disciplines. My husband and I both lost our homes and friends in The Troubles, and knew many others who had similar experiences of suffering. Out of that, you have to decide, “How do I react?” Do I get angry? And if I do, do I just become another conduit for history’s toxic spores of hatred? Or do I, some way or another, try to stop this? My view was, God put me here for a purpose: to stand my ground and make genuine peace with those from whom we were estranged. You have to invest in building, and
“I can’t walk away from the Church, my spiritual home, just like I couldn’t walk away from Northern Ireland, my birthplace...I don’t flatter myself that I’ll be able to do anything in my lifetime, but I also believe that if I don’t help plant the seed, then nothing new will grow.” Photos by Lee Pellegrini
maintaining, friendships because we are all neighbors — Loyalist, Republican, Protestant, Catholic — and we aren’t going anywhere. The Good Friday Agreement gave us the political framework for peace and reconciliation, but on a day-to-day basis there is still much work to be done in building up that trust. We build to fill the centuries’ arrears, as the poet John Hewitt said. As president, I couldn’t be involved in the political part — that’s the prime minister’s job — but I felt I could take on a pastoral mission. So we worked our way through all the onion layers, and talked with those who had been our enemies, who tried to turn us out of our homes, to really listen to them so we could learn what makes them tick. We made it something personal, rather than just a photo opportunity, and built up a connectedness between the office of the President of Ireland and a constituency that never thought it would have any connection at all with that office. Q: Your appointment at BC has coincided with a particularly bitter period of partisanship in US politics, culminating in the federal government shutdown. Do you see any parallels or lessons in comparing the discord you saw in Northern Ireland with what’s going on in the US? To be perfectly frank, although it was horrendous for the people who lived through it — the people who didn’t get paid, and others who were worried about America’s place in the global economy — I may have been one of the few in the country who took some meager crumb of comfort from this whole episode because it showed us in Ireland that fraught politics are not peculiar to Northern Ireland. There was a lot of tension in Northern Ireland this past summer, and the temper of discussion was generally crabby and contemptuous. So quite a lot of people got very fraught about the situation: “Things are terrible. Maybe the Good Friday Agreement isn’t working?” My response was, “This is nothing abnormal – look what’s happening in America! And next week, next year, the Americans will find a way through it. Why? Because they have to.” Politics can get ugly and mean, but in the end politics are about getting through the things you need to get through. So please
don’t jump up and down every time people have a spat — look at what’s been happening in Germany, when Angela Merkel was trying to form a government, or in Italy. This is the normalization of political discourse. Yes, we would wish politicians were able to cope with disagreements; yes, we would wish that they wouldn’t fall out over tawdry and stupid things; and yes, we would wish they could handle things differently, and better. But this happens everywhere. It’s a very human phenomenon. Q: Granted, you may not have spent all that much time at BC, but what aspects about your visit here do you think will stick out in your mind? I’d say the whole culture of hospitality; there’s never been a friendlier place. We’ll walk by the reservoir and around campus, and we’re struck by how many people say “Hello” to us even though they have no idea who we are. It’s like being in a little old Irish village several thousand miles away from Ireland, and that culture of hospitality makes you think you’re in a place where people care for one another. We feel surrounded by a cacophony of love. I relish every hour I’ve spent in Burns or Bapst Library, and the opportunities I’ve had to speak with faculty members and others in the BC community. Q: I understand that not only did you and Martin drop in on the Gaelic Roots Irish ceili in Gasson Hall the other week, but you didn’t exactly just sit there and watch. Yes, well, I’ve been doing Irish dancing since I was four, and I love it, especially the set dancing [a popular traditional social dance form in Ireland]. The thing about Martin is, I love him, but he’s not a dancer. He’s like a lot of Belfast men — he’s saving his feet for something more important, and he’ll abscond when the word “dancing” is mentioned. But I was able to get him up on the floor this time, so that’s a miracle. Maybe it’s because we’re in America, where anything’s possible.
Read the full interview at www.bc.edu/chronicle
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Chronicle november 14, 2013
Roundtable on Catholic Higher Ed Debuts Journal
Caitlin Cunningham
PoliSci’s Easter Earns Two Prizes for Book on East Bloc
By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer
By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
Professor of Political Science Gerald Easter has won two major awards from the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies for his book, Capital, Coercion, and Postcommunist States, which examines divergent approaches to taxation among former East Bloc countries, and the subsequent political and economic impacts these had. Easter’s book was selected for the Ed A. Hewett Book Prize, awarded for an outstanding publication on the political economy of the former Soviet Union and East Central Europe and their transitional successors. The book also earned the Davis Center Book Prize in Political and Social Studies as the best monograph on Russia, Eurasia, or Eastern Europe in anthropology, political science, sociology or geography. “Winning a book award is nice, and winning two book awards is even nicer,” said Easter, who published Capital, Coercion, and Postcommunist States in late 2012. “I worked on the book for a long time, with no shortage of anxiety along the way, so that hopefully it will say something meaningful and might be enjoyable to read as well. Academic research is a rather solitary endeavor, and you never really know who, if anyone, is paying attention. I suppose, mostly, the book awards confirm that all the time, effort and fretting was worth it.” Easter traces the inspiration for the book to a period in the 1990s when he lived in Russia – not long after the disintegration of the Soviet Union — and witnessed a fiscal crisis there that triggered bank runs and effectively wiped out people’s life savings. “The government had been accessing capital through a pyramid scheme, issuing short term bonds at incredibly high rates of return — upwards to 100 and 150 percent — until it simply ran out of money to pay off. The government was forced into doing this because it could not, for administrative reasons, and would not—for political reasons — collect the taxes necessary to support its expenditures.” Visiting Poland a year later, Easter saw a vastly different system for conducting state finances: “The Polish government succeeded in making new taxes, which people paid — maybe not fully, but enough so that the government was able to fund itself. So it made for a neat comparison: How two post-communist states, starting
“It made for a neat comparison: How two post-communist states [Poland and Russia], starting from similar places, ended up with very different tax systems, which in turn influenced the outcomes of their larger political and economic transition.” —Gerald Easter
from similar places, ended up with very different tax systems, which in turn influenced the outcomes of their larger political and economic transition.” As Easter explains in the book, the “contractual” state as exemplified by Poland and the countries of Eastern Europe moved toward democratic regimes, consensual relations with society, and clear boundaries between political power and economic wealth. The “predatory” state associated with the successors to the USSR developed authoritarian regimes, coercive relations with society, and poorly defined boundaries between the political and economic realms. The outcomes in both cases were not pre-determined, Easter believes, but the weight of history has a strong influence on each country’s path of development. “The one factor that stands out regarding the two cases is the role of the post-communist elites in each country. In Poland, a core section of elites from rival political parties were united in that they wanted Poland to be a democracy, to have capitalism, and to be in the European Union. At every turn when conflict could have derailed the transition away from democratic and market reforms, rival elite actors were capable of sitting down and reaching a compromise solution. “Russian elites, by contrast, were incapable of this. Always for them it is a zero-sum game, all or nothing. And when they encountered a crisis, rather than finding compromise solutions they dug in and, as a result, their economy collapsed and their nascent democracy went up in flames. “Here at the root of these elite inclinations maybe we can bring history back in. There was something inherent in the national identity to the Polish elite, most likely fostered by an understanding of Poland’s tragic past, which contributed to these strategic compromises during the transition. Russian elites, by contrast, have always been
and continue to be dependent on the state for their status and wealth. They compete among one another for political favor, and ultimately are incapable of putting aside personal reward and uniting for a greater good. That is a consistent theme in Russian history from medieval times to contemporary times.” Capital, Coercion, and Postcommunist States is chronologically the last part of Easter’s trilogy on the communist state – although he hasn’t yet written the middle part. “My first book was a study of the building of the communist state, focusing on the Soviet Union with a case study of regional administration. The next monograph will be the fall of the communist state, and will include a wider country comparison — USSR, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Romania — with a case study of the role of coercion. It will focus specifically on the dramatic moments at the end of the old regime when protest movements challenged the authorities, which responded by sending out the police to put down the protests. It will seek to answer the question of why, at these critical junctures, did the state’s coercive forces either obey or mutiny?” Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
Multi-Faith Thanksgiving Event Is Nov. 21 The University’s annual Multi-Faith Thanksgiving and Hanukkah Celebration will be held next Thursday, Nov. 21, at noon in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons. Donations of food for the needy are encouraged, and all those interested in attending are urged to bring a friend. For more information, contact Howard McLendon in Campus Ministry at ext.2-2793.
The Boston College Roundtable: Advancing the Mission of Catholic Higher Education marked its second semester with the inaugural publication of its journal and the second meeting of its members, who discuss the mission of American Catholic higher education through the lens of their academic disciplines. An initiative of University Mission and Ministry, the Boston College Roundtable seeks to advance the conversation about mission, identity, and the Catholic intellectual tradition and to discern the value of a faith-based education in a contemporary context. The Roundtable comprises a group of scholars from a broad range of academic disciplines representing 11 Catholic colleges and universities. This month, the Boston College Roundtable published the first issue of Integritas, a journal of the official roundtable proceedings. Integritas presents the invited papers along with the formal responses and a summary of the roundtable conversations. The first volume covers the spring 2013 roundtable’s theme of charism and hospitality. “The presenters were asked to explore the theme through the lens of their own discipline and experience in the academy,” said University Mission and Ministry Assistant Director of Faculty Outreach and Program Assessment Tim Muldoon, who serves as Integritas’ editor. The three papers, he said, along with the responses and dialogue, “invite reflection on the ways that different campus communities strike a balance between fidelity to their Catholic tradition, on the one hand, and openness to the many who represent increasingly diverse other faith traditions, on the other.” The contents of Integritas include, for example, University Professor of English Paul Mariani’s essay on “Charism and the Literary Imagination” and Professor of Biology Marc Muskavitch’s response to a presentation by Providence College Associate Professor of Theology Aurelie Hagstrom. Integritas — viewable at www. bc.edu/integritas — is being distributed to the presidents, provosts and mission officers at every US Catholic college and university, as well as to groups such as the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education. “The hope is that this journal becomes a staple for conversations throughout Catholic institutions
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of learning,” said Vice President for University Mission and Ministry Jack Butler, SJ. “The goal is for these essays to work their way into broader conversations at different levels within our respective institutions and all Catholic colleges and universities, among deans and faculty, senior administrators, and mission officers. “The Roundtable provides a new model for conversation, and the essays — individually or collectively — will provide a springboard for further conversations and broader engagement.” During the first weekend of November, the Boston College Roundtable gathered at the Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center in Dover for its second series of presentations, focused on the theme of “The Transcendent Value of the Liberal Arts.” The presenters at the second roundtable meeting were: College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean David Quigley; Thomas G. Plante, Augustin Cardinal Bea, SJ, University Professor at Santa Clara University, and University of Dayton Religious Studies Lecturer Marian Díaz. Respondents were: Kevin Hughes, Villanova University associate professor of theology and religious studies and chair of the Humanities and Classical Studies Program; William C. Mattison III, Catholic University of America associate professor of moral theology, and John Cunningham, SJ, Loyola University of Chicago associate professor of physics. “The Roundtable is about faculty engaging in the mission of Catholic universities through the lens of their respective disciplines,” said Lisa Hastings, interim director of Mission and Ministry’s Office of Faculty Outreach and Program Assessment, which organizes the Boston College Roundtable. “At the gathering earlier this month, the collective components of each session — the papers, responses and discussions — made for very rich conversations. Our members and the observers were all very engaged.” The Boston College Roundtable originated from conversations between Fr. Butler and University President William P. Leahy, SJ. Woods College of Advancing Studies Interim Dean Rev. James Burns, IVD, then-director of faculty outreach and program assessment, implemented the idea and recruited the roundtable participants. The theme of the next Boston College Roundtable, April 12-14, will be “Science and the Person.” Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu
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Study Advises Working Longer Continued from page 1 Delayed Retirement Credit, which has gotten more generous though the years. Initially rewarding potential retirees with a 1 percent increase in monthly payments for those who retired at 66 years old instead of 65, says Munnell, the DRC was boosted in 1983 to give those who retired at 66 years old an additional 3 percent in monthly benefits, and an additional 6 percent for those who retired at 67. “But that didn’t really compensate for the fact that you were going to get your benefit for one or two years less, and so they gradually
age and you have some money in your 401(k), you should use that to support yourself until you can get to 70 because then you get the most of this monthly income,” says Munnell. “In your 60s, you can take a little extra work and do stuff on the side, and you won’t realize these benefits are so low. But when you get into your 70s, you tend to have this being your only source of income, and it’s too little if you claim that early. “ The latest CRR report comes on the heels of a study the center released last year that refuted the idea
“For the bulk of the population, working longer is an option. They need to be told that there’s this payoff to working longer and most people don’t know it.” —Alicia Munnell Photo by Tony Rinaldo
increased that delayed retirement benefit over time to 8 percent,” says Munnell. “At 8 percent, it’s an amount such that it compensates fully for the delayed claiming.” Munnell illustrates the point with an example, using $1,000 as the top end monthly payment at age 70: Because benefits paid before age 70 are actuarially reduced, a retiree would receive $818 at age 67, $707 at 65, and just $568 for someone who claims at age 62. Lifetime benefits are roughly equal for any claiming age between 62 — the earliest claiming age — and 70. “So at 62 they’re lower but you get them for eight years longer,” says Munnell. “At 70, they’re a lot higher – they’re actually 76 percent higher – but you get them for eight years less and the two offset one another perfectly. Everything in between seems irrelevant.” Although an advocate of working later in life, Munnell is well aware it’s not possible for everyone to work until 70. “Some people have much tougher jobs that are sometimes physically demanding. Or they have health problems. Or they face discrimination. And there are weak labor markets. So it’s hard for everybody to stay and I understand that. But for the bulk of the population, working longer is an option — they need to be told that there’s this payoff to working longer and most people don’t know it.” Munnell says if you can’t work until 70, do whatever you can to delay tapping into your retirement benefits. “If you can’t work until that
older workers were crowding out younger workers, even during the 2008 recession. Examining gender, state information, and education data and other factors, Munnell and co-author April Yanyuan Wu found nothing to support the belief that there is a fixed number of jobs – a theory known as the “lump of labor.” “This is a forced assumption,” says Wu, a CRR research economist. “The whole ‘lump of labor’ operates on the fallacy that economies are a fixed box, that if we are adding one job in, then we are taking one job out. But the whole economy is a dynamic process, so this fixed box theory is false.” Young workers (under 25 years old) historically have a higher unemployment rate than those in other age groups, the researchers note. Industries in which young workers are typically employed, such as manufacturing, were hit hard by the recession and its aftermath, which helped fuel the “lump of labor” explanation. “We were worried in the shorter time period when the whole economy was in a stagnant stage if there might be some crowding out, but we found none,” Wu says. “When the economy is good, there are more opportunities for both the older and the young. When the economy is good, wages increase as well — that happens to both age groups. But there’s no crowding out.” For more on the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/crr. Contact Sean Hennessey at sean.hennessey@bc.edu
Caitlin Cunningham
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Elizabeth Wilson ’15 — shown here working with Gardner Pilot Academy student Roxnny Roche — said the Music Outreach program had a discernible impact on the children: “You could observe how they were growing more confident in themselves.”
Students Share Their Love of Music Continued from page 1 in small groups on voice or instruments such as guitar, violin, piano, trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, flute and recorder. These sessions aren’t intended to groom kids for the conservatory, or even for a spot in a school band, say program organizers and volunteers. Few of the schoolchildren’s families have resources to afford music education, and their schools are likewise limited in what they can provide. But through Music Outreach, now in its third academic year, the children get a sense of what it’s like to have music as part of their lives — not as a source of entertainment but as a skill or talent they can develop, or simply enjoy for its own sake. “The benefits children get through exposure to, and involvement in, the arts are very wellknown,” said Ralf Gawlick. “These kids get a taste of music education, and in the bargain, can engage with a caring young adult who is really invested in sharing the gift of music.” Added Barbara Gawlick: “The BC students have devoted years of study to develop their musical skills, and now they have the opportunity to serve underprivileged youth through music.” “It’s all about giving kids the best possible things, from the basics like sunlight and fresh air to the benefits of art,” said Lucas Allen ’16, a Presidential Scholar who volunteers at Gardner. “Music is like that: They can grab hold of it and make it their own, and it will bring enrichment to their lives.” Felix Santiago, a 10th-grader at Brighton High, was so enthused by the guitar lessons he took from sophomore Amanda Adams last year that he signed up for piano as well as guitar for this year. “Amanda could really sing,” he said. “She taught us and made it easy to remember. She taught us the strings and different notes and chords. I learned it superfast.” The parents of Sebastian Sanchez, a Gardner sixth-grader, are
pleased with their son’s progress in Music Outreach. “It really helped him in a different way to have that experience of trumpet. He discovered that he liked other instruments as well and was able to start to play guitar. He wanted to have that opportunity, and being there, it’s something different for the kids to do.” Moreover, while the weekly faceto-face time may not seem like a lot, organizers and volunteers say it has a cumulative effect, creating a bond between the children and the BC students. Josie Bearden, a sophomore from Boonton Township, NJ, cultivated a mutually rewarding relationship with Gardner student Genesis last year, when she taught the girl to play clarinet — not the easiest instrument to get the hang of, she notes. But Genesis made steady progress, especially after she was able to take the clarinet home to practice, something she did with great zeal, according to Bearden. “I really felt that she just put all her energy into it. She’s so focused, and she would sit there for an hour absolutely fixated on the clarinet. When I spoke with Genesis’ parents, they were very excited about how well she was doing, and how much work she was putting in at home.” Bearden wound up loaning her clarinet to Genesis for the summer, and received a big hug from the sixth-grader at this year’s orientation session for the outreach program. “I love working with the kids,” said Bearden. “I don’t know if this is a ‘want-to-do-it-the-rest-of-my-life’ kind of experience, but it’s wonderful to see the impact music can have.” Elizabeth Wilson ’15, the first to volunteer in the program, agrees. “You could observe over the course of the year how the kids were picking things up, and how they were growing more confident in themselves,” said Wilson, from Laplata, Md. “They felt a real sense of achievement, no matter what else
might be going on in their lives.” Ari Fleisher, director of after school and summer enrichment programs at Gardner, points out that music education can have a long-term impact on a child beyond the ability to play a I-IV-V guitar chord sequence or a Beethoven piano piece. “Think about the dedication and commitment that goes into playing music, and the bravery it takes to stand up and perform at a recital. Employers talk about looking for qualities like confidence, competence and leadership skills – music can be an enormous help in developing these.” Music is at the core of other BCrelated outreach to local communities, such as the annual “BC Idol” concert that raises money for the St. Columbkille Partnership School’s music program. More recently, the BC Music Guild has begun a volunteer program at Franciscan Hospital for Children, sending student musicians to perform for young patients. It’s a meaningful development for a university whose music program was formally established a little more than two decades ago. “Music Outreach, under the leadership of energetic and committed professors Barbara and Ralf Gawlick, is an excellent example of learning beyond the classroom: It offers BC students the opportunity to directly apply the music and pedagogical skills they learn in class as they share their considerable performing talents,” said Professor Michael Noone, chair of the Music Department. “Moreover, these dedicated students provide an important service to the community by bringing music into the lives of young children and teenagers. Music Outreach — just like such other initiatives as the BC Idol benefit and the Music Guild’s partnership with Franciscan Hospital for Children — truly fulfills the University’s call to ‘Light the world.’” Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
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WELCOME ADDITIONS After nearly a decade as a clinical assistant professor in the Connell School of Nursing, this fall Holly Fontenot became a tenure-track assistant professor. She coordinates CSON’s women’s health nurse practitioner program and teaches Advanced Practice in Women’s Health Nursing. Fontenot’s clinical and research interests are in HPV (human papillomavirus) and the intersection of violence and women’s health. Her research has been published in the Journal of Forensic Nursing, Journal of Nurse Practitioners and Nursing for Women’s Health, among other publications. Her awards include National Academies of Practice Distinguished Practitioner and Fellow this year and the March of Dimes Massachusetts Chapter Nurse of the Year in 2012. In addition to her master’s and doctoral degrees from BC, she holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Baptist College of Nursing/Mercer University. A scholar in such areas as early modern European social history, Britain and the British empire, social history of the economy, and urbanization and migration, Assistant Professor of History Penelope Ismay spent the previous academic year as a visiting scholar at the Center for British Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned her master’s and doctoral degrees. Ismay’s academic and professional honors include a Mellon Fellowship in Humanistic Studies, an Institute of European Studies Dissertation Fellowship, and an AngloAmerican Fellowship at Pembroke College in Cambridge, England. Her credentials also include a military background: She earned a bachelor’s degree from the US Naval Academy and served on the USS Constellation and the USS John Young. Assistant Professor of Political Science Gabrielle Kruks-Wisner — with a doctoral degree in comparative politics and political economy and a master’s degree in city planning, both from MIT — studies issues related to international development, state-civil society relations, political participation, local governance and decentralization, and public service delivery in developing countries, with a regional focus on South Asia. Her research and professional experience includes stints with Oxfam America, WaterAid-Mozambique, the Washington Office on Latin America, the Urban Justice Center and Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, as well as dissertation fieldwork in a rural area of India. This fall, Kruks-Wisner is teaching Politics of India: Challenges of Democracy and Development and in the spring will lead a seminar for juniors and seniors titled The State and Civil Society. Connell School of Nursing Assistant Professor Tam Nguyen’s research interest is in chronic disease management and health literacy in vulnerable or immigrant populations, particularly high blood pressure control among Vietnamese Americans. Nguyen received a joint master’s degree in nursing and public health and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University — where she served as a faculty research associate in the School of Nursing and as a critical care nurse at the John Hopkins Hospital — and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland. She has been published in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension, the Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing and Diabetes Educator. Nguyen is serving as a mentor in CSON’s KILN (Keys to Inclusive Leadership in Nursing) program and teaching Research Methods for Evidence-based Nursing Practice and Theoretical Foundations in Public, Community and Family Health. —Kathleen Sullivan and Sean Smith Photos by Caitlin Cunningham and Lee Pellegrini “Welcome Additions,” an occasional feature, profiles new faculty members at Boston College.
Forum on American Politics Nov. 20 Boston College political scientists will give their take on the current level of partisanship in American politics, and on the national political climate in general, at a panel discussion on Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Merkert 127. O’Neill Professor of American Politics R. Shep Melnick, Professor Marc Landy, Associate Professor Dennis Hale and Assistant Professor David Hopkins are slated to appear at
“Polarization and the State of American Politics,” sponsored by the Boston College Eagle Political Society. The panelists will each give an opening statement, then answer questions from the Eagle Political Society board members and the audience. See facebook.com/eaglepolitics for more about the BC Eagle Political Society. —Office of News & Public Affairs
Newsmakers Associate Professor of the Practice Tiziana Dearing (GSSW) published a piece, “A whole city of innovators,” in a special Boston Sunday Globe “Ideas” section on suggestions for a new Boston, and was a guest on the BBC show “World Have Your Say” for a segment on the US government shutdown. Assoc. Prof. Jonathan Laurence (Political Science) discussed his book, The Emancipation of Europe’s Muslims, as a guest on New Mexico PBS-TV, and offered comments for two Christian Science Monitor articles on the uproar abroad surrounding NSA spying activities.
David Millar, a principal information security analyst in Information Technology Assurance, received a flu shot from Connell School of Nursing graduate student Michael Cheney at the recent Faculty and Staff Health Fair held in the Yawkey Center Murray Room. (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)
The Constitution is in dire need of repair, wrote Asst. Prof. Richard Albert (Law) in the WBUR-FM blog “Cognoscenti,” but the kinds of changes needed are possible only with old-style constitutional amendment — and that door is shut for now.
Music Department Chair Prof. Michael Noone was interviewed about his upcoming concerts with the Ensemble Plus Ultra [see story on page 8] on WHRB-FM’s “Special Concert” program.
Prof. James Bretzke, SJ (STM), appeared on WWL-AM New Orleans to talk about a questionnaire about parish-level views of marriage and family issued by the Vatican in preparation for the Synod of Bishops on the family, which will be held next October. The Washington Post reported on research by the Center for Work and Family, and comments by the
center’s executive director Brad Harrington, featured at the “Fathers in the Workplace Forum.”
BC BRIEFING Publications Founders Professor in Theology James F. Keenan, SJ, published “Enhancing Prosthetics for Soldiers Returning from Combat with Disabilities: Theological Ethical Considerations on the War Industry’s Impact on Bioethics” in ET Studies; “The Decalogue and the Moral
Friedberg Named Fellow of American Mathematical Society James P. McIntyre Professor of Mathematics Solomon Friedberg has been named a fellow of the American Mathematical Society, one of a select group of mathematicians who make up only the second class of fellows selected by the 125-year-old organization. Friedberg — who is on sabbatical this year as chair of Mathematics — is one of 50 mathematicians from around the world selected for their “outstanding contributions to the creation, exposition, advancement, communication, and utilization of mathematics,” according to the society. In particular, the organization praised Friedberg for his scholarly contributions to number theory, representation theory and automorphic forms, an analytical approach to complex mathematical problems. He was also recognized for his work to establish BC’s PhD program in mathematics three years ago. College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean David Quigley said Friedberg has not only sought to advance mathematical study on campus, but also worked extensively to improve math educa-
tion in Massachusetts’ K-12 schools. “Sol Friedberg has distinguished himself as an international leader in number theory while closer to home he has been a successful chair of the Mathematics Department and he’s committed to improving K-12 math education across the Commonwealth,” Quigley said. “I’m very happy to learn of his appointment as Fellow of the American Mathematical Society.” Friedberg’s research has been supported by the National Security Agency and he is currently a coprincipal investigator on a six-year National Science Foundation grant to support math teachers in highneed schools. A member of the board of directors of Math for America Boston, which supports K-12 and collegelevel math teachers, Friedberg has also advised the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on mathematics and science education. He is one of the organizers of the BC-MIT Number Theory Seminar. To learn about this year’s American Mathematical Society fellows, see www.ams.org/profession/ams-fellows. —Ed Hayward
Manual Tradition: From Trent to Vatican II” in The Decalogue and its Cultural Influence; and a review of Caroline Casuistry: the Cases of Conscience of Fr. Thomas Southwell, SJ, in Renaissance and Reformation.
Time and a Half Adj. Asst. Prof. Fang Lu (Slavic and Eastern Languages) presented the paper “Negotiating Ideal Femininity through Translation: The Image of Yun and Lin Yutang’s Cross-cultural Discourses on Chinese Women and the Chinese Art of Living” at the New York Conference on Asian Studies and “Enhancing Crosscultural Competence of Advanced Chinese Learners — Strategies in Teaching Business Chinese at the College Level” at the 2013 New England Association for Asian Studies Conference. Prof. Maxim D. Shrayer (Slavic and Eastern Languages) read from and discussed the Russian translation of his book Waiting for America at Chitay-Gorod Bookstore in Kiev and presented “Ilya Selvinsky and Soviet Memory of the Shoah in the Spring of 1945” at an international symposium held at the Ilya Selvinsky Memorial Museum in Crimea.
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: Provost and Dean of Faculties University Controller Bio-Informatic Software Engineer, Biology Department Technology Manager, Residential Life Academic Administrative Officer, Lynch School of Education Research Associate, Center for Retirement Research Associate Vice President for Facilities Services Staff Psychiatrist, University Counseling Associate Director of Major Giving, Development Office
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LOOKING AHEAD By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer
Renaissance musical works from a rare 16th-century Burns Library volume of Papal Chapel Masses will be brought to life next week, in a special performance directed by Music Department Chair and Professor Michael Noone. Noone’s internationally acclaimed Ensemble Plus Ultra will present “From Rome to the Heights — Renaissance Musical Treasures from the Papal Chapel” on Nov. 18 in Gasson 100. The event is free of charge and open only to members of the Boston College community. A reception will follow. The Ensemble Plus Ultra, hailed by Early Music Today as “a crack squad of the finest British early music singers,” was formed by Noone in 2001. Dedicated to the promotion of historically aware performances of liturgical works from the Renaissance, it is a consort of chamber musicians whose innovative performances display attention to musical and historical detail. The award-winning group works with noted musicologists to call on the latest research and to ensure its unique repertoire. “It’s a terrific opportunity to bring together first-class musicians with a rare 16th-century volume of music from the Papal Chapel,” Noone said. “It’s exciting for all concerned.” Noone describes the volume, acquired in 2011, as a rare ex-
Photo courtesy Michael Noone
Concert to Feature Renaissance Music ‘Treasures’
Music Department Chair and Professor Michael Noone performs with Ensemble Plus Ultra. He will direct the ensemble in a concert in Gasson 100 this Tuesday.
emplar of composer Cristóbal de Morales’s “Missarum liber primus (First Book of Mass).” “It is a real treasure and remarkably well preserved; a masterpiece of typography and one of the earliest examples of music printing.” Part of a collection of 16 polyphonic Masses originally published in 1544 Rome, the book contains Masses for daily use, composed by Morales (ca. 15001553) when he was a member of the Papal Chapel. Known in his day as the la luz de España en la música (“the light of Spain in music”), Morales has been a focus of Noone’s research, concerts and recordings. According to Associate University Librarian for Special Collections and Digital Library Programs Bridget Burke, “the Missarum is a significant addition to the Burns Library’s collection of pre-1700 Catholic liturgical works — currently over 40 volumes ranging from a 14th-cen-
tury manuscript Franciscan antiphoner to early printed works from Paris, Antwerp, Milan, and Venice. “Most exciting is that Michael Noone’s ensemble will literally breathe life into this printed object through their performance from the original volume,” she said. “Seeing the work performed gives insights into the basic quality and functionality of the volume: it is large, so that a group could read from it together, to sing.” This weekend, the ensemble will do a video recording of works from the Burns volume, and in the next few years the group will record a CD of its entire contents. Noone also will work with Burns Library to produce an instructional website based on its rare music holdings — a project, he notes, that will involve BC students. Because most of the music has never been recorded, he explains,
BC SCENES
“the best way to introduce this rare volume and its musical treasures to a wider audience is [via] a website video that showcases the library’s musical riches.” A specially commissioned facsimile will be used at the concert, as the original volume is too valuable to be removed from the library. Its provenance, Burke notes, vividly illustrates the path of early printed works as they are created, collected, dispersed, and incorporated into modern special collections. Burke thanked Cecilia A. and John F. Farrell for their creation of a Music Library Fund in their name, which allowed for the purchase of the work, and noted that Boston College Libraries have created a digital edition available to scholars around the world, at hdl.handle.net/2345/3146. Members of the Ensemble Plus Ultra – which last performed at BC in 2011 – will work with students while on campus. Prior to the BC concert, the group debuted under Noone’s direction at the Boston Early Music Festival in both Boston and New York City, and performed in Charlottesville, Va. These concerts featured music from the Burns volume. The campus event is supported by the Jesuit Institute, the Institute for the Liberal Arts, the Music Department and BC Libraries. Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu
IN REMEMBRANCE Photos by Lee Pellegrini
Boston College hosted its annual Veterans Day Mass and Remembrance Ceremony on Monday, which featured a talk by retired US Navy Chaplain Robert K. Keane, SJ ’71. To see a related video, go to http://www.youtube.com/bostoncollege.
Burns Exhibits Shed Light on 19th-Century Boston Two Burns Library exhibits offer insights into 19th-century Boston — one through a sampling of personal and collective responses to an intensive period of change in the city, the other in remembrance of a legendary Irish patriot who was one of Boston’s most celebrated literary and political figures. “Beloved of Boston: John Boyle O’Reilly in the Hub,” which opened this week and runs through Dec. 10, provides a glimpse at the Irish-born poet, journalist and fiction writer who served as editor of The Pilot. A native of Drogheda in County Meath, O’Reilly (18441890) first arrived in Boston as, technically, a fugitive: Sentenced by British authorities to 20 years penal servitude in Australia for his involvement with the Irish Republican Brotherhood — or “Fenians” — O’Reilly managed to escape and make his way to Philadelphia, then Boston. O’Reilly attained popularity in the city’s Irish population through his exploits, as well as his advocacy for Irish independence — although he denounced Fenianism in favor of pursuing social justice for all — and his prolific writing. He is widely credited with playing a key role in bridging divisions between the Irish Catholic/immigrant and Yankee/Brahmin communities. Six years after his death, a bronze sculpture was erected in his honor in the Fenway. The “Beloved of Boston” exhibit includes a copy of his 1879 book Moondyne, a novel based on his experiences as a convict in Australia, and his 1886 collection of poems, In Bohemia. Among other items on display is a typewritten poem, “The White Rose,” that was later included in a posthumous collection, Selected Poems, and his 1871 letter to the officers and members of the Fenian Brotherhood of Boston. Also currently on display at Burns is “Common Boston: Exploring the City’s Nineteenth-Century Transformation,” which conveys attitudes among citizens and officials in a city that experienced an influx of immigration and, in 1872, a devastating fire. Faced with such changes, Boston had to rebuild itself not only with bricks and mortar but through human service organizations and other forms of social outreach. Organized in collaboration with the History Department, “Common Boston” — which runs through Jan. 10 — includes a selection of print and manuscript documents representing individual, institutional, and governmental responses to the challenges and opportunities presented by life in a dense, diverse, and growing city: diaries of 19th-century citizens, theatre broadsides and scrapbooks, published reports of social service agencies concerned with health and welfare, police records, immigrant financial records, and more. See www.bc.edu/content/bc/libraries/about/exhibits/burns.html. —Sean Smith