Boston College Chronicle

The Boston College

Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs september 19, 2013 VOL. 22 no. 2

INSIDE •Parents’ Weekend/Pops on the Heights, page 2 •BC Children’s Center marks 25th anniversary, page 2

Symposium Looks at Vatican II

•Student Involvement Day, page 2

The Boston College community gathered to celebrate the Mass of the Holy Spirit last Thursday in the Plaza at O’Neill Library, right. Later that same day, freshmen took part in the annual First Flight processional to First Year Convocation in Conte Forum. (Photos by Caitlin Cunningham)

•Special Olympics group forms, page 3 •BC stays at 31st in US News survey, page 3

At a crucial moment in the history of the Catholic Church, Boston College will convene distinguished international scholars to discuss the legacy of Vatican II. Participants in the Sept. 26 academic symposium, “The Legacy of Vatican II,” will address theological, historical and cultural “My cousin was taken out, perspectives and focus on its longterm legacy in the United States and killed, for his truck. and in the world.

The symposium, sponsored For his truck. They killed by the School of Theology and somebody for a truck.”

Ministry, is part of Boston Col—Ikram Easton lege’s Sesquicentennial celebrarets coming from every mosque tion [www.bc.edu/150].

Continued on page 5 mixed with the sounds of bells of churches. It was a glorious harmony, the glorious sounds of churches — living in true harmony. That’s what has made Syria unique for a century.

That’s what makes Syria very valuable, very rich in its culture, because of its harmony existing among Muslims and Christians.

What do you make of the civil

By Jack Dunn war that has been going on for Director of News Continued on page 6 & Public Affairs

Syria’s Plight ‘Breaks My Heart’

•Welcome Additions to the faculty, page 7

Admission Stats Show Change for the Better

•Church in 21st Century Ctr. fall schedule, page 4 •ACS honors Amir Hoveyda, page 4 •High ROI for English, humanities at BC, page 5

•Lowell Humanities Series begins Sept. 25, page 8 •Oct. 1 concert features Tunisian music, page 8 •Gaelic Roots in tune for the fall, page 8

By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor

When Boston College introduced a supplementary essay to its application form this past academic year, the Office of Undergraduate Admission fully expected a downturn in the number of applicants — and it got one.

But the 28 percent dip in applications for the Class of 2017 was not the most important number, according to Admission administrators: The University’s acceptance rate was 32 percent, placing

Lee Pellegrini

•HEALTHY YOU update, Healthapalooza, page 6

Ikram Easton, who teaches Elementary Arabic in the Slavic and Eastern Languages Department, emigrated from her native Syria in 1998, and last visited there in 2000. She left behind her two sisters and a brother, along with aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends. She spoke with the Chronicle’s Sean Hennessey earlier this week about events in her homeland. To read the full interview, go to www.bc.edu/chronicle.

For months we’ve been seeing on the news a country divided by civil war. What is the Syria that you know, the country that you remember?

The Syria that I remember was completely different than what we are seeing right now. For decades, there was stability in the country.

•Homecoming returns to campus, page 3

Atrocities were in neighboring countries – it never felt like that in Syria.

We have always been a secular country, a safe country. The Syria that I remember is full of history that dates back to the start of history, basically.

I remember the sounds of mina-

it among the nation’s most selective institutions, and BC’s yield on admitted students rose from 25 to 28 percent over the previous year.

And at the end of the admission cycle, BC had arguably its strongest academic incoming freshman class, its mean SAT score of 2032 besting by 10 points the record high of the Class of 2016.

Director of Undergraduate Admission John Mahoney Jr. says the statistics certainly suggest that BC’s decision to add the application essay — even though it might deter prospective students — has been

QUOTE:

150th Is a Banner Year for Campaign

vindicated. What’s more, he and his colleagues feel confident this year’s admission picture is an emerging portrait rather than a snapshot.

“I honestly think that Boston College was one of the major stories in college admissions this year,” said Mahoney. “We took a risk by adding, rather than subtracting, a requirement in the essay. We wanted a pool of applicants who were serious about applying to BC, thereby enabling us to make better decisions among the many qualified and deserving students who make Continued on page 4

Boston College’s Sesquicentennial has proved to be a banner year for “Light the World,” providing added momentum, administrators say, for the stretch run of the University’s $1.5 billion capital campaign.

The FY ’13 total of $102 million in cash received was raised through 27,582 gifts from alumni donors, a new participation record for Boston College. This accomplishment, coupled with the crossing of the $1 billion mark just before the new year and the 100,000th “Light the World” donation in April, has made 2013 one of the most sucContinued on page 5

“This is our community and our commitment. If we ask our students to be men and women for others, we must be willing to live that Jesuit value ourselves.

Everything Special Olympics stands for is pure BC.” —Boston College Police Sgt. Jeffrey Postell, page 3

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Chronicle september 19, 2013

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A ROUND P ARENTS & P OPS Parents and families of Boston College undergraduates will be welcomed to campus next Friday for the University’s annual Parents’ Weekend, when they will have the opportunity to hear from University President William P. Leahy, SJ, and BC academic and student affairs personnel, as well as enjoy the popular “Pops on the Heights” concert and a football game in Alumni Stadium.

Parents’ Weekend will officially kick off on Sept. 27 with morning “Open House” sessions hosted by the deans of each of Boston College’s undergraduate schools. The afternoon will feature information sessions with Student Affairs and Academic Advising Center, and a series of discussions on teaching and student life.

Capping the afternoon events will be an address by Fr. Leahy, who will share his perspective on the University’s past, present and future as BC celebrates its Sesquicentennial.

At 6 p.m., Conte Forum will open for the annual Pops on the Heights Barbara and Jim Cleary Scholarship Gala, with performances from student music groups followed by a concert featuring the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, conducted by Keith Lockhart, an appear-

C AMPUS H IGHLY I NVOLVED

Rose Lincoln

The University Chorale performs at the annual Pops on the Heights concert during Parents’ Weekend.

ance by actress and recording artist Katharine McPhee, and the University Chorale of Boston College. [The concert is now sold out.]

The Parents’ Weekend activities continue Saturday with a barbecue at the Flynn Recreation Complex before the BC-Florida State football game.

Tickets can be purchased at www. bceagles.com/promos with the code PARENTS. The weekend will conclude on Sunday with a family liturgy at 10 a.m. in Conte Forum, followed by a continental breakfast.

Information about Pops on the Heights and other Parents’ Weekend events is available at www.bc.edu/ parents.

—Michael Maloney

Boston College ranks 15th among those US colleges and universities whose alumni enroll in the Teach For America program, according to figures released by the organization this month.

Founded in 1990, Teach For America [www.teachforamerica.org] recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding individuals of all academic disciplines to commit two years to teach in highneed schools “and become lifelong leaders in the movement to end educational inequity.”

Twenty-nine members of the BC Class of 2013 are among the more than 11,000 TFA participants teaching this fall in urban and rural regions across the country, in addition to the nearly 32,000 TFA alumni “working across sectors to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education,” according to the organization. Overall, 387 BC graduates have taken part in TFA since it was founded.

—Office of News & Public Affairs

Almost 300 Boston College clubs and organizations congregated along Linden Lane, the Plaza at O’Neill Library and Gasson Quad on Sept. 6 for the Student Involvement Fair.

Students and other members of the University community had a chance to learn about various recreational, volunteer, arts, social, civic and other activities offered through the organizations — such as the Vietnamese Student Association, above, represented by Amy Yeung ’15 and Salvatore D’Amico ’15. Go to the Boston College YouTube page at www. youtube.com/BostonCollege to see a video about the event.

(Photos by Caitlin Cunningham)

F OR 25 YEARS, A CENTER OF A TTENTION In celebration of its 25th anniversary, the Boston College Children’s Center (BCCC) held a reunion last Saturday, welcoming back families who have been a part of the center — and who praised Director Barbara Krakowsky and her colleagues for their efforts to create a nurturing place that provides high-quality early education and child care for children of BC employees and students.

“BCCC was one of the best experiences our sons and our family have had. This weekend’s celebration reminded us all of the very special community that Barbara Krakowsky and her team have built and sustained for 25 years,” said College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean David Quigley, who served on the center’s Parents Advisory Council for several years while his sons Nathaniel, Tyrone and Graham (now, respectively, in 11th, 8th grade and 5th grade) attended. “Each of our boys entered the center fearful of starting school and being away from us, and

Children’s Center Director Barbara Krakowsky and Human Resources Vice President Leo Sullivan greeted guests at Saturday’s celebration marking the center’s 25th anniversary. (Photo by Christopher Huang)

by the time they finished, they were thriving and ready for kindergarten.”

Owned by Boston College and operating under the division of the Vice President for Human Resources, the Children’s Center is licensed by the Massachusetts Office of Early Education and Care and accredited by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs, a branch of the

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

National Association for the Education of Young Children. The children at the center range in age from 2.9 to 5 years old. They are arranged by development level into groups called Discovery Ducks, Explorers or Adventurers.

“The BCCC faculty is a truly remarkable group of teachers and the center reflects their commitment to

The Boston College

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

excellence in early education,” said Krakowsky, who estimates that the center staff has educated and cared for more than 400 children in its first quarter-century. “[They] do everything possible to assure a child reaches his or her potential in all the domains.

They plan play-based activities that are engaging and reflect the state’s core standards. Social and emotional development is key to later success and the teachers put emphasis on this area. They put much thought and expertise into the planned experiences of every child’s day and then they add many warm, nurturing interactions.”

The need for safe, high quality child care is as critical for employee and student families’ work/life balance now as it was when the center was established, according to Krakowsky.

“Feeling confident that your child is being well cared for, in a developmentally appropriate educational program, has a positive impact on employee and student productivity.”

“Having child care on campus cer-

tainly made it easier for me to juggle my job – and I was working on my doctorate at the same time,” said University Advancement Associate Vice President for Operations and Planning Brenda Speight Ricard, whose two children attended the Children’s Center. “Knowing that my children were being so well cared for definitely enabled me to keep all of the balls in the air successfully, most of the time!

I also had the opportunity to meet many people on campus I might not otherwise have had the chance to get to know. Many of the relationships that I formed back then continue today.”

Perhaps the biggest endorsement for the Children’s Center can be found in one of its current families.

“We have a child here now who is a second generation. It feels great to have a former student bring their own child to us,” said Krakowsky.

“We all feel like foster grandparents.

We love it.”

—Kathleen Sullivan

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.

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

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle september 19, 2013

BC Holds Strong at 31st in 2014 US News Rankings

Melissa Beecher

BC, Special Olympics Connected

By Melissa Beecher Staff Writer

Boston College Police Officer Kevin Christopher remembers a moment during an overnight shift more than a decade ago, walking through the dimmed halls of the Boston College Campus School during a building check.

He stopped in front of one of the photos of a teacher hugging a student with severe special needs.

“Growing up, as a kid, I was afraid of people with special needs,” confided Christopher.

“That night, I stood there. I stood there for a while. I noticed all the equipment that was around to help students walk and breathe.

Then I noticed that in every picture in that hallway, all the kids were smiling. It brought tears to my eyes and I remember thinking, ‘My God, I would never have the strength to care for a child that had such challenges.’”

Not long after that night, Christopher’s son, Ryan, was born. Ryan has Down syndrome.

“Ryan put it all in perspective.

He has taught me to be a better man, a better person, each and every day,” said Christopher.

Christopher is now staff advisor to Special Olympics Boston College (SOBC). This year, the club has qualified as an official student organization. BCPD recently donated new equipment – soccer balls, volleyballs, bags and air pumps – to the group in a quiet ceremony on campus last week.

This Saturday, BCPD and SOBC hold a truck pull fundraiser at Edmond’s Hall at 10 a.m. (registration begins at 9 a.m.).

Teams of 10 pay $500 and try to pull tractor-trailers, a moving truck and duck boats. All the money raised will be donated to Special Olympics.

Since 2006, BCPD has worked with the unofficial BC Special Olympics group. Today, 30 student volunteers organize practices and competitions for 24 Special Olympic athletes. Each coach must participate in training and make the commitment for the season.

Co-President Pat Luchini ’14 has been involved with SOBC since his freshman year. It was a group that immediately drew his attention at a Student Involvement Fair.

“My younger brother is deaf, so I grew up in a family that was very familiar with the weird looks, confusion and misunderstanding

Boston College Police presented new equipment to the Special Olympics BC group. (L-R): Steve Huftalen, AVP Corporate Development and Special Events of Special Olympics Massachusetts; SOBC Advisor Officer Kevin Christopher; SOBC Co-Preident Pat Luchini ‘14; Special Olympian Kevin Slattery; SOBC CoPresident Danny Corning ‘15; BCPD Community Relations Sgt. Jeffrey Postell.

that is associated with someone who is different,” said Luchini.

“After running my first practice, I was hooked. My involvement with Special Olympics is the most defining experience of my life.

And I will continue to be involved with this for the rest of my life.”

While co-president Danny Corning ’15 has no familial connection to someone with special needs, he was drawn to participate in SOBC after working with Special Olympics in high school.

“I started simply by playing basketball with the athletes. To see the work and commitment they put into it, they had a true appreciation for every practice,” said Corning.

“So often we just go through the motions. As a society we can get caught up in competition and being number one. The Special Olympics oath is: ‘Let me win.

But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.’ This experience has helped me appreciate the bravery in the attempt.”

Special Olympian Kevin Slattery works in BC Dining and is a member of the SOBC Double Dragons. He has medaled six times in the Massachusetts Special Olympic games.

“I like soccer and basketball, baseball and mini golf,” he said.

“I am really looking forward to the soccer games this year. I like

being involved.”

The experiences of Slattery, as well as Luchini and Corning, are why BCPD and other law enforcement agencies are so committed to Special Olympics, said Sgt. Jeffrey Postell, head of BCPD Community Relations. In addition to its partnership with SOBC, BCPD participates in the Law Enforcement Torch Run – a year-round fund raising effort that calls law enforcement officials to be guardians of the flame – and the Cruiser Convoy, a statewide procession of law enforcement to kick off the Special Olympic Massachusetts Summer Games.

“We are called to be a guardian, a voice and a resource for those need us,” said Postell. “This is our community and our commitment. If we ask our students to be men and women for others, we must be willing to live that Jesuit value ourselves. Everything Special Olympics stands for is pure BC. The goal from here is to raise awareness and ensure this organization is self-sustaining so members of our community can participate for years to come.”

For more information on this Saturday’s benefit for SOBC, see facebook.com/SpecialOlympicsBostonCollege or facebook.com/bcpolice.

Contact Melissa Beecher at melissa.beecher@bc.edu

Symposium on Global Justice Boston College will host an international symposium that will examine global economics, collective responsibility, corporate globalization and other related issues tomorrow and Saturday.

Sponsored by the Philosophy Department and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, “Global Justice and Responsibility” will be held in Stokes 195S. The symposium will consist of four sessions, ending with a roundtable discussion.

Among the featured speakers will be Professor of Sociology Charles Derber and Philosophy faculty members Professor Oliva Blanchette, Assistant Professor Micah Lott and Assistant Professor Aspen Brinton.

For details on the symposium, e-mail Blanchette at oliva.blanchette@ bc.edu. The schedule for the event can be viewed at bit.ly/188HM3R. —Office of News & Public Affairs

Boston College maintained its ranking of 31st among national universities in the 2014 US News & World Report survey.

The University was bolstered by higher relative rankings for academic spending on students, admission selectivity and alumni giving.

Boston College also rose to 36th from 39th in the “Great Schools, Great Prices” ranking, reflecting the University’s commitment to needblind admissions and to meeting the full demonstrated need of all of its accepted students. In addition, BC’s Carroll School of Management improved two positions to 22nd in the “The Best in Undergraduate Business” rankings of top AACSB-accredited programs.

Interim Provost and Dean of Faculties Joseph Quinn said he was pleased with the 2014 US News rankings and the positive manner

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in which Boston College continues to be viewed among top national universities.

“Boston College’s continued high ranking is a source of pride for all of us, and confirms what our students and their families already know: BC is a great place to be educated. It a testament to the hard work of our faculty, staff and administrators. We are especially glad that our commitment to — and increased funding for — financial aid has been acknowledged. I note that we achieve this ranking with fewer financial resources than any of the 30 schools ranked ahead of us, suggesting that we are a lean and efficient organization, doing more with less.”

US News’ rankings of all colleges and universities can be accessed online at http://www.usnews.com.

—Jack Dunn

T-shirts will be part of the BC Homecoming fun.

Homecoming Returns to Heights It’s a homecoming for Homecoming at the Heights.

For the first time in decades, Boston College will officially celebrate Homecoming on Oct. 4-5, with a slate of events for both alumni and students to come together and showcase their BC pride as the football Eagles prepare to take on Army in Alumni Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 5.

On Friday, Oct. 4, will be a pep rally featuring the football team, the Screaming Eagles Marching Band and cheerleaders on Shea Field, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Alumni, parents and friends are invited to gather prior to the rally at Cadigan Alumni Center for a reception. Then the group, escorted by cheerleaders and band members, will process over to join the student body at Shea Field for the rally. The pep rally will close with a fireworks display.

“Spirit Week,” the days leading up to Homecoming Weekend, will be filled with activities where BC students can demonstrate their school spirit and vie for a trophy that will be awarded at halftime of the Homecoming game. Competitions include a contest to create banners and display them on the Commonwealth Avenue parking garage —three judges will select a winner based on originality, overall appearance, creativity and spirit; members of the BC community

can vote online for their favorite — and a game show-style tournament between teams in Robsham Theater on Oct. 3. Students can also earn points for wearing BC gear on Oct. 4 and checking in with the UGBC table in the Gasson Quad during the day.

Homecoming t-shirts will be handed out throughout Spirit Week and students are encouraged to wear them to the game; the t-shirts also will be available for purchase at the BC Bookstore.

On Oct. 5, game day activities will start with FanFest at the Recreation Complex, a family-friendly celebration with Baldwin, cheerleaders and children’s activities, such as face painting. During the game, there will be a 25th-anniversary recognition of the BC and Army football teams, which met in the 1988 Emerald Isle Classic in Dublin, the first American college football game played in Europe.

Closing out Homecoming will be the Homecoming Ball for students at the Boston Sheraton Hotel on Saturday evening.

Homecoming is a joint project of Athletics, the Alumni Association, Office of Student Programs and the Division of Student Affairs, UGBC and Nights on the Heights.

For more information, see www. bc.edu/homecoming.

—Kathleen Sullivan

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Continued from page 1 the effort.

“It all worked out just as we hoped, and not just in the short term. Through this change, we feel BC has managed to enhance its reputation and position itself for long-term success in attracting and enrolling students who possess the academic and other qualities we seek.”

Mahoney cited a letter commending BC’s decision received from the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools — representing such distinguished institutions as the Groton School, Phillips Academy of Andover and Milton Academy, among others.

“In focusing on a smaller number of applications from wellqualified students,” the letter read, “John and his staff reflect the best aspects of our shared mission as educators and admission professionals to help young people find appropriate and fulfilling college opportunities. This sort of integrity and commitment to students is noteworthy.”

Reviewing other facets of this year’s freshman class, Mahoney noted the yield for international students rose considerably over last year, from 16 to 25 percent.

Although that figure covers a relatively small group of undergraduates — 165, or about seven percent of the freshman class — the trend still bears watching, he said.

“BC’s international presence

Lee Pellegrini

the fall 2013 C21 Resources are: School of Theology and Ministry faculty members Barbara Quinn, Appearances by former Presi- RSCJ, Hosffman Ospino and Coldent of Ireland Mary McAleese and leen Griffith, Center for Catholic journalist John L. Allen Jr., who Education Fellow Michael James, has closely chronicled the early pa- doctoral student Jaisy Joseph and pacy of Pope Francis, are among alumnus Kevin Ahern PhD ’13. the highlights of the Church in the Other events this fall: 21st Century Center events for the Oct. 1: Agape Latte, C21 and fall semester.

Campus Ministry’s joint speaker Allen, a senior correspondent for series for students, will kick off with National Catholic Reporter and Vati- Assistant Professor of History Jercan analyst for CNN, will speak on emy Clarke, SJ. Oct. 23: Hofstra University “The Francis Papacy: Reform, Renewal and Resistance” on Oct. 30 at Senior Research Associate-in-Res6 p.m. in Robsham Theater. Allen idence and Adjunct Professor of was part of the media contingent Religion Phyllis Zagano presents who traveled with Pope Francis on “Women Deacons: Past, Present, his first overseas visit to Brazil for Future” at 6 p.m. at the Cadigan World Youth Day. He will share his Alumni Center. Zagano, author of the bestseller On Prayer: A Letter insider’s perspective during the adfor My Godchild, is an internationdress, which is co-sponsored by the ally renowned Catholic scholar who School of Theology and Ministry. specializes in contemporary spiriMcAleese, who is serving as the tuality and women’s issues in the Burns Library Visiting Scholar in Church.

Irish Studies, will be interviewed Nov. 12: Vice Provost for Faculby Joseph Professor of Catholic ties Patricia DeLeeuw will moderSystematic Theology Richard Gail- ate a panel discussion on “Women lardetz on “Collegiality in Church for a Contemporary Church,” with Leadership.” The event, co-spon- STM Associate Professor Francine sored by the Theology Department, Cardman, Theology Professor will be held in the Cadigan Alumni M. Shawn Copeland, and Theology doctoral student Center on Nov. 7 at “To ensure that Catholi- Megan McCabe, at 6 p.m.

These two events cism is relevant for a con- 5:30 p.m. in Gasson 100. Co-sponsors are among a series that will highlight temporary world, we have are STM, the Thethe C21 Center’s to examine how well the ology Dept. and the Women’s Resource theme “Living CaChurch addresses the diCenter. tholicism: Roles and Dec. 5: Noted Relationships for verse pastoral needs of the Biblical scholar a Contemporary Catholic community.” Gary Anderson will World,” which is —Erik Goldschmidt deliver an Advent also the title of its lecture, “I Give, fall edition of C21 Therefore I am: The Resources and opening lecture by Primacy of Charity in Christian Theology Professor Rev. Michael Life,” at 5:30 in the Cadigan AlumHimes. ni Center. Anderson, the Hesburgh Fr. Himes, who served as guest Professor in Catholic Theology at editor of C21 Resources, will de- the University of Notre Dame, is liver his address on Oct. 3 at 5:30 the author of the new book, Charp.m. in Gasson 100. The lecture ity: The Place of the Poor in the Bibliis co-sponsored by the Theology cal Tradition.

Department.

In addition, C21 will hold a “The C21 fall magazine and book launch on Nov. 14 in conevent series explore many of the junction with Paulist Press and roles and relationships that are es- STM for Hope: Promise, Possibility, sential to the life of the Church,” and Fulfillment, edited by STM said C21 Center Director Erik Professor Rev. Richard Lennan and Goldschmidt. “To ensure that Ca- Associate Professor Nancy Pinedatholicism is relevant for a contem- Madrid. All of the contributors to porary world, we have to examine Hope are members of the STM how well the Church addresses the faculty. The event will be held at diverse pastoral needs of the Catho- 6:30 p.m. in the Heights Room lic community. Fr. Michael Himes of Corcoran Commons and feareminds us that this process is not ture Rev. Lennan, Pineda-Madrid, only external but also internal. Each STM Research Professor Christoof us must examine how we are pher R. Matthews and STM Assoliving our faith to assure that there ciate Professor John Sachs, SJ. is and will be a Catholicism that is Information on these and other alive.” events and programs is available at In addition to Fr. Himes and www.bc.edu/church21.

Gaillardetz, members of the BC Contact Kathleen Sullivan at community who contributed to kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu

By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer

Positive Trends Seen in Class of 2017

Freshmen at an orientation session prior to the start of the academic year.

has grown substantially, thanks in part to efforts by the Admission and Development offices. Students abroad are impressed enough by BC’s ranking to look at us as a place to apply, but we want them to know what we are about, and how we differ from other elite institutions. The supplementary essay helps to convey that.”

Forty-two foreign countries are represented in the Class of 2017, along with 43 states and Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and District of Columbia. AHANA students account for 28.1 percent of freshmen.

Among other factors fueling interest in BC, Mahoney pointed to the University’s facilities and resources in the natural sciences — especially the Undergraduate Research Fellows program, in which students work with faculty on significant research. The Car-

roll School of Management’s sixthplace ranking in BusinessWeek’s survey of top undergraduate business school, meanwhile, almost certainly contributed to the Carroll School’s 35 percent yield this year, he said.

“Time and again, however, we are reminded of how blessed we are with this campus,” Mahoney added. “The opening of Stokes Hall this year has added another dimension. In the unsolicited comments we hear from visitors, they marvel at Stokes and are particularly impressed that its creation was driven by BC’s commitment to the humanities. This serves to reinforce the liberal arts mission of Boston College, which has long been one of the University’s major attractions.”

Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu

Hoveyda Earns American Chemical Society Honor

By Ed Hayward Staff Writer

Chemistry Department Chairman Amir Hoveyda will receive the 2014 American Chemical Society Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry, according to an announcement from the ACS national meeting in Indianapolis.

Hoveyda, the Joseph T. and Patricia Vanderslice Millennium Professor of Chemistry, will be among the national award recipients honored at the ACS annual meeting this coming March in Dallas. Hoveyda’s award is sponsored by Aldrich Chemical Co. LLC. Hoveyda said he is honored to receive the recognition, but credited the work of students who have been part of his laboratory research group for more than two decades.

“This prestigious award, the most time-honored in the field of chemical synthesis, more than anything underscores the exceptional degree of creativity, dedication and perseverance demonstrated by generations of student scholars in my research group in the past 23 years,”

Gary Wayne Gilbert

C21 Fall Events Look at ‘Roles and Relationships’

Amir Hoveyda

Hoveyda said.

Hoveyda’s research, which has been published in journals such as Nature and Nature Chemistry, involves designing new catalysts for chemical synthesis that are sustainable, easy and cost-effective to access, and which generate valuable products of exceptional purity with high efficiency. His research group focuses on transformations crucial to advances in the life sciences and medicine.

Hoveyda has been ranked among the world’s Top 100 Chemists by Thomson Reuters. Among his more notable honors is a 2005

National Institutes of Health MERIT Award — an honorific 10-year grant given to the top five percent of approved applications — as well as the 2010 Yamada-Koga Prize, an international award given annually by the Chemical Society of Japan to an organic chemist who has had a major impact in the field of synthesis of optically active compounds.

The ACS National Awards Program encourages “the advancement of chemistry in all its branches, the promotion of research in chemical science and industry, [and] the improvement of the qualifications and usefulness of chemists,” according to the ACS website.

Interim Provost and Dean of Faculties Joseph Quinn said the ACS national award is a fitting tribute to Hoveyda’s distinguished research career.

“Professor Hoveyda’s research initiatives have been honored around the world for their innovation, scientific merit and thought leadership,” said Quinn. “This latest honor from America’s preeminent organization of chemists is another well-deserved recognition of Amir’s outstanding work.”

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Gary Wayne Gilbert

Vatican II Symposium

Stokes Hall is one of the many results of the “Light the World” campaign.

Sesquicentennial Boosts ‘Light the World’ capital campaign in University history, “Light the World” set four important goals: raise $1.5 billion for University priorities; expand volunteer engagement; increase alumni donor participation; and secure BC’s future through legacy giving. As it approaches its sixth year this fall, it is clear that tremendous progress has been made in all areas.

“The ‘Light the World’ campaign is a sign of Boston College’s progress, momentum and enthusiasm,” said University President William P. Leahy, SJ. “It has had Tony Rinaldo

Continued from page 1 cessful fundraising years in University history, and provided the staff of University Advancement with renewed energy as they approach $1.1 billion in campaign donations.

“The Sesquicentennial anniversary has clearly resonated with BC alumni and donors who responded enthusiastically to our call to support the University’s strategic goals,” said Senior Vice President for University Advancement James Husson. “It has given ‘Light the World’ — and by extension Boston College — a significant boost as we work towards meeting our $1.5 billion goal.”

This past year also witnessed record-setting numbers in alumni volunteerism through the “150 on the Road” initiative, in which 1,823 alumni, parents and friends packed 451,077 meals in seven cities for distribution in West Africa, while a record number of 1,457 seniors from the Class of 2013 contributed to the senior class gift.

In addition, BC students receiving financial aid have benefitted from the 305 new financial aid scholarships that have been financed as a result of the campaign.

“As student director of the BC Entrepreneur Society, my passion is to expand opportunities for entrepreneurial-minded students at Boston College,” said junior Derek Switaj of Cleveland. “The activities in which I participate, the people I meet, and the ideas I generate are all made possible by my financial aid scholarship.

I am grateful for the opportunity Boston College and this campaign have given me.”

Added senior Shaun Flint, a French and linguistics major from Atlanta, “My financial aid is the number one reason why I’m at Boston College now. Without the grants and work study opportunities that BC has offered me during my undergraduate years, I would not have been able to branch out from home and attend BC.” Publically launched in October of 2008 as the most ambitious

tives Program. “It is a wonderful facility and a fitting endorsement of our commitment to liberal arts education.”

Faculty members have also expressed support for the 20 new assistant and full professorships that have been funded since the campaign’s inception.

“I was honored and humbled to receive the O’Connor Chair in the Carroll School of Management,” said Michael G. Pratt, whose chair was established through a gift from David P. ’86 and Maureen O’Connor P’16. “Given that

“With additional resources at my disposal, I can devote more time to being a better teacher, researcher, mentor, and volunteer – in short, I can do a better job fulfilling the mission of the University.”

—O’Connor Professor Michael Pratt

a tremendous effect, particularly on facilities, financial aid and faculty hiring. Because of our success we have been able to maintain our need-blind, full-need admission policy, invest in buildings like Stokes Hall that demonstrate our commitment to the liberal arts, and add faculty in key areas that reflect our strategic priorities.

“We have much left to do to meet our goal, but we continue moving forward knowing that reaching $1.5 billion will be a huge achievement that will set the stage for a stronger, better Boston College.”

Students and faculty alike have praised the addition of Stokes Hall, made possible in part through a $22.5 million gift from BC alumnus and former Board of Trustees Chairman Patrick Stokes ’64, and his wife, Anna Kristina P’91, ’94, ’97.

“Teaching and interacting with students in Stokes Hall, with all of its amenities, has been a true pleasure,” said Adjunct Associate Professor of Philosophy Brian J. Braman, who directs BC’s Perspec-

its purpose is to recognize and promote innovative thinking, the creation of new knowledge, and ultimately the development of methods for bringing out the best in organizations, it provides a constant yardstick with which to measure the worth of the work that I am doing.

“With additional resources at my disposal, I can devote more time to being a better teacher, researcher, mentor, and volunteer – in short, I can do a better job fulfilling the mission of the University. I am incredibly grateful to the O’Connors for investing in Boston College, and investing in me.”

Husson expects that the coming months will bring continued progress for “Light the World.”

“Our alumni and parents can see what this campaign has already accomplished, thanks to their generosity and leadership. It has opened up a world of possibilities for Boston College, and we are eager to build on its success.”

Contact Jack Dunn at jack.dunn@bc.edu

Continued from page 1 “A number of scholars have noted that the Second Vatican Council — which was called together 50 years ago — was the most important and far-reaching Catholic event in 400 years,” said STM Dean Mark Massa, SJ. “Boston College, on the occasion of its 150th anniversary, has assembled what might very well be the most respected group of scholars who have studied that important council.”

Organizers say this is “a crucial moment in the history of the Catholic Church, under the papacy of Francis — a Jesuit shaped by the legacy of Vatican II.” Panels will focus on “Figures: Jesuits and the Second Vatican Council,” moderated by Fr. Massa; “Themes: Continuity and Change in the Second Vatican Council,” moderated by STM Associate Professor Andrea Vicini, SJ; and “Engagements: The Council and the Public Arena,” moderated by University of St. Thomas Assistant Professor Massimo Faggioli.

The daytime symposium is by invitation only. During an evening public panel from 7:15 to 8:30 p.m. in Robsham Theater — titled “Coworkers in the Vineyard: The Role of the Catholic Laity in the Life of Public Service and Scholarship” — participants will discuss the role that faith plays in their public service work.

They include Simone Campbell, SSS, executive director of NETWORK in Washington, DC, a national social justice lobby; E.J. Dionne Jr., Wash-

ington Post syndicated columnist and Brookings Institution senior fellow; STM Professor Thomas Groome; former Bryn Mawr College President Jane McAuliffe, and Timothy P. Shriver, Special Olympics chairman and CEO. Fr. Massa will moderate.

“The ‘Coworkers in the Vineyard’ panel will show how five well-known Catholic public figures take up the Council’s challenge to care for ‘the whole humanity,’ having at heart ‘the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age’ – as Gaudium et spes affirms in its opening lines,” said Fr. Vicini.

Several BC faculty members will participate in the symposium. They include: University Professor in Human Rights and International Justice David Hollenbach, SJ; Professor of Historical and Liturgical Theology John F. Baldovin, SJ; Monan Professor of Theology Lisa Sowle Cahill; and Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology Richard R. Gaillardetz.

Scholars from Pontifical College Josephinum, University of Tubingen (Germany), Facultes Jesuites de Paris (Centre Sevres), Georgetown, Marquette, Catholic and Fordham universities, and the University of Dayton also will participate in the symposium.

Registration, full schedule and participant information for “Coworkers in the Vineyard” at: www. bc.edu/content/bc/about/sesquicentennial/events/vaticanII.html.

—Rosanne Pellegrini and Kathleen Sullivan

BC Rates High for English, Humanities ROI, Ranks in Global Executives Top 100 Boston College is one of the top universities for English and humanities majors in return on investment, according to Affordable Colleges Online [affordablecollegesonline.org], a website that provides information and analysis on financial aspects of higher education.

BC was ranked sixth in the AC Online survey, behind Harvard, Penn, California-Berkeley, James Madison and California Polytechnic State. Also in the top 20 were UCLA, Rutgers-New Brunswick, University of Washington, Georgia, North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Cal-Santa Barbara, Boston University, NYU, Carnegie Mellon and California-Santa Cruz, among others.

Students considering English and humanities programs, the introduction to the article read, should not only assess quality, “but also the return you might get on your financial investment.

Does this college routinely gradu-

ate English or humanities majors who go on to successful and lucrative careers? While money isn’t everything, knowing your degree holds weight in the workplace can certainly help.”

AC Online said its methodology for the rankings included an institution’s total weighted cost (provided by the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and 30-year net return on investment according to PayScale.com.

BC also has been included among the top 100 universities in the Times Higher Education Alma Mater Index of Global Executives. The University was 97th in the index, which lists universities that have educated the most Fortune Global 500 CEOs. Eighteen countries in all are represented in the world top 100 list. Thirty-eight of the institutions on the index are from the US, 15 from China and nine from Japan.

—Office of News & Public Affairs

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle

Syria

The fourth year of the University’s employee health and wellness initiative HEALTHY YOU is under way, with new offerings as well as the return of the popular “Walk Across Campus” and Weight Watchers programs.

The fall slate includes a reimbursement opportunity for BC employees who are participating in the “Biggest Loser Revamped!” small-group training program organized through Campus Recreation. HEALTHY YOU will reimburse benefits-eligible employees who are Campus Recreation members 50 percent of the $240 program cost if the participant attends at least four out of five classes per week. Classes began Sept. 9 and run until Dec. 12 [see www.bc.edu/rec] and participants must be Campus Recreation members.

BC employees subscribing to the University’s Harvard Pilgrim PPO and HMO plans, and their covered dependents, are eligible for a $150 per year fitness reimbursement (total of $150 per family) if they belong to a qualified health and fitness club or have a membership in Campus Recreation. New this year is another $150 reimbursement opportunity, for fees paid by subscribers for qualified weight-loss programs such as Weight Watchers.

More than 1,400 employees have registered this fall for Walk Across Campus, which formally begins Oct. 1 (registration closed last week). The program began as an individual event several years ago through Campus Recreation and last fall was incorporated into HEALTHY YOU. Participants, who each receive a Fitbit pedometer to track their progress, form teams to provide one another with support and encouragement. Almost 1,200 employees on 67 teams were involved in Walk Across Campus this past spring.

Other HEALTHY YOU events and activities this fall include: “How to Build a Winning Nutrition Plan: The Art of Defensive Eating,” a talk by Red Sox nutritionist Tara Madigan, on Oct. 15; a Health Fair on Oct. 24 in the Yawkey Center Murray Room; and two presentations by HPHC health educator Joanne Keaveney, “How to Survive the Holidays” (Nov. 5) and “Wine, Chocolate, and Warm Bread” (Dec. 3).

Information on HEALTHY YOU programs will be available at the Sept.

25 “Healthapalooza” event [see below], and through www.bc.edu/healthyyou.

—Office of News & Public Affairs

Healthapalooza Hits the Plaza at O’Neill Library on Sept. 25 The Plaza at O’Neill Library will once again become the centerpiece for health at Boston College on Sept. 25 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. when the third annual “Healthapalooza” takes over. Meditation, fire extinguisher and defibrillator demonstrations, healthy foods and grains sampling are just some of the activities that will be available to the BC community free of charge through the Office of Health Promotion (OHP) and its campus health partners.

OHP Director Elise Tofias Phillips said Healthapalooza is a collaboration of more than a dozen offices, departments and organizations across the University.

“We want the community to know that BC values health and safety and hope this event is an opportunity to gather and connect with campus resources that will be helpful in day-to-day life,” said Phillips.

Each year, Healthapalooza kicks off an OHP health campaign. This year’s campaign – Nourish – was created by students in Director of News & Public Affairs Jack Dunn’s Public Relations class, said Phillips.

OHP then developed the idea in partnership with Dining Services.

“This campaign is all about increasing knowledge of healthy eat-

ing and decreasing perceived barriers to a healthy lifestyle,” said Phillips.

OHP’s student health coaches will be on hand at the event, offering information about the office’s programming and resources including individual health plans, stress and time management, striving for healthy relationship, bystander intervention education and alcohol and drug support and education.

Health Promotion’s partners that co-sponsor Healthapalooza are: Dining Services, University Health Services, University Counseling Services, Campus Ministry, HEALTHY YOU, Campus Recreation, Environmental Health and Safety, Residential Life, BCPD, Emergency Management, Eagle EMS, Information Technology Services, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, Bureau of Conferences, massage therapists, health coaches, Baldwin and the BC cheerleaders, and many volunteers.

The rain date for Healthapalooza is Oct. 2; check BCInfo [www. bc.edu/bcinfo] for updates. For more information on the Office of Health Promotions, see www.bc.edu/healthpro.

—Melissa Beecher

Continued from page 1 more than two years?

The bloodshed is just so great, it’s just too hard – the human suffering, the people that have died already, the number is just too great to bear.

Syria is not Libya, Syria is not Iraq, Syria is not Egypt, either. Syria was very unique in the sense that all Christians and all minority groups were protected for decades. You never think this is going to happen.

It is very complicated. To see men firing arms on these sacred places, I know the Muslims of Syria would not do that. I know the Muslims of Syria that we grew up with — with whom we ate Ramadan iftar at their dinner table, and who cracked eggs on Easter with us — would not kill priests and abduct bishops and fire arms on holy places. These are not the Muslims of Syria. They are, by definition, a group that is linked to Al Qaeda: Al Nusra — that’s what they call themselves for saving the people of Syria.

They were formed in 2012 and they came to help the rebel group. The rebel group is not Syrian anymore.

I’m terrified of the thought that Al Qaeda is building a base in Syria in order to turn the country around.

I’m afraid of what’s coming. The country is in turmoil. I don’t know if President Bashar al-Assad out of power is a good solution and I don’t know if supporting the rebels is a good solution because the rebels are receiving support from Al Qaeda.

Where does your family live?

How are they doing?

I have family members throughout Syria. My siblings live in Latakia, which is under government control.

I have extended family who live in Damascus, and also in Aleppo, which is under the rebel group. I have family members in Maaloua, the city that just recently got attacked by the rebel groups. They are terrified. They are very, very scared of what could be happening. It’s

Lee Pellegrini

september 19, 2013

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Ikram Easton: “The human cost in Syria is already too high and I believe bombs and cruise missiles will only increase the suffering, bloodshed and devastation.”

hard for me to imagine how their life has been. They’re living a very low-quality life with very limited electricity and medicine. When they leave the house, they don’t know if they are coming back alive. They just don’t know. It’s just fear of what is happening now, and the fear of what is happening next is even more frightening.

My own cousin died. He was 42 years old. He was in his truck – luckily he left his daughter at home.

He was driving and his truck “was needed,” and he refused to leave his truck. He was taken out, and killed, for his truck. For his truck. They killed somebody for a truck.

Every time my phone rings at four in the morning I immediately think it’s the news I’m dreading most. And whenever I talk to my sister I say, “Why don’t you go to Lebanon? Why don’t you go somewhere? Why do you want to stay there?” All my siblings say, “We’ve been here since the dawn of Christianity. We’re not leaving. All we’ve worked for all our lives is right here.”

When it comes to US involvement, was working with Russia on the elimination of chemicals weapons the right move, or should the US have gone in alone?

I’m heartbroken about all the bloodshed that took place and will

undoubtedly continue to take place if the US intervenes in the fashion that’s been discussed.

The human cost in Syria is already too high and I believe bombs and cruise missiles will only increase the suffering, bloodshed and devastation.

If we bomb Syria right now and weaken the regime, we don’t know which group is going to take over. We don’t know if Iran or Hezbollah might decide to do something and support the regime, so we are strengthening both sides of the conflict. For what? For more people to die on both sides?

I’m tired of this. Let’s focus our interests on how to help, how to extend the hand to help the people who already lost their homes, who already lost everything in their life.

The children that lost their lives — as a parent, as any parent, just the idea blows my mind. Just to think an innocent child died because of atrocities of civil war.

Do you ever see this crisis in Syria coming to an end?

If it is, it’s going to be a long time. I don’t know what to say about this except that I don’t see it ending and if it is ending, where is it going? Into the hands of the regime that committed crimes, or into the hands of the rebels that committed more crimes?

That’s what breaks my heart – when you’re in a war, you know you’re fighting an enemy, you have a cause, you’re fighting for your principles. But when you’re in a war like this, you just don’t know.

I’d like to close with this prayer that I wrote: May peace and justice be brought to Syria, by the hands of those who have the fear of God in their hearts, and abundant mercy on their hands.

Read more at bc.edu/chronicle

History’s Jacobs Wins NEHA Book Award Associate Professor of History Seth Jacobs has won the James P. Hanlan Book Award from the New England Historical Association (NEHA) for his 2012 work, The Universe Unraveling: American Foreign Policy in Cold War Laos.

In The Universe Unraveling, Jacobs throws a spotlight on the events, circumstances, and in particular the perceptions and attitudes that shaped American decision-making in Laos — which for a time appeared would be the key Cold War flashpoint, rather than Vietnam, in Southeast Asia.

Under Eisenhower and Kennedy, according to Jacobs, Laos became a “testing ground” for strategies that came of age in Vietnam, and which produced similar

problems — support of unpopular but pro-Western despots, clashes between US civilian and military bureaucracies, and ignorance of the native population’s needs.

A political and cultural historian of 20th-century United States — especially post-World War II — Jacobs centers his research interests on the connection between US domestic culture and foreign policy. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in American military and diplomatic history, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and America in the 1950s.

A winner of the 2006 Teacher of the Year Award from the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at Boston College, Jacobs is teaching Vietnam: America’s War at Home and

Abroad as part of Semester Online [semesteronline.org], a consortium including BC and other top-ranked universities that offers for-credit online courses to academically qualified undergraduate students.

The NEHA is a professional association of more than 700 historians living and working in New England, with a focus on all areas of historical scholarship.

The Hanlan Book Award has been presented annually since 1985; previous winners include Clough Millennium Professor in History James M. O’Toole, for his book The Faithful: A History of Catholics in America.

—Sean Smith

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WELCOME ADDITIONS Assistant Professor of Chemistry Abhishek Chatterjee’s research develops new methods that allow researchers to better understand complex biological systems. His current initiatives include developing site-specific biochemical and biophysical labeling of targeted proteins in a living cell in order to better investigate the cell’s functions in its natural environment; he also is developing proteins with novel functions.

Chatterjee earned his doctorate from Cornell University and was a postdoctoral fellow at The Scripps Research Institute for the past four years. His research has been published in journals such as Nature and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Assistant Professor of History Priya Lal pursues scholarly and teaching interests in areas such as modern African history — with a focus on East Africa — decolonization and nationalism, development, and African socialism. Her current project is on Tanzania’s socialistic ujamaa (Swahili for “familyhood”) villagization initiative of 1967-75, examining the political imagery of ujamaa and the ways it was implemented and experienced, and providing a broader historical and sociopolitical context in which to view these events. Lal, who has served as an invited panelist several times at the African Studies Association Annual Meeting, holds a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and earned a doctorate in history from NYU. David Storey returns to his alma mater as an adjunct assistant professor in the Philosophy Department teaching Perspectives on Western Culture. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from BC in 2004, he earned a master’s degree and a doctorate at Fordham University, as well as a certificate in health care ethics. Storey’s research and teaching interests are in Continental philosophy and ethics, particularly environmental and health care ethics, as well as in Asian philosophy and the history of philosophy.

His work has appeared in publications such as Cosmos and History: The Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy and Comparative and Continental Philosophy, and he has a book under contract with SUNY Press. Storey previously taught at Fordham and William Paterson University.

Newsmakers Prof. Utku Ünver (Economics) commented on the similarities between dating and the hiring process for a Time magazine story on eHarmony’s announcement that it plans to start a job-recruiting service.

Using the recent example of a “mandatory shelter” for the homeless in Raleigh, NC, Assoc. Prof.

Tiziana Dearing (GSSW) wrote

BC BRIEFING in the Huffington Post about the need for social justice in policies and for problem-solving rooted in the principles of human dignity.

Adj. Assoc. Prof. Michael C. Keith (Communication) was interviewed by Time magazine on the changing listening patterns in all-night radio.

Last week’s Mass of the Holy Spirit. (Photo by Caitlin Cunningham)

Asst. Prof. Peter Krause (Political Science) spoke with Fox News Boston on recent developments regarding US intervention in Syria.

Bapst Art Library was among the New England “hidden treasures” featured in a segment of WCVBTV’s “Chronicle.” Bapst Art Librarian Adeane Bregman was interviewed for the program.

BC’s Connolly in Concert on Web Sept. 27 Sullivan Artist-in-Residence Seamus Connolly, the director of Irish music programs at Boston College, will perform a concert that will be streamed live via the Internet on Sept. 27 at 8 p.m.

Connolly, acclaimed as one of Ireland’s greatest living fiddle players, will appear at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium in Washington, DC. His performance is sponsored through the National Endowment for the Arts, which has named Connolly a recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship — the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. Connolly will be presented with his award at a Sept. 25 ceremony held in the Library of Congress.

To view the concert, go to the NEA website, arts.gov. The concert also will be available via archive immediately following the event.

—Office of News & Public Affairs

NOTA BENE

Adjunct Associate Professor of Information Systems George Wyner comes to the Carroll School of Management after teaching for 13 years at Boston University, and working as a researcher at MIT eight years before that. A former computer programmer and consultant who earned his PhD at MIT, Wyner seeks innovative ways to teach information technology to non-technical students. He has contributed to various book chapters and published articles in MIS Quarterly, Journal of Computer Information Systems and Information Technology & People, among others. Wyner will be teaching Computers in Management, Introduction to Programming for Management, and Systems Analysis and Design.

Distinguished Research Professor of Physics Gabor Kalman has been elected to membership in the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the principal scientific association of Hungary.

Kalman, a native of Hungary, was chosen as one of 18 external members, a group of scholars and scientists living abroad who “cultivate their fields of science on a well-recognized, extremely high and creative level, and maintain close relations with science and scholarship in Hungary.”

A faculty member at BC for the past 43 years, Kalman has studied particle and plasma physics. Among his many accomplishments, the Hungarian academy recognized his development of “a unique approach for the analysis of charged particle systems in the liquid state.”

Michael Rush has been a familiar face around campus for nearly a decade, having taught finance and capital markets courses in the Carroll School of Management. This year, the Vietnam veteran and former Army captain has become a full-time lecturer, bringing with him a wealth of real world experience from 35 years in the corporate sector as a bank CEO, finance company CFO, Freddie Mac COO, investment manager, Wall Street managing director and investor/owner of several entrepreneurial companies. Rush will be teaching two sections of Basic Corporate Finance and one section of Money and Capital Markets.

—Ed Hayward, Kathleen Sullivan, Sean Hennessey and Sean Smith Photos by Lee Pellegrini and Christopher Soldt, MTS “Welcome Additions,” an occasional feature, profiles new faculty members at Boston College.

A recent $75,000 grant by the City of Boston’s Edward Ingersoll Browne Trust Fund to the Edgar Allan Poe Foundation of Boston, chaired by Professor of English Paul Lewis, supports the installation of a statue honoring Poe in his native city. Titled Poe Returning to Boston, the statue will be installed in the square, at the intersection of Boylston Street and Charles Street South, dedicated to him by Mayor Thomas Menino in 2009.

The Poe Foundation has raised three-quarters of the funds needed to fabricate and install the statue. Lewis also offers a walking tour of Poe’s Boston efforts — chosen by the Web site examiner.com [http://tinyurl.com/lllvbkr] as one of the “top 10 events at Boston-Area historical sites” for September 2013.

Tours will be offered on Sept. 22 and Oct. 20. For more information on the project, contact Lewis at paul.lewis@bc.edu.

—Ed Hayward and Rosanne Pellegrini

A Ukrainian TV show included remarks by Prof. Christopher Baum (Economics) in a report on the country’s financial and political stability.

Time and a Half Assoc. Prof. Margaret Schatkin (Theology) presented “The Origenism of St. John Chrysostom in the West from St. Jerome to the Present” at the Origen conference (Origeniana Undecima) in Aarhus, Denmark.

Graduate School of Social Work Immigrant Integration Lab Director Westy Egmont delivered a paper and led a workshop on “The Role of Faith Based Communities in Facilitating Immigrant Integration” at “International Metropolis 2013,” a conference on immigrant integration held in Finland.

Prof. Robert Faulkner (Political Science) gave a lecture on “Cyrus and the Case for Greatness: A view from the writings of Herodotus and Xenophon” at the New York City Metropolitan Museum of Art’s program on the Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia.

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: Head of Instruction Services, O’Neill Library Research Analyst, Institutional Review Board University Controller Administrative Assistant, Chemistry Department Technology Manager, Residential Life Asst. Director for Graduate Student Services, Carroll School of Management Resident Director, Residential Life Director, Dining Services Head Librarian, Graduate School of Social Work Weekend Emergency Response Clinician, University Counseling

T he B oston C ollege

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LOOKING AHEAD

The popular Lowell Humanities Series — a storied Boston College tradition and its most prominent forum for intellectual, artistic and literary discourse — begins its 56th year next week. Under the leadership of Professor of English and American Studies Program Director Carlo Rotella, the series once again has a stellar line-up of distinguished speakers.

Sept. 25: James Wood, “Why? Fiction and the Biggest Question”—A New Yorker staff writer and book critic, Wood was the chief literary critic at the Guardian in London and a senior editor at The New Republic. His critical essays are collected in two volumes, The Broken Estate: Essays on Literature and Belief and The Irresponsible Self: On Laughter and the Novel, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He also is the author of a novel, The Book Against God, and a study of technique in the novel, How Fiction Works. He is a professor of the practice of literary criticism at Harvard University.

Oct. 9: Paul Tough, “How Children Succeed”—Tough is the author of How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character, which followed Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America. As a New York Times Magazine contributing writer, he has published extensively about education, parenting, poverty and politics. His writing also has appeared in the

BC SCENES

Donna DeSimone

By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer

Courtesy James Wood

Lowell Humanities Series Begins Fall Schedule Next Wednesday

James Wood, left, and Heather Nathans are among this semester’s speakers in the Lowell Humanities Series.

New Yorker, Slate, GQ, Esquire and other prominent publications. He was an editor at New York Times and Harper’s magazines, a reporter and producer for the public radio program “This American Life,” and founding editor of the online magazine Open Letters. [Presented with the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics.]

Oct. 24: Bill McKibben: “350: The Most Important Number in the World”—One of America’s best known environmentalists, McKibben founded 350.org, the first big global grassroots climate change initiative. A bestselling author, over the last quarter-century he has written books that have shaped public perception — and action — on climate change, alternative energy and the need for more localized economies. His books include The End of Nature, regarded as the first volume on climate change for a general audience, and Deep Economy, a bold challenge to move beyond growth as the economic ideal and pursue prosperity in a more local direction — an idea that is the cornerstone of much sustain-

ability discourse today. [Presented with the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics.]

Oct. 30: Heather Nathans, “Seeing Ourselves Through Others’ Eyes: Struggling with Stereotypes on the Nineteenth-Century American Stage”—A Tufts University professor and chair of its Department of Drama and Dance, Nathan is editor of the University of Iowa Press’s award-winning series, “Studies in Theatre History and Culture” and co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of American Drama. Her publications include Early American Theatre from the Revolution to Thomas Jefferson; Slavery and Sentiment on the American Stage, 1787-1861; Shakespearean Educations: Power, Citizenship, and Performance, and the forthcoming Hideous Characters and Beautiful Pagans: Performing Jewish Identity on the Antebellum American Stage.

She has held more than 25 prestigious research fellowships, authored numerous journal articles, book chapters and book reviews, and is president of the American Society for Theatre Research.

A FIESTA FOR THE FALL Photo by Christopher Huang

Nov. 6: Paul Elie, “Technician of the Sacred: J.S. Bach”—A senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs, Elie received the PEN/Martha Albrand Prize and was a National Book Critics Circle award finalist in 2003 for his first book, The Life You Save May Be Your Own. In his second book, Reinventing Bach, he tells the electrifying story of how musicians of genius have made Bach’s music new in our time, at once restoring Bach as a universally revered com-

poser and revolutionizing the ways that music figures in our lives.

Lowell Humanities Series events are free and open to the public.

Complete series details — including event times and locations, and spring semester speakers — can be found at www.bc.edu/lowellhs. The series is sponsored by the Lowell Institute, BC’s Institute for the Liberal Arts and the Office of the Provost.

Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu

Gaelic Roots Series Is Set to Open the Door on Another Year

A performance by innovative Irish music trio Open the Door for Three and a return appearance by Chieftains co-founder Michael Tubridy highlight this fall’s Gaelic Roots Music, Song, Dance, Workshop and Lecture Series at Boston College.

The series, directed by Sullivan Artist-in-Residence and master fiddler Séamus Connolly and sponsored by the Boston College Center for Irish Programs, brings to campus acclaimed musicians and experts in Irish, Scottish and other related Gaelic music traditions The trio Open the Door for Three performs Oct. 2. (Photo by Allison Grasso) for free public events.

This semester’s edition of Gaelic Roots begins Oct. 2 with a performance in the Walsh Hall Function Room by Open the Door for Three — Liz Knowles (fiddle), Kieran O’Hare (uilleann pipes, flute, whistle) and Pat Broaders (bouzouki, vocals).

Individually and collectively, the three are highly respected throughout the Irish music scene, known for their mastery of traditional, contemporary and original material. Their credits include stints with “Riverdance,” Cherish the Ladies, Celtic Legends, the String Sisters and even artists such as Bonnie Raitt and Paula Cole; among the venues where they have performed are Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, L’Olympia in Paris, and on Broadway. Earlier this year, Open the Door for Three released its debut CD. On Oct. 21, Kieran Jordan ’96 — a renowned Irish dance teacher, performer and choreographer who is a member of the Irish Studies faculty — will lead a participatory Irish dance and ceili evening in the Gasson Hall Irish Room. Connolly will be a featured musician at the event along with Tubridy, a flute, whistle and concertina player who co-founded legendary Irish group The Chieftains; Tubridy played at last year’s ceili event.

Capping this semester’s Gaelic Roots schedule will be a holiday concert on Dec. 5 in the Irish Room, which will include BC musicians.

All events start at 6:30 p.m.

For information and updates on Gaelic Roots, see www.bc.edu/ gaelicroots.

—Sean Smith

‘A Night in Tunisia’ on Oct. 1

Boston College kicked off its celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month last Friday with the Latin Soul Festival in Gasson 100, at which David Soto ’14 and Yosselin Monterroso ’16 (above) joined in a bachata lesson. The celebration continues next week with “Bienvenidos,” a reception in Fulton Honors Library that offers an opportunity to meet new students, staff and faculty from the BC Latino community. More information on Hispanic Heritage Month is available at http://www.bc.edu/ content/bc/offices/ahana/programs/services/Heritagemonth/HHM.html.

Tunisian vocalist Sonia M’Barek will present Andalusian music and poetry from North Africa, and discuss her unique Tunisian repertoire — for which she is known throughout the Arab world and in Europe — at a free concert Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Gasson 100.

M’Barek, a performer of the centuries-old Tunisian song tradition of Ma’luf — built around Arabic poetry from al-Andalus, the Arab Kingdom within medieval Spain — received the prize for best song at the Festival de la Chanson Tunisienne in 1987 and has since enjoyed international success and released a number of acclaimed albums. She is known both for her powerful voice and commitment to both musical tradition and innovation.

“A Night in Tunisia” is co-sponsored by the Music Department and the Islamic Civilizations and Societies Program. For more information, see bc.edu/music.

—Office of News & Public Affairs