The Boston College
Chronicle
january 17, 2008-vol. 16 no. 9
Rombalski Is Named New
VP for Student Affairs
By Jack Dunn
Director of Public Affairs
Campus School teacher Mike Thurm works with student Jaci Jagodzinski, one of 45 children from 30 area communities enrolled at the school. (Photos by Lee Pellegrini)
Making All the Difference in Their World
For nearly 40 years, Boston area children with severe disabilities have
found hope, and ‘buddies,’ at the Boston College Campus School
By Melissa Beecher
Staff Writer
Carla Tacelli DiRuzza remembers the overwhelming
anxiety and fear she experienced when she had to drop
off her son, Christopher, on
his first day of school. It was
2003 and the Revere mom
constantly worried about her
nonverbal three-year-old.
Developmentally and cognitively delayed, doctors told
DiRuzza that Christopher
would never talk or walk. A
special education program was
needed, they said, because the
public school system could not
teach him. Despite researching Boston College’s Campus
School and feeling comfortable with the placement, for
many days DiRuzza stayed on
campus during the school day,
just in case Christopher needed
her.
It’s been four years since
Christopher arrived at the
school, which occupies the west
wing of Campion Hall. Now,
DiRuzza can laugh when she
recalls those first few weeks.
“They have taught me how
to be calmer,” DiRuzza says.
“I know the volunteers, the
therapists, the teachers, they
all love Christopher. They love
what they do and it has made
the difference in his life.”
What kind of difference?
“Two months ago, Christo-
INSIDE:
pher started walking on his own,”
DiRuzza says with pride. “It was
our early Christmas present.”
For the better part of four
decades the Campus School has
quietly been writing success stories like Christopher’s. The school
was founded in 1970 as a learning
lab that would provide special education services to children with
the most severe disabilities who
cannot be served in their home
communities. The school is also a
training site for Lynch School of
Education students interested in
jobs with the disabled. Master’s
students and faculty members often conduct research on how to
measure the academic progress
and find ways to enhance educational experiences of the disabled
and advancements, like the acclaimed EagleEyes project.
Today, 45 students from 30
different communities are enrolled at the school, each with
an individualized education
plan. Those students enjoy a
two-to-one student-to-teacher
ratio, which improves when
undergraduate and graduate
students volunteer as “buddies”
in the classrooms. The Campus
School Volunteers of Boston
College and the PULSE Program work in tandem with certified teachers.
Christopher
DiRuzza’s
teacher, Sara Davidson, is the
early elementary classroom instructor. On a typical day, Davidson leads “circle time” where
Christopher and his classmates
are each asked to use their senses for a type of welcome and
Continued on page 4
Patrick H. Rombalski, the vice
president for student affairs at
John Carroll University and a nationally respected voice in student
affairs administration, has been
named vice president for student
affairs at Boston College, University President William P. Leahy,
SJ, announced Jan. 11. Rombalski will assume his position on or
about June 1.
Described by colleagues as a
dynamic leader and community
builder with an extensive and Patrick H. Rombalski
varied background in student af- bring broad experience and much
fairs, Rombalski brings to Boston enthusiasm to his work with BC
College more than 18 years of students.”
experience at Jesuit institutions.
As vice president for student
During his six years as John Car- affairs, Rombalski oversaw 14
roll’s vice president for student departments ranging from counaffairs (2002-2008),
seling services to
Rombalski enhanced
the office of the
“[He] is an experistudent programs,
dean for student
fostered community enced, committed and development. In
among John Carroll’s
his role, he initiundergraduate and energetic student affairs ated and designed
graduate students, professional with a deep a process for the
developed co-curdevelopment of
ricular and volun- knowledge of the mission the student affairs
teer-service opportu- of Jesuit, Catholic higher strategic
plan,
nities, and improved
chaired the miseducation.”
services and outreach
sion coordinating
to underrepresented
—William Leahy, SJ committee, and
student populations.
participated in
“Patrick Rombalcampus-wide straski is an experienced,
tegic and master
committed and energetic student plan initiatives. He also served
affairs professional with a deep on the President’s Cabinet, the
knowledge of the mission of Je- University Planning Group and
suit, Catholic higher education,” the University Council.
said Fr. Leahy. “I think he will
Continued on page 3
Program on Catholic
Intellectual Traditions
Prepares for Next Stage
Three panel discussions
are planned for spring
2008 semester
By Sean Smith
Chronicle Editor
Kierstyn Rhodes and Campus School teacher assistant Kevin Crowley.
Unlikely BC author writes
about gangster life (page 4)
A world record? Easy as pi
(page 5)
The faculty-coordinated initiative exploring Boston College’s
Jesuit and Catholic mission has
planned three public events for
this semester, each built around a
major theme related to the modern Catholic university.
Organizers of the Catholic
Intellectual Traditions (CIT)
program say the three panel discussions — each to be chaired
by a BC faculty member — will
serve as effective companion
pieces to the two CIT faculty
seminars launched last fall: “Ways
of Knowing and Catholic Intellectual Traditions,” chaired by
Boisi Center for Religion and
American Public Life Director
Prof. Alan Wolfe (Political Science); and “The University and
Catholic Intellectual Traditions,”
chaired by Acting Associate Dean
of Arts and Sciences David Quigley.
Continued on page 5
BC keeps bowling along to
success (page 6)
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 17, 2008
AROUND
AROUND
CAMPUS
With the Christmas/New Year’s break over and classes under way again, a
brief look at some undergraduate courses making their debut this semester:
The Genetic Century
Biology
Prof. Clare O’Connor
Early man’s manipulation of genetics through the domestication of
plants and animals provided the basis for civilization. A more informed
understanding of genetics is now rapidly transforming life in the 21st
century.
O’Connor plans to provide students with a basic understanding of
genetic principles and the many ways that genetics affects daily life. Topics covered in the course include the genetic bases of disease and behavior,
forensic uses of DNA, evolution, genetic engineering, genetically modified
crops and personalized medicine. The course also explores the significant
social and ethical issues that accompany all of these advances.
“The history of civilization is a history of genetics,” says O’Connor. “But
civilization has become very removed from nature. We forget about all the
plant breeding and animal breeding that helped to get us here.”
Senior Seminar in Business Ethics
Carroll School of Management
Adj. Prof. Barry J. Seltser
For some CSOM students, one class in business ethics just wasn’t
enough. A group of honors students asked for another course to supplement the mandatory Introduction to Business Ethics. This honors seminar
is designed to examine and reflect on challenging ethical issues in business.
The course will look at the types of situations most likely to confront
managers in the workplace. The reading list includes classic essays from
Mark Twain, Ursula LeGuin and Jonathan Swift, leading managerial
thinkers like Edgar Schein, Norman Bowie and Steven Grover, with a few
selections from the New Testament as well.
“This is a new class that has grown out of the interests of our undergraduates to take a closer look at business ethics,” said Associate Dean for
Undergraduates Richard Keeley. “It has come together in a way that reinforces the Carroll School’s focus on ethics and our desire to prepare students
for the business world they will experience once they graduate.”
Economic Development: The Experience of El Salvador
Economics
Adj. Assoc. Prof. Richard McGowan, SJ
Fr. McGowan is familiar enough with El Salvador, having taught and
researched there on a regular basis for the past several years. But he credits
his undergraduate research assistant Matthew Raffol ’09 for “prodding me
to offer a course that would help students to analyze the difficulties that a
country such as El Salvador faces in the areas of economic development.”
His students won’t simply be doing that analysis from a classroom in
Chestnut Hill, though: They will spend their spring visiting various rural
and urban poverty sites where microfinance is being utilized to help poor
people develop businesses.
More than 75 students signed up for the 10 available spots in the seminar course; all the students in the class have economics as a major or minor,
but Fr. McGowan points out that some are from the Carroll School of
Management and the Lynch School of Education.
“The students will experience grinding poverty at a number of sites as
well as some successful projects,” says Fr. McGowan. “So they will need to
match the theory of economic development with the reality of situation in
El Salvador.”
—Ed Hayward and Rosanne Pellegrini
On the rise
The largest freshman class of
cadets since 2000 – 11 members
– has enrolled in the University’s
Army ROTC program this year,
according to Army ROTC Advisor
Capt. Brett Tashiro.
Tashiro says that the increase in
program numbers is largely due to a
realization among students that the
Army offers a wide variety of career
opportunities beyond the standard
infantry officer assignment.
“Two of our 10 scholarship
freshmen are in pre-med and two
more are in the Connell School
of Nursing,” he said. “There’s a
multitude of career fields that you
can go into, if you want to serve
as a doctor, nurse or lawyer, there
is room for you. Our senior class
consists of two students who will
serve as doctors, three as nurses,
two in the Medical Service Corps
and an eighth who will serve as an
Army officer.”
An Army ROTC scholarship
covers full tuition, plus a monthly stipend. Room and board and
book grants are also available for
some upperclassmen, Tashiro says.
Tashiro notes that the Army’s
tuition remission stipend is a big
attraction, but it’s only a small part
of what should motivate candidates
to military service. “There has to be
a fundamental desire to serve,” he
says. “It’s not for everybody, but
there are a lot of people who fit
what we are looking for.”
ROTC graduates generally
serve four years of active military
duty after commissioning.
—RO
The Boston College women’s basketball team enjoyed a “meet-and-greet” session with fans young and old following
their exciting win over North Carolina State in Conte Forum on Dec. 6. The event was hosted by the Council for Women
at Boston College. (Photo by Rose Lincoln)
The wide
world over
Now in its fourth year, Boston College’s C21 Online program is positively thriving.
An outgrowth of the University’s Church in the 21st Century initiative, C21 Online offers
a series of formal classes, free
mini-courses, WebSearch service and other resources to the
BC community and the world
at large.
“The world at large” is no
exaggeration, either. According
to program administrators, C21
Online mini-courses such as
The Birth of Jesus: Two Gospel
Accounts have drawn more than
10,000 users from 102 countries,
notably the US, the Philippines,
Canada, the United Kingdom,
Australia and Ireland.
In one week last month,
notes, C21 Online Program
Manager Barbara Radtke, The
Birth of Jesus mini-course had
participants from India, Italy,
South Africa, Taiwan and the
Caribbean nation of St. Vincent.
In one 24-hour period last year,
she adds, visitors from both the
Palestinian Territory and Israel
had logged on to another minicourse, The Death of Jesus.
“The response to these minicourses is far greater than what
we expected,” says Radke. “We
anticipated that we would see
a modest use of these resources
and that it would be confined
to the corresponding liturgical
seasons — such as Advent and
Christmas for Birth of Jesus and
Lent or Holy Week for Death
of Jesus. However, in reality
we have seen substantial use of
these resources all year.
“I believe this points to the
great need for reliable and accessible theological resources,
the vast potential inherent in
online learning, and the valuable service Boston College is
offering to the wider church
community.“
About 500 people per year
participate in the C21 Online
courses, which are $75 each —
there are special discounts available, and the courses are free
for BC employees. The courses
all feature an online discussion
community guided by an experienced religious educator, such
as Institute for Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry Director Prof. Thomas Groome
(Theology) and Prof. Fr. Michael Himes (Theology).
The semester’s offerings,
which begin next Tuesday,
include a new course led by
Groome for elementary and junior high catechists and teachers, Teaching Religion: Creative
Strategies and Best Practices, as
well as returning favorites The
Creed: What We Believe and
Parents Handing on the Faith.
Next month will see the
return of two other courses,
Encountering Mark, Matthew
and Luke: The Synoptic Gospels and Spirituality Matters.
The program also will debut a
Spanish-language version of the
Death of Jesus mini-course in
time for the Lent season.
For more on C21 Online,
see www.bc.edu/c21online.
—SS
The Boston College
Chronicle
Director of Public Affairs
Jack Dunn
Deputy Director of
Public AFFAIRS
Patricia Delaney
Editor
Sean Smith
Contributing Staff
Melissa Beecher
Ed Hayward
Reid Oslin
Rosanne Pellegrini
Kathleen Sullivan
Eileen Woodward
Photographers
Gary Gilbert
Lee Pellegrini
The Boston College Chronicle
(USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published
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Electronic editions of the Boston
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www.bc.edu/chronicle.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 17, 2008
BC research offers new
theory in debate over
how electrons adhere in
superconductivity
Lee Pellegrini
The Glue That Binds
By Ed Hayward
Staff Writer
A team of researchers led by
Asst. Prof. Vidya Madhavan
(Physics) has identified evidence
of an alternative explanation for
the microscopic origins of the
“glue” that binds electrons during
high-temperature superconductivity.
Investigating one of the field’s
most hotly-debated issues, Madhavan and her colleagues identified a signature of the quantum
entity known as spin, as opposed
to the vibrational energy previously identified by researchers
probing the reasons electrons pair
up. The findings were published
in the Dec. 13 edition of the scientific journal Nature.
“The fact that this signature
exists is important because it is a
potential candidate for this glue
that binds electrons,” said Madhavan, a condensed matter experimentalist who has been at Boston
College for five years.
“By applying our research tool
– scanning tunneling microscopy
– to a material that has not been
studied before, we have a new
window on this critical question
of what holds electrons together
during superconductivity,” Madhavan said.
Despite their discovery 20 years
ago, high temperature superconductors still hold many mysteries for scientists. The promise of
superconductivity is the ultra-efficient transmission of electricity,
which could ultimately redefine
energy use and many other processes. Achieving a state of superconductivity – that point where
Asst. Prof. Vidya Madhavan (Physics).
typically un-joinable electrons
bind – only happens at extremely
cold temperatures, about 100 degrees Kelvin – some five times
colder than what we experience at
32 degrees Fahrenheit.
The research team included
Madhavan and Physics colleagues
Prof. Ziqiang Wang and Assoc. Prof. Hong Ding, graduate
students Francis C. Niestemski,
Shankar Kunwar and Sen Zhou,
along with the University of Tennessee’s Pengcheng Dai and Shiliang Li.
The group put in eight months
of experimentation in their Higgins Hall laboratory, where they
used scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to examine how electrons behave in a superconducting
material when super-cooled with
liquid helium and probed with a
flow of miniscule nanoamperes of
electric current.
Madhavan likens the team’s
discovery to finding just one small
part of a large jigsaw puzzle. But
in the arena of superconductiv-
ity research, small discoveries are
important as they move the field
forward incrementally toward the
discovery of a guiding microscopic
theory that can explain superconductivity or the elusive glue at its
core.
That there might not just be
a single explanation for electron
coupling means scientists will need
to reevaluate possible explanations
of the nature of superconductivity
as they endeavor to unlock the
physical mysteries behind a promising, yet elusive phenomenon.
“To see the work of Boston
College Physics Department faculty and researchers published in
the journal Nature is recognition of
the outstanding, high-quality work
being done by Professors Madhavan, Ding and Wang,” said Physics
chairman Prof. Michael Naughton.
“This is the latest advance to emerge
from the natural sciences at Boston
College and reflects the results of
our strategic investment in facilities
and faculty in these areas.”
Rombalski Appointed Student Affairs VP
Continued from page 1
Outside of John Carroll, he has
worked with two Jesuit universities in overseeing campus-wide
discussions on university mission
with board members, faculty and
students. In addition, over the
past seven years he has served as
executive director of Rostro de
Cristo, a national volunteer immersion program for high school
and college students working with
the poor in Ecuador.
Prior to his appointment as
vice president for student affairs
at John Carroll, Rombalski served
the Ohio-based university as dean
of students from 1997-2002. He
had previously held positions as
director of residential life at the
University of Scranton (19931997), and assistant and associate
director of residential life at Fairfield University from 1990-1993.
A 1986 graduate of Marquette
University, Rombalski holds a
master’s degree in student personnel from Iowa State Univer-
sity, and a doctorate in higher
education management from the
University of Pennsylvania. He
has lectured extensively at Jesuit
Association of Student Personnel
Administrators conferences, been
published in several books on student affairs, and has served as an
adjunct professor at John Carroll
and the University of Scranton.
Executive Vice President Patrick Keating, who chaired the
search committee that included
BC administrators, faculty and
students, described Rombalski as
a proven administrator with the
ability and experience to effectively engage BC’s students.
“Patrick Rombalski is a seasoned student affairs executive
who was selected from a very
strong pool,” said Keating. “His
background and knowledge will
be important assets for Boston
College, especially as we move
forward with our efforts to more
effectively integrate academics and
student life at BC.”
Rombalski said he is honored
to accept this role at Boston College and looks forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie
ahead. “It is with a great sense of
responsibility and excitement that
I accept the position of vice president for student affairs at Boston
College,” said Rombalski. “BC
is a premier institution of higher
education well known for its excellent faculty and students. It is
my plan to continue to build a
student affairs program that both
strengthens the Jesuit and Catholic mission of the University and
fosters growth in each student.
“I look forward to getting to
know the students at Boston College and assisting my colleagues
in Student Affairs in developing
an excellent student affairs program.”
Sheilah Shaw Horton will
continue to serve as interim vice
president for student affairs until
June 1.
University Reaccredited
Boston College has been officially
reaccredited by the Commission on
Institutions of Higher Education
(CIHE), completing a process that
began more than a year ago.
BC was formally notified on Dec.
17 of the commission’s decision to
continue the University’s accreditation, which is reviewed every 10
years.
CIHE is one of five commissions which form the New England
Association of Schools and Colleges, the oldest of the six accrediting
associations in the United States.
NEASC accredits more than 1,700
schools, colleges and universities in
the six-state region and supports and
encourages opportunities for educational collaboration.
The reaccreditation process comprised three major steps: a self-study
submitted by BC to CIHE last January; a visit in March by a group
of faculty and administrators from
peer universities led by Wake Forest
University President Nathan Hatch;
and an interview by the commission
with University President William P.
Leahy, SJ, in November.
In its report, the commission noted favorably the institutional progress achieved since the last evaluation
10 years ago, particularly “the substantial improvement to the College’s financial base, strengthening of
graduate and research programs, and
enhanced commitment to undergraduate education.”
CIHE commended Boston College for its recent comprehensive
academic planning process and the
campus master plan designed to support its strategic goals. It concurred
with the visiting team that “the ideals of the Jesuit educational mission
animate Boston College and provide
a strong foundation for continued
growth.” Also singled out for praise
were a strong senior leadership team,
a committed Board of Trustees and
a dedicated faculty and staff, all of
which, according to the commission,
position BC to achieve its ambitious
goals.
One area of need cited by the
visiting team, and affirmed by the
commission, is that the University
devote more attention to “putting
together specific evidence about institutional effectiveness.” The commission requested that BC submit an
interim report in the spring of 2010
that “gives emphasis to its success
in developing and implementing a
comprehensive approach to the as-
sessment of student learning at the
course, program, and institutional
level and using the results for improvement.”
The commission also noted with
approval that the Office of the Provost identified “building a culture
of assessment” as a major priority
for BC.
In addition, CIHE listed several
areas BC should address in the fifthyear interim report it will submit
in 2012, prior to the next full reaccreditation. The report will assess
the progress of the BC strategic plan,
how well the University assures sufficient resources to support institutional priorities, and the effectiveness
of structures for faculty governance.
Commenting on the letter of accreditation, Fr. Leahy said, “Both
the visiting committee and the Commission recognized the enormous
progress that BC has made as well
as our substantial ambitions for the
next decade and beyond.”
Fr. Leahy said he would ask administrators, deans and faculty to
provide more ample evidence of how
BC measures student outcomes and
uses results for improvement. “The
Office of Institutional Research can
help in the effort, but the primary
response must come from faculty.”
He added that senior administrators and the Board of Trustees would
be regularly monitoring success in
achieving institutional strategic goals,
developing the resources to achieve
these aims and ensuring that faculty
have an appropriate voice in areas
relating to their responsibility and
expertise.
Special Assistant to the President
Robert Newton, who chaired the
self-study, said, “In the past NEASC
visiting committees left campus impressed with our sense of mission,
our achievements, and our ambitions. It was no different this time.”
The commission’s emphasis on
monitoring progress and using outcomes to make improvements, he
said, “is part of a national movement
in American and worldwide higher
education. We are proud of our undergraduate and graduate programs
and we are simply being asked to
provide evidence of learning outcomes and to use that evidence for
continuous improvement. ”
Copies of the BC self-study and
the NEASC visiting committee report that were reviewed by the commission are available at the O’Neill
Library reference desk.
—Office of Public Affairs
Boston College is continuing a self-study of its intercollegiate athletic
programs as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association certification process.
Last month, the University’s Athletic Advisory Board met with Special
Assistant to the President Robert Newton, chair of the NCAA steering
committee, and three sub-committee chairs — Student Services Director
Louise Lonabocker, Associate Academic Vice President for Undergraduate Programs J. Joseph Burns and Carroll School of Management Assistant Dean Amy Lacombe — to review the self-study goals and process.
Meetings also have been scheduled for early this semester with the
Student Athlete Advisory Committee and BC coaches.
Once the self-study has been completed and reviewed by the steering
committee members, it will be available for review by the University community from March 15 to April 7. Following final revisions and approval
by the steering committee and University President William P. Leahy, SJ,
the self-study will be submitted to the NCAA on May 1.
The BC Athletic Department Web site includes a section on NCAA
certification [bceagles.cstv.com/] and an e-mail address, bc.ncaa@bc.edu,
for questions and comments.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 17, 2008
Mean Streets
“I see all of these things out
there that just glorify the
gangsters, like ‘The Sopranos,’
‘The Departed,’ ‘The Godfather.’ They just romanticize
BC custodian-turned-author Richard LeBlanc
keeps his subject matter close to home
The newest published author
in the Boston College community
doesn’t have a degree in literature
or the social sciences, but he’s sure
got a PhD in life experiences and
the ability to tell a story.
He’s Richard LeBlanc, for 29
years a Facilities Services custodian, who has recently written
a hard-edged crime novel, The
Contractor, that is centered in the
1950s gang-war era of Boston’s
once-notorious
Charlestown
neighborhood.
LeBlanc grew up in Charlestown when it was a teeming lowincome and high-crime district.
He readily admits that in his
younger days he was no stranger
to the violent and often sordid
underworld life that he uses as the
backdrop for his book.
“I see all of these things out
there that just glorify the gangsters,” he says, “like ‘The Sopranos,’ ‘The Departed,’ ‘The Godfather.’ They just romanticize the
gangster life.
“I wanted to write something
that shows just how bad these
criminal organizations are and
what happens in real life,” he says.
“I hope that if some young person
who might be thinking of going
into this lifestyle reads this, he
now might want to go out and get
a job or go to school.”
The Contractor is set in the
mean streets of the Boston of a
half-century ago – a hardscrabble
venue that is foreign to many
current residents of the tony new
Charlestown district and certainly
unknown to most in the city’s
academic communities.
“When people read it and come
back to me, the biggest thing that
they say is that it is real,” LeBlanc
says.
“Back in the Boston gang wars
of the early ’60s, it was almost
like the Civil War,” LeBlanc says
of those explosive days in the
Hub. “You might see one brother
– probably from a large family
– ‘working’ for the Italian gangs,
while another brother might be
‘working’ for the independent
Irish gangs. I could actually drink
with both sides, and they knew I
wouldn’t take anything back to
the others.
“When you went out and you
drank you would hear a lot,” he
recalls. “The next day when you
woke up you remember what you
heard but you forgot who told
you.”
LeBlanc says it took him a
couple of years to pen the text as
he drew on the memories of his
younger days to weave the story.
“But I always tell everybody that it
is purely fictional,” he laughs.
LeBlanc’s path to becoming an
Campus School
Continued from page 1
introduction, choose songs and
prompt the teachers to continue
with switches and nonverbal cues.
The daily event helps children
build skills and work on Individualized Education Plan goals.
Christopher is encouraged to
use sign language to say “more”
and “my turn.” Like most of the
students in the class, he smiles,
claps and makes sounds to participate in the lesson.
Utilizing weekly Wednesday afternoon sessions, staff have visited
the DiRuzzas’ home in Revere to
help with transitions from school
to home and provide pointers on
reinforcing what is being worked
on during circle time.
Director Don Ricciato, who
has been involved with the program for the past 34 years, says the
complexity of the medical challenges the Campus School encounters may have increased over
the years, but the philosophy has
remained the same.
“We always look at ways to
adapt the curriculum and instructional strategies so our students
are active learners,” said Ricciato.
“We see them for the people they
are — beyond their disability.”
The typical profile of a Campus School student is a child between the ages of three to 21 with
multiple disabilities. All lack the
ability to speak and most have
sensory limitations, including low
vision, partial hearing loss and
cognitive challenges. The majority
of students have complex healthcare needs and nurses are often
paired one-on-one in classrooms
administering necessary care.
The challenge for the program, Ricciato said, is to continually update assistive technology
so Campus School students are
best served and Boston College
students have access to the best
technology in the field of special
education.
Passing through the brightly
colored school on a recent day,
Ricciato walked from one classroom to another pointing out various methods and therapies used.
“The program has evolved over
time and become part of the culture of the campus,” said Ricciato.
That seems to be apparent in
Mike Thurm’s class, when during one recent class a half-dozen
students in wheelchairs and assistive devices sat learning about
the states of matter. By making
smoothies, Thurm explained the
science, but also allowed students
to participate by washing fruit,
turning a blender on and off and,
when possible, smell or taste the
smoothie.
the gangster life. I wanted to
write something that shows
just how bad these criminal
organizations are and what
happens in real life.”
—Richard LeBlanc
Photo by Lee Pellegrini
author was not a straight or an easy
one. “I skipped a lot of school,” he
admits. “In one classroom we had
a flagpole outside the window.
When the teacher turned to the
blackboard, I used to hop on onto
the flagpole, hang there and drop
to the ground. Right down Main
Street was a poolroom. I’d go
there and play, but I turned out
to be a lousy pool player,” he says
with a chuckle.
“Basically, if you had to quit
school early – and that was pretty
near everybody in my neighborhood back in the 1950s – you
went out to work and to help your
family support itself,” he says.
“Only two kids I ever knew got
scholarships and went to college.”
By age 13, he was working as
a longshoreman on the Charlestown docks, using a made-up Social Security number to qualify for
a paycheck. In his early 20s, he
competed as a professional boxer,
trading punches in weekly matches at small arenas up and down the
East Coast for an average payout
of $10 per round — and a frequently broken nose.
After a severe head injury ended his boxing career, he eventually
wound up working for Boston
College. LeBlanc spent a number
of years as a custodian in Lyons
Hall and currently works the second shift in O’Neill Library.
“I live in Somerville now,”
he says. “I haven’t been back to
Charlestown in a heckuva long
time. Most of the people I knew
there are living somewhere else or
they are dead.”
LeBlanc says he always liked
fiction, but never gave much
thought to penning his own book
even as he was surrounded by a
campus full of prolific academic
writers and researchers.
“I’m 67 years old now, and I
think vanity took a hike a long
time ago,” he says. “Right now
I enjoy writing and I like to accomplish things. It’s not that I’m
proud, but I would use the word
‘satisfied.’”
Lee Pellegrini
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
“My students are typical children,” says Campus School teacher Mike Thurm, shown with Caroline Ruggieri. “They get
happy, excited, angry and frustrated. They have vibrant personalities.”
“We use food as a multi-sensory approach to the lesson,” Thurm
later explained. “The students can
smell the fruit, or feel the textures.
They see the ingredients and we
also work on the sequence of how
to make the smoothie.
“My students are typical children. They get happy, excited, angry and frustrated. They have vibrant personalities,” said Thurm,
who holds weekly conferences
with families and writes daily
notes to parents to keep them
updated.
Thurm became involved with
the Campus School in 1999, when
he was a freshman at BC. Starting
as a volunteer “buddy,” Thurm
and other volunteers would sing,
read and visit with Campus School
students. Today, Thurm heads his
own class and has since received a
BC bachelor’s degree in 2003 and
a master’s in 2006.
“I never thought that I would
be involved in a career like this,
but I find it very rewarding,” said
Thurm.
Parents like DiRuzza say mean-
ingful curriculum and devoted
personnel is what sets the school
apart. DiRuzza said she was in awe
when school staff took a group of
children apple picking. Medical
attention was available for children who needed it on location,
as other students enjoyed a social
experience with friends.
“I really believe the Campus
School makes your kid part of society,” said DiRuzza. “When you
have a disabled child there is no
greater gift than that.”
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 17, 2008
By the Numbers (3.14 and On)
BC senior sets sights on
record for memorizing
the digits of pi
Some people have trouble memorizing their zip code or their personal identification number. And
then there’s James Niles-Joyal ’08.
The music major from Ashburnham, Mass., is bidding to become North America’s pre-eminent
memorizer of pi, that mathematical
constant which refers to the ratio of
a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Usually abbreviated to 3.14 in
everyday math, pi has been computed electronically to more than a
trillion decimal places.
Niles-Joyal has memorized pi to
10,500 digits and has his sights set
on the North American record with
a goal of 13,141 digits (the world
record, according to Guinness, is
67,890). Last year, he took part
in a “Pi Day” celebration at Harvard and tried to recite pi to 3,141
decimal places, only to stumble at
number 612.
On July 22, according to NilesJoyal, he learned the final 1,491
digits that would enable him to
achieve the 13,141 mark, and had
planned to give an official recitation
at the end of the summer, using two
former teachers as witnesses. But the
practice sessions were “incredibly
taxing,” he says, and with a busy fall
semester coming up, he felt it was
in his best interest to take a break
and postpone his record-making attempt — “Faith keeps the hope
afloat, so dreams can swim ashore,”
he says, “and I’m diving for a record
this year.”
Niles-Joyal’s method of memorization is to work in blocks of 150
to 200 digits, searching for patterns
and idiosyncrasies that might help
him to remember the sequences.
He also follows a general routine
that includes at least eight hours
of sleep “and eight cups of water”
James Niles-Joyal ’08: “Ultimately, it’s a process of using one’s brain to the fullest capacity, a process that involves focus and self-study. When I go into the ‘memorization
zone,’ I feel as though I am using a different part of my brain, which very well may be
the case.” (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
every day.
“I try to stay sharp,” he explains.
“The last two parties I attended,
I met everyone I could. Coincidentally, I met 46 people at both
parties. I know this because I wrote
down everyone’s name when I got
home. It’s been a huge boost to my
Facebook. Note to self: People are
much better than digits.
“Ultimately, it’s a process of using one’s brain to the fullest capacity, a process that involves focus
and self-study. When I go into
the ‘memorization zone,’ I feel as
though I am using a different part
of my brain, which very well may
be the case.”
Niles-Joyal sees a connection between his musical and memorization activities. “The way I think of
the contour and shape of a string of
digits is often the way I approach
writing an orchestral piece. I ask,
‘What do I want it to look like?’ As
a composer, I group notes to express
emotion; as a pi memorist, I group
digits to foster memorization. And
no, I do not sing digits as if they
were notes on a page.”
Niles-Joyal has been considering
law school after graduation, and
thinks his prowess in pi memorization could be an asset. “I feel my
ability to think critically and outside
of the box is only enhanced by my
memory of the box,” he says. “Although pi would be extra useful if
the box were circular.”
Mercifully, says Niles-Joyal, he
has been thus far been spared requests to name the 50 state capitals,
list all the World Series winners
since 1903 or give other demonstrations one would associate with
a “photographic memory” — a
phrase he regards with skepticism.
“If perfect photographic memory exists, then why hasn’t someone
taken a half hour to ‘photograph’ 30
pages of digits and break the World
Record? That may be asking too
much,” he says.
“However, I am optimistic that
the human mind is capable of things
much greater than photography,
achieving heights that are purely human and valuable to humans.”
—Sean Smith
Grad Student Wins Major Nursing Honor
By Kathleen Sullivan
Staff Writer
Connell School of Nursing doctoral candidate Deborah Washington MA ’93 was named one of
six national Nurses of the Year by
Nursing Spectrum/NurseWeek.
The annual award recognizes
“outstanding nurses who positively affect patients, practice, and
profession.” Washington, who has
served as the director of diversity
of Massachusetts General Hospital’s Patient Care Services Department since 1995, was honored in
the category of “Advancing and
Leading the Profession.”
Washington has been a key
figure in leading initiatives to promote awareness and acceptance
of diversity and cultural issues at
MGH. She co-designed the first
culturally competent care curriculum and established the AfricanAmerican Pinning Ceremony, a
yearly tradition held during Black
History Month that celebrates
the contributions employees have
Deborah Washington MA ’93
made in creating a positive and
open organizational culture.
“I think every individual wonders if what they do everyday
makes a difference or adds value to
the way things work,” said Washington. “[This award] answers
that question for me. It measures
what I’ve learned from others and
how I’ve been supported in my
personal development. It’s an encouragement to keep giving back
what was given to me.” Prof. Sister Callista Roy
(CSON), Washington’s academic
adviser, expects “significant findings” to come from Washington’s
doctoral research study which examines the effect of stereotypes
and racism in clinical judgments
as an explanation for disparities
in health outcomes among races.
“She is courageous to bring this
to light.
“She has wonderful insights,”
adds Sister Roy. “It’s a pleasure
to work with her. I think of Deb
more like a colleague. She has
already had a huge impact in the
practice of nursing.”
In 2006, Washington was
awarded a fellowship in the inaugural class of the Health Research
and Educational Trust Cultural
Competence Leadership Fellowship Program, and earlier this year
she was selected to participate in
the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program.
The Nurse of the Year award
was presented on Oct. 29 in Chicago.
CIT Program Moves On
Continued from page 1
of Students and Community DeCIT is a three-year effort to velopment Karen Van Norman.
“The issue at hand here is not
examine how BC’s programs and
activities reflect its Jesuit, Catholic freedom of information per se,”
character, and detail the oppor- said Fr. Keenan, “but rather how
tunities — and obstacles — for do we provide better care for our
strengthening it. A CIT planning students with regards to sexual
committee appointed by Provost health in light of the Catholic
and Dean of Faculties Cutberto intellectual traditions. For this
Garza and chaired by Prof. James reason we are inviting people from
Keenan, SJ (Theology), is provid- Seton Hall and Georgetown to
ing support for the three panel see how they address this same
discussions and other events that issue.”
Inter-religious dialogue will
are in planning stages.
The first discussion, which be the theme of the April 16
takes place March 13, is “The panel discussion, chaired by Seelig
Catholic University in the 21st Professor of Philosophy Richard
Century,” chaired by Prof. Robert Kearney and with a panel of BC
Goizueta (Theology) and featur- theologians representing a divering Jon Sobrino, SJ, a figure of sity of religious traditions: Assoc.
controversy who was rebuked last Prof. Rabbi Ruth Langer, acayear by the Vatican for his support demic director of the Center for
Christian-Jewish Learning; Assoc.
of liberation theology.
Fr. Sobrino has lived in El Prof. John Makransky, a Buddhist
Salvador for decades and was lama; Islamic scholar Prof. James
close to the late Archbishop Oscar Morris; and Assoc. Prof. CathRomero, who was murdered in erine Cornille, who researches and
the country’s civil war. Fr. So- writes on Hinduism.
Times and locations for the
brino escaped death in 1989 when
Salvadoran troops killed six Jesuit events will be announced at a later
priests, their housekeeper and her date.
“The phrase ‘Catholic intellecdaughter at the University of El
Salvador; he was traveling at the tual traditions’ is very important
to this program,” said Fr. Keentime.
an. “There is
“The objective
“The phrase ‘Catholic
no singular,
is not a theologimonolithic
cal discourse,”
intellectual traditions’
Catholic insaid Fr. Keenan,
is very important to this
tellectual
“but an overview
tradition, so
of the issues facprogram. There is no sinyou cannot
ing the Catholic
gular, monolithic Catholic
pre-suppose
university in this
what it is. By
new age. What
intellectual tradition, so
taking into
are the areas of
you cannot pre-suppose
account its
opportunity and
different facchallenge? Where
what it is.”
ets — social
can a Catholic
—James Keenan, SJ
justice, the
university
do
role of womthe most good?
en, the arts,
Fr. Sobrino has
some very compelling thoughts for example — you enlarge the
on the subject, which will spur conversation.
“What marks the CIT program
discussion.”
On April 1, Prof. Rosanna is that it very much a faculty-drivDeMarco (CSON) will chair a en initiative. Where in the past
discussion titled “Sexual Educa- faculty were not particularly ention and the Catholic University,” gaged on the subject of the Cathowith her Connell School of Nurs- lic intellectual tradition, more and
ing colleagues Assoc. Prof. Anne more are taking a greater interest
Norris and Asst. Prof. Jennifer Al- — and it’s not just from theologilen as panelists. Guest panelists are cal or philosophical disciplines.
Georgetown University Chaplain- The presence of other academic
in-Residence James Walsh, SJ, and professional perspectives in
and Seton Hall University Dean the program will make it a very
useful and relevant enterprise.”
Lyden to Discuss ‘Moral Imperative’
Connell School of Nursing alumna Michelle Lyden will discuss her experiences in, and views on, international health care
and service work on Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. in the Murray Room of
the Yawkey Center.
The event, “The Moral Imperative to Act: Working for
the Common Good,” is sponsored by the Winston Center for
Leadership and Ethics and the Alumni Association.
Lyden, who earned her undergraduate degree in 1992 and
her graduate degree in 1997, is founder and director of the
consulting company Global Action. She also is the executive
director of Africa operations for Project Healthy Children, established through funding from former President Bill Clinton’s
Global Initiative.
For more information on the event, call ext.2-9296 or e-mail
Winston.center@bc.edu.
—Office of Public Affairs
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 17, 2008
Postings
CSON colloquium on academic
leadership Jan. 22
The Connell School of Nursing PhD
Colloquium will present a talk Jan.
22, 4:30 p.m. in the Yawkey Center
Murray Room, by Salem State College President Patricia Merservey, a
resident nurse, and Carol Gold, a professor of nursing and director of research at the Northeastern University
Bouve College of Health Sciences.
Merservey and Gold will discuss
the need for strong academic leaders
at a time of increasing faculty shortages in nursing and other disciplines
of higher education, and highlight appropriate leadership skills to ensure
a strong future for the US professional education system.
For more information, see www.
bc.edu/phdcolloquia or e-mail vitone@bc.edu.
Walden Media head to speak on
book-film adaptations
Randy Testa, vice president of education for Walden Media, will talk
about the challenge of creating faithful, high-quality film adaptations of
beloved children’s literature, on Jan.
22 at 7:30 p.m. in Gasson 100.
Walden Media has produced
such adaptations as “Hoot,” “The
Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe,” “Because
of Winn-Dixie,” “How to Eat Fried
Worms,” “Charlotte’s Web” and
“Bridge to Terabithia.” Testa will
show clips of these films as well as
the forthcoming “Prince Caspian.”
The event is free to those with a BC
ID, $5 to other college students with
ID and $15 to all others.
For more information, e-mail cohenlm@bc.edu.
Skerry to speak on Muslims
in the US
The Boisi Center for Religion and
American Public Life will present a
talk on Jan. 30 at noon by Prof. Peter
Skerry (Political Science), “Muslims
in the United States.”
Skerry, whose research focuses
on social policy, racial and ethnic
politics, and immigration, is currently
working on a study of the social,
cultural, and political integration of
Muslims and Arabs in the US.
The event, which takes place in the
center at 24 Quincy Road, is free
but reservations are required. E-mail
Susan Richard at richarsh@bc.edu or
call ext.2-1860. Additional information is available at www.bc.edu/centers/boisi/publicevents/current_semester/skerry.html.
Student Leadership Awards
nominees sought
The Office of the Dean for Student
Development is seeking candidates
for the 2008 Student Leadership
Awards. The awards honor students
who have contributed to campus life,
such as through organizing lectures,
concerts, poetry readings, discussions and other events or special
projects.
Organizations, advisors, faculty,
deans, and administrators interested
in nominating award candidates can
find forms and information at www.
bc.edu/odsdawards. Nominations
must be submitted by Feb. 8.
Winners will be honored at the
annual Student Leadership Awards
Banquet later in the semester.
For more information, contact Karl
Bell at bellkh@bc.edu or ext.2-8974.
Eagles Are Bowl Champs Again
BC quarterback Matt
Ryan ’08 talks with
the media following
Boston College’s 2421 win in the Champs
Sports Bowl Dec. 28
in Orlando. It was
Ryan’s last game for
the Eagles.
(Photo courtesy of BC
Athletic Association)
Victory in Orlando has
some positive effects
off the field, too
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
Boston College has earned a resounding “F” for its appearance in
December’s Champs Sports Bowl
– as in “Fun,” “Football” and “Finances.”
When the football Eagles defeated Big Ten foe Michigan State
24-21 in Orlando on Dec. 28, it
marked the team’s 11th victory
of the season – the most for any
BC football squad in 66 years. It
also was the team’s eighth consecutive post-season victory, the longest
such winning streak of any team in
major college football. Boston College has qualified for bowl games
in nine consecutive seasons; the
Eagles’ previous best post-season
skein had stood at three.
BC also finished the season tied
for 10th place, with Texas, in the
final Associated Press poll, the Eagles’ highest end-of-season ranking
in 23 years.
“A bowl game is a reward for
the players for having had a great
season,” notes Athletics Director
Gene DeFilippo. “Our players had
a wonderful time in Orlando. They
went to Universal Studios, they
went to SeaWorld, they went to the
Magic Kingdom and did a number
of other things that made it a great
time.”
The good times in Orlando were
also shared by upwards of 6,000
alumni and friends of BC who
thoroughly enjoyed the myriad of
activities available in central Florida
to go along with the football fest.
“It was a great experience for
alumni and their families,” adds
Associate Vice President for Alum-
ni Relations John Feudo. “It was
a relaxing time where people really came together as a ‘BC family.’ There was so much interaction
among alumni, players and families
down there. It makes you think
that this is what it is all about.”
DeFilippo points out that the
University stands to gain a significant financial benefit from its
participation in the Champs Sports
Bowl as well. “All bowl monies go
to the Atlantic Coast Conference
office, whether it is the $17 million
that a team gets for participating in
a BCS bowl or the $2 million from
the Champs Sports Bowl.”
The ACC then issues each bowl
team an “allowance” for the participants to travel and stay at the bowl
venue. “By having that allowance
most of the time you are able to
meet your costs,” he says. “There
are times when it might cost you
money to go to a bowl game, because you are forced to buy some
tickets. This year, we had to buy
12,000 tickets at $60 apiece for the
game. We didn’t sell all of those
tickets, so we had to eat some of
that.”
DeFilippo said Boston College
also brought the University’s 200plus member marching band to the
game, another major expense. “But
we thought it was the right thing to
do,” he says.
At the end of the year, the ACC
splits up the proceeds from the
league’s eight bowl appearances,
television contracts, the ACC
championship football game and
the ACC basketball championship
tournaments. “Now that we are a
full-share member of the ACC, our
share will be approximately $10
million,” DeFilippo says.
The nationally-televised Champs
Sports Bowl game gave a boost to
Boston College recruiting efforts,
especially in talent-rich Florida, says
DeFilippo.
“The fact that we have been to
nine consecutive bowls has really
put us among the nation’s football
elite. From a recruiting standpoint,
the players want to come to where
the teams are winning, they want
to play for the winning teams, they
want to play on television, they
want to play in bowl games,” he
says. “They have an opportunity to
do that here at BC.”
Boston College took three of
the seven Atlantic Coast Conference Fall Sportsmanship Awards,
honoring ACC teams that have
conducted themselves with a
high degree of character and good
sportsmanship, as voted by the
league’s players and coaches.
Along with its first-ever Sportsmanship Award in field hockey,
BC earned its third consecutive
in volleyball and second straight
in football.
BC was the only school to
receive more than one award.
—Office of Public Affairs
Jan. 28 Forum to Highlight Role of Grass Roots in Politics
Massachusetts Lt. Governor
Tim Murray will be among the
panelists in a discussion on citizen
participation, politics and social
justice Jan. 28.
Sponsored by Leadership for
Change at Boston College, FONDACA — a foundation advocating civic activism — and The
Sustainable Business Network of
Greater Boston, “Activating Democracy: How Grass Roots Movements Can Revolutionize Politics”
will take place from 6:30-8:30
p.m. in Gasson 100.
Joining Murray will be Prof.
Charles Derber (Sociology), who
has authored several books on
citizen political and social activism, and Dario Franceschini, deputy secretary of the Italian Democratic Party. Also speaking will
be Giovanni Moro, president of
FONDACA and the son of Aldo
Moro, the Italian prime minister
slain in 1978 by a militant Communist group.
Rebecca Rowley, director of the
BC-based Leadership for Change
program, will serve as moderator.
“It’s a very timely event, given
that the 2008 presidential campaign is now in full swing — we’ve
had Iowa and New Hampshire,
and Super Tuesday will be the following week,” said Derber.
“Also, one of the major stories
of Iowa and New Hampshire was
the role of young people in the
campaign, which is certainly relevant for a university like BC.”
But voting is only one aspect
of democracy that will be explored
at the event, Derber adds. “Grass
roots movements see the political parties as ‘business as usual,’
remote from the populace and
incapable of finding solutions.
“In this panel, we want to
explore how the grass roots can
engage or collaborate with parties
to help make a difference more
frequently than every four years.
“This is not an ideological nor
a partisan event: We are hoping
that people of different political
backgrounds and views will come
join in the discussion — and there
will be plenty of opportunity for
the audience to participate.”
Murray is a former three-term
mayor of Worcester, the state’s
second largest city. During his
administration, he chaired the
Worcester School Committee and
built community partnerships
to lower drop-out rates, launch
school-based health initiatives and
expand after-school programs to
support working families.
A major figure in Italy’s often
mercurial political scene — characterized by splintered parties and
fragile coalitions — Franceschini
has been a long-time figure in
the Christian Democratic party.
He left the Christian Democrats
in 1994 after they had become
the Italian People’s Party, but returned three years later during a
series of splits and alliances that
climaxed in 2002 with the creation of a new centrist party Democracy is Freedom – Daisy.
In addition to holding party
and government posts, Franceschini has authored two novels,
one of which won literary awards
in France and Italy.
“The subject matter this panel
addresses is of concern in Europe
as well as the US, and we feel
that the perspective of someone
like Dario will be very valuable to
have,” said Derber.
Derber researches and writes
on American culture and global
capitalism, terrorism, the power
of multinational corporations
and economic and sociopolitical reform. His books include
The Wilding of America: Greed,
Violence, and the New American
Dream, Hidden Power: What You
Need to Know to Save Our Democracy and Regime Change Begins
at Home: Freeing America from
Corporate Rule.
Admission is free for BC faculty and students, $15 for all
others. Call ext.2-2044 or e-mail
theresa.mahan.1@bc.edu. Information also is available at www.
bc.edu/schools/csom/leadership/
lfc/events.html.
—Sean Smith
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 17, 2008
PEOPLE
Newsmakers
•Assoc. Prof. Michael Malec (Sociology) was quoted in the Delaware News Journal regarding the
exposure that universities receive
from athletic successes, and the
effect this has on admissions.
•Assoc. Prof. Kathleen Seiders
(CSOM) was interviewed by the
Boston Globe for an article on
Necco’s annual unveiling of new
sayings on its Valentine’s Day candies.
•The Times of India cited a study,
co-authored by Asst. Prof. Elizabeth Miller (CSOM), claiming
that shorter — not longer —
waiting periods for certain appointments may actually lead to
increased stress.
•Cleary Professor of Finance Edward Kane discussed the world
banking system in an interview
with the Christian Science Monitor.
•In a look ahead to the next
season of the popular TV show
“American Idol,” the Boston Herald spoke with Ayla Brown ’10, a
former contestant.
•Adj. Assoc. Prof. Michael C.
Keith (Communication) was in-
terviewed by the Boston Globe
regarding the social and cultural role of an unlicensed Cape
Verdean and Haitian low-power
radio station in the greater Boston
area. •Prof. Ellen Winner (Psychology)
offered her views on child prodigies in art for an article that ran in
the magazine section of the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph,
and spoke with the San Diego
Union Tribune about a fifth-grade
piano whiz.
•Prof. Maxim D. Shrayer (Slavic
and Eastern Languages) and his
recent book, Waiting for America:
A Story of Emigration, were the
profile of the month in Newton
Magazine and Brookline Magazine. A feature review of Waiting
for America also appeared in The
Providence Journal.
Publications
•Assoc. Prof. Bruce Morrill, SJ
(Theology), co-authored “Chapter
III: The Duties and Ministries in
the Mass” in A Commentary on the
General Instruction of the Roman
Missal.
Honors/Appointments
•Choice magazine, the periodical of
Nota Bene
Kevin Tierney ’09, a physics major in the College of Arts and Sciences, was the recipient of a Best Undergraduate Poster Award at the
2007 Meeting of the American Physical Society’s Division of Plasma
Physics, held in Orlando, Fla.
Tierney, whose presentation was one of only five honored from a
field of more than 40 undergraduate posters, undertook research on
dusty plasmas last summer with Professor Michael Bonitz and collaborators at the University of Kiel, Germany, and was sponsored by the
German government’s Research Internships in Science and Engineering
program.
Tierney is continuing his studies of plasma physics as a research assistant with Prof. Gabor Kalman (Physics).
For an unprecedented 10th year, the Irish Institute at Boston
College’s Center for Irish Programs has been awarded a major grant
through the US State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs. The center’s executive director, University Professor of History
Thomas E. Hachey, has been the principal investigator for these grants
during the past eight years
This year’s grant, totaling almost $800,000, will allow the institute
to continue its mission of supporting the peace and reconciliation process on the island of Ireland through the provision of programming on
many of the most urgent social, economic, and political issues facing
today’s leaders on both sides of the border. Participants of each program
are afforded the opportunity to interact with their cross-border counterparts and to exchange experiences with and learn from America’s top
academics and practitioners in the field.
Hachey said, “It is a tribute to the exceptional skill and professionalism of the Irish Institute staff that the Boston College program
continues to be selected by our Congressional sponsors and Department
of State monitors for significant funding in what has been a keenly competitive field at a time of dramatically diminished federal resources.”
Asst. Prof. Jianmin Gao (Chemistry) has received a Smith Family
Foundation New Investigator Award of $200,000 to support his research into how proteins function. Launched in 1991 by the Richard
and Susan Smith Family Foundation, the new investigator program
supports newly appointed junior faculty engaged in basic research in
the areas of AIDS, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and neuroscience. A chemical biologist, Gao’s work has implications for potential
therapies to a range of diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Type II
Diabetes.
the American Library Association,
selected An Anthology of Jewish-Russian Literature, by Prof. Maxim D.
Shrayer (Slavic and Eastern Languages), as among its “Outstanding
Books of the Year,” and cited Integrating Islam: Political and Religious
Challenges in Contemporary France,
co-authored by Asst. Prof. Jonathan
Laurence (Political Science), as an
“Outstanding Academic Title.”
•WGBH-FM included the CD of
Guerrero’s “Missa Super flumina
Babylonis” by Adj. Assoc Prof. Michael Noone (Music) in its list of
Top Ten Classical Records of the
Year for 2007.
Time and a Half
•Prof. Zhijie Xiao (Economics)
presented “Conditional Quantile
Estimation for GARCH Models” at
the 2007 Joint Statistical Meetings
in Salt Lake City.
•Prof. Maxim D. Shrayer (Slavic
and Eastern Languages) delivered
“Lev Ginzburg, Soviet Holocaust
Memory, and Germanophilia” at
the Association for Jewish Studies
Conference in Toronto.
•Asst. Prof. Jonathan Laurence
(Political Science) presented “The
Challenges of Integrating Europe’s
Muslims” at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. Former Dining Services Associate
Director John Grogan Dies
A funeral Mass was said on Jan. 9 at St. Agatha’s Church in
Milton for former Associate Director of Dining Services John J.
Grogan, who died on Jan. 4. He was 68.
As the first associate director of Dining Services, Mr. Grogan
— who began working at BC in 1975 — oversaw the operational
and financial management of all the department’s units. Colleagues
and friends recalled him as highly organized and meticulous in personal appearance and office management, and — as befitting a US
Navy veteran — someone who “ran a tight ship.”
But his coworkers also came to realize that, for all his military
bearing and large frame, Mr. Grogan was caring and compassionate
as well as hard-working, with a keen sense of humor he would share
readily over a meal, at a meeting, or at golf.
During his 25-year service at BC, Mr. Grogan was credited with
creating The Golden Lantern Restaurant in Walsh Hall, introducing
and installing technology in Dining Services, converting the student
meal plan from tickets to the electronic “points” system, and encouraging the development of a diverse workforce in his department.
He also planned original food service designs for the Lower
Campus Dining Hall (now Corcoran Commons), Walsh Hall, the
Eagle’s Nest in McElroy Commons, the renovated Lyons Hall and
the Conte Forum and Alumni Stadium concessions.
“I credit John as one of the greatest models of change that I’ve
ever worked with in my career,” said Auxiliary Services Director Patricia Bando, who was director of Dining Services the last five years
of Mr. Grogan’s BC career. “He embraced change unlike many
younger team members who bucked at the new challenges that we
presented. He loved to create or learn new ideas and then forge new
pathways of opportunity for our employees, the department and the
University.”
A native of Milton and a graduate of Northeastern University,
Mr. Grogan served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War and
received a Good Conduct Medal.
Mr. Grogan is survived by his wife, Virginia, who worked at BC
Law School for 24 years; his sons, Robert of Wellesley and William
of Sandwich; his daughter Diane Porrino of Florida; 10 grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Burial took place at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in
Bourne.
—Sean Smith
CSOM Consultant Kennedy Dies
A memorial service was held Jan.
12 at the Friends Meeting house in
Cambridge for Bruce P. Kennedy, a
consultant and research statistician
at the Carroll School of Management who died Jan. 3. He was 48.
Mr. Kennedy, a native of Montclair, NJ, who began working at
CSOM last year, was managing
partner at Cambridge Analytics, a
research consulting group focused
on epidemiology, macro and microeconomic research.
Prior to his arrival at BC, Mr.
Kennedy was at the Harvard School
of Public Health, where he achieved
the rank of associate professor and
was an internationally recognized
health researcher. He published articles in The British Medical Journal, American Journal of Public
Health and Social Science and Medicine and authored several books,
including The Health of Nations
with his colleague Ichiro Kawachi.
He and Kawachi were recipients of
the 1996 Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation Investigator Award In
Health Policy.
He is survived by his parents,
Philip and Mirth Kennedy, his
brothers Scott and Mark and sister
Lydia.
—Office of Public Affairs
Foundation Taps
Alumnus Bryk
As New Head
Anthony Bryk ’70, a renowned
educational researcher and a former Alumni Association Excellence
Award winner, has been named
president of The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Bryk, who holds the Spencer
Chair in Organizational Studies at
Stanford University, will assume the
presidency in August, the foundation announced last week.
Founded by Andrew Carnegie
in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by
an Act of Congress, The Carnegie
Foundation for the Advancement
of Teaching [www.carnegiefoundation.org] is an independent policy
and research center whose charge
is “to do and perform all things
necessary to encourage, uphold, and
dignify the profession of the teacher
and the cause of higher education.”
The co-author of the widely acclaimed 1984 book Catholic Schools
and the Common Good, Bryk studied
chemistry as a BC undergraduate.
In 2001, he was presented with the
BC Alumni Association Award of
Excellence in Education. Bryk holds
a doctorate in measurement and
statistics from the Harvard Graduate
School of Education.
Prior to his appointment at Stanford in 2004, Bryk was the Marshall
Field IV Professor of Urban Education in the University of Chicago
sociology department, where he
helped found the Center for Urban
School Improvement, which supports reform efforts in the Chicago
Public Schools. Bryk also created
the Consortium on Chicago School
Research, a federation of research
groups that have produced a range
of studies to advance and assess urban school reform.
His current research and practice
interests focus on the organizational
redesign of schools and school systems and the integration of technology into schooling to enhance
teaching and learning.
—Office of Public Affairs
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/:
Investment Officer, Public Equities
Manager, Technology Consultants
Compensation Analyst, Human
Resources
Graphic Designer/Communication Specialist, Connell School of
Nursing
Job Coach, Lynch School of Education - Campus School
Audiovisual Archives Assistant,
Burns Library
Student Support Specialist, Student Services
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 17, 2008
LOOKING AHEAD
READINGS • LECTURES •
DISCUSSION
January 22
•“Building Bridges between
Books and Movies,” with Randy
Testa, Walden Media, 7:30 p.m.,
Vanderslice Hall. Admission free
with BC ID, $5 other students,
$15 all others. E-mail cohenlm@
bc.edu.
•“Tales from Rocks about the
Dance of the Continents,” with
Asst. Prof. Yvette Kuiper (Geology and Geophysics), 7 p.m.,
Weston Observatory, 381 Concord Road, Weston. Reservations
required, call ext.2-8300.
January 25
•Bradley Lecture Series: “The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy,”
with Donald Maletz, University of
Oklahoma, and respondent Asst.
Prof. Jonathan Laurence (Political
Science), 4 p.m., McGuinn 121.
RSVP by Jan. 21 for buffet supper
to geesh@bc.edu.
January 26
•Workshop: “Parish Development: Fundraising for Parish Leadership,” 9 a.m., McElroy Conference Room. Admission $15. See
www.bc.edu/irepmce, call ext.28057 or e-mail lambmb@bc.edu.
January 28
•Forum: “Activating Democracy:
How Grass Roots Movements
Can Revolutionize Politics,”
with Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim
Murray, Italian Democratic Party
Deputy Secretary Dario Franceschini, Prof. Charles Derber (Sociology), 6:30 p.m., Gasson 100.
Call ext.2-2044 or e-mail Theresa.
mahan.1@bc.edu for reservations.
•Reading: “Lectura Dantis: Purgatorio XXV,” with Dennis Costa,
Boston University, 7:30 p.m.,
Devlin 101, see www.bc.edu/
schools/cas/honors/bcdante.html.
January 29
•”The Moral Imperative to Act:
Working for the Common Good
of Humanity,” with Michelle
Lyden ’92, MA’97, Global Action,
4 p.m., Murray Room, Yawkey
Center, call ext.2-9296 or e-mail
Winston.center@bc.edu..
January 30
•”Muslims in the United States,”
with Prof. Peter Skerry (Political Science), noon, Boisi Center
for Religion and American Public
Life, 24 Quincy Road. Call ext.21860 or e-mail richarsh@bc.edu.
•Lowell Lectures Humanities
Series: “Building the Climate
Movement,” with Bill McKibben,
7:30 p.m., Gasson 100, see www.
bc.edu/Lowell.
February 4
•Atlantic Worlds Series: “Race
and Rights: The View from IrishAmerica, at the Turn of the Twentieth Century and the Turn of
the Twenty-First,” with Matthew
Frye Jacobson, Yale University, 4
p.m., Connolly House, see www.
bc.edu/atlanticworlds.
February 5
•Writers Among Us Series: “Ireland’s Magdalen Laundries and
the Nation’s Architecture of
Containment,” with Assoc. Prof.
James Smith (English), 7 p.m.,
Gasson 305. Call ext.2-4576 or
e-mail carlisll@bc.edu.
UNIVERSITY EVENTS
January 21
•Martin Luther King Jr. Day. All
University offices closed.
MUSIC • ART • PERFORMANCE
January 17
•Performance: “Getting Out,” by
Marsha Norman, Robsham Theater, through Jan. 19. See www.
bc.edu/robshaminfo for times,
ticket prices.
January 26
•Performance by Ukrainian folk
dance ensemble Syzokryli, 7 p.m.,
Robsham Theater. Tickets $15,
$10 for students and senior citizens. Call (973)687-6947 or email rakowskd@bc.edu.
ATHLETICS
January 19
•Men’s hockey: BC vs. BU, 7
p.m., Conte Forum.
January 20
•Women’s basketball: BC vs.
Wake Forest, 2 p.m., Conte Forum.
January 26
•Men’s basketball: BC vs. Virginia
Tech, 4 p.m., Conte Forum.
February 1
•Men’s hockey: BC vs. North Dakota, 7 p.m., Conte Forum.
For more on Boston College events,
see events.bc.edu or check BCInfo
[www.bc.edu/bcinfo] for updates.
BC SCENES
UNITY OF EXPRESSION
Curtain Rises Tonight on
Robsham Spring Schedule
Theater’s bill this semester will include ‘Getting
Out,’ ‘Wintertime,’ ‘White Chocolate,’ ‘Urinetown’
The Robsham Theater Arts Center spring schedule begins tonight
with the Theater Department Workshop production of Pulitzer Prize
winner Marsha Norman’s “Getting Out.” The play chronicles the
struggles of Arlene Holsclaw, recently released from prison and, with
a newfound religious strength, determined to put her troubled past
behind her.
“Getting Out” will be at Robsham’s Bonn Studio through Jan. 19.
A unique production conceived and directed by Assoc. Prof. Scott
Cummings (Theater), “Ashley’s Purpose,” will be staged at the Bonn
Studio Feb. 20-24.
This original dramatic composition gathers writing from a variety
of sources, including Boston College students, to relate the true-life
experiences of Ashley Smith, who after being held hostage by a wanted
criminal held a press conference to relate her story. “Ashley’s Purpose”
explores themes and issues such as crime as entertainment, privacy versus celebrity and the ethics of mass media.
A romantic getaway gone awry provides the setting for Charles Mee’s
“Wintertime,” which plays at the Bonn Studio March 13-15. A young
couple opts to spend New Year’s alone at a family retreat, only to discover that the man’s parents, and their respective lovers, have the same
idea. Suspicions and jealousies flare as the couples sort out the complications, and try to draw strength from the power of love.
April 3-5 will feature an evening of two one-act Ellen Byron plays
performed by BC Contemporary Theater that paint a moving picture
of the fragility of the American Dream. The first, “Graceland,” centers
on the unlikely friendship of die-hard Elvis fans Bev and Rootie, who
each desire to be the first to enter The King’s fabled Memphis home.
The second, “Asleep on the Wind,” is a prelude to “Graceland,” depicting a meeting between Rootie and her brother that will change her
life forever.
The following weekend, April 10-12, is the Dramatics Society production of “White Chocolate.” William Hamilton’s farcical satire follows the exploits of a high-society couple that awaken one morning to
find that they have inexplicably become African American.
Robsham’s spring season concludes with a staging of the popular and
critically acclaimed music “Urinetown,” by Mark Hollman and Greg
Kotis, from April 23-27. The story is set in a Gotham-like city that, beset by a devastating 20-year water shortage, has outlawed private toilets
and forces its citizens to use public facilities — and pay an admission
fee to boot. Drawing inspiration from Brecht and Weill, “Urinetown”
chronicles one man’s efforts to lead a revolution against the government
and the company that holds a monopoly on the city’s toilets.
In addition, Robsham will be the venue for performances and events
sponsored by the Philippine Society of Boston College (Feb. 2), Dance
Organization of Boston College (Feb. 6-7), South Asian Student Association (Feb. 9), Korean and Chinese Student associations (Feb. 15)
and Organization of Latin American Affairs (Feb. 16), as well as the BC
Dance Ensemble Spring Dance Show March 27-29 and the BC bOp!
Spring Concert April 5.
For show times, admission prices and other information, see the
Robsham Web site at www.bc.edu/offices/robsham/.
—Sean Smith
Ukrainian Folk Dance
Ensemble to Perform at
Robsham Jan. 26
An image of Martin Luther King Jr. forms a dramatic backdrop for John S. Wilson Jr., associate professor of higher education at George Washington University, during his address at the annual Martin Luther King Unity Breakfast held Tuesday in
the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons. The event was sponsored by the Black Faculty, Staff and Administrators Association of Boston College. (Photo by Frank Curran)
The Boston College Ukrainian Society will host a performance by Syzokryli, a renowned Ukrainian folk dance
ensemble from New York City, on Jan. 26 from 7-11 p.m.
in Robsham Theater.
Syzokryli, founded 30 years ago, has performed at
such venues as Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall at
Lincoln Center, the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden and Constitution Hall in Washington, DC, and has
toured Ukraine as well.
Following the performance, the Ukrainian Society will
hold a semi-formal dance in O’Connell House. Admission
to the performance is $15, $10 for students and senior
citizens; the price for the semi-formal is $5. Proceeds will
benefit the Archibshop Sulyk Ukrainian Student Scholarship fund at BC.
For information, call (973)687-6947 or e-mail rakowskd@bc.edu.