The Boston College
Chronicle
november 29, 2007-vol. 16 no. 7
Lee Pellegrini
University Reports Major
Gains in Sponsored Research
By Melissa Beecher
Staff Writer
GIVING THANKS IN MANY FAITHS—Residence Hall Director Eduardo Diaz was among those in attendance at the
Multicultural Thanksgiving Service on Nov. 14 in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons, an event that included
presentations from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Baha’i faith communities. Other photo on page 4.
A Body of Work on Consumer Behavior
How you feel about
your body affects
how you shop, says
CSOM’s Miller
— the décor, artwork, lighting
and layout of a shop.
Preliminary findings indicate
that consumers with low and high
body esteem prefer different types
of retail environments, says Miller.
Although both low and high body
esteem consumers were more likely to enter a bright store than a
dark store, low body esteem consumers were likely to spend more
time shopping in a bright store,
while high body esteem consumers would spend more time shopping in a dark store.
Miller showed respondents
photos of store layouts with differ-
Just in time for the 2007 holiday gift-buying season, Asst. Prof.
Elizabeth Miller (CSOM) is learning more about what makes shoppers tick.
Miller, a marketing professor
who looks at consumer behavior,
recently began a study of how
body esteem influences the decisions and actions of retail consumers.
Some of her prior research
studied how colors and names of
various consumer products affect
buyers’ decisions.
How shoppers feel about their
bodies has caught the attention
not only of researchers like Miller,
but major corporations. Cleansing
products maker Dove, a division
of Unilever, is running ads featuring women in all shapes and
sizes — following on the heels
of company research that found
more than half of all women are
unhappy with their own bodies.
Miller, who presented her findings at the October annual meeting of the Association for Consumer Research and this month
at the Marketing Department’s
“ideas-in-progress” seminar series,
says the first round of her consumer surveys measured how consumers with low and high body esteem
respond to “retail atmospherics”
INSIDE:
“If you understand how
Lee Pellegrini
By Ed Hayward
Staff Writer
Although Miller found differences in how the environment
affected the amount of time spent
in a store, ultimately, there were
no differences in the amount of
money they might be inclined to
spend.
“People with low body esteem
indicated they were much less likely to try on clothing, even though
there was no difference in the
amount of clothing they would
buy or the amount of money they
would spend, compared to people
with high body esteem,” Miller
says. “This seems to suggest that
low body esteem consumers are
body esteem impacts
shopping behavior, you
have the opportunity for
managers to improve how
they manage customerenvironment interaction.”
—Elizabeth Miller
ent types of artwork on the walls:
either landmark photos or pictures
of models. She was surprised to
find that store schemes with the
models did not have a big impact
on the decisions of low body esteem shoppers to shop. However,
in stores containing pictures of
models, low body esteem consumers seemed less influenced by other
environmental influences, such as
the store’s brightness.
BC says farewell to Fr.
Hanrahan (page 3)
more likely to bring clothes home
and try them on outside of the
store.”
Why that is may be part of the
next phase of her research, Miller
says.
“Body esteem can affect shopping behavior and clearly there are
a number of additional questions
to follow up on,” she says. “If you
understand how body esteem impacts shopping behavior, you have
the opportunity for managers to
improve how they manage customer-environment interaction.”
Faculty discuss state, national
economic outlook (page 4)
Research expenditures at Boston
College have doubled over the last
nine years to $51.6 million. By
2012, research administrators hope
to duplicate that feat.
Vice Provost for Research Kevin
Bedell and Associate Vice Provost
for Research Arnold Shore credit
the upward trend to a Universitywide refocusing on quality faculty
research, as well as a recent overhaul of the process for managing
research.
“Research has been emphasized
as a level of significant importance
in the next phase of BC’s growth.
Faculty have risen to a new level
and, now, there is a greater expectation moving forward,” said Shore.
“New hires have come with the
expectation that a certain kind of
infrastructure will be in place to
support them in the work they do,”
Shore said. “We have been working hard to meet and exceed that
expectation.”
Bedell said over the last year
an intricate network has been set
up “so scholars can focus more on
research while our office tries to
simplify or interpret the complex
budgeting and compliance issues
mandated by auditors and federal
agencies.” The grant application
and maintenance process has been
streamlined with administrative
tasks now managed by two-person
teams in the Office for Sponsored
Programs (OSP). Those individuals help faculty members through
the grant process – from application to final report.
“Our mantra has become, ‘Being creative inside the box’,” said
Bedell of the changes. “Our faculty
should not be spending their time
reading compliance manuals. Their
time is best used doing their jobs.”
A proper management structure
needed to be in place, Bedell said, to
attract a higher caliber of researcher,
as well as additional sponsors, and
ultimately lift BC’s national profile
as a research institution.
Bedell said BC is well on its way
to accomplishing those objectives.
Continued on page 4
BC Researchers Release
International Reading Study
By Patricia Delaney
Deputy Director
of Public Affairs
The Russian Federation, Hong
Kong SAR and Singapore were the
three top-performing countries in
reading literacy at the fourth grade
level, according to a major report of
the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), one
of the most influential global assessments of reading literacy in the
world. The report was released this
week by the study’s international
directors at Boston College.
With approximately 215,000
students surveyed across 40 countries, — including 26 countries that
also participated in PIRLS 2001
and have trend data in this report
— PIRLS 2006 is one of the largest
international assessments of reading
literacy.
Luxembourg, Italy, Hungary,
Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium (Flemish), Bulgaria and Denmark also had higher
achievement than the majority of
other participants. The United
States, meanwhile, was outperformed by seven countries, had
achievement similar to 11 countries, and higher achievement than
22 countries. This level of perforHeights of Excellence:
James Anderson (page 5)
mance represented stability since
the 2001 PIRLS.
PIRLS also appeared to validate recently voiced concerns about
reading habits among American
children, and showed similar trends
in other countries.
Directed by the TIMSS &
PIRLS International Study Center at Boston College, which also
conducts TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, the largest international
study of student achievement ever
undertaken), PIRLS assesses a range
of reading comprehension strategies
for two major reading purposes: literary and informational.
Additionally, PIRLS collects extensive information about home,
school and national influences on
how well students learn to read,
and queried parents and caregivers
about their children’s early literacy
activities [see sidebar on page 3].
“This report contains a wealth
of data countries can use to improve schooling in reading, while
confirming the family as children’s
first, and perhaps most important,
reading teacher,” said PIRLS co-directors, Lynch School of Education
Prof. Ina V.S. Mullis and Research
Prof. Michael O. Martin.
Continued on page 3
Campus charity drives (page 7)
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 29, 2007
Cop an attitude
Like ’em or hate ’em, law-enforcement reality shows like the
groundbreaking series “Cops” are
a staple of American culture, says
Prof. Christopher Wilson (English),
whose research includes fiction and
non-fiction narratives about urban
police and their work.
So as “Cops” aired its 700th
episode earlier this month, Wilson
recently welcomed a key figure in
the “cop TV” genre to speak at his
Crime Stories class: Timothy Egan,
an Emmy-winning Boston producer
known for his work on the early1990s program “American Detective” and Court TV.
Wilson met Egan last summer
through an institute at the JFK Library and invited him to visit the
Crime Stories class, which explores
cultural representations of crime in
the media and popular literature, as
well as non-fictional and academic
writing.
“In a period of declining newsreadership and tabloidization, ‘cop
TV’ arose at a critical moment in the
late 1980s and early 1990s when police authority was being re-thought
on many fronts,” says Wilson.
“There is a good deal of controversy not only about the content of
these shows — Do they promote a
particular view of police? Stigmatize
certain kinds of crime perpetrators
and victims? Create identification
with ‘law and order’? — but also
about the transactions behind the
scenes. For instance, ‘cop TV’ producers being part of an arrest; asking
for ‘releases’ from those arrested,
Triumphant return
A gathering of almost 70 administrators, faculty, staff, students and
friends of the Graduate School of
Social Work were on hand Nov. 14
to honor Angelo McClain, a 2001
doctoral degree recipient who is
the newly minted commissioner for
the Massachusetts Department of
Social Services.
GSSW Dean Alberto Godenzi
welcomed McClain, calling his job
“one of the most challenging and
rewarding in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts” — a job for which
McClain is “the perfect choice,” he
added: “Angelo is extremely bright,
level-headed, and compassionate.
His dedication and competence will
be essential to strengthening families and protecting children from
abuse and neglect.”
Prof. Emerita Elaine Pinderhughes affirmed Godenzi’s remarks,
and with no small degree of insight:
She recalled having McClain as a
student in her class and being a part
of his dissertation committee. Pinderhughes read from the preface
of his dissertation, “Estimating the
Effects of Empowerment on Black
Women’s Psychological Well-Being,” which was dedicated to “all the
little black girls in the world who
ever felt unwanted or unloved.”
often right on the scene; providing
technological support for frequently
under-funded police operations. “I thought having an ‘inside
view’ of those transactions would
be enlightening for my students,”
he says.
Egan — who is a vice president
at Moody Street Productions — did
not disappoint, notes Wilson: “He
talked about working on two fronts
of the ‘war on crime,’ in Jersey City
and in Santa Cruz, Calif. Probably the most elaborate story Tim
told was about his initiation into
‘American Detective’ itself. It turned
out that, on the first day of work,
the guy he was supposed to report
to simply quit. Tim volunteered
to take his place; he was handed a
lengthy release form and, of course,
a police vest.
“Before long he was living at a
hotel under a false name so as not
to alert local drug dealers to the
police operation in progress. It happened fast. And, of course, Tim
talked about gaining the confidence
of police detectives so as to be able to
get closer to the action as particular
busts came down.”
But perhaps Egan’s most striking insight, according to Wilson,
was that “despite these years of close
work, and seeing what challenges
the police had to face, in fact he
was a little more distrustful of police
authority than he was at the time. The paradox was that this was his
‘entrée’ into video production, but
that he was a little chastened by what
he saw.”
—SS
McClain was equally praiseworthy of his experiences at GSSW and
Boston College, which he said had
given him a strong foundation and
taught him the importance of paying attention to definitions and the
use of language — a highly valuable
skill for his new role, he noted. And
he didn’t forget his former GSSW
mentor, crediting Pinderhughes for
teaching him that “good enough is
never good enough.”
The DSS head also spoke about
the example set for him by his
mother. As a black woman in rural
Missouri, she had been forbidden to
attend school beyond eighth grade,
McClain said, but later in her life
she resolved to finish her education
— often taking him with her to
class “to keep me out of trouble.”
McClain recalled the strength
and support he received from his
GSSW colleagues when his mother
died, just as he was completing
his dissertation. He encouraged students to offer each other the same
consideration to help them through
tough times.
“If you start something,” he said,
“you need to finish it.”
—Graduate School of Social Work
Marketing and Communications Director Susan Callaghan contributed
material to this story.
AROUND
CAMPUS
Boston College international students got to enjoy Thanksgiving a week early, at a special dinner held Nov. 15 in the
Cabaret Room of Vanderslice Hall. The event, sponsored by the Office of International Students and Scholars, Office of International Programs and Center for International Higher Education, was part of BC’s observance of International Education
Week. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
A “Frontline” view
The recent PBS “Frontline” show titled “The Undertaking:
Life Studies from the Dismal Trade” had a couple of Boston
College connections. The episode spotlighted the funeral home
business run by the family of Patrick “Paddy” Lynch, a 2006
alumnus and former Eagle football player, and his uncle, poet
and essayist Thomas Lynch, who spoke at BC in 2005 as part of
the Lowell Lectures Humanities Series.
Appearing on “Frontline” — known for its hard-hitting investigative pieces — can sometimes be a dubious achievement,
but Paddy Lynch is very pleased with the representation of his
family and their work.
“For generations now, my family has been serving the living
by caring for the dead; it has become a life’s work, a vocation as
rooted in the love of God and the love of neighbor as any other,”
said Lynch, a former English and theology major at BC who
is completing a degree in mortuary science from Wayne State
University in Detroit.
“My aunts, uncles, and cousins are all gifted enough to pursue a variety of professions, and make a lot more money doing
so. But they have instead chosen to do what they feel most called
to do, and that is bury the dead — the final, and possibly most
selfless, corporal act of mercy.
“Undertakers do things for people who can no longer do
anything for themselves, they run toward suffering when others
run away, and everyday they give their unabated attention to
specific, individual sufferers. Simone Weil believed this ability
to give one’s attention fully to a sufferer was nothing short of a
miracle.
“I feel blessed to be part of that tradition, and I think ‘Frontline’ captured it well.”
Since the show ran, the Lynches have received numerous
letters of congratulations, praise and gratitude from families
and funeral directors alike, says Lynch. What’s more, he adds,
“Frontline” producers reported that they had “never received
so many positive reactions to one episode” as they did for “The
Undertaking.”
“Americans tend to have a hard time dealing with death,
but if ‘Frontline’ emboldened people in any way to begin thinking more about the mysteries of death, and more importantly,
the mysteries of our dead, then they did their job,” he says, “and
the Lynches are permanently grateful.”
[For more on the show, see www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/undertaking/. A video clip of Thomas Ryan’s appearance at
BC is available at frontrow.bc.edu/program/lynch/]
—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
biweekly from September to May by
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at the Office of Public Affairs, 14
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Electronic editions of the Boston
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T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 29, 2007
A Fond Farewell for Fr. Hanrahan
PIRLS 2006 Released
At this campus party,
ex-dean of students was
the guest of honor
Continued from page 1
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
The stories, laughter and legends of Rev. Edward J. Hanrahan,
SJ’s remarkable 43-year career at
Boston College took center stage
in Gasson Hall last week as hundreds of alumni, colleagues, friends
and well-wishers joined to honor
him on his retirement from the
University.
Fr. Hanrahan served as BC’s
dean of students from 1964
through 1987 and spent the past
21 years as a special assistant in the
University Development office.
“In that time, one quality has
shone above all others,” University
Trustee Richard Powers ’67 said of
Fr. Hanrahan. “It’s called service
– to God, to his fellow man, to the
Jesuits, to Boston College and to
all of us here today.”
“I can’t name you all but I remember all of your names,” mused
Fr. Hanrahan as he addressed the
gathering. “And you are great people. Enjoy the memories of your
own college careers and your careers here at BC. You are people in
the image and likeness of God.”
A native of Somerville, Fr. Hanrahan served in the US Army under
Gen. George Patton in World War
II. He entered the Society of Jesus
in 1949, was ordained in 1961
and appointed dean of students by
then-University President Michael
P. Walsh, SJ three years later.
“As dean of students, he was a
very imposing figure,” Powers recalled. “He was always in motion.
Many of us were convinced that he
had a twin. He was always in the
right place at the wrong time,” he
laughed.
“The right place for him and
the wrong place for us.”
During the Nov. 19 Gasson Hall reception in his honor, Rev. Edward J. Hanrahan,
SJ, enjoys a laugh with two long-time colleagues, former Dean for Student Development Robert Sherwood, center, and Kevin Duffy, who served as vice president
for student affairs. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
As the University’s chief disciplinarian, Powers said, “Fr. Hanrahan was demanding. He set very
high standards. He was uncompromising.
“But I can assure you that at
all times he was fair. He made us
toe the line, walk the straight and
narrow and play by the rules,”
Powers said. “I want to say thanks
for taking such good care of us,
for watching over us, and thank
you for helping us to grow up to
become adults.”
Former Vice President of Student Affairs Kevin Duffy recalls
when two particularly rambunctious students – “Fr. Hanrahan
always referred to them as his ‘clients’” – brought the priest a gift
as they were graduating. “It was a
‘Superman’ shirt, but instead of the
‘S’ on the front, they had a big ‘H’
embroidered on it. He loved it.”
Duffy said that when Walsh
Hall was built, Fr. Hanrahan took
up residence in the corner apartment on the top floor, overlooking
the Mods. “Whenever he would
see students bringing beer into
Alumnus to
Lead Military
Archdiocese
A Boston College-educated priest
is the Vatican’s choice to oversee the
spiritual needs of Catholics serving
in the United States military.
Earlier this month, Pope Benedict
XVI named 1973 alumnus Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, who is
apostolic nuncio to the Dominican
Republic and delegate to Puerto
Rico, to head the US Archdiocese
for the Military Services.
A Cleveland native, Archbishop
Broglio succeeds Archbishop Edwin
F. O’Brien, who was installed as
head of the Baltimore Archdiocese
Oct. 1. Archbishop Broglio is to
be formally installed as head of the
military archdiocese Jan. 25 at the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception in Washington.
In the new post, he will be in
charge of the spiritual, pastoral and
Archbishop Timothy Broglio
sacramental care of the 375,000
Catholic active-duty US military
personnel and their 800,000 family members; 200,000 Catholics in
the Reserves and National Guard;
30,000 Catholic patients in 172 Veterans Affairs hospitals; and 66,000
Catholics in government service
overseas in 134 countries.
Speaking at a Nov. 19 press conference, the new military archbishop, who has never been in the armed
forces, said he has encountered
their rooms, he would give them a
call and say ‘This is your old friend
Fr. Hanrahan. You forgot to send
me an invitation to your party.’”
After 22 years of “up close” encounters with students, Fr. Hanrahan joined the Development staff.
There he has enjoyed overwhelming success working with alumni
in fund-raising efforts on behalf
of the University. “When you go
to the Wall Street Dinner, everyone comes over to his table,” says
Rev. Nicholas Sannella ’67, also a
University Trustee. “It’s ‘Fr. Hanrahan...Fr. Hanrahan...’ it goes on
for hours, all through the dinner.
Everybody remembers him.”
“I recall one day seven or eight
years ago,” Fr. Sannella told the audience, “we were standing in front
of More Hall and looking up at
Gasson Hall. He paused and said
‘Do you know that I have given my
life to this University?’
“I said ‘You sure have, Father.’ I
think everyone in this room is well
aware of that and so grateful for
that,” Fr. Sannella said.
members of the military in countries
where he served in the diplomatic
corps. He said his primary goal as
military archbishop will be to find
more chaplains. Currently there are
about 300 Catholic military chaplains serving US troops.
“The greatest resource of our
[archdiocese] is our priests,” Archbishop Broglio said. “Chaplains are
committed to letting the light of
Christ shine.”
Archbishop Broglio earned a
bachelor’s degree in classics from BC
before entering the seminary. He
earned a bachelor’s degree in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian
University in Rome and pursued additional studies in biblical theology.
Ordained in Rome in 1977 as a
priest of the Diocese of Cleveland,
Archbishop Broglio later was secretary of the apostolic nunciature
in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and in
Asuncion, Paraguay. He also was a
desk officer for Central America and
chief of staff to the Vatican secretary
of state.
—Material from the Catholic
News Service was used in this story.
Another important contribution of the new report, Mullis and
Martin continued, is that the results demonstrate that countries can
make progress in improving children’s academic achievement.
According to the report, most of
the highest-achieving countries in
2006 showed significant improvement since 2001, including the
three top-performing countries. The
five other countries with significant
gains in achievement were Singapore, Slovenia, the Slovak Republic,
Italy, Germany, and Hungary.
Among the countries with the
largest gains, the two Asian participants, Hong Kong SAR and Singapore, have enacted systemic reforms
since 2001 in the reading curriculum, instructional materials, and
teacher education, said Mullis and
Martin. Also significant is the fact
that the Russian Federation and Slovenia underwent structural changes,
so that students now receive one
more year of primary schooling, the
researchers said.
Only about half the students
across the PIRLS 2006 countries
agreed that they enjoyed reading
and appreciated books, reflecting
a troubling downward trend since
2001. Moreover, fewer students in
PIRLS 2006 reported reading for
fun. Almost one third hardly ever
read for fun — twice monthly at
most.
The PIRLS study comes less
than two weeks after a report by the
National Endowment for the Arts
indicating that American children
are spending less time reading books
than their parents, grandparents or
older siblings did at their age. The
NEA study said that only 30 percent of 13-year-olds read daily, a 14
percent decline from 20 years ago.
LSOE Dean Joseph O’Keefe, SJ,
said, “The 21st century provides significant new opportunities for international comparative research about
crucial issues that will affect human
progress. Advances in technology
not only provide practical possibilities for such work, but also make
that work ever more urgent. The
globalization of culture, commerce,
and communications should compel researchers, policy makers, and
practitioners to broaden their perspectives as they strive to understand
and improve teaching and learning.
The data from PIRLS 2006 paint
a picture of reading achievement
across a wide spectrum of societies.”
Information about PIRLS and the
2006 study is available at the PIRLS
Web site, pirls.bc.edu.
Other key findings from the Progress in International Reading
Literacy Study (PIRLS) released this week:
•PIRLS 2006 reinforces on a worldwide basis the well-established
finding that children from homes fostering literacy become better readers.
Students had higher reading achievement when they were from homes
where their parents enjoyed reading and read frequently, books were
in abundance, and students were engaged in literacy activities — from
alphabet blocks to word games — from an early age.
•Internationally, there was a positive relationship between fourth
grade students’ reading achievement and the amount of time spent in
preprimary education. According to parents’ reports, about four-fifths of
students internationally had attended more than one year of preprimary
education.
•In PIRLS 2001, and again in PIRLS 2006, girls had higher reading
achievement than boys in all countries (509 vs. 492, on average). The
difference was substantial in many countries, raising concern about the
educational prospects of so many low-achieving boys during their adolescent years and beyond.
•In both PIRLS 2001 and PIRLS 2006, parents’ assessments of their
children’s early literacy skills were in alignment with how well their children could read at the fourth grade. According to parents, about one third
of children, on average, entered school with basic literacy skills, which
represented an increase in 17 countries since PIRLS 2001.
•Both teachers and students agreed that independent silent reading
was a frequent classroom activity. Most often, students were asked to answer questions about what they had read, either orally or via worksheets.
•Internationally, most fourth grade students (89 percent) attended
schools with libraries, and had classroom libraries (69 percent). Nearly
two thirds had access to computers in school and more than half were in
schools with Internet access. Since PIRLS 2001, there was a substantial
increase in the percentage of students having access to computers and the
Internet in school.
•The reading achievement of students in schools with few disadvantaged students was much higher than for students with a high percentage
(more than 50 percent) of disadvantaged classmates. On average, 18 percent of students were in schools with a high percentage of disadvantaged
students.
•There was a positive relationship between school safety and reading
achievement. Fortunately, most fourth graders felt safe in their schools
and reported minimal, if any, incidents of stealing, bullying, and injury.
Principals generally were in agreement that school safety was at most a
minor problem.
•The majority of teachers (64 percent) had a positive view of their
teaching career. There was a correspondence with parents’ views, with
60 percent of the students having parents who reported a good deal of
satisfaction with their child’s school.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 29, 2007
Faculty Roundtable
State of the Economy: It’s Not All Doom and Gloom
Massachusetts is experiencing slower-than-normal economic
growth. What should we expect to
see from the local economy next
year?
Assoc. Prof. Robert Murphy
(Economics): Although Massachusetts has experienced slowerthan-normal growth recently, the
unemployment rate remains very
low at 4.4 percent. Furthermore,
over the past year, Massachusetts
has actually grown faster than the
national economy. I expect that
Massachusetts will fare somewhat
better than the national economy
over the coming year. Despite recent job losses in the financial sector and construction, we continue
to add jobs in professional and
business services, education and
health services, and government. In addition, Massachusetts
continues to benefit from strong
growth in exports to other countries, which has been due in large
part to the decline in the dollar’s
Research
Expenditures
Continued from page 1
In the last five years, the level of
external funding has risen by $8.7
million. Today, OSP manages approximately 400 active sponsored
project budgets.
A majority of the funding — approximately $34 million — has been
secured through federal government
grants and contracts. Another $1.8
million has been awarded by the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
and $2.7 million by local government sponsors such as cities and
towns.
Over the last nine years nongovernment funding has grown five
times over. In 1998, only $2.6 million of Boston College’s research
expenditures were from awards
acquired from corporate, foundation and other non-profit sponsors.
This year, research expenditures
from these sources total approximately $13 million.
OSP Director Joanne Scibilia
and Associate Director Fred Cromp
believe the trend shows no signs of
slowing. Despite a lagging economy,
Alan Marcus: “The credit
crunch seems to me like the
biggest immediate crisis
since it can spin out of control and may have the direst
ripple effects if it seriously
weakens the banking sector.”
value over the past couple of
years. So, overall, I’m relatively
optimistic about prospects for
the local economy. Massachusetts has been caught
up in the national credit crisis and
finds itself in the midst of a housing
slump. What kind of constraints
do these events put on the state’s
economic growth? Murphy: Massachusetts certainly is feeling the effects of the
credit crisis and the related slump
in housing. The most direct
constraint this places on economic growth is from the sharp
drop in new home construction.
Building permits for new homes
have declined precipitously over
the past year. This has led to
a significant drop over the past
both believe that research support
from federal, corporate, foundation
and other sponsors will continue to
grow as a source of funding for BC
faculty.
“What we are doing is reinventing ourselves to be more competitive for federally-funded research.
We want to maintain our level of
federal support, but also branch out
beyond,” said Scibilia. “All this is
being done to legitimize research
here. That is something that has
been taken seriously and we have all
seen it grow.”
Scibilia credits an innovative faculty for establishing a trend toward
success that builds upon itself.
“We are continuing to build
credibility,” Scibilia said.
Research administrators intend
to maintain growth by establishing
a “Center for Centers” — which
will provide administrative support
for the University’s 26 centers and
institutes — and continue to enhance communication between departments.
“We have taken a much more
aggressive approach to funding,”
said Bedell. “It is something that
we need to do to continue to be
competitive.”
There is a long list of economic
concerns – the credit crunch, surging
oil costs, inflation fears, a housing
slump and a weakening dollar. Is
there one that should most concern
the average investor at this point?
Prof. Alan Marcus (CSOM):
It’s hard to choose one most dangerous item from this list, as they
are generally interrelated problems. Oil costs feed both inflation
fears and the weakening dollar
through the impact on our trade
balance. The housing slump obviously feeds the credit crunch, and
to the extent that credit is harder
to get, it can impede demand
for housing and further weaken
house prices. It’s a vicious cycle.
I don’t worry as much about the
weakening dollar — that may be
self correcting if we get the other
issues right — such as tax policy
and budget deficits. The credit
crunch seems to me like the biggest immediate crisis since it can
spin out of control and may have
the direst ripple effects if it seriously weakens the banking sector.
When compared to other global
developments, how big an impact is
the rising price of crude oil having
on the US economy?
Neenan Millennium Professor of Economics James Ander-
son: This is the biggest negative
global development and may be
more important than the collapse
of the asset market bubble. Oil
prices have risen to heights that
in real terms reach the late 1970s
levels. Three important factors
brighten the picture relative to
the recession of the late 70s and
early 80s in the rich oil importing
countries. First, for the rich countries as a whole, oil use is less than
half as big as a share of aggregate
real production. These economies
are more flexible in response to
the price of oil. Second, US labor
and product markets are more
flexible now. Third, reinforcing
the second factor, expectations of
inflation are low due to a long run
of low inflation.
There are concerns that a proLee Pellegrini
Economics lessons are most
often taught in the classrooms
of Boston College. But the real
world has been providing a wealth
of instruction on the global and
national forces at play on a Massachusetts economy growing at a
much slower pace than experts,
business owners and consumers
would like to see.
With the price of crude oil
hovering near $100 per barrel,
the Massachusetts housing market
stuck in reverse, and predictions
of slow economic growth through
the early part of 2008, Chronicle
turned to Boston College economics and finance experts to sort
through the driving forces behind
a turbulent economy.
year in employment in the construction industry and a slowdown in employment growth in
financial services. Another effect
of the housing slump is the impact of declining home prices on
homeowners’ perception of their
wealth. To the extent that homeowners feel “poorer,” they may pull
back on spending, especially for
big-ticket items such as high definition televisions, new kitchen appliances, new automobiles, etc.
John Gillooly, PEI, Inc.
By Ed Hayward
Staff Writer
Robert Murphy: “Massachusetts has actually grown faster
than the national economy. I
expect that Massachusetts will
fare somewhat better than the
national economy over the
coming year.”
posed interest rate cut will further
weaken the dollar and dampen the
enthusiasm of overseas investors for
dollar-backed stocks and bonds.
What are the next critical steps foreign investors want to see from US
economic policy-makers and why?
Anderson: The Federal Reserve’s ability to cut interest rates
to stimulate an economy falling
into recession will be constrained
by signs of developing inflation
fueled by oil price increases working their way through the system.
Other commodity prices are also
high now but less likely to lead
to the inflation ratcheting of the
70s and early 80s. Presumably the
Fed will switch to inflation fighting by raising interest rates when
the evidence of “core” inflation
becomes clear enough. Further
out, investors will look for some
restoration of fiscal responsibility
by the federal government, probably after the Bush administration
leaves office.
Some leading US companies
– General Motors, Citigroup, and
Merrill Lynch – have disclosed huge
losses recently. Should the independent investor worry about the performance of these companies or look
at other developments in the markets
to judge the investment climate in
2008?
Marcus: GM is no longer such
a bellwether for the whole economy. Citi and Merrill are just
symptoms of the larger issues of
the sub prime and debt market
mess. I would not focus on them
per se to get a feel for the whole
economy. I’d focus on default
spreads in the bond market, credit
availability, oil price – the big
macro indicators, not these specific firms. I think investors are
always best served by looking at
the broadest possible picture.
SHARING THANKS—Members of the Boston College community during the Multicultural Thanksgiving Service held
at the Multi-Faith Center Nov. 14. The event, sponsored by Campus Ministry and led by Campus Minister Rev. Howard
McLendon, included readings from the Holy Quran, a Jewish blessing, a traditional Baha’i prayer of thanksgiving and
expressions from Christian and Buddhist faiths. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 29, 2007
HEIGHTS
OF
EXCELLENCE
A ‘Classic Gentleman Scholar’
Photos by Lee Pellegrini
James Anderson wouldn’t trade teaching economics at BC for the world
“Heights of Excellence” profiles faculty
members who, through their exemplary teaching and research, contribute to the intellectual
and spiritual life of Boston College
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
provided me with the supportive environment over the
years which enabled me to do the work deemed worthy
of this recognition,” Anderson said when the appointment was announced. “It is personally and especially
pleasing to me that this chair is named for Bill Neenan,
a mentor, colleague and friend ever since his arrival at
BC.”
Anderson grew up just outside of Cleveland and entered Oberlin College in Ohio where he played varsity
lacrosse and had early designs on the law profession. “I
had no idea what economics was,” he recalls, “but in
the first semester of my freshman year, I took an economics course out of curiosity. I was fortunate to have
had a ‘superstar’ teacher – Professor Robert Piron. A
little bit into my senior year, I decided that going on to
law school was not really to my taste after all. I thought
‘economics sounds pretty good to try.’”
He originally planned to take some time away from
academia and work for a couple of years before returning for graduate study. “Of course at that time [1965]
with the draft you were going to face spending two
years in Vietnam instead of doing something like I had
in mind,” he laughs. Anderson took graduate courses
in economics at Vanderbilt University, but after a year
in Nashville switched to the University of Wisconsin
where he completed his doctoral studies.
“I finished my dissertation and hit the job market,”
he says. “I had heard that Boston College was looking
for somebody and I mentioned it to my advisor. It was
kind of a happenstance. Alice Bourneuf was running
the economics department here that year because Fr.
[Robert] McEwan, who had been the chairman, was
on leave. Alice had known my advisor from the ‘old
days’ when she was a graduate student at Harvard. She
hired me.”
It was a good move for all. “At first, BC was a
culture shock for me,” says Anderson. “It was very different from any place I had ever been before but it was
a wonderful job for me. I liked Boston and I liked my
colleagues and I liked a number of things about the
department. I made the right move.”
Anderson was quickly impressed by his students
at Boston College as well. “The first year I was here
I supervised the senior honors thesis of a young man
who has gone on to become a very distinguished guy in
our field, Jim Markusen [’70], who now holds a chair
in economics at the University of Colorado. Markusen
became my first Ph.D. advisee at BC in 1973.
“I also had another student, Paul McNelis [’70],
now a Jesuit, who has gone on to become a professor
at Georgetown and currently holds a chair at Fordham,
and Charlie Brown [’70], who is a full professor at the
University of Michigan,” he says.
“BC in those days had a lot of interesting kids who
were from first-generation Boston Irish families,” he
says. “They were commuting to school, working a job;
they were serious, smart kids,” he recalls. “I liked them
a lot.
It was a simple but meaningful acknowledgment
to a Boston College faculty member whose long and
distinguished teaching career is eclipsed only by his
towering stature in the field of international economics.
Ten minutes before Neenan Professor of Economics James Anderson even walked into his Cushing
Hall classroom on a recent Tuesday morning, almost
all of the 30-plus students in his undergraduate
international trade class were already in their seats,
notebooks at the ready, awaiting his arrival.
When his lecture began, they weren’t disappointed; the students offered rapt attention as Anderson
deftly explained the concept of tariff structure in his
easy-going, soft-spoken and understandable manner.
“I do find teaching enjoyable,” says Anderson in a
classic understatement. The Ohio native, who joined
the Boston College faculty in 1969 fresh out of the
University of Wisconsin’s doctoral program, says he
relishes his classroom time whether it is lecturing before a roomful of appreciative undergrads or directing
a sharply-honed graduate seminar.
“I try to interact with the students,” Anderson
says. “I like that. I probably don’t stimulate enough
of that, but I do feel that I am teaching a subject that
is intellectually somewhat difficult and I would like
them to get some basic principles, so I do spend some
time expounding those principles.”
Anderson centers his academic focus on the economics of international trade, a field in which he is
widely recognized as a leading theorist in globalization. “Over the nearly 40 years that Jim has been at
BC, no one has provided the department with more
intellectual leadership than Jim has,” notes department chairman Prof. Marvin Kraus. “The department would not be what it is today without Jim.
“He has provided that same intellectual leadership
in his research field of international trade and is regarded as one of the world’s leading trade theorists,”
Kraus says.
Beyond his extensive list of publications on the
topic, Anderson is in constant demand as a visiting
scholar and lecturer at academic institutions around
the world. In addition to his long tenure at Boston
College, he has taught at the London School of
Economics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong,
the Institute for International Economic Studies in
Stockholm and a host of others.
Yet his teacher’s heart remains in Chestnut Hill.
“There was always lots of positive potential here,”
Anderson says. Even as his scholastic reputation
grew and employment inquiries flowed in from
universities across the country, Anderson liked the
academic atmosphere at Boston College. “I went
on some ‘job talks’ and campus visits to a couple
of places,” he recalls, “and I realized that I actually had it pretty good at BC, and that some of the
other places would have some drawbacks compared
to BC.”
In 2004, Anderson was named inaugural holder
of the William B. Neenan, SJ, Millennium Chair
in Economics, established by long-time University
benefactors Margaret A. and Thomas A. Vanderslice ’53, Hon. ’03 to honor Fr. Neenan, a former
economics department faculty member and long
one of Boston College’s most popular educators
and administrators who is today the University’s
vice president and special assistant to the president.
“When I first heard about the chair appointment, I was very pleased,” says Anderson. “I certainly was not expecting it.
“I am grateful to Boston College for having Teaching at BC was “a culture shock” for Anderson, but “it was a wonderful job for me.
“But things never stay the same,” he says, “and
this was something that was not going to continue.
Now, it’s much more suburban kids from all over
the country. I don’t want to be overly nostalgic, but
it was a very interesting aspect about this place.”
Markusen clearly recalls his first academic meeting with Anderson. “He came to Boston College
at the beginning of my senior year [1969], and
although I did not take a course with him, he was
my senior honors thesis advisor,” Markusen says. “I
think I was one of the first people to walk into his
office.
“I had been thinking about urban economics
or something,’ Markusen says, “and at first he was
kind of cool to the whole thing, but then I think he
really got interested in it and agreed to become my
advisor.”
Working with the talented but young professor
was no easy task, Markusen recalls. “He really, really
pushed me hard. He had quite high standards and
was very demanding. But I also discovered that I
had a knack for the whole thing and that led me to
apply to graduate school. He made me want to go
into the field of international trade. We ended up in
the same field.”
Markusen has become a colleague of his former
mentor, but still finds inspiration in his academic
leadership. “Jim is a classic scholar in the sense that
he is really driven by things he feels are interesting
and important and not playing a game to get personal advancement or recognition,” he says. “I’ve
always had a very strong sense that Jim is the classic
‘gentleman scholar.’
“He was never obsessed with career advancement; he never shaped his research agenda around
what he thought was trendy or popular,” Markusen
says. “I have tried to do the very same thing in my
own career.”
Fr. McNelis, who currently holds the Robert
Bendheim chair in Economic and Financial Policy
at Fordham University, offers a similar assessment
of his former teacher’s skills. “Jim was really not
interested in creating ‘disciples,’” he says. “He
never pushed ‘Jim Anderson’s line’ or his own
views – he concentrated on policy issues and drawing in the best theory. It was almost like he was
encouraging us to be competitors to him.
“I think that is what a great teacher is there to
do,” continues Fr. McNelis, “to get the students
to go out and to stand on their own two feet and
move on ahead. He gave us an example of what
it is to be a really professional and demanding
economist – demanding on others, but demanding on himself, too.”
As Boston College has changed, Anderson
says, so has the study of economics, particularly
the study of international economics, which has
blossomed in recent years. “It was a pretty esoteric
subject for a long time – most economists didn’t
I liked Boston and I liked my colleagues and I liked a number of things about the departContinued on page 8
ment. I made the right move.”
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 29, 2007
Postings
Flexible Spending Account
Plan enrollment
University employees may enroll between now and Dec. 21 in the Flexible
Spending Account Plan for 2008. The
plan consists of a medical-dental account and a dependent care account.
The plan allows employees to save
taxes on money they spend for certain
uncovered medical-dental or dependent
care expenses. Employees set aside
money through payroll deductions
throughout the year to pay for predictable expenses, and amounts are
deducted from their gross pay before
federal, state and Social Security taxes
are withheld. Because no taxes are
paid on FSA deposits, employees effectively increase their spendable income
over the year.
Employees should note that while the
deadline for enrollment is Dec. 21, you
must enroll by Dec. 9 to ensure you will
receive your debit card by the first of
the year.
For complete information and enrollment instructions (on-line or telephone
enrollment through Crosby Benefits),
see www.bc.edu/offices/hr/employees/fsap.html or click on “Flexible
Spending Open Enrollment” on the
Human Resources home page, www.
bc.edu/hr. For other questions, e-mail
benefits@bc.edu.
Talks on globalization, global
warming Dec. 3
Walden Bello, a professor of sociology
and public administration at the University of the Philippines, will present
“Globalization in Retreat” on Dec. 3 at
10 a.m. in Devlin 101.
At 7 p.m. that day, also in Devlin 101,
he will give a talk on “The Challenge
of Global Warming: Solutions from the
Movement of the Global South.”
The appearance by Bello, who is executive director of Focus on the Global
South, is sponsored as part of the Sociology Department’s Robert and Risa
Lavizzo-Mourey Distinguished Visiting
Scholars Series.
Reservations are required for the
event. Call ext.2-4130 or e-mail sociology@bc.edu.
Fr. Falla to speak on Guatemalan
immigration to US
Anthropologist Ricardo Falla, SJ, and
educator and researcher Ana Gutiérrez
Castro will present “Guatemalan Youth,
Migration, and Return” on Dec. 4 at
7:30 p.m. in Higgins 310.
Fr. Falla’s talk will focus on immigration, “voluntary deportation” and the
effects on Guatemalan communities of
migration of young males to the United
States.
For more information, contact the
Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College at
elizabeth.king@bc.edu.
Nursing PHD Colloquia on
global health
Connell School of Nursing faculty
members Joyce Pulcini and Ronna Krozy
and 1993 alumna Lynda Tyer-Viola — a
clinical nurse specialist at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for
Global Health — will discuss their perspectives on nursing and global health
as part of the CSON PhD Colloquia
series on Dec. 10 at 4:30 p.m. in the
Heights Room of Corcoran Commons.
Drawing on their experience in global
health initiatives, the presenters will
discuss the need for crafting strategies for promoting health and disease
prevention while developing models
for health care delivery that encompass
emerging social policy.
For information, call ext.2-4250 or email vitone@bc.edu.
Healing Through Harmony
BC filmmakers tell
story of musicians who
survived Nazi horrors
By Kathleen Sullivan
Staff Writer
The story of musicians who survived the Nazis during World War
II, and the message of hope and
inspiration their newly formed orchestra brought to fellow survivors
and the world, is the subject of a
new documentary by Boston College filmmakers John Michalczyk
and Ronald Marsh.
“Creating Harmony: The Displaced Persons Orchestra from St.
Ottilien” will have its first major
public screening at the Museum
of Fine Arts in Boston on Dec. 9
at 7 p.m.
The film was directed by Michalczyk, a professor of fine arts
and an accomplished documentary
film producer, writer and director
whose work — which explores
issues of social justice, discrimination, hatred, war and peace — has
been seen on public television and
in film festivals. Co-produced with
Marsh, a circulation assistant at
O’Neill Library, “Creating Harmony” is a sequel to their documentary “Displaced! Miracle at St.
Ottilien,” about two Army privates’ campaign to stop abuse of
Ronald March, left, and John Michalczyk produced “Creating Harmony: The
Displaced Persons Orchestra from St.
Ottilien.” Right, a scene from the film.
(Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
displaced persons in the camp.
“Creating Harmony” tells
the story of the Jewish orchestra
from their origins in St. Ottilien
Displaced Persons Camp immediately following World War II
to 1949. The orchestra performed
for inmates at St. Ottilien, and
then across Germany, for Golda
Meir and for the Nuremberg Trial
judges. Famed conductor Leonard
Bernstein led the orchestra for two
performances.
“Our vision in the film is to
show the healing power of music
during the tragic period of the
Holocaust and immediately afterward,” said Michalczyk. “In the
concentration camps like Dachau
and the Displaced Persons camp
of St. Ottilien, music gave new life
to the survivors, until they arrived
at the safe havens of American and
Israel. The first-hand witnesses in
our film shared this with us in a
very profound and sensitive way.”
The orchestra played a very special role in post-war DP camp
life, according to “Creating Harmony” consultant Sonia Beker,
whose parents were musicians in
the orchestra. “For the Jewish survivors in DP camps, the need for
spiritual resistance was just
as urgent as it was during
the war, if not more so, as
the reality of their losses hit
them. The St. Ottilien Jewish Orchestra provided that
spiritual resistance and connection to their lost homes
and loved ones.”
It gave them a reason
to go on, added Becker,
whose book Symphony on
Fire: A Story of Music and
Spiritual Resistance During
the Holocaust tells her parents’ story. “It said, ‘Look,
we are still here after all
that’s happened. We can
still create something beautiful that we can share with
one another and with the world,
even though the world did not
care.’”
“Creating Harmony” showcases
archival footage, music and interviews with family members of the
musicians, audience members and
others. It had its world premiere
earlier this year at the Museum
of Jewish Heritage in New York
City.
The Dec. 9 screening of “Creating Harmony” will take place in the
Museum of Fine Arts’ Remis Auditorium, 465 Huntington Avenue.
Tickets are $12-$15. The MFA Box
Office can be reached at 617-3693306.
Candidates Sought for Award Named for AHANA Pioneer Brown
Donald Brown left Boston College in 2005, but his legacy remains in the myriad programs and
initiatives of the Office of AHANA
Student Programs (OASP), which
he directed for nearly three decades
— and which adopted its current,
inclusive title under his leadership.
Now, through a new award established in his honor, incoming
classes will be aware of Brown’s
contributions to the University,
and his commitment to students.
The Dr. Donald Brown Award
— a cash prize — will be presented annually to a senior who,
throughout his or her undergraduate career, has made extraordinary
contributions to the BC community in ways that have benefited
AHANA students in the areas of
leadership, service and academic
development.
The inaugural award winner
will be selected by a Universitywide committee of administrators
and faculty. Nominations of seniors — which may be made by
other BC students, faculty and staff
members — due by Friday, Dec.
21, are now being accepted by the
OASP; a selection will be made by
the end of January.
Under Brown’s leadership at
BC, the name of the “Office of
Minority Student Programs” was
changed to its current title. Though
he did not create the term AHANA — which stands for “AfricanAmerican, Hispanic, Asian, Native
American” — he played a key role
in establishing both the office and
the concept as an important part
of the BC community. “AHANA”
has since been adopted by other
higher educational institutions.
Brown also is credited with initiating such programs as the Options
Through Education Transitional
Summer Program (OTE), the
Thea Bowman Scholars Program,
the Benjamin E. Mays Mentoring
Program and the Jaime Escalante
Tutorial Program.
“He was a big presence for 27
years at this institution,” said OASP
Director Inés Maturana Sendoya.
“At a staff retreat, we were reflecting on Dr. Brown’s contributions
to the Office of AHANA Student
Programs and to the University.”
The award, she added, “is a good
way to honor him, and to introduce him to new students.”
According to Maturana Sendoya, the winner will be recognized
next semester at a campus cultural
event. Brown also will return to
BC to present the award at Commencement, during the degree
conferral ceremony at the student’s
school.
“It is a high honor,” Brown
said of the award. “I am especially
grateful that the acknowledgement
comes from my friends in the Office of AHANA Student Programs.
More than the acknowledgement,
I shall forever be grateful for having had the wonderful opportunity
to assist in the academic, social,
cultural and spiritual growth and
development of some of the finest
young men and women our nation
has to offer.”
Brown, who left BC to become
executive director of Student Support and Equity Programs at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, now serves as dean of
the San Bernardino branch campus
and director of Student Support
Services for the Community Christian College System.
Members of the award committee include: Dan Bunch, John J.
Burns, Robert Capalbo, Paulette
Durrett, Amy LaCombe, Michele
Mendes, William Petri, Ferna Phillips, Maureen Raymond, and Eve
Spangler. For more information
on the Dr. Donald Brown Award,
including a link to the nomination
form, see www.bc.edu/offices/ahana/scholarships.html, or contact
the Office of AHANA Student
Programs at ext.2-3358.
—Rosanne Pellegrini
The Boston College Arts Council has announced the collaborative sculpture
theme for the 2008 Arts Festival: X, the Roman numeral for “10,” a reference
to the festival’s 10th year. BC student, faculty and administrative groups
wishing to “adopt” an X will be provided a basic sculptural structure that
they can decorate and embellish. Once completed, the sculptures will appear in buildings throughout campus and on O’Neill Plaza during the Arts
Festival from April 24-26.
Applications for sculptures can be obtained in Devlin 434 or via the Arts
Council Web site at www.bc.edu/artsfestival. These are due by 5 p.m. Dec.
5 to Devlin 434. For more information, contact the Arts Council at ext.2-4935
or arts@bc.edu.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 29, 2007
Newsmakers
•Moakley Professor of Political Science Kay Schlozman was
quoted by the Boston Globe regarding presidential candidate
Mitt Romney’s experience in a
campaign against a female opponent, Shannon O’Brien, in the
Massachusetts gubernatorial race
of 2002.
•Monan Professor of Theology
Lisa Sowle Cahill published an
op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer
on life issues, including abortion,
for Catholic voters.
•Clough Professor of History
James O’Toole was interviewed
by the Boston Globe about Boston Archbishop Cardinal Sean
O’Malley’s comments on Democratic candidates and the abortion
issue.
•Prof. Alan Wolfe (Political Science), director of BC’s Boisi Center on Religion and American
Public Life, offered his views to
the Los Angeles Times on a Senate probe into the use of Church
donations.
•Institute for Religious Education
and Pastoral Ministry Director
Prof. Thomas Groome (Theology) gave comments to the Boston
Herald on Pope Benedict XVI’s
decision not to stop in Boston
during his first trip to America.
•Assoc. Prof. Edith Hotchkiss
(CSOM) discussed her research
on the operational performance
of recent buyout targets with the
New York Times for a piece that
also ran in the International Herald Tribune.
Publications
•Prof. Elizabeth Kowaleski Wallace (English) published “The
First Samurai: Isolationism in Englebert Kaempfer’s 1727 History
of Japan” in The Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation.
•Assoc. Prof. Bruce Morrill, SJ
(Theology), published “Anointing
of the Sick as Sacrament within a
Larger Pastoral Process of Faith”
in the journal Liturgical Ministry.
•A selection of poems and a short
story by Prof. Maxim D. Shrayer
(Slavic and Eastern Languages)
were reprinted in The Coast: An
Anthology, 1992-2006, an anniversary anthology of the Philadelphia-based annual of Russian émigré writing.
•Assoc. Prof. Min Song (English) published the essay “Look-
Holiday Charity Drives
With the approach of the holiday season, a number of Boston College organizations, offices and departments are inviting members of
the University to donate clothes, food, toys or other items. Here are
some of the campus drives taking place this year:
ing Back: Diapsoric Longing in
Citizen 13660 and Persepolis” in
Ethnic Life Writing and Histories:
Genres, Performance and Culture.
His essay “The Children of 1964:
Allegory, Postmodernism and
Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Namesake”
was accepted by the journal Twentieth Century Literature.
•Prof. Dennis Taylor (English)
published a review of Texts and
Traditions, by Beatrice Grove, and
Shakespeare’s Christianity, edited
by Beatrice Batson, in Comparative Drama.
ference in Chicago.
Grants
•Assoc. Prof. Eva Garroutte (Sociology) took part in a panel
of national experts on Native
American Health for a conference
on “Improving Native American
Health” at Harvard University. She was also the featured speaker
for a University of Colorado at
Boulder lecture series on “American Indian Identity.” •Prof. Hiram Brownell (Psychology): $830,000 (three years), National Institute of Deafness and
Other Communication Disorders,
for administering and evaluating
remediation program for communication deficits associated with
brain damage.
Time and a Half
•For the 25th year, Facilities Services Assistant Director Paula
Forget is organizing a collection of clothing and toys for children in
the care of the state Department of Social Services and at the Italian
Home for Children in Jamaica Plain. She can be contacted at ext.28875 or forget@bc.edu. The drive ends Dec. 19.
•The Graduate School of Social Work Student Collective is seeking books to donate to the McKinley Middle School, a special education school in Boston that does not have a library. The school is in
need of books — especially ones that help motivate students to read
— for children aged 11 to 14. Collection boxes have been set up in
the first-floor lounge of McGuinn Hall; the book drive will end Dec.
14. For information, contact Megan O’Brien at obrienlp@bc.edu.
•Assoc. Prof. Kalpana Seshadri
(English) presented “Corpse Art
and the ‘Post-Mortal’ Drive” at
the Society for Phenomenological
and Existential Philosophy con-
•Two upcoming campus holiday events also include collections for
charity. The annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony this Monday,
Dec. 3, will accept donations of canned goods and non-perishable
food items for the Greater Boston Food Bank. Also, organizers for the
Alumni Association “Winter Wonderland” on Dec. 8 ask attendees to
bring a new, unwrapped toy for boys or girls, ages 6-14, to donate to
a local organization benefiting children. [More information on these
events is on page 8.]
Chronicle will run an updated list of holiday drives in the Dec. 13
edition. Please submit information by Dec. 6 to chronicle@bc.edu.
Garroutte
•Assoc. Prof. Christina Klein
(English) presented “Why American Studies Should Care About
Korean Cinema” at the Post-45
symposium of Americanists held
at Harvard University.
•Adj. Assoc Prof. Michael Noone
(Music): $2,900, Program for
Cultural Cooperation between
the Spanish Ministry of Culture
and US Universities, “The dissemination of Franco-Flemish
polyphony in sixteenth-century
Spain: encounters, exchanges and
influences.”
•Asst. Prof. Lisa Fluet (English)
presented “James Joyce, Scholarship Boys and British Cultural
Studies” at the Irish Modernism
conference held at Trinity College, Dublin. She also presented
the paper “‘Being Preserved in
His Simplicity’: Richard Dalloway and the Downtrodden” and
chaired the panel “Modernism
and Crime” at the Modernist
Studies Association Conference
in Long Beach, Calif.
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/:
•Asst. Prof. Jonathan Laurence
(Political Science) spoke at the
following events: a conference
on “Facing History, Facing Ourselves” at Suffolk University in
Boston; a conference on “Headscarves, Caricatures and Crucifixes” at the Heinrich Böll Stiftung
in Berlin; and a conference on
Muslim/non-Muslim relations
at the International Institute for
Strategic Studies in London.
Administrative Assistant, O’Neill
Library
•Prof. Emeritus Robert Stanton
(English) presented the paper
“‘From The Height of Her Desire into the Deepness of Her
Sinful Life’: Ecstacy and Sin in
The Book of Margery Kempe”
at the Louisiana Consortium for
Medieval and Renaissance Studies
conference at Loyola University
in New Orleans.
Associate Project Director, Graduate School of Social Work
Former Burns Scholar Speaks
on ‘Good Friday’ Pact Tonight
Paul Bew, an expert in Irish
political history and a former
Burns Library Visiting Scholar
at Boston College, will present the talk “The Genesis of
the Good Friday Agreement:
A Model of World Peace?” tonight at 7:30 p.m. in McGuinn
Auditorium.
Bew, author of the recently
published Ireland: The Politics
of Enmity, is a professor of politics at Queens University in
Belfast and an advisor to the
former Northern Ireland Prime
Minister David Trimble. The
Burns Scholar for 1999-2000,
•Assoc. Prof. Min Song (English) participated in the symposium “Critical Dialogues in Asian
American Studies” at Dartmouth
College.
•Prof. Mary Crane (English) published “The Materiality of the
Scholarly Text: What Our Books
Reveal About Us” in Alternative
Shakespeares 3.
•Asst. Prof. Scott Slotnick (Psychology) co-published the paper
“The Hippocampus is Preferentially Associated with Memory for
Spatial Context” in the Journal of
Cognitive Neuroscience.
•Prof. Elizabeth Kowaleski Wallace (English) presented the paper
“The Family and Sentimentality in Coram Boy” at the annual
meeting of the Northeast Society
for 18th Century Studies at Dartmouth College.
•The Office of Graduate Student Life is coordinating its third annual Toys for Tots campaign, which will be open to undergraduates,
faculty and staff as well as graduate students. This year’s goal is 700
toys, 200 more than last year. New, unwrapped, non-violent toys for
children up to age 10 can be dropped off between now and Dec. 13
at: the Murray Graduate Student Center, the Graduate Management
Association Lounge in Fulton Hall, the Graduate School of Arts and
Sciences Dean’s Office (McGuinn 221), the Office for the Dean of
Student Development (21 Campanella Way, Room 212) and the
Graduate Education Association Lounge in Campion Hall.
If your office or organization would like to serve as a drop-off location or help in other ways, contact Katie O’Dair at odair@bc.edu.
File photo
PEOPLE
he was appointed to the House
of Lords by the British government in recognition of his contributions to the Good Friday
agreement that paved the way
for peace in Northern Ireland.
From 5:30-7 p.m. in Burns
Library, Bew will be at a reception celebrating publication of
Ireland: The Politics of Enmity.
To attend the reception, call
ext.2-3282 or e-mail lois.shemanski@bc.edu.
Bew’s talk is sponsored by
the Initiative for the Study of
Constitutional Democracy at
Boston College.
—Office of Public Affairs
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Faculties
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the Executive Vice President
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Retirement Research
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 29, 2007
LOOKING AHEAD
READINGS • LECTURES •
DISCUSSION
November 29
•Lonergan Workshop: “The Clergy Crisis: Thinking Theologically,” with Asst. Prof. Paul Kolbet
(Theology), 7 p.m., Fulton 511.
Call ext.2-8095, e-mail lawrence@
bc.edu.
December 1
•Workshop: “An Effective Model for Leading Church Locally,”
with Peg Bishop and Tom Sweetser, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Fulton 250.
Admission $15. See www.bc.edu/
irepmce, call ext.2-8057, e-mail
lambmb@bc.edu.
December 3
•“Globalization in Retreat,” with
Walden Bello, University of Philippines, 10 a.m., Devlin 101. Reservations required, call ext.2-4130
or e-mail sociology@bc.edu.
•“The Challenge of Global Warming: Solutions from the Movement of the Global South,” with
Walden Bello, University of the
Philippines, 7 p.m., Devlin 101.
Call ext. 2-4130, e-mail jessica.
alvarez@bc.edu.
December 4
•“Guatemalan Youth, Migration,
and Return,” with Ricardo Falla,
SJ, and Ana Gutierrez Castro,
7:30 p.m., Higgins 310. See www.
bc.edu/centers/humanrights/
events.html.
•“Agape Latte,” with Adj. Assoc.
Prof. Brian Braman (Philosophy),
8:30 p.m., Hillside Café. See
www.bc.edu/church21/studentcorner/agapelatte/.
December 5
•“What’s New Regarding Earthquakes in New England,” with
Weston Observatory Director
Prof. John Ebel (Geology and
“Group in the Woods,” from the “Pollock Matters” exhibition, now in
its final weeks at the McMullen Museum of Art.
Geophysics), 7 p.m., Weston Observatory of Boston College, 381
Concord Road, Weston. (Program repeats Dec. 19) Reservations required, call ext.2-8300, email weston.observatory@bc.edu.
December 10
•PhD Colloquia Series: “Global Health: Effecting Change
Through Nursing Influence,”
4:30 p.m., Heights Room, Corcoran Commons. See www.bc.edu/
phdcolloquia.
MUSIC • ART • PERFORMANCE
November 29
•“Music in the Afternoon,” with
the Boston College Chamber Society, directed by Sandra Hebert,
4:15 p.m., Gasson 100. See www.
bc.edu/music.
•“Fusion,” presented by the Boston College Dance Ensemble, 7
p.m., Robsham Theater, through
Dec. 1. Admission $10, proceeds
benefit BC Campus School. Call
ext.6-9488, e-mail darminio@
bc.edu.
December 4
•Concert by the Boston College
Chamber Music Society, 7:30
p.m., Gasson 100. See www.
bc.edu/music.
December 5
•Gaelic Roots Music, Song,
Dance, Workshop and Lecture
Series: Irish dance and céili, led by
Meghan Allen and Seamus Connolly, 6:30 p.m., Gasson 100. See
www.bc.edu/centers/irish/gaelicroots/.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
•“Pollock Matters,” McMullen
Museum of Art, through Dec. 9.
Call ext.2-8100, e-mail artmusm@
bc.edu or see www.bc.edu/artmuseum.
For more on Boston College events,
see events.bc.edu or check BCInfo
[www.bc.edu/bcinfo] for updates.
His Teaching Heart Is in Boston College
Continued from page 5
know very much about it and some of the grammar and vocabucouldn’t care very much about lary of the subject down, are not
it,” he sniffs. “In the last 15 years yet committed to the field. They
or so, that has really changed. A might just think that this is ‘just
lot of people have strong opin- a dumb field’ and it doesn’t have
ions about it, really
anything to
care about it. The
say, so you
kind of policy queshave to con“No one has provided
tions that arise are
vince them
much more mainthe department with
that this is
stream kinds of polworth their
more intellectual leadericy questions. And,
time studythere are many more
ship than Jim has,” says
ing and we
kids interested in the
do have a
Economics chairman
subject, of course.
useful set of
“I teach both
Prof. Marvin Kraus.
ideas here.
graduate and under“The efgraduate courses and
fort to do
I like them for difthat helps
ferent reasons,” Anderson says.
me to think what is important and
“I like teaching undergradu- on some occasions in my career,
ates because it makes me focus the undergraduate courses actually
on what’s really important about helped push me to do something
my subject. You are lecturing to different – either a particular topic
people who, although they may that I will pick up and do research
be economics majors and have on or at least an appreciation of
a body of work that I hadn’t
thought so much of before. The
big picture is much more important for the undergraduates
and it helps me to think about
that systematically on a regular
basis.”
Likewise, Anderson says that
graduate-level teaching brings
its own set of rewards. “I like
graduate students because I think
maybe something I do very well
is teaching them how to do research… things like what’s a good
question? Why did this approach
to the question succeed? What
are the critical judgments you
can make about the success of an
approach? In a sense, anybody
can teach the technique, but not
many people can teach them this
other stuff as well as I think I
can. It’s fun for me because I
have spent a lot of my life doing
that – trying to do research.”
Holiday Sounds and
Sights Abound at BC
The campus once again comes alive with the sights, sounds and festivities of the holidays, as seasonal events get underway this weekend when the
University Chorale and Boston College Symphony Orchestra perform
three Christmas concerts, directed by John Finney.
Performances take place in the Newton Campus Trinity Chapel at 8
p.m. on Friday, Nov. 30 and Saturday, Dec. 1, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday,
Dec. 2. Admission is $10, $5 with a BCID. For information, e-mail chorale@bc.edu or call ext.2-2306.
Alumni night at the Chorale will be held in conjunction with the
concert tomorrow night. Tickets are $20 per person and include a postconcert dessert reception at Alumni House. To RSVP or for more information, e-mail alumni.comments@bc.edu or call ext.2-4700.
As part of the “Music at St. Mary’s” series, the Chorale also will perform a Christmas concert on Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. in St. Mary’s Chapel. For
information, e-mail chorale@bc.edu or call ext.2-2306.
Another special concert featuring holiday favorites will be performed
on Dec. 9 by the University Wind Ensemble, conducted by Sebastian
Bonaiuto, and the Symphonic Band, conducted by David Healey. For
more information about the concerts, which will be held at 3 p.m. in Gasson 100, e-mail bands@bc.edu or call ext.2-3018.
Santa Claus makes an early appearance at the Heights this Monday,
Dec. 3, at the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony officiated by
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, on O’Neill Plaza, from 5-8
p.m. BC community members and the public are invited to take part in
the event, which features live music, refreshments, cookie-decorating and
photos with Santa. Organizers will collect donations of canned goods and
non-perishable food items for the Greater Boston Food Bank.
The popular Breaking the Barriers Ball — now in its third decade
— takes place Dec. 6 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. in Gasson 100. The
semi-formal event offers a festive holiday atmosphere for students,
faculty, administrators
and staff members, and
includes hors d’oeuvres,
dinner, dessert, dancing
and entertainment by
BC bOp! and a capella
groups. Student tickets
are $12 and are available now through Dec.
5 at Robsham Theater.
Tickets are not required
for faculty, administrators or staff. Donations
are accepted, and all
proceeds benefit the
Carol DiMaiti Stuart
Foundation. For more
information, contact
Alex Hirs ’10 at ext.67121 or hirsa@bc.edu.
On Dec. 8, the
Alumni Association “Winter Wonderland” will be held from noon-4
p.m. at Alumni House, Duchesne Hall and the Quonset Hut, on the
Newton Campus. Family-friendly activities include photos with Santa,
stories with Mrs. Claus and holiday crafts for children. The event will
feature live entertainment, cookies, cocoa and horse-drawn carriage rides.
Admission is $15 per family; payment will be accepted at the door. For
information or to RSVP, e-mail alumni.comments@bc.edu or call ext.24700. Attendees are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy for boys of girls,
ages 6-14, to donate to a local organization benefiting children.
Seasonal favorite “A Dancer’s Christmas” appears for the 27th year
at Robsham Theater, with a series of performances Dec. 8-9 and 15-16.
This retelling of the Christmas story has delighted audiences young and
old, and earned its place as one of “Boston’s holiday traditions,” according
to WCVB-TV. It features original choreography by Jesuit Artist-in-Residence Robert VerEecke, SJ, and the Boston Liturgical Dance Ensemble
accompanied by BC alumni and students.
For times and information about tickets — which are $30 for adults
and $20 for students, BC community members and senior citizens — email PRINCIPI@bc.edu or call the Robsham Box Office at ext.2-4002.
The Boston Chapter of the Alumni Association hosts Alumni Day,
on Dec. 16, which celebrates the holiday season in conjunction with that
day’s performance of “A Dancer’s Christmas.” It begins with a Mass at St.
Ignatius Church at noon, followed by a complimentary 1 p.m. lunch in
the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons. Family members and guests
are encouraged to attend. Discounted tickets to the 3 p.m. performance are
$20 per person, available through the Alumni Association. Since tickets are
limited and distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis, organizers request
RSVPs to alumnichapters@bc.edu.
—Rosanne Pellegrini