The Boston College
Chronicle
november 1, 2007-vol. 16 no. 5
BC Names Dean for School
of Theology and Ministry
Weston Jesuit head is
choice to lead school
slated to open in 2008
By Jack Dunn
Director of Public Affairs
An Oct. 26 Shabbat service was the first official ceremony rededicating the Multi-Faith Center at the 66 Commonwealth Avenue residence hall. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
Multi-Faith Center Reopens Doors
By Ed Hayward
Staff Writer
Boston College re-dedicated
the Multi-Faith Center at the
66 Commonwealth Avenue residence hall on Oct. 26, celebrating
renovations designed to provide
the University community with
an improved space that encourages spiritual development across
all faiths.
The improvements to the center, which was initially dedicated
for prayer and religious obser-
vances in 2000, include new furniture, storage space for religious
artifacts, air conditioning, handicapped accessibility, and an updated look from the project architect.
University Trustee Sally Engelhard
Pingree donated five abstract prints
by local artists.
Marking the center’s reopening
is a series of rededicatory events,
which began this past Friday with a
Jewish service coordinated by Hillel. A Muslim service coordinated
by the Muslim Students Association is scheduled for tomorrow,
Nov. 2, at 1 p.m., and next
Thursday, Nov. 8, will feature
the Ecumenical Christian Service, sponsored by United In
Christ and the Episcopal Chaplaincy, beginning at 7 p.m.
“As a university, we want to
support the spiritual development of all of our students and
provide the resources that they
need,” said Vice President for
University Mission and Ministry
Joseph A. Appleyard, SJ. “What’s
been done to the space is remarkContinued on page 5
Richard J. Clifford, SJ, acting
president of the Weston Jesuit
School of Theology and renowned
professor of Old Testament, has
been named the founding dean
of the Boston College School of
Theology and Ministry.
The School of Theology and
Ministry, which will begin holding classes in the fall of 2008,
will include BC’s Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral
Ministry, the online programs of
BC’s Church in the 21st Century
program and the Weston Jesuit
School of Theology, which is reaffiliating with Boston College after 33 years.
In announcing the appointment, University President William P. Leahy, SJ, praised Fr. Clifford as a respected scholar, administrator and Jesuit who possesses
the experience and leadership skills
to help position the new School
of Theology and Ministry as an
internationally respected center of
Catholic theological and ministerial education.
“Fr. Clifford will be an ideal
Richard J. Clifford, SJ
dean for the School of Theology and Ministry,” said Fr. Leahy.
“He is an outstanding teacher and
scholar who is committed to leading a school focused on the good
of the Church and the education
of ordained and lay ministers for
its service.”
Fr. Clifford said he welcomes
the challenge of directing the new
entity, given the promise it holds
for the future. “I am excited to be
named dean of the Boston College
School of Theology and Ministry, which incorporates into one
school three excellent entities: the
Institute of Religious Education
and Pastoral Ministry, the Weston
Jesuit School of Theology and
C21 Online.
“The mission of each will be
Continued on page 4
Stories Behind the Bricks and Mortar
History professor’s
walking tours of
Brighton Campus
prove popular
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
The history, topography, architecture and folklore of the
University’s recently acquired
Brighton campus took on a
sharper focus for two groups of
employees and neighbors who
participated in walking tours of
the property led by Clough Professor of History James O’Toole.
O’Toole, an archivist for the
Archdiocese of Boston from 1978
through 1986 and author of several books on Boston’s Catholic
heritage, hosted the 30-person
groups on tours of the former
archdiocesan land on Oct. 2 and
4 as part of an employee development program sponsored by the
Human Resources department.
INSIDE:
“There was a lot of interest
[in the tours] because so many
people have probably driven by
the property and said ‘I wonder
what is in there?’” says O’Toole.
“What impresses people the most
is the sheer size of it.” Boston
College has purchased 64 acres
of land and numerous buildings
from the archdiocese in transactions dating back to 2004.
O’Toole started each walking
tour at the Lake Street entrance
to the tract. “We went up over
the hill and the first building that
you see is what used to be the Tribunal Building,” he says, “which
was the archdiocesan marriage
court for people seeking annulments and such.” (The building
now houses the University’s Office of Marketing Communications and the Center on Work
and Aging.)
“It’s a square, two-story building, but then there’s this funny little third story that almost
looks like a house on top of the
Veterans’ Memorial campaign;
new Public Affairs staffers (page 3)
building. It’s an odd architectural
thing.
“The story there,” O’Toole
continues, “is that when the
building was built it was the
Chancery office. The priests who
worked there lived in the rectory
at St. Columbkille’s Church in
Brighton, but when the pastor
raised the rent for the priests
who lived there, Cardinal [William] O’Connell said, ‘The heck
with this, I’ll build them a residence on top of the Chancery.’
If you go up there, there are living rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms
and so on.”
O’Toole explains that St.
John’s Seminary was built on the
site – a former orchard – in the
mid-1880s. Cardinal O’Connell
relocated the archdiocesan offices
and built his own lavish residence
there in the 1920s after receiving a generous bequest from the
will of Paul Keith, son of Boston vaudeville magnate Benjamin
Franklin Keith.
BC hosts preaching seminar
for area priests (page 4)
Clough Professor of History James O’Toole describes some historical details of
the former Archdiocese of Boston property, now Boston College’s Brighton Campus, to a group of BC employees. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
“In fact, there are still some
apple trees on the lawn in back
of the Cardinal’s Residence,”
O’Toole says. “I would not be
surprised if those are the original trees that were there in the
1880s.”
One stop on O’Toole’s property tour always draws special
interest: the burial place of Car-
dinal O’Connell. “When he died
in 1944, they had already built
this little chapel where he would
be buried,” he says. Not only was
the prelate laid to rest in the tiny
chapel, but his tomb was sealed
with concrete so that it could
never be moved.
“I have seen newspaper phoContinued on page 4
Dunsford’s personal story on
fragile X syndrome (page 5)
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 1, 2007
Calling all artists
It’s still a few months away, but
there’s no time like the present
to start thinking about the Boston
College Arts Festival.
The Arts Festival Committee is
making its annual “Call for Artists”
for the 2008 festival, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary when it
takes place April 24-26. Last year’s
extravaganza saw more than 1,000
student and faculty artists participate in more than 30 different performing arts groups, several art exhibitions and demonstrations, a full
day of literary readings, and faculty
and student film screenings.
All student and faculty programming requests for visual, performing
or literary arts programs must be
So he thinks
he can dance
One of the many memorable
episodes in the just-completed
Red Sox championship season was
pitcher Jonathan Papelbon’s apparent fondness for Irish step-dancing. The fireballing righty’s “Riverdance”-style solo performance (to
music by Boston Irish punk band
The Dropkick Murphys) during
team victory celebrations this fall
sparked reactions in the press and
public ranging from bemusement
to amazement.
So, Chronicle turned to a couple
of Irish dance experts in the Boston
College community for an assessment of Papelbon’s prowess. The
verdict? Watch out, Michael Flatley.
“His technique, although flawed
in some areas, shows significant
potential,” said Meghan Allen, a
certified Irish dance instructor who
teaches Irish dance in the Irish Studies program. “He has great height
and bounce in his steps, and his
turnout is quite impressive for an
untrained dancer. He needs to work
on keeping his arms down at his
sides, since a rigid upper body is
the traditional posture for an Irish
dancer. He must also dance higher
on his toes and straighten his knees.
His cuts — movement where one
leg is brought up towards the opposite hip — are very sharp and
high, although he still can improve
the arch in his foot when doing this
submitted to Arts Festival Director
Cathi Ianno Fournier by the end
of the day on Nov. 20, and all new
groups wishing to take part in the
festival must meet with Fournier by
the same deadline.
Visual and literary artists may
wait until spring semester to submit
work for the festival, but festival
organizers are looking for students
with an interest in fashion design,
jewelry-making and other artistic
crafts. Graduate students with ideas
for artistic participation are also encouraged to contact Fournier.
To make submissions, or to obtain more information, e-mail the
Arts Festival Office at arts@bc.edu
or call ext.2-4935.
—Public Affairs
movement.
“Overall, his energy is great, and
his rhythm is perfect.”
Kieran Jordan ’96, a well-respected local performer, teacher and
choreographer in the Irish dance
tradition, was equally praiseworthy.
“Jonathan Papelbon’s ‘Irish’ dance
is a deeply-embodied expression of
victory. While it is unclear whether
or not he has had any formal dance
training, the spirit of his dance is
consistent with that of the great
Irish dance performers of our time.
His athleticism lends itself to a powerful dance presence. His carriage is
upright and confident. His rhythm
and timing — driven by Boston’s
beloved Dropkick Murphys — is
impeccable. His steps are influenced by Irish hard-shoe and ceilidh
dance movements, combined with
improvisational, unabashed, adrenaline-driven celebration.
“In other words, it’s a convincingly-fabricated-Irish-step-dancemeets-universal-sports-victorydance. Furthermore, one cannot
over look the challenge of step dancing in flip flops, or in baseball cleats.
Papelbon is undeterred by the lack
of appropriate dance footwear – a
true performer who rises to the occasion to the delight of critics and
fans.”
At press time, it was unknown
whether Papelbon would be asked
to reprise his performance as part of
the Irish Studies ceilidh dance Dec.
5 in Gasson 100.
—SS
Campus United Way Drive
Kicking Off Tomorrow
The 2007 Boston College United Way Campaign is set to
kick off tomorrow, Nov. 2, following the traditional kick-off
breakfast for campus United Way volunteers.
BC has participated for more than 65 years in the annual
fundraising campaign for the United Way of Massachusetts Bay
and Merrimack Valley. Thanks to the generosity of Boston College employees, the 2006 campaign raised $128,000, which was
distributed to agencies within the local community.
In her letter to the Boston College community, BC United
Way Campaign Chair and University Vice President Mary Lou
Delong said: “At Boston College a guiding principle for those
who work or study here is care for the individual person. We
are asked to translate this care into action, to share our gifts and
talents with others. Giving to the United Way is a means of carrying out this mission and helping others by opening doors to
social and economic opportunity.”
This year’s campaign, which ends Dec. 3, offers employees
the option of making a donation or pledge on-line in a fast, convenient and secure manner. Those wishing to make a gift may
do so via payroll deduction, credit card or personal check.
For information and updates see www.bc.edu/offices/unitedway/.
AROUND
CAMPUS
Justin Knight
So these three Boston College alumni walk into Robsham Theater...Comedians Brian Kiley ’83, left, Paul D’Angelo
’78, second from left, and Gary Gulman ’93, right, share trade secrets — and a few laughs — before their performance at Robsham Oct. 23. Event organizer Julian Kani ’10 watches the proceedings.
Share and
share aloud
Read Aloud — the popular
volunteer program that sends Boston College faculty, administrators
and staff out to read to children at
local elementary schools — has
spawned a spin-off of sorts that
seems poised to match the winning combination of enthusiasm
and success found in the original
program.
Through the new initiative,
dubbed “Share Aloud,” BC volunteers discuss current events or role
models around a selected theme
with sixth graders at St. Columbkille School on a weekly basis. The
sessions also include a vocabulary
lesson and a writing component.
The theme for the year, selected
by St. Columbkille, is courage.
Michael McCarthy, the head
of school at St. Columbkille, had
been seeking a program similar to
Read Aloud that would be more
interactive and advanced for his
school’s sixth graders. So he contacted Laura Bitran, who coordinates the Read Aloud Program
through BC’s Office of Community and Governmental Affairs,
who got the ball rolling by enlisting some Read Aloud veterans.
The current Share Aloud team
consists of Computer Science
Department Systems Administrator Phil Temples, Bookstore Director Thomas McKenna, Adj.
Prof. Ruth-Ann Harris (History),
University Health Services physician Dr. Arnold Mazur and
Bookstore Database Assistant Gail
O’Connor.
Temples kicked off Share Aloud
last month when he brought in
a newspaper articles about democracy protests in Burma and
controversy over the rise in fuel
costs. He read the article to the
students in Jackie Wesner’s class
and discussed the issues reflected
in the stories and their significance
to Americans.
He ended the session by asking the students to write about an
example of courage they personally had experienced or witnessed
— and completed the assignment
himself.
“I had a blast! It was a lot
of fun,” exclaimed Temples, who
said he finds Share Aloud “very
rewarding” because the older students “are at an age where they
can appreciate current affairs.”
McKenna, armed with a newspaper story on 1991 BC graduate
Setti Warren, who was departing
nearby Newton to serve in Iraq,
discussed with the students the
courage it takes to leave behind
loved ones and familiar things
to honor one’s commitment to
serve.
McKenna didn’t mind the
“homework” involved in the new
volunteer initiative. “I love the
program. I’d do anything for it.”
Both Temples and McKenna
remarked on the maturity and
intelligence of the sixth graders.
“I was very impressed with the
students’ comments,” said McKenna, who added that there was a
great deal of participation in the
class discussion.
Bitran said there has already
been talk of expanding Share
Aloud to the school’s fifth grade.
—KS
The Boston College
Chronicle
Director of Public Affairs
Jack Dunn
Deputy Director of
Public AFFAIRS
Patricia Delaney
Editor
Sean Smith
Contributing Staff
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
Boston College, with editorial offices
at the Office of Public Affairs, 14
Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA
02467 (617)552-3350. Distributed
free to faculty and staff offices and
other locations on campus. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA
and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to
The Boston College Chronicle, Office of Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower
Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.
Electronic editions of the Boston
College Chronicle are available via
the World Wide Web at http://
www.bc.edu/chronicle.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 1, 2007
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
An alumni-driven campaign
has been launched to construct
a permanent campus memorial
to Boston College veterans who
have died in service to the nation,
and organizers say they hope to
raise $500,000 to complete the
project.
The proposed memorial will
be located west of Linden Lane
near the main entrance to campus,
said Paul Delaney ’66, an Army
ROTC graduate who is chairing the memorial campaign along
with former Marine officer Paul
Lufkin ’64.
Both Delaney and Lufkin
served in Vietnam, and Lufkin’s
brother, Tom Lufkin ’66, was
killed when the Navy jet he was
piloting crashed in 1969.
“We have a tradition of service
at Boston College,” said Delaney,
who was awarded a Bronze Star
for meritorious service as an officer in Vietnam. “It is our duty
Paul Delaney ’66, co-chair of the BC
veterans’ memorial campaign.
and our privilege to remember
these men.”
There is no single memorial to
all BC alumni who died in war.
A bronze plaque in Gasson 100
lists the names of Boston College alumni killed during World
War II and a small plaque on the
Campus Green flagpole honors
members of the community who
have given their lives in the line
of duty.
Delaney and Lufkin are both
members of the Alumni Association’s Veterans’ Remembrance
Committee, which has sponsored
an on-campus Mass and ceremony
on Veteran’s Day each November
since 2000.
The Veterans’ Committee
– with assistance from Burns Librarian Robert O’Neill and Burns
Library conservator Mark Esser –
has also published a leather-bound
Remembrance Book that permanently lists the names of Boston
College servicemen who died in
military conflicts dating back to
World War I.
Delaney said the committee
has sent letters and e-mails to Boston College graduates who have
served in the military seeking their
support for the memorial, which
will depend on the fund-raising
effort for completion. Information on the project is available at
bc.edu/sites/Veterans_Memorial/.
Former Desert Storm General Neal to
Speak at Campus Veterans’ Day Event
Retired Marine Corps Gen.
Richard I. Neal, who gained
world-wide recognition as
spokesman for coalition forces
during Operation Desert Storm,
will be the featured speaker at the
seventh annual Veterans’ Day
Memorial Mass and Remembrance Ceremony to be held on
Sunday, Nov. 11, at 10 a.m. in
Gasson 100.
Principal celebrant of the
Nov. 11 Mass will be Alumni
Association Chaplain William
C. McInnes, SJ, a World War
II Army Air Corps veteran. The
event will include a remem-
brance ceremony for alumni who
died in service to the nation and a
reception.
Gen. Neal served as deputy for
operations to US Central Forces’ commander Gen. Norman
Schwartzkopf during the First Gulf
War in 1990-91. In that assignment, he became a familiar face to
news-watchers around the globe as
he gave daily briefings and updates
on the liberation of Kuwait from
his post at coalition headquarters
in Saudi Arabia.
He later served as assistant commandant of the Marine Corps before retiring from active duty in
1998. A native of Hull, Mass.,
and a graduate of Northeastern University, Gen. Neal is
currently president of Audio
MPEG, a Virginia-based company that licenses MP3 technology.
The event is sponsored by
the Alumni Association, Boston
College Army ROTC unit, Office of Human Resources and
Office of the Dean of Student
Development. The Mass and
ceremony is open to all members of the University community.
—Reid Oslin
A&S Dean Pleased with First Colloquium
The College of Arts and Sciences
hosted the first in a series of events
designed to spotlight cutting-edge
Boston College research and broaden understanding across academic
disciplines.
“The Dean’s Colloquium,”
conceived by A&S Dean Patrick
Maney, debuted on Oct. 18 with
a talk by Prof. Michael Naughton
(Physics) in Devlin 101.
“It was a wonderful event, and
I’ve received some very favorable responses from people who attended,”
said Maney. “There certainly seems
to be a great interest in these kinds of
exchanges, so we will make every effort to continue the conversation.”
Maney says his original inspiration for the colloquium came from
reading The Canon by New York
Times science writer Natalie Angier. “The book is aimed at addressing scientific illiteracy in the
general public,” he explained. “She
talks about the state of the world in
scientific disciplines in a way that is
accessible to non-scientific readers.
“What struck me was, we aca- work fascinating, he also was interdemics frequently grumble about ested to hear the physicist talk about
illiteracy in other fields, such as his- collaborations with researchers from
tory or economics. But we’re of- other fields.
ten as every bit uninformed about
“Mike spoke about how some of
disciplines outside our
these partnerships
own. Academia has
started as coincibecome so specialized, “I felt that a colloquium dences, as a casual
and we tend to deconversation with,
velop our own jargon like this would speak to for instance, a bithat we keep to ourthe very nature of Bos- ologist. That, to
selves.
me, is the ideal for
ton College as a Jesuit, an academic insti“I felt that a colloquium like this would
tution. Perhaps in
Catholic university.”
speak to the very nathe future, it’ll be
—Patrick Maney an historian and
ture of Boston College
as a Jesuit, Catholic
a chemist talking
university, where the
together and dissciences are yoked to
covering common
the humanities, and
threads of interest
the humanities are
in their work.”
constantly asking questions about
Maney said the next colloquium,
the sciences.”
scheduled for January, will feature
The format, Maney says, encour- Prof. Ellen Winner (Psychology),
ages presentation “to a general audi- who has researched and written on
ence, instead of a convention.”
the impact of arts education on child
While Maney said he found development.
Naughton’s overview of his own
—Sean Smith
Photos by Lee Pellegrini
Veterans Memorial Campaign Underway
Ed Hayward
Melissa Beecher
Hayward, Beecher Join
Public Affairs Office Staff
The Office of Public Affairs recently welcomed two additions to
its staff.
Seasoned higher education
communications professional and
former journalist Ed Hayward has
been named associate director of
the Office of Public Affairs, Director of Public Affairs Jack Dunn
announced.
Also, Melissa Beecher, an awardwinning reporter with the Boston
Globe, has accepted the position of
Chronicle staff writer and will begin
her duties on Nov. 12, said Dunn.
Hayward joins the Public Affairs
staff following four-and-a-half years
as associate vice chancellor for university communications at the University of Massachusetts at Boston,
where he served as the chief public
relations strategist and a campus
spokesman. He replaces Greg Frost,
who left BC this summer to pursue
a communications position at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
As associate director of Public
Affairs, Hayward will help publicize
the work of faculty, staff and students at Boston College, in particular serving as the office’s liaison to
faculty and researchers in the natural sciences, the Carroll School of
Management and the Lynch School
of Education.
In addition to writing for Chronicle and the University Web site
BCInfo, he will be responsible for
working with local, national and
international print, broadcast and
electronic media to highlight new
research, innovative programs and
compelling stories from the Boston
College community.
Prior to joining UMass-Boston, Hayward spent 16 years as an
award-winning newspaper reporter
in California and Massachusetts.
From 1993 to 2003, he was a reporter at the Boston Herald, where
he spent three-and-a-half years covering elementary, secondary and
higher education in Massachusetts.
Over the years, his work was honored by a number of associations,
including the New England Press
Association and New England Associated Press News Executives Association.
Hayward holds a BA in political
science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He and his
wife, Sheila, live in Milton with
their two children.
Beecher has worked as a correspondent for the Boston Globe
“Globe West” and “Globe Northwest” sections, where she has reported on education, politics and
regional trends. She has also contributed to the Globe’s “City/Region” section and to its boston.com
Web site.
Prior to joining the Globe, she
served as staff writer for the Daily
News Tribune, covering the cities of
Newton and Waltham.
Beecher has been honored by
the New England Associated Press
News Executives Association for
general news excellence, and by the
Community Newspaper Company
for feature writing and news writing
excellence.
She replaces Stephen Gawlik,
who had served as Chronicle staff
writer for the past seven years before
relocating to the Denver area this
summer.
In her new role, Beecher will
work with BC Law School, the Student Affairs division, the Office of
Sponsored Programs and the Office
of the Vice Provost for Research.
She also will cover BC student life
through the Undergraduate Government of Boston College and
other organizations. In addition, she
will assist Deputy Director of Public
Affairs Patricia Delaney in the daily
maintenance of BCInfo.
Beecher holds a BS in print journalism from Suffolk University and
a master’s degree in print journalism
from Boston University, where she
has served as a teaching assistant
and guest lecturer in the College of
Communications.
She lives in Arlington with her
husband Jeff Lesick.
—Office of Public Affairs
Bapst Gallery
Spotlights
‘Sacred Space’
The Bapst Library Art
Gallery will present the
exhibition “Sacred Space
— Sacred Form” from
Nov. 9-19. Designed by
Benjamin Cariens, a Boston-based artist who is
an assistant professor of
drawing and sculpture at
the University of New
Hampshire, the exhibition
comprises mixed media
installations, sculptures,
drawings and prints that
reflect on religious faith,
ritual and tradition.
For information, call
ext.2-4295 or e-mail kamandizzle@gmail.com.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 1, 2007
University Offers Parish Priests Opportunity for Renewal
Preaching seminar
participants praise
collaborative effort
By Kathleen Sullivan
Staff Writer
Nine parish priests gathered last
week at the Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center on the
University’s Dover Campus for the
inaugural session of a new collaborative program aimed at improving preaching in the Archdiocese
of Boston.
The goal of “Encountering the
Gospel/Renewing the Preacher”
is to bring together priests who
are committed to improving their
preaching skills and offer them
an opportunity to learn from one
another’s preaching experience, to
identify preaching strengths as well
as areas for improvement, and to
continue to develop preaching skills
through online support, according
to organizers.
Supported by an anonymous
three-year grant, the preaching seminar is the product of joint efforts
by the Church in the 21st Century Center, Institute of Religious
Education and Pastoral Ministry,
Weston Jesuit School of Theology
and the Boston Archdiocese.
“Preaching is a central part of
the people’s experience with the
Church and when the preaching is
good it can really enhance the worshipping experience,” said seminar
organizer John McGinty, assistant
director of IREPM and interim as-
sistant director of C21.
“The important thing is for each
priest to tailor his homily to his
audience, but with parishes being
multigenerational and multicultural that’s not a simple task,” said
IREPM Assistant Director Monsignor James Mongelluzzo, who
serves as a seminar instructor along
with Fr. Thomas Kane, CSP, an
associate professor of homiletics and
liturgical practice at Weston Jesuit
School of Theology.
“For priests, delivering the homily is one of the most communal
parts of their duties. Yet preparing a
homily is done in an isolated way,”
added McGinty.
The priests attending last week’s
two-day workshop were asked to
bring with them their homily from
their Oct. 21 service. Each priest
was videotaped delivering his homily. Fellow priests were asked to
offer evaluations, which also were
videotaped. The priests were then
given copies to review and reflect
upon in private.
“There was a great deal of shared
wisdom” during the workshop,
noted Msgr. Mongelluzzo. “You
learn that communication is not
necessarily what was said but what
was heard.”
The common thread among all
the priests — whose years of experience ranged from five to 50 — was
their commitment to being there,
said the organizers, noting that one
priest came to the workshop after
having presided over two funerals
that morning.
“They embraced the experience
Brighton Campus History
Continued from page 1
tographs of the funeral with all
“In later life he of course was
of the cement trucks,” O’Toole ordained and eventually became
laughs. “There is also a rock ledge an archbishop, but he hadn’t
fairly shallow under the topsoil forgotten about this. When he
there. I don’t know what BC’s became the archbishop he disintentions are, but it will take a lot missed the Sulpician faculty and
to get the cardinal out of there.
had priests of the diocese teach
“He was a memin the seminary.
ber of the Class of
He not only
1881, so to some
kicked the living
“There was a lot of
extent, I suppose,
Sulpicians out,
interest [in the tours]
it is suitable that he
he had them dig
is back at Boston
up the bodies
because so many
College,” he says.
[of priests burpeople have probably
O’Toole also
ied in the little
likes to include
cemetery] and
driven by the property
the story of what is
sent them back
and said ‘I wonder
not on the former
to Maryland as
Archdiocesan propwell.”
what is in there?’”
erty. “There used
O’Toole’s
—James O’Toole
to be a small cemBrighton cametery located next
pus tours were
to the old gym on
such a success
the property. When
that he is conthe seminary first opened, the fac- sidering offering them again in
ulty consisted of priests of the the spring. “We had waiting lists
Sulpician order who were based for both tours,” says Director of
in Baltimore and whose particular Employee Development Bernard
mission was educating clergy.
O’Kane. “They were extremely
“When Cardinal O’Connell positively received. People I spoke
came in, however, he didn’t like to who went on the tours were
the Sulpicians,” O’Toole laughs. fascinated.”
“He had himself been a student
“People liked hearing the
as a teenager at a Sulpician minor stories and seeing the property,”
seminary in Maryland and after O’Toole says. “They liked heara couple of years was dismissed ing about what it used to be as we
from the seminary as an ‘unfit think about what is going to be
candidate’ for the priesthood.
there now.”
nizers will make resources
available online and allow participating priests
to conduct private online
discussions among themselves regarding homily
preparation.
The priests will reconvene on campus in January and continue online
work until May when the
seminar concludes with a
final meeting. Organizers
say there will be a tool
for parishioners to evaluate the priests’ preaching
progress.
Others involved in the
planning of the preachPriests from the Archdiocese of Boston at the preaching seminar held last week at the Boston ing seminar were Special
College Dover Campus. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
Assistant to the President
whole-heartedly. The spiritual en- in Bridgewater, came to the semi- and C21 Interim Director Robert
ergy was at a high level. It was nar looking to improve upon his Newton, IREPM Director Prof.
very inspirational to me,” said Msgr. preaching skills. “You hope you Thomas Groome (Theology), AsMongelluzzo. “I see it as a sign of are making a difference [with your sistant to the Vice President of Mishope for the future Church.”
preaching], but you always wonder sion and Ministry Timothy MulRev. William Murphy of St. how well you are really doing,” said doon and William Kelly of the BosPaul Church in Cambridge signed Fr. Raeke, who has the challenge ton Archdiocese’s Office of Clergy
on for the seminar because “it is of preaching to various audiences, Support and Ongoing Formation.
The organizers plan to offer the
really important for me to preach as a traditional parish community as
well as I can.”
well as the college-age population at seminar again over the next two
years, expanding it to include priests
“When I saw the video of my- Bridgewater State College.
self preaching, I wanted to shout
“I didn’t know it going into it, outside the archdiocese, permanent
at the TV ‘Loosen up!’” chuck- but the seminar was exactly what deacons and lay persons.
“It makes a lot of sense” for the
led Fr. Murphy, the undergradu- I needed it to be. I’m so grateful
ate chaplain at Harvard University to BC and Weston for putting this preaching seminar to be at Boston
College, according to McGinty.
and a faculty member at Blessed together. It’s been very affirming.”
John XXIII National Seminary in
The preaching seminar will con- “The University has such a compleWeston. “The workshop was very tinue through offerings via C21 ment of resources to put to work for
well done and I’m looking forward Online. With the assistance of C21 the betterment of the community.
to the year.”
Program Manager Barbara Radtke It’s a calling of our Jesuit/Catholic
Rev. Joseph Raeke, the pastor and Program and Communications mission to build up the Church.”
of St. Thomas Aquinas Church Specialist Melinda Donovan, orga-
Fr. Clifford to Lead School of Theology, Ministry
Continued from page 1
broadened and enjoy richer resources. The coming together of so
many dedicated faculty members,
staff and students to build the
school is a historic moment for
Boston College. It is an unparalleled opportunity to advance the
Gospel and serve the Church and
academic community.”
In addition to his 37 years of
service to Weston Jesuit School of
Theology, Fr. Clifford has served
as visiting lecturer at Harvard Di-
vinity School, president of the
Catholic Biblical Association and
general editor of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly. He has also served as
a consulter for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Liturgy, and chair of
the Boston Theological Institute’s
Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures
Colloquium.
The author of seven books, including Psalms 1-72 and Psalms
72-150, published in 2002-2003,
and Proverbs: A Commentary, published in 1999, Fr. Clifford has also
published hundreds of articles and
book segments.
In addition to the appointment
of Fr. Clifford, the University is
conducting searches for associate
deans of academic, student and
administrative services.
The School of Theology and Ministry will be located on the Brighton
Campus of Boston College.
ON THEIR MARK—More than 250 runners, including both members and friends of the Boston College community,
took part in the Welles Remy Crowther Red Bandanna 5K Race Oct. 20. The race commemorates 1999 alumnus
Welles Crowther, who was killed on 9/11. (Photo by Frank Curran)
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 1, 2007
Dunsford’s book on
fragile X syndrome is
straight from the heart
By Sean Smith
Chronicle Editor
When College of Arts and Sciences Associate Dean Clare Dunsford set out about five years ago
to write her book, she thought
she had a pretty good handle on
the story.
Then the story kept revealing new and challenging chapters
Dunsford hadn’t expected to write
— but which ultimately became
an indispensable part of the justpublished book.
Spelling Love with an “X”: A
Mother, A Son and the Gene that
Binds Them is Dunford’s literary memoir about her 22-year-old
son, J.P., and his struggle with
fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited cause of mental
retardation.
The book is an honest, determinedly unsentimental account of
the search for the answer to J.P.’s
condition, Dunsford says, and the
questions raised by that discovery.
But Spelling Love with an “X”
is, above all, an affirmation, says
Dunsford, who will present a reading from the book as part of the
“Writers Among Us” series on
Nov 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Devlin
101. “‘Love’ is the key word. I
love J.P. and what he has brought
to my life. There have been some
tough times, for him, for me, for
our family. But through him, I’ve
gained a new understanding of
what life is about.”
Fragile X causes a wide range
of mental impairment, from mild
to severe cognitive or intellectual
disabilities. Symptoms can include
characteristic physical and behavioral features, anxiety, and delays
in speech and language development. Fragile X also is the most
common known cause of autism
or “autistic-like” behaviors.
These symptoms and behaviors
have inevitably formed the rhythm
of J.P.’s life, and that of Dunsford. But the refrain runs through
generations, she says. When J.P.
was first diagnosed at age seven,
Dunsford also was informed that
she and three of her four siblings
were all fragile X carriers and had
unknowingly passed on the mutation to several of their children.
“Like it or not, fragile X is part
of the bond I share with my son.
He is the one who has fragile X,
but are there aspects of me and
my behavior that are tied to my
being a carrier? It’s something that
makes you begin to look at yourself in another way.
“I started with the intent to
write this book about J.P., but at
a point I realized that it was about
me, too. And since fragile X is genetic, it affects a whole family. J.P.
got the diagnosis but I had to tell
my parents — my father was likely
the carrier — and my siblings,
who have children themselves. In
that sense, we are all part of this
story.”
Putting that story together
— sorting through medical files,
reconstructing events leading to
the diagnosis, reflecting on painful
personal episodes — proved to be
a whole other ordeal, says Dunsford, who took a leave of absence
from BC to complete the book.
“I left in January of 2004 thinking I’d be back in September. I
didn’t return until July of 2005.
When I took the leave, I was
shocked at how disconnected I
suddenly felt from the BC community, which had been such a
vibrant part of my life.
“There was one miserable February day when I felt like I just
couldn’t write, and I began to
second-guess my ability to start a
project. ‘Is that a common trait for
carriers of fragile X?’ I wondered.
‘Are there other things that go
along with being a carrier I don’t
know about?’ I talked about these
doubts to a very dear friend, who
told me, ‘Write about that, then,’
and it really helped change my
outlook.”
Those reflections formed the
basis for the chapter that appeared
in an issue of The Kenyon Review
that was devoted to the human
genome project.
Dunsford says there are many
people to whom she is grateful,
including McIntyre Professor of
Economics Joseph Quinn, the former College of Arts and Sciences
dean, and Assoc. Prof. Ourida
Mostefai (Romance Languages).
“Joe, who was A&S dean at the
time, was very understanding and
Celebrations Mark Center Reopening
Continued from page 1
able and I think students will find
great comfort there.”
Campus Minister Rev. Howard
McLendon called the opening of
the Multi-Faith Center in 2000 a
landmark step for the Jesuit campus
at a time when students of other
faiths had come to represent a larger
proportion of the student body.
“It was a turning point in 2000,”
Rev. McLendon said. “It was the
first time that overture and hospitality was extended to other faith
communities. Its opening was, in
my perspective, an historic moment
for Boston College.”
Among the student body, according to Fr. Appleyard, 65 percent report they are Catholic, 20
percent other Christian faiths, 3
percent Jewish, 2 percent Muslim,
2 percent Buddhist or Hindu; and
8 percent report no religious affiliation.
The Office of Campus Ministry
works with all faith groups and
student religious organizations also
serve a diverse range of religious
backgrounds.
A number of external religious
organizations are formally recognized on campus, including Hillel,
Episcopal Campus Ministry, InterVarsity Campus Ministry, Asian
Baptist Student Koinonia, and Orthodox Christian Fellowship.
(L-R) Hillel campus representative Elissa Klein, Prof. Solomon Friedberg (Mathematics) and Assoc. Prof. Rabbi Ruth Langer (Theology) perform a Shabbat service
last Friday at the Multi-Faith Center. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
Some students have worked hard
to ensure their peers have meaningful outlets for worship. Juniors
Ibrahim Dayib and Yousef Mustafa
revived the Muslim Students Association, which had become inactive in the wake of September 11.
They began by seeking spaces for
Muslims for their five-times-a-day
prayers. Last year, they focused on
community-building. This month,
the group drew 120 students to a
dinner marking the end of the Ramadan holy month.
The remodeled space is the latest
example of the assistance Dayib and
Mustafa have received from campus
administrators in their efforts to re-
build the student group.
“Rev. McLendon and Fr. Appleyard have gone out of their way
to shepherd us,” said Dayib. “We
were young freshmen when we
got to campus and they helped us
with things like finding space. The
school in general has been very
welcoming.”
Although daily prayers may be
undertaken in different locations, a
required communal Friday prayer
service needs a dedicated space,
Dayib said.
“In the Islamic tradition, a space
is very important, especially on a
weekly basis,” said Dayib. Each Friday, Muslims are required to attend
Lee Pellegrini
The Gene That Binds
“There was one miserable February day when I felt like I just
couldn’t write, and I began to second-guess my ability to start a project. ‘Is that a common trait for carriers of fragile X?’ I wondered.”
—Clare Dunsford
supportive, and Ourida — who’d
taken over my job temporarily
— was wonderful.”
Spelling Love with an “X,” Dunsford notes, is only part of a continuing story that at the moment
is pointed in a positive direction.
J.P. was recently enrolled in a day
program for young adults with
special needs combining paid employment with volunteer work,
recreation and socialization.
“He’s matured a lot. He’s much
calmer, more empathetic. The next
step would be to find a supervised
group setting, but there’s still a
way to go before that happens.”
What’s more, J.P. has his
own investment in the book. “I
wouldn’t have thought he would
get it, but J.P. has shown me
that he grasps the work involved.
When the copies of the book arrived, he took one and said ‘I’m
going to read the whole thing.’
He has a hard time reading, but
he’s continued to carry the book
around — the cover’s off and it’s
all banged up by now — and he
refers to it as ‘our book.’”
Sponsored by Boston College Magazine, the Office of the
Provost and the Boston College
Bookstore, “Writers Among Us”
celebrates recent publications by
BC faculty.
Catholic Intellectual Tradition
Project Update on Nov. 13
Faculty coordinating a major project exploring Boston
College’s Jesuit and Catholic mission will offer the University
community an update on recent and upcoming activities Nov.
13 at 4 p.m. in the former Cardinal’s Residence on Brighton
Campus.
Launched last year, the Catholic Intellectual Tradition (CIT)
initiative is a three-year effort to examine how BC’s programs
and activities reflect its Jesuit, Catholic character, and detail the
opportunities — and obstacles — for strengthening it.
A CIT planning committee appointed by Provost and Dean
of Faculties Cutberto Garza in January recommended the establishment of two faculty seminars, both of which began this fall.
One is “Ways of Knowing and Catholic Intellectual Traditions,”
chaired by Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life
Director Prof. Alan Wolfe (Political Science); the other, chaired
by Acting Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences David Quigley,
is “The University and Catholic Intellectual Traditions.”
The planning committee, chaired by Prof. James Keenan,
SJ (Theology), also will sponsor a series of campus events to
continue the conversation on Catholic intellectual tradition,
including a panel discussion on interreligious dialogue.
Details on these events will be unveiled at the Nov. 13 meeting, said Fr. Keenan.
—Sean Smith
a communal prayer service to pray
the jummah or khutdah. Dayib said
the new space is much more accessible and user-friendly.
The first official ceremony, a
Shabbat service, was organized by
Hillel and took place on Oct. 26.
The center’s Torah was returned
to the site after being stored for
safekeeping during renovations in
the office of Assoc. Prof. Rabbi
Ruth Langer (Theology), said Elissa
Klein, the campus representative of
Hillel, the national Jewish student
organization on campus.
Rabbi Langer delivered d’var
Torah. Klein — who calls the renovated facility “a really wonderful,
peaceful space” — led Hebrew
prayers and students participated
with English readings. A catered
Kosher dinner followed.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 1, 2007
Postings
Alumni Mass this Sunday
The annual Alumni Memorial Mass
will take place this Sunday, Nov.
4, at 11 a.m. in Trinity Chapel on
Newton campus, with a reception
to follow at Alumni House. To RSVP
or provide names and class years of
deceased alumni, call ext.2-4753 or
email carol.quintiliani.1@bc.edu.
Colloquium in Ancient
Philosophy welcomes Campos
The Boston Area Colloquium in
Ancient Philosophy will sponsor a
lecture on Nov. 8, “The Ontology of
False Pleasures in the Philebus,” by
Alvaro Vallejo Campos, a professor
of philosophy at the University of
Granada in Spain.
Rachel Singpurwalla, a professor
of philosophy at the University of
Maryland at College Park, will serve
as commentator for the event, which
takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the McElroy Faculty Dining Room.
In addition, Campos will present a
seminar, “The Cognitive Theory of
Desires in Plato’s Philosophy,” at 4
p.m. in room 328 of 21 Campanella
Way.
For information about these events,
contact John Cleary at ext.2-3869 or
john.cleary@bc.edu.
Thanksgiving Host Program
deadline is Nov. 9
The University’s Thanksgiving Day
Host Program seeks faculty, staff and
administrators who are interested in
hosting a Boston College international student for Thanksgiving dinner.
Hosts may invite one or more international students for a Thanksgiving
meal. No overnight stay is required.
To participate, fill out the form provided at www.bc.edu/offices/odsd/
intercultural/programs/thanksgiving/hostapplication.html by Nov. 9;
hosts will receive information about
their guest students by Nov. 16. For
information, call ext.2-8005 or e-mail
mcrorie@bc.edu.
“Works in Progress” series
presents Laura Murphy
Part-time faculty member Laura
Murphy (English) will give the lecture, “’We Shall Make Love With
Words’: The Failure of Intimacy in
Ama Ata Aidoo’s Grammar of Memory” on Nov. 13 as part of the “Works
in Progress” series sponsored by the
African and African Diaspora Studies
Program.
Murphy, an African and African
Diaspora Studies lecturer, pursues
research in West-African literature,
19th and 20th-century African American literature, slave and neo-slave
narratives, questions of memory and
monuments, and modern-day slavery.
She is currently writing a dissertation on representations of the transAtlantic slave trade in Anglophone
West African fiction.
For more on the series and other
event information, see www.bc.edu/
schools/cas/aads/events/wipls.html.
Hepburn to speak at Weston
Observatory Nov. 14
Prof. Christopher Hepburn (Geology and Geophysics) will discuss
“The Assembly of the Geology of
Southeastern New England” on Nov.
14 and Nov. 28, from 7-9 p.m. at the
Boston College Weston Observatory Public Colloquium, 381 Concord
Road, Weston.
The event is free and open to the
public, but reservations are required;
call ext.2-8300. For more information,
see www.bc.edu/westonobservatory.
Council for Women Gets Welcome Assistance
Student advisory board
helping alumnae group
pursue its goals
By Patricia Delaney
Deputy Director
oF Public Affairs
On a picture-perfect October
afternoon, a group of alumnae
gathered at Gasson Hall for a
primer on life at today’s Boston
College — from the perspective of
the alumnae of tomorrow.
They learned, among other
things, that undergraduates are
increasingly involved in research;
that the Higgins science facility
boasts the largest magnetic field
of any university in the nation;
that Bapst Library is considered
sacrosanct for “silent silent” study
and that there are 129 steps in the
new staircase connecting the Main
and Lower campuses.
The alumnae were members of
the Council for Women of Boston College (CWBC), on campus
for the group’s fall meeting. Their
hosts were representatives of the
CWBC’s student advisory board,
who offered verbal snapshots of
their own lives at BC, then led a
part-walking, part bus tour of all
three campuses.
The student advisory board
was created to assist the CWBC
in its efforts to strengthen ties
between alumae and female undergraduates, a key component
of the council’s mission to inspire
both present and future alumnae
to assume leadership roles in BC
life.
“We thought it would enhance
our outreach to students if we had
input from them as to what most
pressing needs our alumnae could
help fill,” said University Vice
President Mary Lou DeLong, a
CWBC executive committee
member.
With representation from all
four undergraduate schools and all
four class years, the advisory board
is active at every stage of council
programming for students, from
suggesting enhancements for existing programs to encouraging
student attendance and acting as
co-hosts.
“They’ve been a terrific resource for us. We’ve seen an uptick in attendance at student programs, which we attribute to their
marketing tactics,” said DeLong,
citing as an example the council’s
most recent “Beginning the Journey” event, at which more than
100 juniors and seniors turned
out to hear a group of alumnae
representing a broad range of career fields share their experiences
and advice.
The advisory board also advances ideas for new programs,
DeLong said, such as the nascent “Take a Student to Work
Day,” which will involve alumnae
hosting undergraduates at their
workplaces — and participates in
other council events, such as the
allows the alumnae to
share their own BC
experiences with the
students. “It’s interesting [for us] to see
how the university
has evolved through
their eyes,” she said.
Among
the
CWBC
members
on the tour were
Margot Morrell ’74,
co-author of Shackleton’s Way, a book
of leadership lessons
drawn from Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton; special education teacher Susan Martinelli
Shea ’76, a new BC
Members of the Council for Women of Boston College and the CWBC student advisory board
trustee; and Marytoured the campus recently. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
Jane Flaherty NC’75,
student-led campus tour offered ry over Notre Dame. (As Natalie managing director and head of
twice a year for interested CWBC Horbachevsky ’09 put it, “We just strategic initiatives for Prudential
Financial’s investment division.
members.
love talking about our school.”)
“I haven’t been all around BC
“It’s wonderful to see how inThen it was off on the first leg
vested alumnae are in events that of the tour, led by Finck and Mc- in years,” Flaherty said as the
involve students,” said University Cool, who are particularly well- group checked out the view of
Trustee Kathleen McGillycuddy qualified to offer an orientation lower campus from atop the Higgins stairs. “And as Newton ColNC’71, a founding co-chair of to BC.
the council who was among those
As the daughter of council lege students, even then we didn’t
present for the recent campus membership committee chair Ann spend a great deal of time on [the
tour. “And the students really love Riley Finck ’66 — a nurse prac- Chestnut Hill] campus.”
McGillycuddy, who says she
the fact that these highly success- titioner in the Neuroscience Inful career women care enough tensive Care Unit at New York’s didn’t reconnect with Boston
to come back and connect with Columbia Presbyterian Medical College until three decades after
them.”
Center, who also was on hand graduation, believes it’s vital to
On that October afternoon in that day — and with four older the University’s future that alumGasson’s Fulton Debate Room, siblings who graduated from the nae take active roles in BC life,
Alison Finck ’08 and Catherine University, Alison has been visit- especially as women now comMcCool ’09, who in Septem- ing the campus “since she was prise more than 50 percent of all
alumni.
ber were appointed the advisory four years old.”
McCool concurs. “It’s imboard’s first student chair and vice
Similarly McCool, whose famchair, introduced a short speaking ily also is peppered with BC grad- portant to stay connected to the
program centered on campus life uates and whose younger sister school once you graduate,” she
from a student perspective. The Elizabeth ’11 has just joined the said. “Boston College is clearly a
first-person narratives covered advisory board, says that BC felt special place for the women of the
everything from extracurricular “just like home” to her well before council, and using the group as a
tool to stay not only connected,
activities, internships and study she enrolled.
abroad to first-year life and the
Finck finds this program one of but involved with current student
previous weekend’s football victo- the most rewarding because it also life is wonderful.”
Forum Focuses on War, Christian-Jewish Relations
The Center for Christian-Jewish Learning (CJL) will present a
two-part forum this month on the
impact of international conflicts
on Jewish-Christian relations.
On Nov. 7, Prof. David Hollenbach, SJ (Theology), director
of the Boston College Center for
Human Rights and International
Justice, will be part of a panel
discussion on “Jewish and Christian Approaches to Peacemaking
and War.” Other panelists will
be Boston Theological Institute
Director Rodney Peterson and
Rabbi Or Rose, associate dean of
the Rabbinical School of Hebrew
College.
The following Wednesday,
Nov. 14, Sister Ruth Lautt, OP,
founder and national director of
Christians for Witness on the
Middle East, will present “The
Church’s Witness on Issues in
the Arab-Israeli Conflict.” Assoc.
Prof. Rabbi Ruth Langer (Theol-
ogy), academic director of CJL,
will be the respondent.
Both events will take place from
7:30-9:30 p.m. in Higgins 300,
and are cosponsored with CJL
by the Center for Human Rights
and International Justice and The
Boston Theological Institute.
For more information, see the
center’s Web site at www.bc.edu/
cjlearning, call ext.2-4495 or email cjlearning@bc.edu.
—Office of Public Affairs
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Speaks Nov. 7
Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy
Townsend will be the featured
speaker at the Seventh Annual
Prophetic Voices in the Church
Lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 7.
Her talk, titled “Failing America’s
Faithful,” will take place at 4:30
p.m. in Gasson 100.
Now an adjunct professor at
the Georgetown University School
of Public Policy and a visiting fellow at the Harvard University
Kennedy School of Government,
Townsend was deputy assistant
attorney general in the US Justice
Department before serving two
terms as Maryland’s first female
lieutenant governor. She was responsible for a multimillion-dollar
budget and had oversight of major departments including State
Police, Economic Development,
Transportation and the Office of
Children, Youth and Families.
Townsend founded the Robert
F. Kennedy Human Rights Award
in honor of her late father, and
has become nationally known for
involvement in political, religious,
social and philanthropic areas, including character education.
For information, see www.
bc.edu/centers/boisi/publicevents/
current_semester/prophetic_voices.html, call ext.2-1860 or e-mail
richarsh@bc.edu.
—Office of Public Affairs
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 1, 2007
PEOPLE
Newsmakers
•Prof. Ramsay Liem (Psychology)
was interviewed by “The World,”
a co-production of the BBC
World Service, PRI and WGBH
Boston, for a recent program on
the second summit meeting between the leaders of North and
South Korea.
•The New York Times cited excerpts from the book Deportation Nation: Outsiders in American
History, by Clinical Prof. Daniel
Kanstroom (Law), associate director of BC’s Center for Human
Rights and International Justice,
in a piece on the lack of legal
protections for immigrants in the
US.
•Smart Money magazine interviewed Asst. Prof. Roger Edelen
(CSOM) regarding a pay-forperformance system for money
managers.
•Martha Bayles, a faculty member in the College of Arts and
Sciences Honors Program, wrote
on Edward Hopper’s world in
conjunction with an exhibition
on view at the National Gallery
for a cover story in the Weekly
Standard.
•Center on Wealth and Philanthropy Director Prof. Paul Schervish (Sociology) discussed the reality and meaning of wealth transfer on the “Jim Engster Show” on
National Public Radio affiliate
WRKF in Louisiana.
•Monan Professor of Higher Education Philip Altbach, director of
the Lynch School of Education
Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life Prof. Alan Wolfe (Political Science) speaks during a panel discussion at the “Gambling and the American Moral
Landscape” conference held Oct. 25 and 26 on campus. (Photo by Frank Curran)
Center for International Higher
Education, answered questions
about how colleges should internationalize their campuses during
a live web chat sponsored by the
Chronicle of Higher Education.
Grants
•Asst. Prof. Jon Horvitz (Psychology): $1,400,000, NIH/NIDA,
“Accumbens coding of reward expectation: electrophysiology and
neuropharmacology.”
Honors/Appointments
•Adj. Assoc. Prof. Michael Noone
(Music) has been elected to membership of the Spanish Royal
Academy (Real Academia de Bellas Artes y Ciencias Históricas de
Toledo).
Time and a Half
•At the Workshop on Methods
Nota Bene
Vanderslice Professor of Chemistry T. Ross Kelly has been selected
as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of
the journal Science.
Election as an AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon members
by their peers in recognition of meritorious efforts to advance science
or its applications.
Kelly was chosen “for demonstrated excellence in research and
teaching, and a distinguished record of enlightened leadership and wise
counsel,” according to an AAAS press release announcing this year’s
471 fellows.
Part-time faculty member Laura Murphy (English) was named as
one of six recipients of awards for innovative teaching from Aluka, an
international collaborative initiative building a digital library of scholarly resources from and about Africa.
The award was developed to foster inventive uses of Aluka’s holdings
of more than 300,000 digital objects of high-quality scholarly materials
focused on Africa including botanical specimens, visual and contextual
representations of cultural heritage sites, as well as periodicals and pamphlets documenting liberation struggles in southern Africa.
Murphy, a lecturer in the African and African Diaspora Studies Program, plans to use visual and documentary materials in Aluka to help
students visualize Africa more accurately and counteract the images of
violence and corruption often encountered in the public sphere. Students will be required to integrate the visual, geographical, and documentary evidence provided on the Aluka site to create a thesis about the
unique forms of memory Africans have created as a response to their
particular surroundings and pasts.
and Applications for Dynamic
Stochastic General Equilibrium
Models held at the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Murray
& Monti Professor of Economics
Peter Ireland was a discussant
and Asst. Prof. Matteo Iacoviello
(Economics) presented “Housing
Market Spillovers: Evidence from
an Estimated DSGE Model.”
•Prof. Maxim D. Shrayer (Slavic
and Eastern Languages) presented “In Search of Jewish-Russian
Literature” at the Davis Center
for Russian and Eurasian Studies,
Harvard University.
•Prof. Dwayne E. Carpenter
(Romance Languages) presented
“The ‘Alborayque’: A Seedbed of
Riddles, A Hotbed of Controversy” in the Department of Spanish
and Portuguese Languages and
Cultures, Princeton University.
•The following members of the
Economics Department presented papers at the 22nd Annual Congress of the European
Economic Association and the
62nd European Meeting of the
Econometric Society in Budapest: Neenan Professor James
Anderson, “Commercial Policy
in a Predatory World”; Roche
Professor Arthur Lewbel, “Using Heteroskedasticity to Identify and Estimate Mismeasured
and Endogenous Regressor Models”; Assoc. Prof. Fabio Ghironi,
“Relative Price Dynamics and the
Aggregate Economy” and “Monopoly Power and Endogenous
Variety in Dynamic Stochastic
General Equilibrium.” Ghironi
also chaired a session.
•Jesuit Artist in Residence Robert VerEecke, SJ, traveled with
members of the Boston Liturgical
Dance Ensemble to Creighton
University in Omaha to perform
“For the Greater Glory of God,”
a dance and theater piece based
on the Spiritual Exercises of St.
Ignatius.
•Roche Professor of Economics
Arthur Lewbel presented “Nonclassical Measurement Error and
Returns to Lying” at the LACEA-LAMES 2007 Conference
in Bogota.
•The multimedia exhibit produced by Prof. Ramsay Liem
(Psychology), “Still Present Pasts:
Korean Americans and the ‘Forgotten War,’” has been invited
to show in South Korea at the
Kookmin University Art Gallery
and the Eulim Gallery, Ilsan.
•O’Neill Library Senior Reference Librarian Ken Liss presented
“LibGuides: A New Generation
of Research Guides at Boston
College” at the NELINET conference “Nuts & Bolts: Implementing Web 2.0” at Olin College in Needham.
•Prof. Paul Spagnoli (History)
served as part of the evaluation
team for the reaccreditation of
Fairfield University by the New
England Association of Schools
and Colleges’ Commission of Institutions of Higher Education.
•Asst. Prof. Sheila Gallagher
(Fine Arts) presented a lecture on
her recent work at the Museum of
Fine Arts in Boston.
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/
Receptionist/Staff Assistant, Office of the Academic Vice Pres/
Dean Of Faculties
Director of Emergency Preparedness and Management, Office of
the Executive Vice President
Administrative Assistant, Center
on Aging and Work
Student Services Associate, Main
Campus
Carlo Rotella Is Selected for
2007 Whiting Writing Award
Prof. Carlo Rotella (English), whose nonfiction writing
has portrayed boxing, blues and
other aspects of modern urban
America, was named as one of 10
recipients of the 2007 Whiting
Writers’ Awards, given annually
to emerging writers of exceptional talent and promise.
The awards, $50,000 each,
were announced last month at
a ceremony at The Morgan Library and Museum in New York
City by the Mrs. Giles Whiting
Foundation, which has presented
the honors since 1985.
Rotella, who directs the American Studies Program at Boston College, has published three
books: October Cities: The Redevelopment of Urban Literature
(1998); Good with their Hands:
Boxers, Bluesmen and other Characters from the Rust Belt (2002)
and Cut Time: An Education at
the Fights (2003) which won the
L.L. Winship/PEN New England Award and was a finalist
for the Los Angeles Times Book
•“The Neural Basis of Inattentional Blindness,” a co-presentation by Asst. Prof. Scott Slotnick
(Psychology), will be featured at
the upcoming Society of Neuroscience Conference in San Diego.
Prize.
He has published many essays
and magazine pieces, including
the title chapter from Cut Time,
which was selected for inclusion
in Best American Essays 2001 and
chosen by The American Scholar
as “Best Essay” and “Best Work
by a Younger Writer” in 2000.
Whiting Writers’ Awards candidates are proposed by about
100 anonymous nominators from
across the country whose experience and vocations give them
knowledge about individuals of
extraordinary talent. Winners are
chosen by a small anonymous
selection committee of recognized
writers, literary scholars, and editors, appointed annually by the
foundation. Previous winners include Jonathan Franzen, Sarah
Ruhl, William T. Vollmann, Colson Whitehead, Jorie Graham,
Kim Edwards, Z Z Packer, Denis
Johnson, Tobias Wolff, Michael
Cunningham, Lydia Davis and
Jeffrey Eugenides.
—Office of Public Affairs
Third Cook, Dining Services
– McElroy
Assistant Director, Center for
Retirement Research
Volunteer Coordinator/Fundraiser, Campus School,Lynch School
of Education
Staff Assistant, Annual Giving,
Development
Director, Annual Giving, Development
Part-Time Supervisor, Gift Shop,
Main Campus
Custodial Supervisor, Academic
Buildings, Facilities Management
Facilities Services, Temp Pool,
Facilities Management
Project Manager, Biology Department
Writer/Editor, Carroll School,
Center for Corporate Citizenship
Research Analyst, Institutional
Review Board
Vice President for Student Affairs, President’s Office
Administrative Assistant, Physics
Department
Cashier, BC Bookstore
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 1, 2007
LOOKING AHEAD
READINGS • LECTURES •
DISCUSSION
November 1
•Colum McCann reads from his
recent work, 7:30 p.m., Connolly
House. Call ext.2-3938, see www.
bc.edu/centers/irish/studies/writers.html.
• Lowell Lectures Humanities Series: “Fixing Urban Schools: The
Road Behind, The Road Ahead,”
with Charles M. Payne, University of Chicago, 7:30 p.m., Devlin
101. See www.bc.edu/offices/lowellhs/.
November 2
•“Alfarabi’s Goal: Political Philosophy, not Political Theology,” with Charles Butterworth,
University of Maryland-College
Park, 4:00 p.m., Cushing 001.
Call ext.2-0436, e-mail brownst@
bc.edu.
November 5
•“A Journey to Kreisau,” with
Marc Smith, 2 p.m., Fulton 135.
Call ext. 2-3745, e-mail freudenr@bc.edu.
•Panel discussion: “Handing On
the Faith: Catholic Education in
the 21st Century — A Global
Perspective,” 4:30 p.m., Heights
Room, Corcoran Commons. See
www.bc.edu/church21/.
November 6
•“Reshaping the Pillow Angel:
Plastic Bodies and the Rhetoric
of Surgical Solutions,” with John
Jordan, 7:30 p.m., Cushing 001.
Call ext.2-4280.
•“Conversations with...” featuring
Sy Montgomery, 7:30 p.m., free
with BC ID, non-BC students
with ID $5, all others $15. Contact cohenlm@bc.edu.
November 7
•Joseph Visiting Professorship
Lecture: “New Planets and Extraterrestrial Beings. Does Jesus
Have A Role?” with Joseph Visit-
The “Pollock Matters” exhibition continues at the McMullen Museum.
ing Professor Thomas F. O’Meara,
OP, 7:30 p.m., Gasson 305. Call
ext.2-3882.
November 8
•Lowell Lectures Humanities Series: “The Republic of Poetry,” a
reading by Martin Espada, 7:30
p.m., Devlin 101. See www.
bc.edu/offices/lowellhs/.
November 9
•Geosciences Research Seminar
series: “Evolution of Tectonic
Styles During the Precambrian:
Examples from Eastern Brazil,”
with Stephen Marshak, University
of Illinois, 4 p.m., Devlin 307. See
www.bc.edu/schools/cas/geo/.
MUSIC • ART • PERFORMANCE
November 2
•Boston College Symphony Orchestra performs Beethoven’s
“Symphony No. 7 in A Major”
and “The Moldau” by Smetana,
8 p.m., Gasson 100. See www.
bc.edu/music.
•“Swingin’ the Night Away,” featuring BC bOp! and The Swing
Kids, 9 p.m., Cabaret Room,
BC SCENES
HIGH POINT OF THE SHOW
BC bOp! vocalist Shelbi Thurau ’09 during the ensemble’s performance last week
at the Vanderslice Hall Cabaret Room. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
Vanderslice Hall. See www.
bc.edu/bands.
November 6
•Gaelic Roots Series: Performance
by Uilleann piper Paddy Keenan,
7 p.m., Connolly House. E-mail
irish@bc.edu or see www.bc.edu/
irish.
•“Aires and Dances,” early dance
music from the Renaissance to
the 18th Century performed by
the Symphonic Band of Boston
College, 8 p.m., Gasson 100. See
www.bc.edu/bands.
•Music at St. Mary’s Series: “Cuando Muere el Sol,” Villancicos
and art songs in the music archives of the Bogota Cathedral
performed by Musica Ficta,
8 p.m., St. Mary’s Chapel. See
www.bc.edu/music.
November 8
•Performance by The Adam Mickiewicz University Academic Choir,
8 p.m., St. Ignatius Church. See
www.bc.edu/music.
November 9
•University Chorale of Boston
College performs John Rutter’s
“Gloria” and music of Daniel
Pinkham, 8 p.m., Trinity Chapel,
Newton Campus, $10, $5 with
BC ID. See www.bc.edu/music.
ATHLETICS
November 1
•Field hockey: Virginia Quarterfinal, 1 p.m., Newton Campus.
•Women’s basketball: BC vs.
Athletes in Action (exhibition),
7 p.m., Conte Forum.
November 2
•Men’s hockey: BC vs. Maine,
7 p.m., Conte Forum.
November 3
•Football: BC vs. Florida State,
8 p.m., Alumni Stadium.
November 4
•Field hockey: ACC Finals,
1 p.m., Newton Campus.
•Men’s basketball: BC vs. Carleton (exhibition), 2 p.m., Conte
Forum.
November 9
•Women’s basketball: BC vs.
Wright State, 1 p.m., Conte Forum.
•Men’s soccer: BC vs. Virginia
Tech, 7 p.m., Newton Campus
Soccer Field.
•Men’s hockey: BC vs. Merrimack, 8 p.m., Conte Forum.
Nov. 17 Symposium
Looks at Media’s Role
The 21st century isn’t even a decade old, but it’s already provided
plenty of media-related controversies: the press’s performance in the
run-up to the invasion of Iraq; the Valerie Plame affair; the rise of blogs
and other “new media”; and the fall-out of rising financial pressures on
newspapers and magazines.
A symposium to be held in Robsham Theater Nov. 17 beginning at
12:30 p.m. will examine these and other trends and their implications,
featuring an impressive array of panelists representing journalism, politics,
government, business and academia.
Participants in “No News Is Bad News: The Role of the Media” will
include: political strategist and former White House Press Secretary Joe
Lockhart; Atlantic Monthly correspondent Mark Bowden, author of Black
Hawk Down; Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post foreign correspondent Anthony Shadid; Ellen Hume, director of the University of Massachusetts-Boston Center on Media and Society and a former Wall Street
Journal White House and political correspondent; and Atlantic Monthly
blogger Andrew Sullivan, former editor of The New Republic.
Also scheduled to appear are:
•Samantha Power, a professor at the Kennedy School of Government
and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Problem from Hell:
America and the Age of Genocide.
•Rutgers University Professor David Greenberg, author of Nixon’s
Shadow: The History of an Image.
•Todd Purdum, national editor and political correspondent for Vanity
Fair and author of A Time Of Our Choosing, America’s War in Iraq.
•New Yorker staff writer Margaret Talbot, senior fellow at the New
America Foundation.
•Marcy Wheeler, citizen journalist, blogger, and author of The Anatomy of Deceit: How the Bush Administration Used the Media to Sell the Iraq
War and Out a Spy.
•Columbia University Provost and Professor of History Alan Brinkley.
•St. Petersburg Times Executive Editor Neil Brown.
•David Carr, New York Times columnist on the media, business, and
culture.
•Former Los Angeles Times editor John Carroll.
In addition, the symposium will be preceded at 10:30 a.m. by a special session for high school journalists in the Heights Room of Corcoran
Commons.
The event, sponsored by The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, is free and open to the public but registration is required. More
information on the event is available at www.masshumanities.org/specialprojects/symposium/index.html
—Office of Public Affairs
NY Times CEO to Speak Today
New York Times Co. CEO and President Janet L. Robinson will
discuss her career, and the issues she has confronted as top executive
of one of the world’s leading newspapers, today at 4 p.m. in Robsham
Theater.
Since she was appointed CEO in December of 2004, Robinson has
directed the acceleration of advertising and circulation revenue growth
at all properties and the improvement in profit margins through expense controls, operating efficiencies and pricing initiatives. Among
other accomplishments, she has overseen the completion of the Times’
conversion to color and its entry into television programming and
distribution.
A former public school teacher in Rhode Island and Massachusetts,
Robinson started out in the publishing field in sales with Golf Digest
and Tennis Magazine, formerly owned by The New York Times Co.
In 1990, she took an executive job with the company’s Women’s
Magazine Group, and later held the position as president and general
manager of the Times.
Robinson’s talk, which is free and open to the public, is presented
through the Clough Colloquium Series of the Carroll School of
Management’s Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics. The series
recognizes individuals who have made important contributions as ethical leaders in their fields.
For information, see www.bc.edu/schools/csom/leadership/programs/clough.html, call ext.2-9296 or e-mail winston.center@bc.edu.
November 10
•Men’s basketball: BC vs. New
Hampshire, 4 p.m., Conte Forum.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
•“Sacred Space — Sacred Form,”
exhibition by Benjamin S. Cariens, Bapst Library Art Gallery,
through Nov. 19. Call ext.2-4295,
e-mail kamandizzle@gmail.com.
•“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 BC campus events,
see events.bc.edu or check BCInfo
[www.bc.edu/bcinfo] for updates.