The Boston College
Chronicle
april 26, 2007-vol. 15 no. 16
Commencement 2007
tions during the past four decades,
including two terms as chairman
of the Board of Trustees. He remains the Board’s longest-serving
member, having joined in 1979,
and having just completed his
term in 2006. He was also cochair of the University’s “Ever to
Excel” capital campaign.
Throughout Massachusetts,
Connors is well known for his
civic and philanthropic efforts. He
serves as chairman of the board of
directors of Partners Healthcare
System, which includes the Massachusetts General Hospital and
Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
He is also chairman of the board
of Dana Farber/Partners CancerCare and Dana Farber/Harvard
CancerCare, and chairs the Board
of Fellows at Harvard Medical
School.
In addition to being a tireless
advocate for Boston’s world-class
hospitals, Connors is a highly
respected voice in the Catholic
community for greater lay participation in the Catholic Church.
Connors regularly uses the talent
Continued on page 6
After Virginia
Tech: Q&A on
Campus Safety
This past week saw the Boston
College community, along with the
rest of the nation, respond to the April
16 tragedy at Virginia Tech. Students, faculty and staff attended several events held on campus, including
a candlelight vigil at St. Ignatius, an
ecumenical Mass and a moment of
silence on the Quad, to offer prayers
and support for the shooting victims
and their families and loved ones.
The massacre at Virginia Tech
also prompted discussion and reflection within the University community on safety issues and BC’s emergency
preparedness. Provost and Dean of
Faculties Cutberto Garza, Executive
Vice President Patrick Keating and
Boston College Police Captain Margaret Connolly talked with Chron-
AT A GLANCE
Presidential hopefuls Dodd,
Brownback at Conte (page 3)
BC students ready local
kids for SATs (page 4)
Heights of Excellence:
Mike Naughton (page 5)
Boston College will award honorary
degrees at this year’s Commencement Exercises to (clockwise from
top left): former Trustees Chairman
John M. Connors ’63, sports journalist Lesley Visser ’75, former Canadian
prime minister Brian Mulroney, local
anti-violence activist Isaura Mendes
and Jesuit astronomer Rev. George
Coyne, SJ. Connors also will address
the Class of 2007 at the event.
Presley to Step Down as
Student Affairs VP
Christopher Huang
John M. “Jack” Connors Jr.
’63, a distinguished leader of the
Greater Boston business and philanthropic community and one of
Boston College’s most devoted
alumni, will address the Class of
2007 at the University’s Commencement Exercises on May
21.
A founding partner and chairman emeritus of the national
marketing communications company Hill, Holliday, Connors,
Cosmopulos Inc., Connors will
receive an honorary Doctor of
Business Administration degree
at the ceremonies, which begin
at 10 a.m.
Also receiving honorary degrees at this year’s Commencement are former Canadian prime
minister Brian Mulroney, sports
journalist Lesley Visser ’75, Jesuit astronomer Rev. George V.
Coyne, SJ, and Isaura Mendes, a
Boston anti-violence activist.
Connors has served Boston
College in several leadership posi-
By Jack Dunn
Director of Public Affairs
More than 900 students and members of the Boston College community gathered
at St. Ignatius Church April 17 for a prayer vigil to honor those who lost their
lives in the Virginia Tech shootings. The memorial was held in conjunction with
simultaneous vigils at Atlantic Coast Conference colleges.
icle about these and other related
concerns.
While what happened at Virginia Tech may have been an
extraordinary, unprecedented occurrence, how ready is Boston
College for a major campus emergency?
Boston College has an experienced Emergency Preparedness
Team in place. Its members have
created a comprehensive set of
emergency response procedures
to deal with crisis situations. This
group of trained administrators and
BC Police officers has completed
several crisis simulation table-top
exercises and a number have undertaken National Incident Management System (NIMS) training
offered by the Office of Homeland
Security.
How will the University communicate with students, faculty
and staff in the event of an emergency?
The University has the capacity to communicate with all of its
students, faculty and staff through
e-mail and phone messaging, the
BCInfo website [www.bc.edu/
bcinfo] and its emergency information line at 617-552-INFO. Our
Resident Assistants are also trained
to alert students in residence halls
of emergency situations as they unfold.
What is the current notification system at BC? How might
it change in light of the Virginia
Tech tragedy?
We are undertaking a compreContinued on page 4
Vice President for Student
Affairs Cheryl Presley, whose
warmth, caring demeanor and
unwavering faith in BC’s undergrads endeared her to students,
has announced that she will be
leaving Boston College at the end
of the academic year to pursue
other professional interests.
Presley, who has served in her
position for nearly seven years,
announced her decision to Student Affairs staff and to fellow
administrators on Monday.
“After more than six successful and productive years as Vice
President for Student Affairs at
Boston College, I want to share
with you the news of some exciting professional changes ahead
for me. I have advised Fr. Leahy
that at the close of this academic
year, I am leaving Boston College
to pursue other professional aspirations and interests.
“Although I will continue to
have a commitment to university life and student development,
other challenges and activities will
form the foundation of the next
chapter in my life. I am confident
that the administrative transition
will be smooth for students, staff
and colleagues throughout the
Boston College community,” said
Presley.
Steven Vedder
By Office of
Public Affairs Staff
Lee Pellegrini
Connors, Visser Among Honorary Degree Recipients
Cheryl Presley
Presley stated that she was
“deeply grateful” for the gifts
and blessings she received during
her years at Boston College, and
proud of her legacy that was the
product of much collaboration
with many talented and dedicated people in the Student Affairs
division.
“I trust that my work at the
University will live on in the
future as I carry with me cherished memories of friendships,
experiences and achievements,”
said Presley.
In accepting her resignation,
University President William P.
Leahy, SJ, thanked Presley for her
dedicated service and commitContinued on page 6
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
april 26, 2007
AROUND
CAMPUS
Curtain call
With the Robsham Theater
Arts Center preparing to observe
its 25th anniversary this weekend,
Chronicle invited the theater’s
director, Howard Enoch, to list
some memorable milestones in
Robsham history:
•Then-University President J.
Donald Monan, SJ, tapping the
stage three times — a custom in
the Elizabethan era — to officially
open the “new theater” in September, 1981.
•The production of “The Apotheosis or Consecration of Saints
Ignatius Loyola and Francis Xavier” in 1991 during the 400th
anniversary celebration of the Society of Jesus.
•The establishment of the Theater Department and theater major in 1993, under the leadership
of the late J. Robert Barth, SJ,
then dean of the College of Arts
and Sciences.
•The first Conference on Financial Markets and the Economy in September 1994, featuring
talks by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and Robert
E. Rubin, then the Assistant to the
President for Economy Policy and
later Secretary of the Treasury.
•The first BC bOp! concert to
sell out (April 1996).
•The first Massachusetts Council for the Arts symposium in
2005.
•...and this month, the 100th
Theater Department/Robsham
production to be staged, “The
Pirates of Penzance.”
For information on Robsham
Theater’s 25th anniversary celebration, see www.bc.edu/offices/
artscouncil/festival/alumni/robsham25/.
Prof. Emerita Elaine Pinderhughes (GSSW), right, greeted Nancy Boyd-Franklin, a clinical psychology professor at Rutgers University who presented the inaugural Pinderhughes Diversity Lecture Monday in the
Yawkey Center Murray Room. Boyd-Franklin, whose husband Dr. Anderson Franklin holds the Honorable
David S. Nelson Professorial Chair at Boston College, spoke on “The Treatment of African American Clients
and Families.” (Photo by Frank Curran)
Numbers game
Pine Manor College student Marquita Niles shared one of her poems at the
Greater Boston Intercollegiate Poetry Festival, held April 18 in the Yawkey
Center’s Murray Room. An audience of about 100 people, representing a number
of area colleges and universities, attended. (Photo by Suzanne Camarata)
iTuning in at
the Heights
Students and faculty will soon
be able to take advantage of a new
partnership between Boston College and Apple Inc. through the
new iTunes U program.
iTunes U is a free, hosted service provided by Apple for colleges and universities that provides
easy online access to lectures and
interviews, 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week.
Through iTunes U, instructors can publicize multimedia and
instructional content, while students can upload their own content to share with professors or
with the class. The service is based
on the same technology of Apple’s
popular iTunes store.
Students can download the
content to their Macs or PCs,
regardless of their location. They
can listen to and view that content
on their Mac or PC, or transfer it
to iPod for listening or viewing
when they’re on the road.
“This is a great service to integrate media into teaching in a way
that students are already familiar
with,” said Instructional Design
and eTeaching Services Director
Elizabeth Clark.
Universities such as Duke,
Stanford, Brown and California-Berkeley are also partners in
iTunes U. BC is the first university in Boston to have such a
contract with Apple.
In addition to providing a great
conduit for digital academic content, iTunes is also the largest
source of legal digital music available online, according to Apple.
Students can buy and download
music that has both educational
and entertainment value, with all
copyrights honored and the full
support of the music industry.
Clark said representatives
from Apple and Duke will attend
eTeaching Day on May 16 to discuss the iTunes U program.
—SG
Any time the Red Sox beat the Yankees is an occasion for cheer
among fans of the Old Towne Team, but to do so in historic fashion as they did Sunday — bashing four consecutive homers in one
inning — only increases the pleasure. In fact, so remarkable was the
feat that the Boston Globe enlisted three mathematicians, including
Assoc. Prof. Nancy Rallis (Mathematics), to calculate the odds of it
occurring.
Responding via e-mail to the Globe, Rallis wrote: “What is needed in finding the various probabilities that you are interested in is the
following ratio: p=the total number of home runs hit in the major
leagues, divided by the number of plate appearances.”
Last season, she continued, there were 5,386 home runs hit in
188,052 plate appearances. Thus p is equal to .02857.
The probability of four consecutive home runs is p to the fourth
power, or p times p times p times p. That equals .000000673, which
in this case means there is a 1 in 1.4 million chance, said Rallis.
There was an added twist to Sunday’s home run derby, as the
Globe noted: J.D. Drew, one of the four Sox players to round the
bases, also was one of four Los Angeles Dodgers who homered consecutively last September — and both times, he was second in the
sequence of batters.
According to Rallis’ calculations, using Drew’s ratio of home runs
per at-bat, the odds of this happening are 7 in 100 million, or 1 in
14.3 million.
BC mathematicians are no strangers to Red Sox-related computations. In the wake of the Bosox 2004 World Series win, Chronicle
asked Mathematics faculty to estimate the number of BC students
wearing the familiar “B”-adorned caps around campus. While they
did their utmost — one might say they gave 110 percent — to come
up with a formula, the mathematicians said the lack of a solid representative sample made the task too difficult.
In any case, Red Sox fans only hope there will be many more
such mathematical marvels for the folks on the third floor of Carney
Hall to interpret.
—SS
Correction: Devlin Obituary
In an obituary for Boston College Police Officer Thomas
E. Devlin published in the April 12 edition, a quote attributed to Boston College Police Chief Robert Morse incorrectly
referred to Officer Devlin as “Mike.” This was an error on
the part of the reporter, rather than Chief Morse. Chronicle
regrets the mistake.
The Boston College
Chronicle
Director of Public Affairs
Jack Dunn
Deputy Director of
Public AFFAIRS
Patricia Delaney
Editor
Sean Smith
Contributing Staff
Greg Frost
Stephen Gawlik
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
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Electronic editions of the Boston
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www.bc.edu/chronicle.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
april 26, 2007
Forum on faith and public policy
Presidential Hopefuls Keep It Civil
As US senators and presidential
hopefuls Chris Dodd (D-Conn.)
and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) took
the Conte Forum stage Monday
evening, each candidate stopped to
remove his jacket. The nearly 4,000
people in attendance at the debate
on issues of faith and public policy figured that this gesture would
surely be the prelude to an old-fashioned political free-for-all.
Instead, those attending Boston
College’s latest Church in the 21st
Century event were treated to a civil
and thoughtful discussion in which
both candidates and moderator Tim
Russert, NBC’s top political analyst, exchanged ideas, views of their
Catholic faith and hopes for the
future in what may be a welcome
glimpse of the possible mellowing
electoral climate as America chooses
a new president in 2008.
The candidates aired their
thoughts on a variety of hot-button issues: the war in Iraq, stem cell
research, the death penalty, abortion and gay rights – all standard
fare in presidential primary debates.
Dodd, a liberal, and Brownback, a
conservative, differed on a number
of points, but both agreed that their
own religious beliefs spur them to
work together to find solutions and
policies that will unite – rather than
continue to divide – the nation.
“People have different views, but
Alums, Students
Lend Hands
Nearly 500 Boston College
alumni and graduate students
teamed up for a national day of
service last Saturday, undertaking
improvement projects for schools,
hospitals and other non-profit organizations at locations from Allston,
Mass., to Portland, Ore.
Locally, a group of some 65
MBA students, faculty and staff
from the Carroll School of Management worked throughout the
day on cleaning projects and general improvements at Jackson Mann
Community School in Allston, an
elementary school for some 500
Boston children.
Community service is a requirement for completion of a master of
business administration degree from
BC, notes Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs Warren Zola. At
his suggestion, the Carroll School’s
program has become a model for
the 27 other Jesuit graduate business schools across the country that
have instituted a “National Jesuit
MBA Day of Service” for students
and staffers to contribute their efforts to worthwhile local activities.
“This endeavor brings to life the
Jesuit tradition of educating the
whole person and affording our
students yet another opportunity to
move from experience to reflection
to action,” Zola said.
BC Alumni Association chapters
across the country also joined in last
Saturday’s day of service. Volunteers
from alumni groups from Boston to
the way I have always carried this
is that faith informs my decisions,”
noted Dodd in his opening statement. “It doesn’t define my decisions but it informs them.”
Added Brownback: “I think that
we as a society are trying to find our
way back into talking about how
faith does inform things instead of
just dismissing it or saying that we
really can’t go there. We are a faithoriented country, so we should talk
about things of faith.”
Like nearly all pre-election discussions, the spotlight turned to the
war in Iraq. Although both senators
said they voted to support the start
of the war in 2002, they differed
on a solution to bring the ongoing
conflict to a close.
“At this point here, it’s up to
the Sunnis and Shiites, the political
leadership and the religious leadership, to decide whether or not
they want a country,” said Dodd.
“There’s not a military big enough
or a treasury deep enough to do that
for them. If the appetite or desire for
that is not there, they have got to
make that decision. I am prepared
that if they make that decision to
finally be supportive in some way of
getting that, but in the absence of
that, it seems that there needs to be
some sense of clarity, some sense of
certainty about this.”
Brownback called for a bipartisan effort to find a solution to the
Middle East problem. “You cannot
conduct a war effort in this coun-
try with one party for it and one
party against it,” he said. “It doesn’t
work.
“Right now, what we are seeing
in Washington is both sides just
saying, ‘OK, it’s got to be my way,’
with the Democrats emphasizing
more on the political and diplomatic and the Republicans more
on the military. The answer lies
together on this.
“The answer is that you have got
to have sort of political solution, but
it is not really being aggressively pursued now. You are going to need a
long-term military effort. One thing
we are learning in a post-Cold War
era is that when that you remove
big military apparatus off of places,
ancient hatreds are still there.”
Both candidates fully agreed on
the need for young Americans to
serve others in society, a notion that
is a cornerstone of Jesuit education.
“One of the things that I think
we have walked away from in public
life — and in public and private
universities as well — is that we are
developing the mind but we are not
developing the soul,” Brownback
said. “Both need to be developed for
a well-rounded person. You need
a good head and a good soul. I
want to see this country rejuvenate
our culture, rebuild our families
and have another American century
based on goodness.”
Dodd, the father of a daughter
born two days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks asked, “I wonder what
US senators Chris Dodd (left in photo
above) and Sam Brownback (right)
joined moderator Tim Russert at the
Church in the 21st Century forum Monday night. (Photos by Justin Knight)
kind of world she will have? This
is a collective responsibility. Do we
know what our dreams and aspirations and our hopes are? We need
to do a lot of things together in this
country. My daughter is going to
ask you and me someday what we
did at the outset of the 21st century
to get things right.”
After the forum, Russert told
Chronicle that the value of the C21
series goal to illuminate critical issues facing the US Catholic community cannot be overstated. “It
gives the opportunity for the Boston
College community to come together to listen to people involved
in political life talk about how their
faith has formed them.
“Sometimes, they have differences of opinion,” Russert said. “But
they disagree agreeably. They also
demonstrate, I think, an intellectual
capacity that they did not come to
decisions lightly and I think the
more we know each other and understand each other, the easier it
will be to find common ground and
common purpose and celebrate our
faith as one.”
The forum was made possible
through the Murray Monti Speaker
Series Fund.
University to Bid Adieu to
Neuhauser on May 7
Frank Curran
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
Boston College will hold a farewell celebration for former Academic
Vice President and Dean of Faculties Jack Neuhauser — who is leaving to assume the presidency of St. Michael’s College in Vermont
— on May 7 at 4 p.m. in Robsham Theater.
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, will be among the speakers paying tribute to Neuhauser, who also served for 22 years as dean
of the Carroll School of Management. Now a University Professor at
BC, Neuhauser first came to the University in 1969 as an assistant
professor of computer science.
Neuhauser announced in February that he had accepted the presidency at St. Michael’s effective July 1.
Carroll School of Management students (L-R) Roger Wang, John Maziarz and Jennifer
Dulac pitched in at the Jackson Mann Community School in Allston last Saturday, as
part of a national day of service involving BC alumni and graduate students.
Orange County, Calif., pitched in
to assist in outreach efforts ranging
from the staffing of local food banks
to working on Habitat for Humanity homebuilding projects.
In Raleigh, NC, Tom Buckley
’87 led a group of 20 graduates and
their families who tackled spring
landscaping and planting at the
Ronald McDonald House, which
provides temporary housing for
families of children being treated
for serious ailments at the nearby
Duke Medical Center.
“It’s just part of the tradition that
we all came from at BC,” said Buckley, an attorney in North Carolina’s
Research Triangle region. “It’s the
Jesuits; it’s the idea of giving something back.”
In Portland, Ore., Steve Greico
’99, MEd ’02, organized a group of
15 BC people to work with parents
and students improving the exterior
of St. Andrew’s Nativity Prep, a
middle school for inner city children modeled after the Jesuit-run
Nativity Prep in Boston.
“This was our first non-social,
non-entertainment event,” says
Greico of the project undertaken
by the fledging Northwest alumni
group. “But I think it is a great
project because alumni came in,
got it done in a day, and felt pretty
good about the contribution they
are making.
“We all know what a beautiful
campus BC has,” Greico continued, “and we know that students
can be inspired by their surroundings. When the students at Nativity
showed up on Monday morning,
they knew that somebody cared.
Their environment is now that
much more inspiring.”
—Reid Oslin
‘Hugs for Heroes’ Donations
Accepted Now Through May 1
Hugs for Heroes, a moraleboosting campaign for the US
military started by Boston College freshman Merielle Manzone,
is holding a campus collection for
a Mothers’ Day mailing to troops
serving in the Middle East.
The Mothers’ Day collection,
which began Monday, will last
until Tuesday, May 1. If you
would like to volunteer to put
out a collection box in your area,
contact Chris Ryan at ext.21159 or via e-mail at ryanacd@
bc.edu, or Joan Doyle and the
Staff Advisory Senate at ext.23075 or joan.doyle@bc.edu.
Items being sought for the
collection include:
-CDs and DVDs (new or used)
-White thick tube or boot socks
-Duct tape (black, dark green)
-Innersoles
-AA batteries
-Travel size tubes of hand or
body lotion
-Chapstick
-Shampoo and conditioner
-Lifesavers, mints, gum
-Sunscreen
-Deodorant
-Cough and eye drops
-Foot powder
-Beef jerky
-Toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss
-Decks of cards, Sudoku
If you would like to make
a cash donation, make checks
payable to Hugs for Heroes
Inc., and mail to Hugs for Heroes Inc., PO Box 572, Dover,
MA, 02030.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
april 26, 2007
BC Undergrads Help Area High Schoolers Get Ready for SATs
By Sean Smith
Chronicle Editor
It’s easily one of the least favorite
letter combinations for high school
students: S, A and T.
The Scholastic Aptitude Test
can be an ordeal for students of
low-income families in particular,
who score some 250 points less
than their higher-income peers. But
58 Boston-area high schoolers —
many from modest or underserved
socioeconomic backgrounds — are
faring better with the SATs, thanks
to a mentoring program run by
Boston College undergraduates.
The “Let’s Get Ready” (LGR)
program — part of an intercollegiate network involving other institutions in Boston and elsewhere in
the Northeast — offers almost 40
hours of free SAT tutoring as well
as 15 hours of preparation for the
college search process. Participants
meet two evenings a week at St. Columbkille’s School in Brighton with
their BC coaches and site directors,
who encourage the students to view
success on the SAT, and in college,
as very attainable possibilities.
Judging by numbers alone, thus
far the BC LGR program is working: Students from the fall semester’s program recorded an average
127-point increase between the
SAT Diagnostic 1 and 3, and an
average gain of 140 points between
Diagnostic 1 and the actual SAT
score.
Just as, if not more, meaningful
are the positive feelings LGR has
generated among the participants
— who attend public and private
schools, including Brighton and
Charlestown high schools, Catholic
Memorial and Mount Saint Joseph
— and their families. Almost 30
percent of the students in BC’s
LGR program would be the first in
their family to attend college; more
than a third are eligible for free or
reduced lunch benefits.
Site directors for LGR programs
receive rigorous training, according to Assistant Director of Programs Jessica Filante, so they can
recruit the coaches, arrange logistics — such as transportation for
the volunteers and visits to college
campuses for participants — and
do whatever is necessary to ensure
a good mentoring relationship between a few dozen high school and
college students.
“It’s a pretty demanding job to
have at any age, let alone when
you’re in college,” says Filante. “This
program takes a lot of commitment,
especially for the high school kids
who come to the program after a
seven-hour school day.”
Fuzieh Jallow ’08, one of the site
directors, has seen LGR from both
perspectives: As a student at Boston
Latin Academy, she received assistance through MIT’s program. She
cites the rapport between students
and mentors as its key attribute.
“Students continuously come up
to me and tell me that they are
enjoying it and how confident they
effective and beneficial is that both
parties are working together by always being open.”
Sophomore Bryan Farrington,
who directs the college-preparation
facet of LGR, says empathy is an
important quality for the program
volunteers.
“It was not too long ago that I
was a junior in high school and had
absolutely no clue where to begin in
the college process,” he says. “The
scariest part is all of the hype that
the students hear about the SAT
and what college life is really like.
Giving the students an opportunity
to not only break down every angle
of the SAT, but to interact with the
Sam Hay ’10 works with high school students (L-R) Josh Long-Mella, Joe Cusack,
Sandy Pham and Liana Sarapas during a recent session of the “Let’s Get Ready”
mythical college students that they
SAT and college preparation program. (Photos by Frank Curran)
have been hearing about all of their
“The math and verbal skills that work with him on that, and obvilives seems like it has done wonders
I learned will help me a lot. I feel ously I will,” she says, “but it’s also
for their nerves about the whole colI am so ready for the SAT and important he have the opportulege process in general.”
it’s all thanks to Let’s Get Ready,” nity to do these things with peers.
Jallow agrees: “When I am insays Jemely Paulino, who had to It makes the experience all the more
teracting with the students and they
make a two-hour commute from real for him.”
are asking me questions about what
Dorchester to attend the program
college is like, they share their fears
That the Boston College proeach night. “It was hard at times gram is showing positive results
and concerns of the college process,
coming here because of the fact that isn’t exactly surprising, given LGR’s
and of course their excitement takes
I lived so far but in the end is all track record. Originally beme back when I was asking the
worth it.”
same questions and having the
gun in 1998 by a Harvard
Dena Leone, a Mount Alvernia University student, LGR
same concerns. I know then
student from Brighton, praises the has grown to 26 programs
that ‘this is worth it’ — being
“outstanding” work of the BC stu- throughout the Northeast,
part of cycle of giving and bendent coaches and describes the site based at BC and Harvard
efiting others. I was meant to
directors as “friendly, helpful, very as well as Wellesley, Dartbe here to give a helping hand
personable and involved.”
to those kids to go the right
mouth, Brown, Cornell,
When Allston resident Joanne Colgate and Princeton,
direction.”
Cusack heard about LGR through among others. All told, the
For West Roxbury resident
the BC Neighborhood Center, programs have served more
Linda Abichaker, the presence
she thought it would be ideal for than 3,500 high school stuof caring mentors like Jallow
her son Joseph, a junior at Trinity dents, 92 percent of whom
and Farrington have made
Catholic High School. “His grades have gone directly to colLGR more than worthwhile for
are very good, but he really needed lege.
her daughter Christine, a Fontto work on his SAT preparation,
Boston College was the “Let’s Get Ready” Site Director Fuzieh Jallow ’08 goes bonne Academy student.
and from what I see the program launching point for LGR’s over an SAT problem with Conor Hanlon.
“No matter how well you do
has definitely helped him do that.” major expansion into New
in school or how motivated you
Cusack also is pleased with the England, funded through a grant are about the upcoming Diagnostic are, the SAT and the college applicollege preparation aspect of LGR, from Goldman-Sachs. BC’s venture Test,” she says. “When they have cation process can be so stressful,”
which includes everything from also reflects a new direction for problems, whether it involves the she says. “That’s what makes the
advice on filling out applications LGR, which was largely a summer amount of homework or the snacks BC kids so great. They’re just good,
to financial aid seminars and even offering but is now being piloted as served, they also do not hesitate to all-around individuals who want to,
campus visits. “I could certainly an academic year program.
tell me. What makes the program and know how to, reach out and
help others.”
Q&A: Safety
and Security
Continued from page 1
hensive assessment of all available
mass notification technologies that
include instant text messaging and
public address systems. We expect
to implement the best notification
system possible to ensure our ability
to communicate effectively in the
event of any unforeseen incident.
For instance, we intend to collect
cellphone numbers to allow text
messaging and reverse-911 capabilities.
In the meantime, members of
the BC community are encouraged
to call BC Police dispatch at ext.24444 to report any unusual activity.
The dispatch line is staffed 24 hours
a day.
How big of a police force does
the University have, and what kind
of training do officers receive?
Boston College has 51 highly
trained, professional police officers
and 25 security officers and attendants who patrol the campus 24
Members of the University community gathered in the Quad last Friday for a moment
of silence in memory of the Virginia Tech shooting victims. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
hours a day. Each officer graduated
from a 22-week police academy and
has completed crisis intervention
and Homeland Security training.
All of our officers are required to
undertake emergency preparedness,
hazardous-materials handling and
firearms training annually.
What is the relationship between BCPD and state and local
police departments?
Boston College Police work
closely with Boston, Brookline,
Newton and Massachusetts State
Police and are part of the Boston
Area Police Emergency Response
Network, which enables us to call
upon these departments as needed.
BC may not have as large a
population as Virginia Tech, but
there are still many thousands of
students here. How can the University reach out to those persons
who may have serious emotional or
mental health problems?
Boston College has an extensive
threat assessment program to address potential issues among our
students. We host monthly case
meetings that include staff from
Campus Police, Residential Life,
Academic Deans, Dean of Student
Development, University Counseling and Health Services, who
can confidentially evaluate cases of
troubled students. Our Behavioral
Evaluation Team has the authority to place students on a mandatory medical leave of absence if it is
deemed in the best interest of the
Boston College community.
What is BC’s policy on firearms?
Boston College does not allow
the possession of firearms on campus. The only exception is for law
enforcement officers. We advise students to report any violation of this
policy to Boston College Police.
What assurances can you offer
the BC community?
While certainly no institution
is invulnerable to safety threats, we
feel that the emergency and case
management teams we have put
in place and the procedures under
which they operate are designed to
make us as prepared and responsive
as possible. We will continue to
reevaluate our plan with the goal
of creating a model emergency response system. Once our plan has
been revised to meet the federal
government’s National Incident
Management System Protocol, it
will be made public online to the
University community.
What should students do to try
to cope with this tragedy?
Students should feel free to avail
themselves of our outreach services
if they should have questions, concerns or specific needs. These services include:
Campus Ministry, ext.2-3475
Student Affairs, ext.2-3280
Counseling Services, ext.2-3310
Health Services, ext.2-3225
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
april 26, 2007
HEIGHTS
OF
EXCELLENCE
Photos by Gary Gilbert
A Man of ‘Unbridled Enthusiasm’
Physicist and speed-bowler supreme Mike Naughton says he worries about ‘not knowing
enough’ — but judging by his track record it’s clear he knows plenty
Naughton — whose family background has the
elements of a classic immigrant’s success story — may
be a superstar in physics, but he doesn’t let on to it
in person. He maintains a modest tone when talking
By Greg Frost
about himself, repeating a phrase that could be conStaff Writer
sidered his personal mantra: the more you know, the
more you realize how little you know.
In his relatively short career, Physics Department
“I always worry about not knowing enough,”
chairperson Prof. Mike Naughton has invented a tiny
Naughton
says. “I don’t fret over it, I don’t think I’m
sensor that can detect plastic landmines. He has made
insecure
over
it, but I do know enough to know I don’t
significant contributions to physicists’ understanding of
know
everything
and I always could learn more.”
superconductivity, authored or co-authored more than
It’s
a
saying
that
pops up often as he describes
150 journal publications, contributed chapters to a
his
career
path.
He
says
there was never a “eureka
half-dozen books, and holds at least seven patents, with
moment”
in
his
childhood
when he stood up and
another dozen pending.
exclaimed
“Aha!
I’m
going
to
be a scientist.” Instead,
If that weren’t enough, Naughton is part of a team
he
drifted
into
the
sciences,
graduating
from St. John
of BC physicists trying to solve the world’s energy
Fisher
College
(where
he
also
played
college
hockey)
problems by developing a high-efficiency solar panel,
in
his
hometown
of
Rochester,
NY,
with
a
bachelor’s
via the start-up company Solasta, Inc. Naughton wants
degree in physics – one of only three such majors in
to use that same technology to help treat certain types
his graduating class.
of blindness.
“After graduation, I knew enough to know that I
It’s curious, then, that when his former thesis addidn’t
know anything,” Naughton says. It was that
viser, James Brooks, is asked to speak about Naughton
realization
that led him to pursue his PhD, and it’s
and his achievements, one of the first things he brings
been
driving
him ever since.
up is...speed-bowling.
Naughton’s
specialty is condensed matter physics,
Speed-bowling, as Brooks explains, uses roughly the
and
within
that
field he focuses on the behavior of elecsame equipment as regular bowling: a bowling alley, a
trons
when
they
are confined. As part of his research,
bowling ball, and pins. The emphasis, however, is not
he
uses
large
magnetic
fields to disturb and control the
on aim but velocity; the goal is to simply hurl the ball
motion
of
electrons.
This
explains why his lab in the
down the lane as fast as
basement of Higpossible.
gins Hall features
Naughton indulged
a device capable of
in the sport in the 1980s
generating a magwhen he was working
netic field a miltoward his PhD. Allion times the size
though he was a Bosof the Earth’s own
ton University student,
magnetic field.
most of his research was
It is this kind
done at what used to be
of
machine that
the MIT magnet lab.
helped
him score
Brooks recalls a sewhat
he
considers
ries of very sensitive exhis
biggest
profesperiments at the magsional
achievenet lab that involved
ment: the theoryswitching on the big
busting discovery
magnet – a process that
that organic sutook some three-quarperconductors can
ters of an hour.
survive in much
“We would start the
stronger magnetic
experiment and then Assoc. Prof. Michael Naughton with fellow Physics faculty member Asst. Prof.
Mike and everyone else Vidya Madhavan. “Apart from his obvious intellectual ability, he has critical enthusi- fields than had
would disappear – leav- asm and energy. That’s why he’s very good at what he does,” says another colleague. been predicted.
The finding, which
ing me, the poor thesis adviser, wondering where they
came
about
a
decade
ago
when
Naughton
worked at
went,” says Brooks, now a professor at Florida State
SUNY-Buffalo,
challenges
the
notion
that
superconUniversity.
ductivity
and
magnetism
cannot
coexist.
“After 45 minutes or so, everyone would come back,
Naughton and colleagues discovered the odd phesmiling and a little sweaty,” he adds. “I never knew
nomenon
while experimenting on an organic suwhat was going on until years later.”
perconductor
called TMTSF. It’s a substance that
It turns out that during those 45 minutes, Naughremains
at
the
center of his research at BC.
ton and his colleagues would run to the MIT Student
“In
addition
to being the most interesting mateCenter and speed-bowl, making it back to the lab in
rial
in
the
world,
I also like to say it’s the most useless
time to gather the incoming data.
material
in
the
world,”
Naughton says, noting that he
If the speed-bowling anecdote suggests a playful side
is
only
partly
joking.
to Naughton, it also speaks to his creativity and mental
“All the interesting stuff involving TMTSF hapenergy – assets held in high esteem by his colleagues.
pens
under these strained conditions of strong mag“Unbridled, unbounded enthusiasm – this is the
netic
fields and ultra-low temperatures, and so you’re
essence of Mike Naughton,” fellow Physics colleague
not
going
to be able to use it to power a car or float
Prof. Michael Graf says. “Apart from his obvious intela
train.”
lectual ability, he has critical enthusiasm and energy.
It may not have any practical applications for
That’s why he’s very good at what he does.”
now.
But Naughton says it could be adapted in the
Brooks calls Naughton “a live wire” who is internanot-so-distant
future to nanoelectronics or quantum
tionally known and very highly respected in the field.
computing.
“When he visits me down here in Florida, my stuThe TMTSF finding may represent his crowning
dents look at him in awe. He has a certain personality,
professional
achievement, but he says it pales when
gravitas, whatever – he really turns heads,” Brooks
compared
to
his top personal concern: his family.
says.
Naughton was still living in Boston when he met
“Heights of Excellence” profiles faculty members who,
through their exemplary teaching and research, contribute
to the intellectual life of Boston College
his future wife, Peggi, during a trip home to Rochester
in the 1980s. (“I was home for Thanksgiving and met
her out in a club or something.”) The pair began dating and married in 1988. They have two daughters,
one of whom is pursuing her undergraduate degree
at BC.
Naughton comes from a large Irish family, and he
credits his parents with instilling the kind of commonsense values in him, his four brothers and three sisters
that has driven them to be successes in their chosen
fields.
“It’s amazing how well you can do with a good
family and common sense,” he says. “I’m not the
smartest person in the room … but I know I can
make contributions and I attribute almost all of that to
simple common sense given to me by my parents.”
Naughton’s father, who passed away last year, emigrated from Co. Roscommon, Ireland, at the age of
21. He first arrived in Canada with $1 in his pocket
and made his way to Toronto before settling in Rochester, where he started what would eventually become
a successful plastering business that Naughton’s eldest
brother Kevin runs today.
A few years ago, Naughton and his brothers purchased the land in Roscommon where his father grew
up to keep it in the family and out of the government’s
hands. They now lease the land – about 43 acres – to
a neighbor who uses it to graze cattle, and periodically
Naughton and his brothers return and stay in the same
house where his dad lived.
Irish roots played a role in luring Naughton here
from SUNY-Buffalo in 1998, but for him the bigger
attraction was the opportunity to be part of a department that was aggressively growing. Naughton credits
much of this to his predecessor, Rourke Professor of
Physics Kevin Bedell, now BC’s vice provost for research, who nearly doubled the Physics faculty during
the decade in which he helmed the department.
Nearly a decade after Naughton arrived at BC, the
University is girding for another science expansion as
part of the soon-to-be-unveiled strategic plan.
Naughton says BC has experienced growing pains
as it balances the value of excellence in science with
the cost. But he says the momentum is there – as
evidenced by the surge in sponsored research in recent
years – and he expresses hope that the University will
build an integrated science center and hire more science faculty as part of its strategic plan.
“BC has developed an extraordinary reputation,
based on its undergraduate liberal arts background and
its highly successful professional schools. Many of us
contend that much of what it needs to fully realize its
potential is science,” he says.
“It’s a fabulous time to be young and interested in
science – the sciences are finding new ways of integrating that are leading to all kinds of discoveries in technologies relevant to the human condition,” he adds.
“We owe it to our students to excel in the sciences as
well, and that means science research and education
at all levels.”
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
april 26, 2007
Postings
Steiner lecture on Havel,
Iraq today
Peter Steiner, professor of Slavic
languages at the University of Pennsylvania, will present “Vaclav Havel
and the Invasion of Iraq” today at
4:30 p.m. in Fulton 117.
Among his various writings, Steiner
— a Czech native and author of the
book Water in the Deserts of Bohemia —contributed the introduction
to Vaclav Havel’s adaptation of the
1728 political satire “The Beggar’s
Opera.”
For more information, e-mail simmonsc@bc.edu.
Adobe co-founder to speak on
faith in business
The Institute for Religious Education
and Pastoral Ministry and Boston
College Campus Ministry will sponsor a lecture, “Translating Faith
Into Success: What it Means in the
Business World and in the Church,”
by Charles Geschke, co-founder of
Adobe Inc., on May 3, at 4 p.m. in
Gasson 100.
Geschke will speak on the importance of good management to
healthy church life and ministry, sharing his own experience and articulating best principles and practices in
church management.
For more information, see www.
bc.edu/irepm.
Community Service Award
nominations due May 4
The Office of Governmental and
Community Affairs is soliciting
nominations from the Boston College
community for its annual Community
Service Award, presented to an
employee who has volunteered extensive hours serving the community
and whose actions exemplify the
spirit of community service.
The deadline for all nominations is
Friday, May 4. Any full- or part-time
faculty or staff member is eligible for
the award.
Nomination forms, and brief profiles
of past Community Service Award
winners, are available at www.
bc.edu/offices/comaf/volunteerprograms/communityservice.html.
Electrical shutdown planned
for May 27
Facilities Services has announced
a planned electrical shutdown on
Main Campus on Sunday, May 27,
from 6-8 a.m. The shutdown, which
will permit high voltage maintenance
and testing, has been designated
for Memorial Day Weekend so as to
minimize inconvenience to faculty,
staff and students.
All Main Campus buildings will be
affected except Southwell Hall, Waul
House, Bea House, Botolph House,
Canisius House, Connolly House,
Daly House, Haley House, Manresa
House, Murray House, 14 Mayflower
Road, 24 Quincy Road, 25 Lawrence
Avenue, 30 Quincy Road, 31 Lawrence Avenue, 55 Lee Road, 142 Beacon Street, 194 Beacon Street, Greycliff Residence Hall, St Clements, the
entire Upper Campus and all College
Road house properties.
All other buildings or residence
halls will only have emergency backup power from the generators for
egress lighting and for life safety
equipment.
Honorary Degree Recipients Announced
Continued from page 1
and resources of Hill, Holliday for
pro bono work to support dozens of non-profit and charitable
organizations throughout New
England.
Mulroney became Canada’s
18th prime minister in 1984 after
leading the Progressive Conservative party to victory, then four
years later became the first prime
minister in 35 years — and first
Conservative in 100 years — to
win successive majority governments.
In Mulroney’s nine years as
prime minister, his government
introduced initiatives such as the
Canada-US Free Trade Agreement, the North American Free
Trade Agreement and the Canada-US Acid Rain Treaty. His government also introduced a series
of privatizations, a low inflation
policy, historic tax reform, extensive deregulation and expenditure
reduction policies that continue to
be the basis of Canada’s economic
performance today.
A 2000 McGill University
study determined that Mulroney
had the best economic record of
any prime minister since World
War II, and last year a panel of
Canada’s leading environmental
groups declared Mulroney as the
“greenest prime minister in his-
tory.”
Mulroney also served as cochairman of the United Nations
Summit on Children and his government played leading roles in
the campaign against apartheid in
South Africa, the creation of Le
Sommet de la Francophonie and
the Gulf War.
He will receive an honorary
Doctor of Laws degrees at Commencement.
A regular on CBS, ABC, ESPN
and HBO sports broadcasts and
programs, Visser added another
first to her trailblazing career as
the first woman to be recognized
by the Pro Football Hall of Fame
as the 2006 recipient of the Pete
Rozelle Radio-Television Award.
Visser is the only sportscaster,
male or female, who has worked
on the network broadcast of the
Super Bowl, World Series, NBA
Finals, Triple Crown, Olympics,
US Open, World Figure Skating Championship and NCAA
basketball “Final Four.” This past
season marked her 33rd covering
the National Football League.
Last year she was inducted into
the Museum of Television and
Radio for her contributions to
TV and radio and for her positive
impact on others, and in 2005 was
inducted into the New England
Sports Museum Hall of Fame.
Her honors also include WISE
Woman of the Year, Outstanding
Women’s Sportswriter in America
and the Women’s Sports Foundation Award for Journalism.
Visser will receive an honorary
Doctor of Journalism degree.
Mendes, a Cape Verde native
and Dorchester resident, is the
co-director of the Bobby Mendes
Peace Legacy, an anti-violence
program named in honor of her
son who was stabbed to death in
1995. She lost a second son, Matthew, to violence last year.
In 2000, Mendes began holding an annual walk for peace and
has organized other events and activities to promote non-violence.
She shares her experiences with
parents, young people and political officials, as well as others
who have lost family members to
violence. Boston Mayor Thomas
Menino praised Mendes as a person who is “stronger than anyone
I know.”
Among the honors Mendes
has received are the Lenny Zakim Fund Bridging Communities Award, The University of
Massachusetts-Boston Robert
H. Quinn Award for Outstanding Community Leadership, the
Cape Verdean Women’s Educational Group Woman of the
Year Award, the Harvard Youth
Violence Prevention Center Com-
munity Star Award, the Massachusetts Black Legislative Caucus
Profile in Courage Award and official citations for leadership from
the Massachusetts Legislature.
Mendes will receive an honorary Doctor of Social Science
degree at Commencement.
Fr. Coyne, who holds a doctorate in astronomy from Georgetown University, was appointed
by Pope John Paul II in 1978 as
the director of the Vatican Observatory, a position he held for 28
years. Since 1996, Fr. Coyne has
been associated with astronomy
programs at the University of Arizona-Tucson, and from 1976-80
he served in various administrative
capacities of the university’s astronomical observatories.
His research interests have
ranged from the study of the lunar
surface to the birth of stars, and
he pioneered a special technique,
polarimetry, as a powerful tool in
astronomical research. Fr. Coyne
is studying cataclysmic variable
stars, the interstellar dust in the
Magellanic Clouds and the detection of protoplanetary disks.
He also explores the history and
philosophy of science and the relationship between science and
religion.
Fr. Coyne will be presented
an honorary Doctor of Science
degree.
Student Affairs VP to Leave After End of Academic Year
Continued from page 1
ment to the needs of BC’s 8,900
undergraduate students. “Cheryl
is a special person who cared deeply for BC’s students and worked
hard to make their experience as
positive and rewarding as possible.
I respect her decision to pursue
longstanding professional interests, and wish her the very best in
her new endeavors.”
Executive Vice President Patrick Keating offered similar praise.
“I have never worked with someone who put more of her heart
and soul into her position than
Cheryl,” said Keating. “She will
be missed at Boston College.”
Presley arrived at the Heights
in 2000 from Colorado State University where she had served as
associate vice president for student affairs. During her tenure
at BC, Presley was credited with
expanding outreach to students
and strengthening the University’s
commitment to student formation. She also moved Student Affairs forward in critical areas including program development and
assessment, diversity initiatives,
and faculty collaboration. Among
the major accomplishments of her
vice presidency were the opening of the Volunteer Service and
Learning Center, the establishment of the Vice President’s Undergrad Advisory Council and the
creation of Allies in support of gay
and lesbian students.
“I am proud of how I have
worked with students and student
organizations and how we as a
division have been responsive to
their needs,” said Presley. “I also
am proud of our work in student
formation and how Student Affairs is working closely with the
Office of Mission and Ministry
and the Provost’s Office to more
fully actualize one of the key initiatives in our strategic plan.”
Presley counts among her most
unforgettable experiences the
University’s response to Septem-
“I trust that my work
at the University will
live on in the future
as I carry with me
cherished memories of
friendships, experiences
and achievements.”
—Cheryl Presley
ber 11, and how her staff and
others reached out to comfort
students in the aftermath of the
tragedy, as well as the dedication
of the labyrinth in memory of
the 22 BC alumni who lost their
lives in the attacks. Most recently,
she cites the response of BC students to the tragedy at Virginia
Tech and the solidarity they have
shown with their fellow students
in Blacksburg as a memory that
will stay with her forever.
“I am proud that I was at
BC and worked with really dedicated colleagues and impressive
students,” said Presley. “It is never
easy to leave because of the many
friends and wonderful colleagues I
have met here, but I ask people to
be supportive of my decision.”
Among the many who will
miss her leadership, guidance
and friendship is Associate Vice
President for Student Affairs Sheilah Shaw Horton. “Cheryl has
consistently listened to students,
asked the difficult questions and
brought their best ideas, varied
opinions and deep concerns to the
appropriate venue for resolution.
She has modeled the implementation of student formation and encouraged staff formation as well,”
said Shaw Horton.
“In addition, Cheryl has
strengthened the profession by
supporting the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Undergraduate Fellows
program. Six years ago she encouraged one student to apply;
now the program boasts four or
five fellows annually. These are
young people who seek the student affairs profession largely because they see her as a strong role
model. Indeed she is a mentor to
many staff, alumni and students
and clearly leaves a legacy of accomplishments, caring and courage for all of us to emulate.”
Presley said she wants to do
some writing over the short term
and pursue some research interests before embarking on her new
professional aspirations, and that
she is looking forward to the challenge, while also preparing to say
goodbye to her many friends at
Boston College.
“Being part of the BC family
will always hold a special place in
my heart,” said Presley.
Fr. Leahy has asked Shaw Horton to serve as interim vice president, effective June 1. A national
search for a new vice president
of student affairs will be conducted over the summer. It will be
chaired by Keating.
Faculty Day Event May 7
Boston College will hold its annual Faculty Day event, including
presentation of awards for outstanding faculty members, on May 7
at noon in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons.
The event, which begins with a luncheon, will include talks by
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, and Provost and Dean
of Faculties Cutberto Garza. A highlight of Faculty Day will be
the presentation of the University’s Distinguished Teaching and
Research awards.
Faculty Day is sponsored by the Office of the Provost.
—Office of Public Affairs
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
april 26, 2007
PEOPLE
Newsmakers
•University Historian Thomas H.
O’Connor discussed the significance of Patriot’s Day with the The
Patriot Ledger.
•Prof. Rev. Robert Imbelli
(Theology) was interviewed by the
Associated Press regarding the impact Pope Benedict XVI has made
during his first two years as pontiff.
•Institute for Religious Education
and Pastoral Ministry Director
Prof. Thomas Groome (Theology), was quoted by the MetroWest Daily News for a story on the
possible canonization of Pope John
Paul II.
•Arthur Andersen Professor in
Accounting Arnold Wright was
quoted by the Boston Business
Journal in a story on companies’
scramble to find the talent they
need to meet their regulatory obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act.
•Comments by Institute for
Scientific Research Co-Director Patricia Doherty on a study
that said solar flares may disrupt
global positioning systems were
cited by the Associated Press, and
reported by Time, CNN International, the United Kingdom’s What
PC, India’s Central Chronicle and
Australia’s Brisbane Times, as well as
Science Daily and the Boston Globe.
•An op-ed by Assoc. Prof. Zine
Magubane (Sociology) on the
controversy surrounding radio host
Don Imus’ use of racially-charged
language in referring to the Rutgers
women’s basketball team was published by the Boston Globe. She also
discussed the subject on WBURFM’s “Here and Now.”
•Prof. Walt Haney (LSOE) was
quoted by the Washington Post and
the Associated Press for stories on
the use and value of standardized
tests mandated by the No Child
Left Behind Act.
•Prof. Robert Ross (Political Science) spoke with the Boston Globe
on China’s potential to play a role
in ending the genocide in Sudan as
the Beijing Olympics approach.
•Assoc. Prof. Joseph Tecce (Psychology) offered remarks to the
Boston Herald regarding the motive
spurring drivers to name their GPS
systems.
•Adj. Assoc. Prof. Michael Keith
(Communication) was quoted
by the Boston Herald on the likely
effect of Don Imus’ firing on local
talk show programs.
•Research by Asst. Prof. Natalia
Sarkasian (Sociology) on the effect
of marriage on social networks was
cited by USA Today.
•Assoc. Prof. Ronald Tacelli, SJ
(Philosophy) was quoted by the
Boston Globe regarding spirituality
and healing.
•Prof. Solomon Friedberg (Mathematics), writing in an op-ed in
the Boston Herald, discussed the
importance of adequately preparing elementary school teachers to
teach mathematics.
Honors/Appointments
•University Professor of History
Thomas E. Hachey, executive
director of the Center for Irish
Programs, was selected by Irish
America as one of the “Top 100
Irish Americans in 2007.”
Publications
•Prof. Carlo Rotella (English) published “Shannon
Briggs Says Nyet” in the
New York Times Magazine,
“The Two Jameses” in The
Believer, “Abolitionists of
Mars” in Raritan and a
review of two books on
martial arts in the Chicago
Tribune.
Grants
•Lynch School of Education faculty members Prof.
Ina Mullis and Research
Prof. Michael Martin:
Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life Director Prof. Alan Wolfe (Political Sci$600,000, Massachusetts ence), foreground, engaged in a lively debate with author Dinesh D’Souza on the topic “Is the
Department of Education, Cultural Left Responsible for 9/11?” on April 18 in Lyons Hall. (Photo by Joan Seidel)
“TIMSS 2007 Benchmarking”; $300,000, International
Foundation, “Yeast and Oxygen:
setts Cultural Council, “Hear Us
Association for the Evaluation
Incorporation Functional Genom- Make Artistic Noise.”
of Educational Achievement,
ics Research into Three Advanced
“Design, manage and implement
Laboratory Courses.”
•Assoc. Prof. Rebekah Coley
TIMSS 2007”; $150,000, Interna(LSOE): $11,500, Northwestern
tional Association for the Evalua•Asst. Prof. David Martin (ComUniversity, “Children, Families,
tion of Educational Achievement,
puter Science): $100,620, National and Welfare: A Three City Study.”
“TIMSS Advanced (2008).”
Science Foundation, “CAREER:
Ground Truth Dataset and Bench- •Mathematics Department Direc•Asst. Prof. G. Michael Barnett
marks for Mid-Level Vision.”
tor Stanley Bezuszka, SJ: $2,200,
(LSOE): $799,860, National
various donors, “SRA Audio Tape
Science Foundation, “Developing
•Luce Professor of Computer
Research Contract.”
an Integrated Pathway for Urban
Science Xingxing Yu: $63,964,
STEM Teaching and Learning in
National Science Foundation,
•Campus School Director Adj.
Grades 5-8.”
“CAREER: Art and Vision: Scene
Assoc. Prof. Philip DiMattia
Layout from Pictorial Cues.”
(LSOE): $6,332, local towns,
•Asst. Prof. Steven Bruner (Chem“FY’07 DMR-supported Employistry): $575,000, National Science
•Assoc. Prof. David Scanlon
ment Program”; $3,000, Mass.
Foundation, “CAREER: Natural
(LSOE): $61,957, The Anne and
Department of Education, “FY’07
Product Biosynthetic Assembly
Paul Marcus Family Foundation,
Special Education: Program
Line Methodology.”
“The Boston College Evaluative
Improvement - Transition PlanResearch Project on Children’s
ning/Training.”
•Prof. Stephen Borgatti (CSOM):
Hospital Social and Academic
$150,000, Defense Threat ReducaDiscourse Program.”
•O’Neill Library Preservation
tion Agency, “Integrated AdverManager Stephen Dalton: $4,080,
sarial Network.”
•Adj. Assoc. Prof. Francine SherNational Endowment for the
man (Law): $15,000, MassachuHumanities, “Digital Preservation
•Assoc. Prof. Clare O’Connor (BiConsultation.”
ology): $149,781, National Science
Mathematician Friedberg,
Colleagues Earn NSF Grant
Executive Director of the Boston College Center for Irish Programs Thomas E.
Hachey, right, with Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, left, and US Ambassador
to Ireland Thomas C. Foley at “The Irish Institute: A Decade of Dialogue,” held
April 13-14 at Dublin Castle in Belfast. O’Malley gave the keynote address and
Foley was among the guests offering remarks at the event, which brought together
more than 100 alumni of Irish Institute programs for a series of focused seminars
in government/politics, education, policing, nonprofits, and media/journalism.
Prof. Solomon Friedberg
(Mathematics) is part of a team
of investigators recently awarded
a $1.5 million, three-year National Science Foundation grant
that will fund research to resolve
long-standing questions in analytic number theory and to develop new connections between
number theory and geometry.
Friedberg and his colleagues
will also organize workshops and
conferences in the area and disseminate their findings, which
will delve into such areas as combinatorial representation theory,
multiple Dirichlet series, and
moments of L-functions.
Other institutions taking part
in the project are Brown, Columbia and Stanford universities, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, University of Minnesota and City University of
New York.
“In the past three years, I and
my collaborators have found a
remarkable new connection between certain constructions in
number theory and the geometry of root systems, the objects
that were much in the news
recently thanks to the research
announced at MIT,” said Friedberg. “We’re very excited to
have the opportunity to study
and develop these connections
and to see if we can use them
to resolve some long-standing
problems in number theory.”
Friedberg’s research on this
topic is also being supported by
the National Security Agency.
—Office of Public Affairs
Jobs
- Evening/Weekend Supervisor,
Educational Resource Center,
University Libraries - Assistant Director, Career Services, Law School
- Copy Editor/Writer, Development Office - Resident Director, Student
Services, Residential Life
- Mail Order Service Representative, BC Bookstore - Mail Order - Faculty Technology Supp. Specialist, Law Library For more information on employment at Boston College, see www.
bc.edu/bcjobs
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
april 26, 2007
LOOKING AHEAD
READINGS • LECTURES •
DISCUSSION
April 26
•“Telling HERstory: Pat
DeLeeuw, “When I Grow Up,
I Want to Be a Vice Provost for
Faculties” with Pat DeLeeuw,
Vice Provost for Faculties, noon,
Women’s Resource Center (141
McElroy), email: donovatu@
bc.edu.
•“Vaclav Havel and the Invasion
of Iraq” with Peter Steiner, University of Pennsylvania, 4:30 p.m.,
Fulton 117, ext.2-3914, email:
cynthia.simmons.1@bc.edu.
•“The Socialist Revolution of
Hugo Chavez and the Future of
the Venezuelan Church” with
Rafael Luciani, Catholic University Andres Bello, Venezuela, 4:30
p.m., Fulton 511, email: rufogl@
bc.edu.
•“Careers in the New Middle
East” with Samer Khanachet,
president of United Gulf Management, Inc., 5 p.m., Fulton 110,
call ext.2-4170, email: baileyk@
bc.edu.
•“John ‘BC’ Murray on Just War,
George W. Bush on Iran — and
Where Do We Stand?” 7 p.m.,
Merkert 127, email: sellersk@
bc.edu.
April 27
•Catholic Women’s Discussion
Group, noon, call ext.2-3489,
email: wrc@bc.edu.
• Trading Faces: Faces First Year
Program Event, 9 p.m., The
Chocolate Bar, email: prophetk@
bc.edu.
April 30
•Bone marrow donor drive, 10
a.m., Gasson 100, call 781-3309502, email: venablek@bc.edu.
•Josephine von Henneberg Lecture Series in Italian Art: “Where
to Live? How to Live? Barberini
Cardinals in Seventeenth-Century Rome” with Patricia Waddy,
Syracuse University, 4 p.m., Burns
Library. Call ext.2-4295, email:
elliotj@bc.edu.
•“On the Other Side of the Desk:
The Experience of Being Gay
Faculty at Boston College,” panel
discussion, 7:30 p.m., Gasson
305, call ext.2-6346, mormando@
bc.edu.
May 1
•“Agape Latte” 8:30 p.m., call
ext.2-0470, email: church21@
bc.edu.
May 3
•“Translating Faith Into Success:
What it Means in the Business
World and in the Church” with
Charles Geschke, co-founder of
Adobe Inc., 4 p.m., Gasson 100,
call ext. 2-8057, email: lambmb@
bc.edu.
The annual BC Arts Festival officially kicks off at noon today, with events taking place through Saturday. See www.bc.edu/arts for more.
May 5
•“Care at the End of Life: Current
Challenges and Ethical,” 9 a.m.-3
p.m., Higgins 263, call ext.28057, email: lambmb@bc.edu.
May 1
•Boston College Chamber Music
Society, 7:30 p.m., Gasson 100,
call ext.2-6004, email: concerts@
bc.edu.
May 9
•“The Impact of Science Fiction
Film on Student Understanding
of Science,” with Asst. Prof. G.
Michael Barnett (LSOE), 7-9
p.m., Weston Observatory, 381
Concord Road, Weston, call ext.28300 or email weston.observatory@bc.edu for reservations.
ATHLETICS
April 27
•Jay McGillis Memorial Spring
Football Game and Family Fun
Day, 11 a.m., Alumni Stadium,
call ext.2-GoBC, email: athletic.
tickets@bc.edu.
MUSIC • ART • PERFORMANCE
April 26
•Annual Boston College Arts
Festival, noon-10 p.m., through
April 28, various locations, see
www.bc.edu/arts, call ext.2-ARTS,
email: arts@bc.edu.
•“The Pirates of Penzance” 7:30
p.m., Robsham Theater Arts Center, through April 29, call ext.24002, email: marion.doyle.1@
bc.edu.
•“Naked Mask,” 7:30 p.m.,
O’Connell House, email: nakedsingularity@gmail.com.
April 27
•CCE Presents: “Killing At The
Box Office” 7 p.m., O’Connell
House, through April 28, call
781-738-6445, email: rossry@
bc.edu.
•Film: “dating rubik’s cube,”
with director Saya April Hillman
’00, 8 p.m., Devlin 008, email:
castiljf@bc.edu.
•“5K Run for Relief” 9 a.m., Conte Circle, email: aidsawareness@
bc.edu.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
• “A New Key: Modern Belgian
Art From the Simon Collection”
McMullen Museum, through
July 20, hours: Monday-Friday
11 a.m.-4 p.m., weekend hours:
noon to 5 p.m., for more information call ext.2-8587 or email
artmusm@bc.edu.
WEEKLY MASSES
•St. Joseph Chapel (Gonzaga Hall
– Upper Campus) 5 p.m. and 9
p.m.; Trinity Chapel (Newton
Campus) 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., St.
Ignatus Church, Lannon Chapel
- Lower Church, 9 p.m., Heights
Room, 10:15 p.m., St. Mary’s
Chapel (Spanish Mass) 7:30 p.m.
For more on BC campus events,
see events.bc.edu or check BCInfo
[www.bc.edu/bcinfo] for updates.
BC Filmmaker Hillman
Picks Subject Close to Heart
Budding filmmaker Saya April Hillman ’00 will be on campus tomorrow night, April 27, for a special benefit screening of her first film,
a documentary titled “dating rubik’s cube,” to be shown in Devlin 008
at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7:30 p.m.).
Proceeds from the screening will benefit the Benebikira Sisters Foundation, which is supporting the efforts of the Rwanda-based Catholic
order to improve health care and education, and promote reconciliation, in Rwanda and the adjacent region.
The film’s premise is straightforward: 12 people discuss the ups
and downs, successes and failures and joys and sorrows of dating and
personal relationships. The interviewees range in age from 24 to 41 and
represent a variety of professions and Chicago neighborhoods; some are
single, others married or divorced.
Shot in three months on a budget of $150, “dating rubik’s cube”
won honors for Best Short Documentary at the Illinois International
Film Festival last year, drawing praise for its honesty and openness.
Yet the film was only supposed to be a “practice piece” for Hillman, a
means to prepare herself for a more demanding project: a documentary
on the lives of children from a low-income Chicago neighborhood.
“I brainstormed topics for which it would be easy to find interviewees, who’d be willing to talk ad nauseum,” says Hillman. “Dating was
by far the clear winner — who doesn’t like recounting a horrible first
date story? Relationships are the bulk of what we talk about anyway, so
I figure I’d just be bringing a video camera into the mix.”
Hillman solicited the advice of peers, who told her she would need
a $2,500 camera, a $500 microphone, light systems and a production
assistant — and promptly discarded their suggestions. She played every
role for the film: videographer, producer, editor, marketer and, most of
all, interviewer. The sessions lasted an average of four hours apiece and
produced some 31 hours of footage.
“For the most part, everyone not only answered every question but
did so in an extremely genuine and forth-coming way,” she says. “One
of the most common reactions I get from audience members is, ‘It was
like we were sitting around my living room, sharing our war stories.’
That’s how I felt with the interviewees and the tone I for which I was
striving — real, relatable and honest.”
Incidentally, Hillman adds, the choice of the Benebikira Sisters
Foundation as the event’s beneficiary is no accident: She plans to travel
to Rwanda this summer to do some filming.
Tickets are $5 for students, $15 non-students, and can be purchased
through the Robsham Theater ticket center, either in person or over the
phone at ext.2-4002. For more on Hillman and “dating rubik’s cube,”
see www.macncheeseproductions.com.
—Sean Smith
Celebrating 10 Years of Singing
‘Sacred Music in Sacred Places’
Keeping with their mission
to sing “sacred music in sacred places,” the Boston-based
Seraphim Singers perform in
St. Ignatius Church on May 5,
beginning at 8 p.m.
The event, which is part of
the Seraphim Singers’ 10th anniversary celebration, has a couple of Boston College connections: Assoc. Prof. Eileen Sweeney (Philosophy) is a member of
the group, and among the pieces
they will perform is “Song of
the Seraphim,” composed by
St. Ignatius Music Director Michael Burgo, a part-time faculty
member in BC’s Music Department (and a former Seraphim
Singer himself).
Sweeney, whose academic
specialties include ancient and
medieval philosophy, finds her
activities with Seraphim offer
just the right amount of enjoyment and challenge. The ensemble — whose members include organists, composers and
musicians with ties to early and
sacred music — usually puts
on three major concerts in a
given year, appearing at Mission Church in Mission Hill, St.
Paul’s Cathedral in Cambridge,
and churches in Medford,
West Roxbury, Newburyport
and Concord, among others.
So what keeps a group, even
an “occasional” one, together
for 10 years? Sweeney praises
the creative programming of
the ensemble’s founder and
director, Boston Archdiocesan
Choir School Associate Director Jennifer Lester: “Choral
groups often end up performing a relatively small repertoire. Seraphim does one or
two commissions or premieres
every season and Jennifer also
finds lesser performed smaller
works that are musically interesting and challenging.
“Besides the wonderful repertoire, I like the opportunity
to sing in a small group and
to sing so much a cappella
music. The size of the group
and the kind of music we do
allows for more musical expressiveness for singers. And like
many members of the group,
I am interested in and moved
by sacred music, which is what
the group is committed to.
Understanding it and singing it
is a spiritual as well as a musical
practice.”
—SS