The Boston College
Chronicle
january 18, 2007-vol. 15 no. 9
Sherwood Leaving ODSD
for Post in Alumni Affairs
By Jack Dunn
Director of Public Affairs
UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE—Members of the Boston College Dance Ensemble take flight during a performance last
month in Robsham Theater. (Photo by Chris Huang)
AT A GLANCE
“Jags” takes football
coaching reins (page 3)
Mark Cooper and the art
of collaboration (page 4)
Heights of Excellence:
Francine Sherman (page 5)
COMING UP@BC
Nanocoax Research Could
Lead to New Technologies
By Greg Frost
Staff Writer
Physicists at Boston College
have beamed visible light through
a cable hundreds of times smaller
than a human hair, an achievement they anticipate will lead to
advances in solar power and optical
computing.
The discovery, details of which
appear in the Jan. 8 issue of the
journal Applied Physics Letters, defies a key principle that holds that
light cannot pass through a hole
much smaller than its wavelength.
In fact, the BC team forced visible
light, which has a wavelength of
between 380-750 nanometers, to
travel down a cable whose diameter
is smaller than even the low end of
that range.
The researchers say their achievement opens the door to a wide ar-
ray of new technologies, from highefficiency, inexpensive solar cells to
microscopic light-based switching
devices for use in optical computing. The technology could even be
used to help some blind people see,
the physicists say.
The advance builds upon the
researchers’ earlier invention of a
microscopic antenna that captures
visible light in much the same way
radio antennae capture radio waves
– a discovery they announced in
2004. This time, the BC physicists
designed and built a tiny version
of the coaxial cable – the Information Age workhorse that carries telephone and Internet service
along with hundreds of television
and radio channels into millions
of homes and businesses around
the world.
“Our coax works just like the
Continued on page 6
TONIGHT-SUNDAY: “Three Tall
Women,” Robsham Theater
SUNDAY: Women’s Basketball vs. Clemson, 2 p.m.,
Conte Forum
SUNDAY: “The Importance
of Community in 21st Century
Leadership” 7 p.m., Corcoran
Commons
See page 8 for more, or go
to events.bc.edu
Boston College physicists (L-R) Krzysztof Kempa, Michael Naughton, Jakub Rybczynski, and Zhifeng Ren are involved in the nanocoax project. (Photo by Gary Gilbert)
After 20 years as dean for student development, Robert Sherwood, a popular, hands-on administrator and student advocate
who built the Office of the Dean
of Student Development (ODSD)
into an integral component of
student life at Boston College, has
announced his decision to accept
a new role in Alumni Affairs, effective this week.
Citing stress-related health issues that caused him to miss several weeks of work this fall, and
a desire to seek a “change and a
new challenge,” Sherwood said he
decided this past semester to explore “other areas within Boston
College where I might be able to
contribute.”
With Executive Director of
Alumni Affairs John Feudo looking to expand his office’s outreach to young alumni, Sherwood
— given his connections to and
popularity with students and recent graduates — was seen as an
ideal candidate to lead this new
initiative.
“Given all of the students I
have come to know over the past
two decades, it made sense that I
reconnect with young alumni in
an effort to maximize the programs and services provided by
the Alumni Association and to
help improve our recent graduates’ sense of community with
Boston College,” said Sherwood.
“I am very pleased that I have
been offered a new position as
special advisor to the Boston College Alumni Association.”
Associate Dean of Student
Development Paul Chebator has
agreed to serve as acting dean. A
search for a new dean of student
development will be announced
shortly.
Sherwood began his career as
a university dean 36 years ago at
Salem State College before accepting a position as dean of residence
programs and campus activities
and associate dean for student affairs at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology in 1978.
He arrived at Boston College
in August of 1986, the University’s first lay dean, and has served
as dean for student development
ever since, overseeing an office
of 25 professional staff members
that advises the Undergraduate
Government of Boston College
and 230 diverse student organizations, and adjudicates disciplinary
issues for BC’s 14,500 students.
During his tenure, students and
colleagues say, he developed a reputation as a trusted, fair-minded
dean who encouraged responsible
Dean for Student Development Robert
Sherwood will join the Alumni Association administration this week.
(Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
self-governance with accountability, and who sought to arbitrate
student issues with both firmness
and compassion.
“Bob Sherwood has dedicated
his career to students by providing
the resources and support needed
to increase their learning as individuals and in their community
development opportunities,” said
Vice President for Student Affairs
Cheryl Presley.
“He has been an integral part
of the university’s mission to facilitate leadership opportunities
in which students actualize their
beliefs in justice and equality. I
have valued his leadership and
we are fortunate that the Boston
College community will continue
to benefit greatly from his experience and expertise in the Alumni
Association.”
It is a sentiment shared by
ODSD colleague Katherine
O’Dair. “Bob possesses such a
unique combination of compassion, humor, perspective, and a
sense of reality that have made
him a role model and mentor
for me, my colleagues, and most
importantly, the students here at
Boston College,” says O’Dair, associate dean for graduate student
life. “Rarely have I seen a dean of
students so committed to doing
what is right by the students, to
making sure that their voices are
heard and that they in turn understand the whole picture. Bob
is someone that will find a way
to go the extra mile for a student
who has found no other avenue
of support. He understands that
not everyone is going to be happy
with every decision he makes, but
he stands by those decisions — at
times under great duress. I think
the best quality about Bob is that
Continued on page 4
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 18, 2007
AROUND
CAMPUS
A party to remember
Francis P. Brennan ‘39 is flanked by his son, Vanguard CEO Jack Brennan (right),
and Carroll School of Management Dean Andrew Boynton at the Jan. 11 dinner
honoring the establishment of the Francis P. Brennan Fund in Leadership and Ethics at the Carroll School. (Photo by Frank Curran)
Props for Productivity
The Lynch School of Education Counseling Psychology Program earned the top spot in the
2005 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index compiled by Academic
Analytics.
The index ranks 7,294 individual doctoral programs in 104
disciplines, and in broader categories such as the humanities and
biological sciences, at 354 institutions. Each faculty member’s
productivity is measured through
criteria like publications, which
can include the number of books
and journal articles published as
well as citations of journal articles;
federal-grant dollars awarded; and
honors and awards.
The Carroll School of Management Finance Department also
appeared in the top 10 of the
survey.
“This ranking really reflects the
hard work of our faculty,” said
Prof. Elizabeth Sparks (LSOE),
chair of the program. “We do
make research and publications a
priority, but I also think that an
important part of our productivity comes in speaking to the field
in a particular way, dealing with
cutting edge issues that involve
school, families and social justice.”
Said LSOE Dean Joseph
O’Keefe, SJ, “A ranking like this
has to do with the quality of
recognition among one’s peers in
the field. That’s how academia
functions. It’s fair to say that there
is great respect for the Lynch
School’s work on counseling psychology, a field that has become
increasingly important in the past
decade or so.”
—SS
A 90th birthday party is supposed to be pretty special, and
that was certainly the case last
Thursday for Francis Brennan
’39, who was honored at a dinner
in the Yawkey Center marking the
official establishment of a fund in
his name at the Carroll School of
Management.
A revered leader in the Massachusetts banking and financial
communities and chairman of the
board of the Massachusetts Business Development Corporation,
Brennan — the son of Irish immigrants who earned a Bronze
Star medal in World War Two
— has credited hard work and his
Jesuit education in enabling him
to rise beyond his humble roots to
become an icon in local business
development and philanthropy.
Many of Brennan’s friends and
colleagues attended the birthday
dinner, at which it was announced
that half of the planned $1 mil-
lion Francis P. Brennan Fund in
Leadership and Ethics has already
been raised. The fund will provide
for an annual student leadership
and ethics symposium within the
Winston Center for Leadership
and Ethics at BC that will reinforce the importance of building
leadership skills and developing
personal ethics in business and
life.
“Frank Brennan is the type
of Boston College graduate who,
after serving his country with
great distinction in World War II,
went on to personify, in both his
personal and professional career,
those moral values and ethical
principles for which the University so proudly stands,” said Jack
Joyce ’62, managing director of
Deutsche Bank Alex Brown, and
chairman of the event. “There
are few better examples of how
Ignatian values can be integrated
into the complexities of our modern society than in the humane
work and positive achievements of
Walk this way
Frank Brennan.”
Echoing Joyce’s praise, Herald
Media Inc. President and Publisher Patrick Purcell said, “Frank
Brennan’s character, leadership
and principles have inspired legions in our community for many,
many years, and I am thrilled
that his beloved Boston College
will now share in his remarkable
legacy.
Added Robert Sheridan ’72,
president and CEO of SBLI,
“Frank Brennan is an iconic figure in the Boston banking and
business landscape who exemplifies what business should be about
in terms of financial, ethical and
community bottom lines. He is
truly deserving of this honor.”
Among those in attendance
were BC Carroll School Dean Andrew Boynton, financier Thomas
Lee, Hood CEO John Kaneb, and
former University of Massachusetts President William Bulger,
who served as master of ceremonies.
—JD
Suzanne Camarata
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
Lauren Piekarski
Kathleen Sullivan
Photographers
Vice President and Special Assistant to the President William B. Neenan, SJ, left, and Flynn Recreation Complex Senior Fitness Trainer Sara Lang led 50 Boston College employees
on what organizers dubbed “The Father Neenan Walk” Dec. 15 to complete the University’s
“Walk Across Campus Challenge” program sponsored by the Recplex.
Participants in the challenge had to track the amount of walking they did during an eightweek period; they also were allowed to count other exercise activities toward their overall
total. Almost 220 employees registered for the program, either individually or as part of a
department or office.
According to the challenge organizers, the Custodial Department came in first place
among the team entries, followed by the Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center
and the Theology Department. Individual winners were, in order, Mary Pohlman (Controller’s Office), Richard Newton (Custodial Department) and Gloria Rufo (Theology).
A “Walk Across Campus Challenge” for the spring semester will start on Feb. 5 and run
until April 22. It is free of charge and all is required is a pedometer. Contact the RecPlex at
ext.2-3035 for more information.
Correction: Breaking the Barriers Photo
The caption for the photo of the Breaking the Barriers Ball that appeared on page 8 of the Dec. 14 Chronicle
misidentified the student singing group The BC Sharps.
Chronicle regrets the error.
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
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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
january 18, 2007
Return to Heights Gladdens Jagodzinski
Eagles’ new football
coach got boost for job
from unlikely source
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
While Boston College’s new
football coach Jeff Jagodzinski was
building a successful 22-year coaching career and, along with wife Lisa,
raising a family of five children,
it seemed highly unlikely that he
would draw the attention of the vocations director at a small Catholic
college in Wisconsin.
Yet Jagodzinski says he thinks
that an endorsement from the priest
at the College of St. Norbert in
DePere helped him land the job of
his dreams.
“I heard on ESPN that [former BC coach] Tom O’Brien had
just taken the North Carolina State
job,” Jagodzinski recalls of the Dec.
6 announcement that BC was seeking a new football leader. “I had
always been interested in the BC job
since I was coaching here eight or
nine years ago and I always thought
that if it ever came open that it
would be one of those things that I
would want to pursue.”
Jagodzinski, whose notable football resume includes a two-year stint
as assistant coach and offensive coordinator at BC (1997-98) and his
most recent assignment as offensive
coordinator of the NFL’s Green
Bay Packers, has developed contacts
with people at every level of the
game. But when he decided to apply for BC’s head job he opted to
ask just one of them — Rev. James
Baraniak at St. Norbert, an 1,897student Catholic school located five
miles south of Green Bay — to
provide a recommendation on his
behalf.
Fr. Baraniak, who is in charge
of recruiting new members for the
Norbertine order and pastor of St.
Norbert’s church, also holds a “second” Sunday job: team chaplain for
the fabled football Packers.
“‘Jags’ is one of my favorites,”
says Fr. Baraniak, who says he con-
tacted University President William
P. Leahy, SJ and joked, “‘What are
you doing trying to take away not
only one of our best coaches, but
one of my best friends?’
“I told Fr. Leahy that he is a
very good person, he will represent
the Jagodzinski family well, he will
represent Boston College very well,
and he will represent the Church
and the Jesuits very well.
“He just does things well,” Fr.
Baraniak says. “I think that Jags is
being tapped not just to be a coach
to some fine athletes, I know that
he will do that, but he will be a
tremendous role model and a mentor figure to all sorts of students at
Boston College.
“When Jags told me what was
going on with the job at BC, I said
to him, ‘What do you want me
to pray for?’” Fr. Baraniak recalls.
“He said, ‘Wisdom. Wisdom that
I make the right choices and they
make the right choices.’”
On Dec. 12, Jagodzinski met
in Green Bay with BC Athletics
Director Gene DeFilippo and Vice
President for Human Resources
Leo Sullivan, who were traveling
the country interviewing top-rated
coaching candidates.
siasm for his new post. “I
had a great experience here
“I know the kind
before,” he says in his pitchof young person
perfect Wisconsin twang.
“The thing that stuck out
that comes to BC.
the most for me was the
Academics are very
kids. I still talk to some
of the kids that I coached
important to the
here 10 years ago. When
kids who come here.
this job opened up, I had
a bunch of BC guys that I
They’re smart and
had coached call me up and
they’re tough.”
say ‘You need to try and get
this thing.’
—Jeff Jagodzinski
“I thought that it was
pretty good that after all
of these years that they still
thought enough of me to
do that,” he says.
“I know the kind of young perPhoto courtesy of
son that comes to BC,” says JagBoston College
odzinski, who praises the work of
Athletic Association
O’Brien and his staff in building a
program that has been successful
athletically and academically. “Aca“I could tell in the first 20 min- demics are very important to the
utes of our interview that Jeff was kids who come here. They’re smart
special,” said DeFilippo, who also and they’re tough. They’re ‘bluecites as a positive factor the rapport collar’ type guys. That’s a pretty
they formed during Jagodzinski’s good combination to win a lot of
time at BC. “I think that the excite- football games, which Tom did.”
ment, the enthusiasm and the pasJagodzinski, who arrived in
sion that Jeff showed in wanting the
job and that he would bring to this
job set him apart.”
After the Packers played a game
at Detroit on Dec. 17, Jagodzinski
boarded a private jet furnished by
University Trustee Jack Connors
The committee of faculty, ad‘63 and flew to Boston to meet with
ministrators and students seeking
Fr. Leahy.
a new College of Arts and Sci“We sat down for about three
ences dean will meet Monday to
hours and just talked,” Jagodzinski
begin selecting candidates for the
recalls. “He had a list of things he
position.
wanted to ask me, but it really
Vice President and Special Asdidn’t go that way. We just started
sistant to the President William B.
talking about our lives – he of
Neenan, SJ, who is chairing the
course was at Marquette and I’m
search effort, said the committee
from Milwaukee – and I think we
has received “scores of nominahit it off pretty well right from the
tions and self-nominations” for
beginning.
the deanship. The committee will
“At the end of our talk, Father
now review the applications and
said ‘I think I have just about everylikely choose seven or eight canthing covered,’” Jagodzinski says.
didates for preliminary interviews,
Two days later, Jagodzinski was
he said.
named Boston College’s 33rd head
The search formally began last
coach of football.
fall following the announcement
Jagodzinski can’t hide his enthuearlier this year by current A&S
dean Joseph Quinn that he would
step down and return to the faculty following the 2006-07 aca-
A&S Dean Search Enters
Candidate Selection Phase
Reaccreditation Study Complete; Site Visit to Follow
The University has moved forward in the process to renew its
accreditation, having completed a
self-study in preparation for a formal visit March 11-14 by representatives of the organization that
is performing the 10-year review.
Special Assistant to the President Robert Newton, who is
chairing the reaccreditation effort,
said the self-study will be sent later
this month to the visiting team
and the New England Association
of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
Commission on Institutions of
Higher Education. The team, and
then NEASC, will evaluate BC’s
compliance with 11 standards, including institutional mission and
purpose, planning and evaluation,
governance, as well as the academic program, students and faculty.
The self-study report, written
by a committee of faculty and administrators, is central to the reaccreditation process, said Newton.
“The response to each standard
starts with a descriptive section,
followed by an evaluation of how
well BC complies with the standard, and finally a projection of
changes that we intend to make
regarding that standard.”
In addition to responding to
the standards, the self-study includes major sections on BC’s
strategic plan and the campus
master plan. The visitors will be
asked to give their reactions to
these major initiatives.
“That is why the visit by the
NEASC representatives should
be viewed as an opportunity,”
added Newton, noting that the
Chestnut Hill a few days after the
Packers completed the pro football
season, is involved in a whirlwind of
activity as he hires his own coaching
staff, puts the finishing touches on
recruiting a new class of freshmen
players and resettles his family into
a Boston-area home.
“Our family is really excited,”
he says. “They are already on the
Internet picking out houses.”
After leaving Boston College in
1998, Jagodzinski spent six seasons
as an assistant coach for the Packers
before taking a similar position with
the Atlanta Falcons. After two years
in Atlanta, he returned to Green
Bay while his family chose to remain in Atlanta for “the schools and
stability,” he explains.
“Being apart was tough on the
family,” he admits. “I’ll never ever
do that again. I hope I can be at
Boston College for a long, long
time. I have no desire to go elsewhere. Boston College is a great
opportunity for me and my family.
We plan on making to most of it.”
Read more about Jeff Jagodzinski,
and watch his introductory press conference, at bceagles.cstv.com/sports/mfootbl/spec-rel/121906aaa.html.
group will be led by Wake Forest
University President and former
Notre Dame Provost Nathan O.
Hatch. “We will be hosting a
group of respected educators who
will give us a very helpful perspective — and perhaps even some advice — on our current and future
prospects.”
Newton said the NEASC
representatives, as part of their
visit, will hold open meetings to
provide opportunities for faculty,
undergraduates and graduate students to give their perspectives on
BC. Dates, times and locations for
these events will be announced at
a later date.
NEASC recently released a
formal announcement of the impending visit and an invitation for
public comment [at right].
—Office of Public Affairs
demic term.
Fr. Neenan noted that a
planned reorganization in the
University’s academic administration means Quinn’s successor
will have some significantly different responsibilities. Chief among
these will be oversight of both
A&S undergraduate and graduate
programs, the latter of which historically have been administered
separately. The present graduate
dean, Boston College Center on
Work & Aging Co-director Michael Smyer, will relinquish the
position following this academic
year.
The search committee hopes
to send its recommendations to
University President William P.
Leahy, SJ, by the end of the semester.
—Sean Smith
Boston College is being reviewed for reaccreditation by the
Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New
England Association of Schools and Colleges and will be visited
by a team of outside evaluators on March 11-14, 2007. The public is invited to submit comments on substantive matters related
to the quality of Boston College to:
Public Comment on Boston College
Commission on Institutions of Higher Education
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
209 Burlington Road
Bedford, MA 01730-1433
E-mail: cihe@neasc.org
Written signed comments that include the name, address and
telephone number of the person commenting must be received
by March 14, 2007. Comments will not be treated as confidential. Please note that the Commission does not settle disputes between individuals and the institution. The policy on submitting
comments may be obtained from the Commission office.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 18, 2007
New book stresses
value of collaboration,
community support
When school budgets are cut,
it’s often art projects and programs
that are first to go. But part-time
faculty member Mark Cooper
(Fine Arts) believes educators can,
and should, make art a firm part
of the curriculum — and involve
the community as well.
In his new book, co-authored
with Lisa Sjostrom, Cooper draws
on his extensive experience conducting collaborative art projects
in classrooms around the country,
including at Boston College, to
guide and inspire educators to
become “master artists” and lead
young people in the creation of
their own large-scale, communitysupported projects.
Making Art Together: How
Collaborative Art-Making Can
Transform Kids, Classrooms, and
Communities includes more than
90 illustrations of Cooper’s most
successful collaborative endeavors and an eight-page, full-color
photo insert.
Cooper and Sjostrom, founder
and director of the educational
consulting group Helping Kids
Thrive, offer personal anecdotes,
inspirational ideas and practical
instructions.
“Art is one of the building
blocks of a whole and fulfilling
education,” they write.
Cooper has been a fixture on
the Boston art scene for decades,
as a successful exhibiting artist
and veteran leader of the arts
community whose collaborations
— ranging from decorative sculptures to anti-violence billboards
— have been featured in numer-
ous venues.
At Boston College, he has led
collaborative sculpture projects
with students on campus, notably
for a special exhibition during the
University’s annual spring Arts
Festival.
In addition, last summer he
worked with 24 teachers from the
Middle East and North Africa to
create a sculpture themed “Where
We Are From.” Representing eight
countries and a range of religious
and educational backgrounds, the
teachers spent a month this summer at BC to attend the Teacher
Education Institute — hosted by
BC’s Irish Institute, part of the
University’s Center for Irish Programs — of the University of the
Middle East Project.
Cooper, who also teaches at
the School of Boston’s Museum
of Fine Arts, spearheads a campaign to bring collaborative art
into the classroom, and into the
community. “The key is making
a case for art, and making it in a
memorable, public way.”
Making Art Together addresses
issues critical to getting large-scale
projects off the ground: inspiring
youth, identifying key supporters,
tying the project to the curriculum, courting funders, garnering
community support and hosting a
celebratory closing event. Cooper
stresses the importance of ensuring that participants are aware
of their role in a collaborative
art project: the key is feelings of
belonging, democracy and community.
“As your students debate and
vote on what to make and how to
make it, they’re developing and
trusting their own ideas — about
how to rally as a group, and about
the democratic process,” Cooper
explains.
Lee Pellegrini
For Cooper, Art and Education Are (or Should Be) Inseparable
Part-time faculty member Mark
Cooper (Fine Arts), above, says art
“is one of the building blocks of
a whole and fulfilling education.”
At right, some of Cooper’s students
work on one of his collaborative
sculpture projects.
Photo courtesy Mark Cooper
Discussing the role of parents
and other stakeholders, he says,
“Present these projects as winwins because they are win-wins.
I’ve found that most people are
eager to connect with ambitious
projects by kids.
“These projects are doable, the
experience is powerful for everybody involved, the art objects are
amazing, and this approach has
tremendous potential for changing the place of the arts in education,” Cooper adds. “When
a community gets involved, art
stands the most chance of survival
in our schools.”
—Office of Public Affairs
Sherwood Steps Down As Dean of Student Development
Continued from page 1
he is just so likeable – his ability to
find humor in every day situations
and to make others feel connected
is a wonderful trait.”
Adds Thomas McGuinness,
director of University Counseling
Services, “It has been a privilege
to have Bob as a colleague for 18
years. He is dedicated and committed to students and he approaches
his work with extraordinary integrity. He has dealt with the most
difficult of situations involving
students. We could always count
on Bob to struggle through those
difficult issues with a sense of balance, fairness and honesty.”
Looking back on his 20 years as
dean, Sherwood cites the Emerging Leaders and Global Proficiency
programs and the establishment of
the Student Judicial Board, Sexual
Assault Network and Senior Week
programming as among his office’s
proudest accomplishments. He
also found satisfaction in his dayto-day interactions with UGBC,
student organization leaders and
faculty, despite the long hours and
sometimes heated deliberations.
“With each passing year, BC
students become more and more
interested in retreats and volunteer activities, and passionate about
their commitment to social justice
issues,” said Sherwood. “I have
always tried to empower them to
develop their leadership skills and
to pursue organizational change
within an atmosphere of mutual
respect for themselves, their fellow
students, faculty and administrators.”
Said former UGBC President
Grace Simmons ’06, “Dean Sherwood will be remembered as an
exceptional advocate for students.
He came to know us through collaboration and outreach, not from
any vantage point. Dean Sherwood taught me the values of pa-
tience and understanding. He was are the parents of Gretchen, a
our steady leader and, for that rea- 1997 BC graduate, and Brad, who
son, I always looked to him for ad- graduated from Loyola University
vice. I know he will continue to do in Chicago in 2001.
great things
S h e r for BC in his
wood has
new role in
been a re“With each passing year, BC
Alumni Afcipient of the
students become more and more
fairs. As a
Mary K. Walyoung alum- interested in retreats and volunteer dron Award
na, I look
from UGBC
activities, and passionate about
forward to
for demonworking with their commitment to social justice
strated comhim.”
mitment to
issues...Our students are excepA graduBoston Colate of the tional young adults, and it is very
lege, the Rev.
University of
John Trzaska
gratifying to watch the personal
New HampSJ, Award by
shire with growth they experience during their the BC Jesuit
a master’s
Community
tenure here at BC.”
degree from
for support
the
State
guid—Robert Sherwood and
University of
ance of BC
New York
students and
at Albany,
the “Person
Sherwood and his wife Marsha of the Year Award” from The
Heights. He also participated in
several spring break volunteer service trips with BC students to
Jamaica, Antigua and Cape Verde
and traveled to Rome and the Vatican with the University Chorale.
He was also a frequent participant
in 48 Hour and Halftime student
retreats.
“I am honored to have served
the past 20 years as Dean for Student Development at Boston College,” said Sherwood. “Our students are exceptional young adults,
and it is very gratifying to watch
the personal growth they experience during their tenure here at
BC. I am also extremely fortunate
to have worked with outstanding
colleagues at ODSD, Student Affairs, the faculty, and with others
across the University. It has been
a privilege to be part of this great
University, and I look forward to
my next venture with much enthusiasm and commitment.”
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 18, 2007
HEIGHTS
OF
EXCELLENCE
Photos by Lee Pellegrini
A Staunch Advocate
For more than a decade, Francine Sherman has fought
to make the justice system work better for juveniles
“Heights of Excellence” profiles faculty members who, through their exemplary teaching and research, contribute
to the intellectual and spiritual life of
Boston College
By Stephen Gawlik
Staff Writer
“I am a big fan of Fran Sherman and this
program for all they do,” says Middlesex County
Juvenile Court Judge Jay D. Blitzman, who has
known Sherman for more than 15 years.
JRAP is important, Blitzman says, because the
attorneys and students involved have gone well beyond simply representing clients, engaging families
and home life situations to the point where they
can take into account all the troubling issues in
at-risk girl’s life.
“It’s clear that they care, they’re involved and
they’re engaged,” he says. “While our probation
officers don’t know the name ‘JRAP’ they are
always requesting ‘that BC program’ for their
cases.”
Blitzman adds that JRAP has developed an
esteemed reputation in the Lowell courtroom in
which he presides with two other judges. Over
the years, Lowell’s Cambodian population has
exploded and various language and cultural issues
have put some stress on the city’s courts. Sherman
and her associates have exceeded expectations and
proven that the sort of attention JRAP offers its
clients can transcend those cultural barriers.
“They have a powerful presence when they
walk in to the courtroom,” Blitzman said.
Besides advocating for delinquent girls, and
helping to create and research programs to assist
them, Sherman has done her part to inspire and
mentor a number of BC Law students who have
gone on to make their own mark as juvenile advocate attorneys.
“I think it’s pivotal to have Fran at the Law
School as a mentor and teacher to all these students who want to get into public interest law,”
says Barbara Kaban, JD ’98, assistant director of
the Children’s Law Center in Lynn.
“There aren’t many people who are doing this
type of work and her successes have been incredibly important.”
Vincent Herman, JD ’04, now a staff attorney
at the Children’s Law Center in Washington, DC,
thinks that Sherman’s place in the field of juvenile
advocacy plays a critical role that forms a bridge
between theory and practice.
“There’s a gap between the everyday work of
a public interest lawyer and academic big picture
thinking and she fills that,” said Herman.
If there was ever someone whose life appeared
beyond hope or redemption, it was the young
woman known as “Client Z,” says Adj. Assoc.
Prof. Francine Sherman (Law).
Born to a mother who was a drug addict and
prostitute, “Z” was separated from her siblings
and dropped out of school after the sixth grade.
She got pregnant, only to lose her baby after a
boyfriend assaulted her, and spent most of her
teenage years in and out of juvenile custody,
recalls Sherman.
But her unstable upbringing did not stop “Z”
from turning her life around.
“In Newton when girls get in a fight, it’s seen as
“She was always curious, she always wanted
a behavioral issue — but in city neighborhoods
to read books and it was obvious that she was
bright,” says Sherman.
it’s seen as criminal assault,” says Sherman.
“Z” scored top marks on a high school equiva“Is that fair?”
lency test, and, with the support of the Massachusetts Department of Social Services she
eventually enrolled in a degree program at a
Boston legal environment, but her roots are considerably
public university.
further west. She was born and raised in Missouri and did
“It goes to show you what you can accomplish
not travel far when it came time to go to college, attending
with a little help and some motivation,” says
the University of Missouri. Still, Sherman felt a calling: “I
Sherman, founding director of BC Law School’s
came out of college in the 1970s when a lot of things were
Juvenile Rights Advocacy Project (JRAP) that
changing and I wanted to be a part of that.”
represented “Z” for many years and worked both
Among her influences, two stand out for Sherman: One
inside and outside the legal system to help her.
is her father, a professor who studied the psychology of po“When you have people constantly telling you
licewomen, which included topics like domestic violence
that you’re worthless you eventually believe it.
and other issues. “I think there was a piece of his work that
We work to show these kids that they’re not.”
I was really interested in.”
“Z,” whose name is kept secret to protect her
The other was Rev. Robert Drinan, SJ, widely known
identity, is one of many dozens of young people
for his work as a human rights activist and, briefly, as a
who have been aided by Sherman and JRAP
Massachusetts congressman, but also for his role in shapsince its inception in 1994. JRAP is a curricuing the BC Law School, where he served as dean from
lar-based legal clinic providing comprehensive
1956-70.
representation and policy advocacy to youth, and
“He inspired me and I was very attracted to BC’s social
particularly to girls, in the juvenile justice system.
justice mission,” says Sherman. “That was why I came
Sherman, two supervising attorneys, and second
here.”
and third year law students staff the program.
Sherman found her niche in public interest law and
JRAP was Sherman’s brainchild, the outafter graduating from BC Law went to work for the Degrowth of a decade of law practice following her
partment of Social Services, where she began to cultivate
Missouri to Massachusetts
graduation from BC Law in 1980.
her interest in juvenile advocacy.
Sherman may move comfortably in the Greater
For Sherman, the years spent fightClearly, says Sherman, the kids she and her coling for at-risk girls like “Z” have
leagues encounter are not perfect angels, but neither
brought hard-won satisfaction. At the
are they lost souls: “They have a lot more resilience
same time, Sherman has developed
than a lot of people think.”
some disdain for what she says is an
The root causes for most of these juvenile offenders’
unforgiving justice system that someproblems may constitute a familiar refrain — poverty,
times acts based on faulty policy and,
illegal drugs and troubled family situations — but that
in doing so, fails to serve the young
doesn’t make them any less virulent, she says. Unfortupeople for which it is responsible.
nately, these are compounded by a justice system that,
But when she talks about her rehowever one may wish otherwise, is influenced by
search and programming initiatives,
social, economic and racial characteristics, according to
Sherman, a mother of three who is
Sherman: Minor offenses that earn you jail time in one
married to attorney Scott Tucker, JD
community aren’t even considered crimes in another.
’78, does not sound bitter or jaded.
“In Newton when girls get in a fight, it’s seen as a
As long as there are success stories like
behavioral issue — but in city neighborhoods it’s seen
that of “Z” — and there are many,
as criminal assault,” she explains. “Is that fair?
Sherman says — the fight is worth it.
“The number of serious violent crimes is actually
“The system needs to get better at
very small. But you wouldn’t know it considering the
letting the good stuff in these kids demedia attention that it gets.”
velop,” says Sherman. “These young
women have many different types of
The ‘Super Predator’ myth
intelligences and can be quite savvy
Sherman claims that particularly egregious exand you have to learn to work with Sherman works with BC Law students involved with the Juvenile Rights Advocacy Proamples of policy failure in juvenile justice can be seen
them. They can’t be immediately dis- gram (JRAP). “She has boundless energy and was very enthusiastic about our work,”
in the 1990s when police departments and prosecutors
counted because they are lacking for- says a former JRAP participant.
across the nation braced for a phenomenon known
Continued on page 8
mal education.”
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 18, 2007
Jan. 23 forum examines
corporate responsibility
The Winston Center for Leadership
and Ethics will sponsor “Partnerships, Power and Profits: Global Visions of Corporate Responsibility” on
Tuesday, Jan. 23, from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
in Gasson 100.
Prof. Charles Derber (Sociology)
will be part of a panel, moderated
by Boston College Leadership for
Change Program Director Rebecca
Rowley, which will discuss issues
involving business, politics and social
justice. Joining Derber will be corporate social responsibility experts
Laury Hammel, David Halley and
Luca Majocchi.
Admission is $15 for the general
public, and free for students and faculty, and members of the Responsible
Business Association of Greater Boston. Send e-mail to careytd@bc.edu
for more information.
Workshop offers resources on
grant writing, fundraising
The Institute for Religious Education
and Pastoral Ministry will host the
workshop “Grant Writing and Fundraising for Ministry” on Jan. 27 from
9 a.m.-noon.
Workshop participants will learn
about the fundamentals of proposal
writing, and find resources to help
them search for funding agencies
with Catholic interests, identify and
articulate their fundraising needs and
priorities in their ministerial or nonprofit contexts.
For information, contact Maureen
Lamb at ext.2-8057 or lambmb@
bc.edu. Admission is free but class
size is limited to 25.
Jan. 27 event to celebrate
memory of Martin Luther King
Boston College will honor the legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther
King Jr. with a special commemoration and worship service on Jan.
27 at 7 p.m. in the Heights Room of
Corcoran Commons.
The event will feature music by
“The United Voices of Freedom,” the
combined music ministries of Against
the Current, Liturgy Arts Group and
The Voices of Imani.
For more information, contact Campus Minister Rev. Howard McLendon
at ext.2-2793 or mclendon@bc.edu.
Publishers to discuss state of
children’s books
A panel of senior editors from major
publishing firms will gather on campus Jan. 30 to reflect on the changing nature of books for children.
“What Happens Next in Children’s
Books?” will be held at Vanderslice
Hall beginning at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free with a Boston College ID,
$5 for college students with ID and
$15 for all others.
Horn Book magazine Editor in Chief
Roger Sutton will moderate the
panel, which includes Judy O’Malley
of Charlesbridge Publishing, Elizabeth
Bicknell of Candlewick Press and
Margaret Raymo of Houghton Mifflin.
Topics will include the reign of fat
fantasy, the decline in picture books
and the future of the increasingly
popular graphic novels.
For more information, contact Sadie
Northway at northway@bc.edu.
James Co-Edits Book on Retirement Myths, Trends
By Rosanne Pellegrini
Staff Writer
The myths and trends of the
early retirement years — and the
challenges and opportunities these
years present for new generations
of retirees expected to live long,
healthy lives — are the focus of
a new book co-edited by Boston
College Center for Work & Family
Research Director Jacquelyn James.
The Crown of Life: The Dynamics
of the Early Post-Retirement Period
addresses the key issues and current
trends of the growing population
of retirees between the ages of 65
and 79.
This early post-retirement period, according to James and coeditor Wellesley College Psychology
Professor Paul Wink, remains the
last uncharted segment of the life
course. Referred to as the Third
Age, it has been either pathologized — seen as involving misery
and doom, a reminder of mortality
— or idealized as an opportunity
for peak personal fulfillment.
Still, “The Crown of Life” is an
apt name for this stage of life, say
James and Wink: “Retirement presents an opportunity to be acknowledged for work well done, and the
culture offers permission to partake
of the newly emerged freedom to
lead a full life.”
The book’s contributors, nationally recognized experts, present
some of the most significant and
current research on this period of
life. Topics include financial, social,
health and other aspects of aging.
The Crown of Life dispels myths
about life after retirement, with
findings from surveys and longitudinal studies highlighting the ways
that American men and women
craft their lives in the pre- and postretirement periods.
These findings are important,
James and Wink note, since professionals, researchers and educators
Lee Pellegrini
Postings
Center for Work & Family Research
Director Jacquelyn James.
— in all areas of the health care and
the business sectors — require more
expertise on the latest trends to
make better decisions and improve
systems for this group.
Among the main findings of The
Crown of Life:
*Longevity varies by gender and
race with women and whites living
longer than men and blacks. Unlike whites, many blacks, especially
women, are forced by poverty to
continue working well into their
70s.
*On average, there are slight declines across the period from age
65-79 in health, cognitive ability,
and emotional well-being, but none
are severe and they do not limit
Third Agers.
*Increasing numbers of older
adults continue to work part-time
after “official retirement,” maintaining continuity between life in the
pre- and post-retirement periods.
The physical and cognitive signs
of aging begin during the 50s and
prompt a readjustment of goals,
values and behaviors in anticipation
of retirement.
*Contrary to popular belief, fear
WELCOME ADDITIONS
“Welcome Additions,” an occasional feature, profiles new faculty
members at Boston College.
•Asst. Prof. Linda Salisbury
(CSOM)
PhD, University of Michigan
Research Interest: Consumer decision-making
Course: Marketing Principles
Before joining the Carroll
School of Management, Salisbury taught at the University of
Michigan and Xavier University
in Cincinnati. Prior to receiving
her doctorate, she worked in the
consumer products and management consulting industries. Her
current research examines temporal influences, such as uncertainty
about the future, on decisionmaking. Salisbury’s research has
appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research. •Asst. Prof. Kian Tan (Chemistry)
PhD, University of California,
Berkeley
Research Interests: Organometallic
chemistry and catalysis
Courses: Mechanistic organic chemistry, Organometallic Chemistry
After receiving his doctorate,
Tan conducted post-doctoral research at Harvard University. At
BC, his research program focuses
on developing metal catalyzed reactions for the formation of new
carbon–carbon bonds. For example, he will pursue the development of reactions that use carbon
dioxide as a building block for the
synthesis of organic molecules. His
group will also focus on probing
and understanding the mechanisms of these reactions.
of death decreases with age; most
Third Age adults accept impending
mortality as an inevitable part of the
life cycle.
*Individuals in their 60s and 70s
report high levels of life satisfaction
that tend to be enhanced by good
physical health of self and partner,
strong support network of family
and friends, involvement in volunteer activities, and, in many instances, by continued work involvement
and religiousness. Conversely, poor
health, bereavement, and troubled
relations with children, are risk factors for depression during the Third
Age.
While the book doesn’t report
evidence of peak fulfillment during
the Third Age, the co-editors say it
can be a particularly rewarding time
for retirees living longer, and healthier, than previous generations.
James and Wink say the book’s
findings suggest researchers and
social policy makers should focus
on new roles and opportunities for
older individuals, whose numbers
will grow dramatically with the retirement of the Baby Boomers.
“The key challenge is how to
best unlock the stock of human, social, and cultural capital among the
increasing population of healthy,
capable and vital Third Age Americans.”
Information on the Center for
Work & Family and The Crown of
Life: The Dynamics of the Early
Post-Retirement Period is available
at the center Web site, www.bc.edu/
centers/cwf/.
Physicists In Nanocoax Project
Continued from page 1
one in your house, except now
for visible light,” says Jakub Rybczynski, a research scientist in
the Physics Department and the
article’s lead author.
Coaxial cables are typically
made up of a core wire surrounded by a layer of insulation, which
in turn is surrounded by another
metal sheath. This structure encloses energy and lets the cable
transmit electromagnetic signals
with wavelengths much larger
than the diameter of the cable
itself.
With this design in mind, the
physicists developed what they
called a “nanocoax” – a carbon
nanotube-based coaxial cable with
a diameter of about 300 nanometers. By comparison, the human hair is several hundred times
wider.
The physicists designed their
nanocoax so that the center wire
protruded at one end, forming a
light antenna. The other end was
blunt, allowing the scientists to
measure the light received by the
•Asst. Prof. Sing-chen Lydia
Chiang (Slavic and Eastern Languages)
PhD, Stanford University
Research Interests: Classical Chinese literature, myth and folklore
Courses: Advanced Chinese, Far
Eastern Civilizations, Chinese Literature and Society, Gods and Heroes in Chinese Literature
Chiang’s current research is a
book-length project on a 10thcentury imperial encyclopedia of
anomalies. Her recent book, Collecting the Self: Body and Identity
in Strange Tale Collections of Late
Imperial China, discusses how tales
about the strange and the anomalous may be collected to construct
the normalcy of the self. She has
previously taught at the University of Auckland (New Zealand),
San Francisco State University
and Tufts University.
antenna and transmitted through
the medium.
The researchers were able to
transmit both red and green light
into the nanocoax and out the
other end, indicating that the
cable can carry a broad spectrum
of visible light.
“The beauty of our nanocoax is that it lets us squeeze
visible light through very small
geometric dimensions. It also allows us to transmit light over a
distance that is at least 10 times
its wavelength,” says Prof. Kris
Kempa (Physics), a co-author of
the article.
Other co-authors include
BC Physics professors Michael
Naughton and Zhifeng Ren and
Laboratory Director and Lect.
Andrzej Herczynski, as well as
graduate student Yang Wang
of BC, Zhongping Huang and
Dong Cai of NanoLab Inc. in
Newton, and Michael Giersig
of the Center for Advanced European Studies and Research in
Bonn, Germany.
•Adj. Asst. Prof. Erik Owens
(Theology)
PhD, The University of Chicago
Research Interests: Intersection of
religion and public life, fostering
the common good in a religiously
diverse society
Courses: Religion and Citizenship,
Religion and International Politics
Owens, associate director of
the Boisi Center for Religion and
American Public Life, is working
on a manuscript based on his University of Chicago dissertation,
“Civic Education for Religious
Freedom: Liberal Republicanism
and the Common Good in American Public Schools.” The co-editor of Religion and the Death Penalty: A Call for Reckoning and The
Sacred and the Sovereign: Religion
and International Politics, Owens
has received research fellowships
from the Spencer Foundation and
the University of Virginia’s Center on Religion and Democracy.
—Greg Frost
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 18, 2007
PEOPLE
Newsmakers
•Facilities Services Assistant Director for Administrative Services
Paula Forget was featured in a
Boston Herald story on her efforts
to collect and distribute gifts to
needy children at Christmas.
•The Boston Globe published a
feature on Prof. Emeritus John
Dacey (LSOE) who, after suffering a family tragedy years ago, has
helped families and children cope
with their own phobias.
•Adj. Assoc. Prof. Laura Garcia (Philosophy) and Lonergan
Institute Administrative Editorial Assistant Kerry Cronin were
highlighted in a report in The Pilot
at the recent meeting of “Women
Affirming Life.”
•Adj. Associate Professor Richard McGowan, SJ (CSOM),
was quoted by the Boston Herald
regarding planned expansion of the
Mohegan Sun casino, and by the
Providence Journal about the selling
of Harrah’s Casino.
•Prof. Marc Landy (Political Science) discussed the life and legacy
of the late US President Gerald
Ford with New England Cable
News.
•Prof. Dwayne Carpenter (Romance Languages) was interviewed
by the Boston Globe regarding the
Modern Language Association’s
recommendations for tenure and
promotion.
•Psychology Department Research
Associate Billie Louise Bentzen,
MEd ’71, PhD ’91, who has
worked on behalf of people with
visual disabilities for more than 40
years, was featured by the Boston
Globe for her efforts to help the
first blind student of a Himalayan
orphanage.
•Flatley Professor of Theology
David Hollenbach, SJ, director
of BC’s Center for Human Rights
and International Justice, and Assoc. Prof. Kenneth Himes (Theology) each wrote on aspects of the
recent international conference on
“Catholic Theological Ethics in the
World Church” organized by Prof.
James Keenan, SJ (Theology), for
America magazine. Fr. Hollenbach
wrote on “Human Rights, Justice
and the World Church,” while Fr.
Himes addressed “Hard Questions
About Just War.”
•Prof. Juliet Schor (Sociology)
discussed the environmental and
financial impact of the holiday
season with the National Public
Radio Program “Here and Now.”
Schor also penned an op-ed for the
Boston Globe on the same subject.
•Environmental Studies Program
Director Research Assoc. Prof.
Eric Strauss (Biology), who took a
unique path on his way up through
the academic ranks, was the profiled by the Boston Globe.
•Boisi Center for Religion and
American Public Life Director
Prof. Alan Wolfe (Political Science)
published the op-ed “Two Parties
in the Pews” in the Boston Globe.
•Prof. Paul Lewis (English) offered
a review of humor in 2006 in a
Boston Globe op-ed.
Honors/Appointments
•O’Neill Library Instructional
Services Manager Kwasi Sarkodie
Mensa has been appointed to the
Pastoral Council of the Archdiocese of Boston.
Publications
•University Professor of English
Paul Mariani published the poem
“The Fathers” in America.
•Prof. James R. Mahalik (LSOE)
recently published “Men’s likely
coping responses to clinical
depression: What are they and do
masculinity norms predict them?”
in the latest edition of Sex Roles: A
Journal of Research.
Grants
•University Profesor of History
Thomas Hachey: $799,960, US
State Department, “FY 2007
Exchange Programs for Northern
Ireland and Ireland.”
•Prof. Lawrence Scott (Chemistry): $461,330, National Science
Foundation, “Acquisition of a
Shared Mass Spectrometer for
Research, Education and Training.”
•Assoc. Prof. William Armstrong
(Chemistry): $431,000, National
Science Foundation, “Biomimetic
Chemistry Relevant to Photosystem II.”
•Prof. Thomas Chiles (Biology):
$310,505, The Feinstein Institute
for Medical Research, “Molecular
Determinants of B-1 and B-2 Cell
Responses.”
•Center on Wealth and Philanthropy Director Prof. Paul Schervish
(Sociology): $200,000, Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation, “Creating a Culture of Philanthropy.”
•Monan Professor of Education
Philip Altbach: $178,000, Ford
Foundation, “Core Support for the
Center for International Higher
Education at Boston College.”
•Institute for Religious Education
and Pastoral Ministry Director
Prof. Thomas Groome (Theology): $65,872, Salatkas Foundation,
“Program of Studies Scholarship.”
•Assoc. Prof. Johannes Gubbels
(Biology): $65,000, American
Heart Association, “Genetic Dissection of Host Cell Invasion by
Toxoplasma Gondii, a Pathogen
Causing Infectious Myocarditis.”
•Prof. Michael Naughton (Physics): $50,000, Atomic-Ordered
Materials, “Sponsored Project
Agreement Between Atomic
Ordered Materials and Boston
College.”
•Asst. Prof. Damian Betebenner
(LSOE): $50,000, Colorado Dept.
of Education, “Support Colorado
DOE.”
•Graduate School of Social Work
Project Director Judith Casey:
$42,000, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, “FlexNet.”
•Adj. Assoc. Prof. Philip DiMattia (LSOE): $28,456, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission,
“FY’07 Mass. Rehab Commission
– On the Job Training.”
•Prof. June Horowitz (CSON)
and doctoral student Margaret
Hayes: $27,919, National Institutes of Health/National Institute
of Nursing Research, “The Lived
Experience of Mothering After
Prison.”
•Prof. John Michalczyk (Fine
Arts): $17,818, Various Donors,
“St. Ottilien Orchestra Documentary.”
•Assoc. Prof. Alan Kafka (Geology and Geophysics): $3,363, St.
Peter’s School, “Inquiry-Based
Learning Through Recording
Earthquakes in the Classroom:
Inviting Students into the World of
Science Research.”
•Prof. Donald Cox (Economics):
$301,739, National Institutes of
Health, “Biological Basics and
Intergenerational Transfers.”
•Prof. Maria Brisk (LSOE):
$300,000, US Department of
Education, “English Language
Acquisition: National Professional
Development Program.”
Assistant Dean for Student Development Robyn Priest selects colors of chenille sticks that she will use to build her “culture
sculpture” as part of a diversity workshop sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League. She was one of some 60 administrators
and staff from the offices of Student Development and Residential Life who attended the special training session Jan. 9 in the
Yawkey Center. Participants in the day-long workshop discussed their attitudes on diversity, and on diversity-related issues
at Boston College. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
•Assoc. Prof. Eva Garroutte
(Sociology): $122,445, National
Institutes of Health, “Health Communication with American Indian
Elders.”
•Center for Corporate Citizenship Director Bradley Googins:
$50,000, Levi Strauss, “The State
of Managing Corporate Citizenship.”
•Kearns Professor of Education
Mary Walsh: $75,000, EDCO,
“Professional Development for
Boston Catholic School Principals
and School Counselors.”
•Asst. Prof. Ce Shen (GSSW):
$50,000, Department of Health
and Human Services, “Learning
from the Cash and Counseling
Demonstration Evaluation: People
with Mental Illness Self-Directing
Care.”
•Prof. Patrick Byrne (Philosophy):
$42,224, US Department of Education, Jacob Javits Fellowship.
Time and a Half
•A&S Honors Program faculty
member Martha Bayles presented
“The Ugly Americans: How Not
to Lose the Global Culture War” at
the American Enterprise Institute
in Washington, DC.
•Assoc. Prof. Robert Kern
(English) presented “Emerson,
Dickinson, and the Ecopoet’s
Impossible Task” at the Conference
of the Association for the Study of
Literature and Environment—UK
branch, at the University of Lincoln in England.
Jobs
-Communications Assistant,
University Advancement
-Web Developer, Office of Marketing Communications -Temp Office Pool, BCTemps
-Utility Worker, Dining Services
-Administrative Assistant, Physics
Department
-Academic Certification Specialist, Student Services
-Staff Assistant, University Advancement
-Administrative Assistant, University Counseling
-Assistant Director, Center for
Work & Family -Academic Administration Officer, Lynch School of Education
-International Systems Administrator, Student Services -Faculty Support Assistant, Biology
Department
-Asst. Dean for Curriculum, Carroll Graduate School of Management
-Staff Assistant, Geology & Geophysics Department
For more information on employment at Boston College see www.
bc.edu/bcjobs
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
january 18, 2007
LOOKING AHEAD
READINGS•LECTURES•
DISCUSSION
Jan. 19
•McNair Program information
session, 3 p.m., 50 College Road,
call ext.2-2819, email: gourgues@
bc.edu. A second session will be
held Jan. 26.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
•“We Are Still Here” O’Neill
Library Lobby, through Feb. 16.
• “My Monster is in Safe Keeping:
The Samuel Beckett Collection at
Boston College” Burns Library.
ATHLETICS
Jan. 21
•Women’s Basketball vs. Clemson,
2 p.m., Conte Forum.
Jan. 21
•Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration: “The Importance of
Community in 21st Century
Leadership” 7 p.m., Corcoran
Commons, ext.2-1855, email:
andrewmo@bc.edu.
Jan. 23
•Winston Center for Leadership
and Ethics: “Partnerships, Power
and Profits: Global Visions of
Corporate Responsibility,” 6:30
p.m., Gasson 100, email: careytd@bc.edu.
Jan. 26
•Bradley Lecture: “Bioethics and
the Constitution” 4 p.m., McGuinn 121, a buffet dinner and
discussion in McElroy Faculty
Dining Room follows. RSVP:
ext.2-4144, email: geesh@bc.edu.
Jan. 29
•Lectura Dantis: Purgatorio XVII
7:30 p.m., Gasson 305, email:
shepardl@bc.edu.
Jan. 30
•Panel discussion: “What Happens Next in Children’s Books?”
7:30 p.m. Vanderslice Hall, email:
northway@bc.edu.
Feb. 1
•Lowell Lecture Humanities
Series: “The Reverse of the
Jan. 23
•Men’s Basketball vs. Florida
State, 7 p.m., Conte Forum.
The Samuel Beckett exhibition “My
Monster Is in Safe Keeping” continues
at Burns Library.
Picture: Finding Fiction in Fact,”
presented by Colm Toibín, 7:30
p.m., Gasson 100, email: paul.
doherty.1@bc.edu.
MUSIC•ART•PERFORMANCE
Jan. 18
•“Three Tall Women” by Edward
Albee, through Jan. 21, 7:30
p.m., Robsham Theater, Bonn
Studio, call ext.2-4002, email
principi@bc.edu.
Jan. 27
•Commemoration and worship
service in honor of Martin Luther
King Jr., 7 p.m., Heights Room,
Corcoran Commons, call ext.22793 or email mclendon@bc.edu.
Jan. 28
•“I, Too Sing America: Art Songs
and Spirituals by African-American Composers” 3 p.m., Gasson
100.
Jan. 27
•Men’s Hockey vs. U.Mass-Lowell, 7 p.m. Conte Forum.
Jan. 31
•Men’s Basketball vs. Hartford, 7
p.m., Conte Forum.
Feb. 1
•Women’s Basketball vs. North
Carolina, 7 p.m., Conte Forum.
Feb. 2
•Men’s Hockey vs. Massachusetts,
7 p.m., Conte Forum.
Feb. 3
•Men’s Basketball vs. Virginia
Tech, 1 p.m., Conte Forum.
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.
Ignatius 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.
Robsham to Celebrate
First Quarter Century
The Robsham Theater Arts Center spring schedule — which begins
tonight with a joint Robsham-Theater Department production of
Edward Albee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Three Tall Women” — will
feature a celebration of the theater’s 25th anniversary in conjunction
with the Boston College Arts Festival April 26-28.
Also highlighting the spring season will be “New Voices 2007” (Feb.
21-25), the second presentation of works by BC playwriting students:
“Custody War” by Megan Green ’07 and “Circles in the Sand” by
Patricia Noonan ’07. The previous entries in the 2005 “New Voices,”
“Swimming After Dark” and “Zoe,” were both selected for performance
at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.
Neil Labute’s “The Shape of Things,” an examination of the role and
use of power in personal relationships, and the ethics of integrating real
life into art, will be staged at Robsham March 15-17.
From March 29-31, the Contemporary Theater of BC will present
the darkly comic 2005 Tony Award nominee “The Pillowman,” by
Martin McDonagh.
Robsham will host the Dramatic Society production of Yasima
Reza’s “Art” from April 12-14, a comedy about true art and true friendship. “Art” won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1998.
Winding up the spring schedule will be the classic, irreverent Gilbert
and Sullivan opera “The Pirates of Penzance,” from April 25-29.
Other events taking place in Robsham Theater this semester include
performances by the Philippine Society, Dance Organization of Boston College, South Asian Student Association and the Boston College
Dance Ensemble.
For more information on dates, times and admission, see www.
bc.edu/offices/robsham or call ext.2-4800.
Student Leadership Award
Nominations Due Feb. 9
Members of the Boston College community are invited to
nominate outstanding undergraduates and club advisors for
the 2007 Student Leadership Awards.
Each year, the Office of the Dean for Student Development
recognizes outstanding contributions to co-curricular life at
Boston College, exemplary student leadership through service,
and a demonstrated commitment to student formation by an
advisor.
Student Leadership Award nominations must be submitted
electronically by Feb. 9. Nomination forms and award descriptions are available at www.bc.edu/odsdawards.
For more information, contact Karl Bell at bellkh@bc.edu
or ext.2-8974.
BC Law’s Sherman on the Front Lines in Juvenile Justice Reform Efforts
Continued from page 5
as the “Super Predator Theory,”
which held that that an amoral and
ruthless generation of adolescents
would cause a major crime spree
within the nation’s inner cities.
“That never happened,” she says.
“Sure, there were a few really scary
cases, but those are the exception.
But it scared people and so we are
still dealing with a decade of bad
criminal justice policies.”
JRAP seeks to counter such negative trends, by using the legal system to access social and community
services and hold public agencies
accountable for juveniles, with the
goal of reducing the use of incarceration and supporting the girls in
their communities, says Sherman. In addition to individual representation, JRAP is involved in ongoing research and policy advocacy
to develop and model programs for
delinquent youth. BC Law students
interested in working with JRAP
must sit for a juvenile advocacy
seminar while they are working in
the clinic. This affords them the opportunity to help manage programs
and assist with legal representation
before the courts, says Sherman.
Along the way Sherman has
produced no shortage of scholarly
papers on the topic of juvenile advocacy and public interest law. Her
latest include the JRAP Guide, Medical Consent for Minors in Massachusetts Systems (published with JRAP
staff and students), and Pathways to
Detention Reform, Detention Reform
“The system needs to get
better at letting the good
stuff in these kids develop,”
says Sherman. “These young
women have many different
types of intelligences and can
be quite savvy and you have
to learn to work with them.
They can’t be immediately
discounted because they are
lacking formal education.”
for Girls: Challenges and Solutions,
which was funded by the Annie E.
Casey Foundation. Two additional
papers on detention reform and
gender and racial issues will be published in 2007.
When she’s not in the classroom,
courtroom, or lock-up facility, Sherman spends much of her time writing grants, raising money and working to help develop programs and
partnerships in which JRAP law students and staff attorneys can make
a difference. These programs are
administered alongside the project’s
legal representation duties.
“She has boundless energy and
was very enthusiastic about our
work,” said Herman, who served in
JRAP for two years before graduating from BC Law.
Some of JRAP’s current programs include the Girls Health
Passport Project and The Massachusetts Health Passport Project,
which connect youths committed to
the Department of Youth Services
(DYS) to community health care.
The Jacob and Valeria Langeloth
Foundation recently awarded Sherman funds to implement the Mas-
sachusetts Health Passport Project
in collaboration with the DYS and
community health centers.
“So many problems for these
girls come from a lack of access to
health care and part of it is because
they don’t trust the system,” said
Sherman. “If we put them in touch
with health care providers that can
help them we might solve a lot of
problems.”
Another unique JRAP program
is HUMAN (Hear Us Make Artistic Noise), a design, graphic arts and
entrepreneurship program which
provides girls in DYS with an opportunity to document their lives
and experiences using visual art.
HUMAN operates in a DYS residential facility and the community
so that girls who become involved
in the art can continue their work
when they are released. The girls
also sell their art and take graphic
arts assignments on commissioned
work such as t-shirts, postcards and
logos. The program recently won
two years of additional funding
from the Massachusetts Cultural
Council.
A testament to the program’s
success is one of its administrators,
Minotte Romulus, 22 — who as
a teenager landed in DYS custody
after stealing a car.
Romulus credits the HUMAN
program for helping to set her on
different path, and away from the
boredom, peer pressure and lack
of positive attention she says contributes to juvenile crime. “I could
never tell anyone how I was feeling
or what I was thinking about. But
putting it on paper made it easier.
It’s better for you to put your anger
on paper than to act it out.”
Where a few years ago Romulus
could not have seen much in the
way of a future for herself, now “I
can see myself working as a graphic
designer in five years.”
Success in juvenile advocacy,
Sherman says, comes from leaving
conventional notions of legal representation behind and investing time
to get to know the young person.
“You have to go beyond representation. You have to know them
so you know what they need,” she
said. “And then you can stand up
and defend them.”