The Boston College
Chronicle
september 21, 2006-vol. 15 no. 2
10 Years Along
Q&A with Boston College
President William P. Leahy, SJ
Ten years ago, Rev. William P.
Leahy, SJ became the 25th president of Boston College. In a recent interview with Chronicle, Fr.
Leahy reflected on his first decade at
the Heights, and offered comments
about BC today and in the future.
A 10-year anniversary is
often a good time for “taking stock.” In what ways do
you think Boston College has
changed since you arrived 10
years ago?
On the academic front, we
have clearly improved in our faculty. We have more endowed
chairs, and we have more faculty
who are not only excellent teachers but also first rate scholars and
researchers. Because of the quality of our faculty, BC’s academic
reputation continues to improve,
AT A GLANCE
Information Technology
prepares for move to
new facility (page 3)
McCain addresses First
Year Convocation (page 4)
Fr. Neenan releases his
2006 ‘Dean’s List’ (page 9)
COMING UP@BC
TODAY: “The Case
Against Darwin,” 7 p.m.,
Robsham Theater
TODAY: “The Color of
Paradise,” 7 p.m., Devlin 026
FRIDAY: “By the Waters of
Babylon: Sacred Songs of
Life, Death and Resurrection,” 7:30 p.m., Gasson 100
See page 12 for more
and I think we are poised to make
even more advances as we focus
on specific areas of the humanities, social and natural sciences,
and our professional schools.
The quality of our students
continues to increase, as well,
thanks to the tremendous efforts
of the admission staff — and
also to the faculty and alumni
— who are engaged in identifying students, interesting them in
BC and then helping us to enroll
them.
Another area in which we’ve
made advances is in the campus
itself. Not only have we acquired
additional land, we’ve also constructed new facilities and updated buildings. The Biology and
Physics departments have much
Continued on page 5
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, concelebrates the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit held last Sunday. In an interview
about his first 10 years at BC [see story at left], Fr. Leahy said he has sensed a “greater comfort level on campus” about discussing “BC’s mission, not only as an academic institution but one with a Jesuit, Catholic heritage.” (Photo by Frank Curran)
BC Scientists Identify Important Chemical Catalyst
New substance could
help in the production
of pharmaceuticals
By Greg Frost
Staff Writer
Boston College chemists have
discovered a substance that will
make it possible for scientists to
produce scores of pharmaceuticals and other chemicals in a
faster, less expensive way.
In a letter published in the
Sept. 7 issue of the journal Nature, a team led by Patricia and
Joseph T. Vanderslice Millennium Professor of Chemistry Amir
Hoveyda and Prof. Marc Snapper
(Chemistry) said they had found
a first-of-its-kind catalyst that
will eliminate several costly and
wasteful steps from the process of
synthesizing certain molecules.
“Our new catalyst will significantly improve the efficiency with
which biologically and medicinally active molecules can be prepared,” said Hoveyda, who is also
chair of the department. “Such
a catalyst, by shortening synthesis routes, will significantly lower
cost and reduce the waste generated in laboratory syntheses.”
The discovery is based on the
concept of chirality, which refers to the two-handed nature of
certain molecules. Many important chemical compounds that
exist in nature or are created by
laboratory scientists come in two,
mirror-image forms – a “left”
and a “right” hand. Some drugs
comprise chiral molecules, which
Continued on page 10
Project on BC Catholic
Tradition Begins in Oct.
By Sean Smith
Chronicle Editor
Boston College’s heritage, and
future, as a Jesuit, Catholic university is at the center of a three-year
project beginning this fall.
Sponsored by the Office of the
Provost, the Catholic Intellectual
Tradition (CIT) initiative will be
launched with a pair of luncheon
discussions on Oct. 3 and 4 in
the Heights Room of Corcoran
Commons.
Organizers stress the importance of faculty participation in a
project that will explore how BC’s
programs and activities reflect its
Jesuit, Catholic character, and detail the opportunities — and obstacles — for strengthening it.
In a recent invitation to academic departments, Provost and
Dean of Faculties Bert Garza —
who had announced the project
at University Convocation earlier
this month — said the idea for
examining the CIT grew out of
conversations with faculty following his arrival at BC last year.
“Among the most salient concerns I encountered in discussions...was the impact of the Jesuit
Continued on page 10
(L-R) The team of Prof. Marc Snapper (Chemistry), graduate students Yu Zhao
and Jason Rodrigo, and Vanderslice Millennium Professor of Chemistry Amir
Hoveyda found a first-of-its-kind catalyst that will eliminate several costly and
wasteful steps from the process of synthesizing certain molecules.
University Offices to Close Early
on Oct. 12 for Football Game
Vice President for Human Resources Leo Sullivan has announced that all Boston College administrative offices will close
at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12, due to the nationally televised
BC-Virginia Tech football game scheduled to take place that
night in Alumni Stadium.
To help with preparations for this event, and to ease potential traffic and parking congestion, all vehicles must be removed
from campus as close to 3 p.m. as possible. Parking needs for
faculty and students attending late afternoon classes will be addressed by the Office of the Provost.
For offices where essential activities must be maintained,
Sullivan said, employees should contact their department heads
for instructions regarding parking after 3 p.m. If an employee is
required to work beyond 3 p.m. on that day, compensatory time
off will be provided and scheduled at a time mutually convenient
to the department and the employee.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
september 21, 2006
AROUND
AROUND
CAMPUS
A Sept. 7 reception celebrated the opening of “Francis Xavier and the Jesuit Missions in the Far East,” an
exhibition of early printed works from the Burns Library’s Jesuitana Collection. Weston Jesuit School of
Theology Professor John O’Malley, SJ (second from right), who presented a talk titled “The First Jesuits:
Books and Exploits” at the event, spoke afterwards with (L-R) Boston College Jesuit Community Rector
Paul Harman, SJ, University Trustee Associate Edward O’Flaherty, SJ, and Provost and Dean of Faculties
Bert Garza. The Francis Xavier exhibition will continue at Burns through Dec. 3. (Photo by Kris Brewer)
Room for improvement
A scene from Pops on the Heights 2001. (File photo by Mike Mergen)
Parents and “Pops”
Two hallmark Boston College traditions will once again be at the
forefront during the weekend of Sept. 29-Oct. 1, with the “Pops on
the Heights” Scholarship Gala and Parents’ Weekend.
The “Pops on the Heights” concert, which takes place in Conte
Forum on Sept. 29, features the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra,
BC student performers and, often, a host of guest stars. This will be
the 14th year for “Pops,” which has raised millions of dollars for the
University’s scholarship fund.
Doors open at 6 p.m. and the concert begins at 8 p.m.
Parents’ Weekend begins earlier in the day on Sept. 29, as mothers, fathers and other family members take the opportunity to follow
their student to Friday classes. In the afternoon, parents can attend
faculty presentations that focus on BC athletics, science and spirituality. University President William P. Leahy, SJ, will conclude the
afternoon with an overview of the University.
On Saturday, families can enjoy a tailgate picnic prior to the BCMaine football game at 1 p.m., and a special liturgy at 10 a.m. on
Sunday in O’Neill Plaza will bring the weekend to a close.
More information on Parents’ Weekend events is available at
www.bc.edu/friends/invest/parents/parentsweekend/.
Sure, late August and early September is a bustling time at
BC, what with some 7,200 undergraduates moving in on campus — often accompanied by a fleet of family members in vans,
station wagons and the occasional rental truck. But from an administrative standpoint, this year’s move-in period was one of
the most successful in recent memory, thanks to a summertime
partnership between Facilities Services and Residential Life.
In past years crews from the various Facilities Services units
would do a sweep of all rooms in each campus residence hall
and repair and clean as needed after Residential Life administrators inspected the facilities and documented the needs.
But this summer, under the leadership of Quality Assurance Manager Dan Roderick and Assistant Director of Operations and Summer Housing Fran Grabowski, BC completely
overhauled and improved the process. Teams from both departments, with the assistance of student employees, joined
together and simultaneously worked to inspect, catalog and
determine each room’s needs.
The result: residence halls that were better prepared for
returning students in September.
“It definitely helped make a difference this year in that it
set the tone early in the summer,” said Director of Residential
Life Henry Humphreys. “There wasn’t a mad dash to get everything done in August.”
“It was a joint effort and seemed to work pretty well,”
said Grabowski, who had high praise for the staffs from both
departments. “Everyone on the Facilities and Residential Life
staff worked very hard to get the results we had.”
Roderick and Grabowski said that they learned a lot under
the new program this summer and hope to streamline and
economize the summer inspection process in the future.
—SG
Drive time
Correction
An article in the Sept. 8 Chronicle about First Year
Convocation misidentified the 2004 guest speaker,
Dr. Paul Farmer. Chronicle regrets the error.
The American Red Cross of Boston College will hold another campus blood drive Sept. 25-27, from 2-8 p.m. each day
in Gasson 100.
You can sign up to donate by e-mailing redcross_bc@yahoo.
com or calling ext.2-9075 with your preferred date and time.
For more information, eligibility requirements and other
details on giving blood, see www.givelife.com.
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
Gary Gilbert
Lee Pellegrini
The Boston College Chronicle
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T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
september 21, 2006
IT Administrators Tout
New Data Center
Set to open next month,
facility predicted to
enhance tech resources
By Stephen Gawlik
Staff Writer
The opening of Boston College’s new data center next month
will better enable the University to
harness its information technology
resources, support faculty research,
and secure and bolster critical information systems, according to
administrators.
The center, located in an area
been the north and south wings of
St. Clement’s Hall on the Brighton Campus, will provide Boston
College with far greater systems
and data management than is possible in its current facility, located
atop O’Neill Library.
Information Technology Services (ITS) administrators and
staff will spend the next month
moving into the facility, a tricky
task considering the fact that managers have set a goal of keeping
service outages to a minimum.
(See sidebar below).
Along with the data center, sev-
eral key ITS offices will relocate to
St. Clements from other locations
across the University.
“With this center we will be
able to offer all of our users – students, faculty, and staff - far greater support for their computational
needs while controlling costs,” said
Vice President for Information
Technology Marian Moore. “This
is a benefit to everyone.”
As computers become ever less
expensive, and more ubiquitous in
every function of the University,
says Associate Vice President for
Information Technology Michael
Bourque, it is the data – from every e-mail to every financial record
- that has become more valuable
and must therefore be protected,
managed and stored as needed.
“In terms of our reliability
and capabilities to adapt to changing needs, this puts us at a whole
new level,” said Bourque, who has
overseen the planning, development and now occupation of the
facility.
Bourque said the facility in
O’Neill was not adaptable to the
University’s changing needs and
was difficult to manage. Three
power outages occurring within 18
Transition Will Necessitate
Outages of InfoTech Services
Throughout the month of October, the Boston College Data
Center and many Information Technology Services personnel
will move to the new location on Brighton Campus, which will
have an impact on the University’s computer and information
technology resources.
ITS has scheduled outages of some services Oct. 6-9 and
Oct. 20-22.
During the Columbus Day weekend, Oct. 6-9, most systems,
including e-mail, Agora and voicemail, will be unavailable. A
smaller number of systems will be affected during the October
20-22 move.
For a detailed schedule of the move, including news of any
planned outages, plus a list of frequently asked questions about
the move, see www.bc.edu/unplugged.
Clippings
(L-R) Vice President for Information Technology Marian Moore and Information Technology Services administrators Leo
Chaharyn, Paulo Jacome and Michael Bourque in the University’s new data center, which occupies a space once used as a
chapel. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
months made it clear that a new
center was needed, he said.
“It also gives us room to grow,”
said Moore. “We have planned
expansion space when it becomes
necessary.”
Moore said that the center
helps to make Boston College
more competitive with similar research universities. IT administrators from other Atlantic Coast
Conference universities recently
toured the new facility and were
quite impressed, she adds.
“This data center stacks up very
well with, or even a little above,
the level of our peers,” she said.
The data center is comprised
of a two-tiered 4,500 square foot
room, the lower level of which
will be home to numerous racks
on which several hundred servers
will reside. Administrators say the
facility layout can accommodate
future growth.
The servers handle such tasks
as hosting Web pages, managing
e-mail systems and running databases, and will be supported by
a complex network and robotic
tape complex to meet storage and
backup needs.
IT’s new facility also must accommodate the many miles of
data and power cables necessary
for the computers to function, as
well as six industrial strength air
conditioners that compensate for
the heat generated by the many
servers.
“It’s like a calculus problem: As
computing power changes so do
“It’s like a calculus
problem: As computing
power changes so do the
requirements for electricity, air conditioning and
floor space.”
—Michael Bourque
the requirements for electricity,
air conditioning and floor space,”
he said.
A key feature to the new facility
is a 1,500-kilowatt diesel generator, which will enable the center
to remain operational even in the
face of a long-term unexpected
power outage. Another feature is
the high-speed dual fiber optic line
running in a loop from St. Clement’s Hall to the Newton Campus
and to the Main Campus; if any
section of the lines fail, its traffic
will be automatically rerouted.
“What’s most important is that
it’s a space that’s been designed as
a data center,” said Bourque. “The
O’Neill Library data center was
designed before the era of network
computing.”
Bourque praised the efforts and
expertise of BC Facilities Management and ITS professionals such
Construction Manager Thomas
Runyon and Director of Systems
and Operations Leo Chaharyn, as
well as the Network Services and
Systems teams, for their contributions to the new data center.
“We are greatly served by the
experience they brought to the
table in making this happen,” said
Bourque. “This has been a fantastic team effort.”
A unique feature about the data
center is that it occupies a space
once used as a chapel when the
Archdiocese of Boston housed a
college seminary in St. Clement’s.
Moore says she realized immediately that the former chapel was
the best place for the data center.
Project administrators made it a
priority to preserve the chapel’s
stained glass windows, which was
accomplished by installing new
glass around them to maintain
energy efficiency.
“We are one of only a few data
centers in the world with stained
glass windows,” laughed Bourque.
“When the wind was right, you didn’t want to be in that area.”
—University Historian Thomas H. O’Connor, Boston Globe, commenting on Brighton’s 19th-century status as a major center of the cattle industry.
“When politicians try to manipulate them, Americans frequently respond not by informing themselves about events but by concluding that
they were correct to distrust politicians in the first place. This creates a vicious cycle in which ignorance breeds manipulation that then justifies further ignorance. Why pay attention to politics, Americans ask themselves, if politicians are just going to ignore what we want?”
—Center for Religion and American Public Life Director Prof. Alan Wolfe (Political Science), Los Angeles Times
“They think in unusual ways, they solve problems in unusual ways. And one of the ways in which they’re unusual is that they learn things
almost completely on their own. They soak it up on their own, the way a typical child soaks up language on his own, when he’s learning
his first language.”
—Prof. Eileen Winner (Psychology), “CNN Newsroom,” on child prodigies.
“As long as reasonable minds can differ on whether the epoxy could hold, then it’s going to be very hard to prove.’’
—Prof. Robert Bloom (Law), Boston Herald, on whether Big Dig officials could be prosecuted for gross negligence or recklessness stemming from the fatal collapse of a ceiling panel in the I-90 Seaport Connector Tunnel.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
september 21, 2006
First Year Convocation
McCain Says US Must
Hold Onto Values in War
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
“We need not and we must
not sacrifice our values in the war
on terrorism,” US Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told members of
Boston College’s Class of 2010
during the keynote address at the
University’s First Year Academic
Convocation at Conte Forum on
Monday night.
“We cannot win the war if we
do,” said McCain, a presidential candidate in the 2000 election and former prisoner of war
in Vietnam. “And, we will lose
something far more precious, our
political soul.
“We must represent to the
world – even in perilous times
when we confront enemies who
share none of our values, who
scorn the rights to life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness, values
that ennoble our history - we
must always show that world that
those values are dearer to us than
anything; that they are dearer than
life itself.”
McCain’s address to an audience of 2,250 freshmen and
an additional 2,000 members of
the University community capped
BC’s third annual First Year Convocation ceremony, which included a class barbecue and the First
Flight Procession, a torchlit walk
by the Class of 2010 across campus from Linden Lane to Conte
Forum. The procession is a centuries-old Jesuit academic tradition
in keeping with the exhortation of
Jesuit founder St. Ignatius Loyola:
“Go set the world aflame.”
McCain greeted the students
as they processed down Higgins
Stairs and entered Conte Forum.
“I truly believe that Sen. McCain focused our students upon
the essential mission of undergraduate education,” said Rev. Jo-
seph Marchese, director of First
Year Experience. “It has always
been the tradition of liberal arts
colleges that they speak not only
of intellectual life but also of the
grooming of citizens, not only for
a particular nation, but also for
the world.
“He invoked an enthusiastic
response from the students to
be involved in that mission,” Fr.
Marchese said.
“The whole day was special,”
said resident assistant Caitlin Corrieri ’07 of Clinton, Mass., who
attended the convocation events
with her students from Hardey
Hall.
In recent weeks, McCain has
been a vocal critic of the Bush
administration’s interpretation of
Geneva Convention guidelines for
treatment of war prisoners.
“I believe that even though
captured al-Qaeda members who
would never afford us any protection of our rights – on the contrary they despise all human rights
– and even though they are in fact
evil, we must be fair in our treatment and stand by the standards
of our values, not theirs.” McCain
said.
“It’s not about them. It’s about
us,” he said.
McCain, a former Naval aviator, was held prisoner in Vietnam
for more than six years after his
aircraft was shot down over Hanoi in 1967. He and his fellow
prisoners were often tortured for
information while they were held
in captivity.
“I served with men of extraordinary character,” he said. “Often
they were tortured and compelled
to make statements criticizing our
country and the cause that we had
been asked to serve.”
But many of these men, McCain said, resisted their captors’
demands, and assurances that no
Monday’s First Year Academic Convocation began with the First Flight Procession through campus and down the Higgins
Stairs to Conte Forum. Below, guest speaker US Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) answers questions from the audience.
Photos by Suzanne Camarata
one would ever know of their
acquiesence, by declaring “I will
know.”
“Those days were long ago, but
not so long ago that I have forgotten their purpose or their reward,”
McCain continued. “This is your
chance to make history,” he told
the first year students. “I wish you
more than good luck; I wish you
the most important thing in the
world. I wish that you always hear
the voice in your own heart as you
face the hard decisions in your
life, to hear it say to you again and
again, until it drowns out every
other thought:
“I will know. I will know. I will
know.”
McCain’s address drew three
standing ovations from the audience. “I really thought it was
meaningful,” said Patrick Cassidy,
a freshman from Milwaukee. “He
gave us some great hope for our
country,” added Sam Hay ’10,
from Charlotte, NC. “Our goal is
to make a difference.”
“It was a great way to start,”
added freshman Brittany Lewis of
Lockport, NY.
Jesuit Speaker Series Begins Sept. 26
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
Students from Duschesne West residence hall await the start of the procession
from Linden Lane.
A three-part lecture series focusing on Jesuit values
in contemporary life will begin
next Tuesday with Center for
Ignatian Spirituality Director
Julio Giulietti, SJ, speaking on
“Christian Spirituality Today:
An Ignatian Vision.”
Fr. Giulietti’s lecture will take
place in Gasson 305, starting at
7 p.m.
Additional lectures in the
series, which commemorates
anniversaries of several of the
founding members of the Society of Jesus, will be held on Oct.
17, when Boston Institute for
Psychotherapy Fellow Tim Kochems presents “Loving Those
With Whom We Work: A Psychoanalytical and Spiritual Vision” in McGuinn Hall’s fifth
floor lounge; and on Nov. 7 when
Saint Louis University Institute of
Jesuit Sources Director Rev. John
W. Padberg, SJ, will speak on “Jesuits and Friends: Looking to the
Future” in the Heights Room of
Corcoran Commons.
Admission is free for all events.
The series marks the 450th anniversary of the death of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the
Society of Jesus and the 500th
anniversary of the birth of two of
the best-known early Jesuits, St.
Francis Xavier and Blessed Peter
Faber.
The three Jesuit anniversaries
occurring this year provide a special impetus for a look at Ignatian
spirituality in the modern world,
says Fr. Giulietti. “The ‘triple anniversary’ commemorates the spiritual and cultural vitality of three
renaissance Jesuits living in a time
when humanity was moving from
centuries of darkness toward
hope and exploration. Each of
them responded in a way meaningful to that hope.
“They were at the forefront
of the Jesuit vision that inspired
the genesis of Boston College
300 years later,” he says. “Our
University values its Catholic
intellectual tradition and feels
the spiritual and humanistic energies that are part of the Jesuit
tradition.”
These Jesuit values remain
an important solution for the
complexities of modern life, Fr.
Giulietti says. “So many of our
students and colleagues are seeking to understand how spirituality and the human sciences can
enhance their day-to-day lives.
“Each of the three talks focuses on human development
– the desire for meaning, connectedness with God and service
to others.”
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
september 21, 2006
Gary Gilbert
10 Years Along
Q&A with University President William P. Leahy, SJ
Continued from page 1
improved teaching and research
areas. The departments of Philosophy, Theology, History, and
Economics are in new space in 21
Campanella Way, and we have
constructed another residential facility for upper classmen on Lower
Campus and renovated our freshman residence halls on both the
Newton and Upper Campuses.
And a particularly important
development: We’re more comfortable talking about aspects of
BC’s mission, not only as an academic institution but one with
a Jesuit, Catholic heritage. Our
Office of Mission and Ministry
is active on this front — its Intersections seminar program will
involve 120 faculty and staff this
year, for example. I also think
there’s a greater comfort level on
campus in general in discussing
our mission, and understanding it
as not only an intellectual one, but
also one with social aspects and
Jesuit and Catholic dimensions.
I would say the biggest accomplishments of the past 10 years
tie into those changes and developments. But in the end, BC’s
success comes down to students
teach and be engaged with and
advise their students, whether undergraduate or graduate.
I also think it important that
faculty have dreams, a drive within
to expand the bounds of knowledge; that their pursuit of truth so
animates them that they inspire
students to ask similar kinds of
questions and engage in similar
quests.
In my experience, great faculty not only are people alive
with enthusiasm for their particular discipline, but also care deeply
about their students and challenge
them.
It’s important that faculty be
university citizens, that they care
about the future of Boston College. Everybody at BC has a responsibility for its future. The best
departments are the ones where
the faculty have a plan and commitment to the continued improvement of their unit.
As you look ahead, what are
BC’s biggest challenges?
There are several great challenges for BC.
First, to make sure that our
Jesuit, Catholic heritage remains
faculty cohort of the University
will change dramatically because
of retirements in the next decade.
That puts more pressure on us
to hand on our intellectual and
religious tradition to new people,
who often come here without
knowing much about BC and its
heritage, but fortunately who are
willing and eager to learn about
Boston College.
Second, financial resources.
While we’re thankful for the support we receive from alumni, we
also know that the percentage of
alumni who give annually has
largely remained static during the
past decade. Our alumni clearly
have a deep affection for BC, and
want to have the next generations
benefit from the BC education
that so shaped their lives. We
have to do a better job of finding ways to engage alumni, to
appeal to them and say, “Give
succeeding generations the chance
you had. Keep BC a school that
is need-blind and meets the full
demonstrated financial need of
all accepted students, so our admission programs can continue
focusing on attracting the very
Fr. Leahy with 2006 Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship winner Alexandria Bradshaw ‘07: “We want our students to recognize
their gifts, develop their talents for others and understand their call to act responsibly in life.” (File photo by Justin Knight)
making the most of their opportunities on campus to grow
intellectually and personally, to
faculty excelling in their various
disciplines, to administrators doing their jobs day in and day out,
and to alumni, parents and friends
who have committed time, great
interest, and dollars to Boston
College.
You’ve stressed many times
the importance of faculty to
Boston College. What do you
think are the qualities of a successful BC faculty member?
We have high expectations
for our faculty: We want them
to be strong teachers, quality researchers, and generous in service,
whether it’s to their profession or
the wider community. We want
them to have the best possible
preparation for their position at
BC, and to have the desire to
vital on campus. The number of
Jesuit faculty and administrators
continues to decrease, and so does
the number of individuals knowledgeable about and committed
to our intellectual and religious
tradition. The administrative and
“I also think it important
that faculty have dreams,
a drive within to expand
the bounds of knowledge;
that their pursuit of truth
so animates them that they
inspire students to ask similar kinds of questions and
engage in similar quests.”
best students.”
An additional challenge is
to prepare the next generations
of Catholics for service to the
Church, especially helping to renew the Catholic community in
the US and around the world.
We’re not a parish; we don’t have
a catechical function, but we certainly have intellectual engagement and formation opportunities
to help our students to understand
they have a calling, a vocation to
live. We need to challenge our
students to develop their talents,
and to go forth and help the world
deal with significant issues and
problems. We’d like them to act
responsibly while they’re here, but
we also want them to be agents of
change for the rest of their lives.
Look at it this way: Why did
the Society of Jesus start schools?
Continued on page 8
Impressive Numbers, High
Praise Mark First 10 Years
It has been a remarkable decade for Boston College and its president,
Rev. William P. Leahy, SJ.
Since taking the helm as BC’s 25th president in July 1996, Fr. Leahy
has presided over an institution that has solidified its position among
the nation’s best and most selective national universities.
During that time, BC’s endowment, sponsored research grants and
student financial aid have all doubled. One hundred full-time faculty
positions have been added, student applications have increased by more
than 10,000, the percentage of applicants accepted has improved from
41 to 29 percent and SAT scores have risen by nearly 100 points to
1325.
This rise in academic strength is reflected in the number of students
who have earned prestigious academic fellowships over the past decade,
including BC’s first two Rhodes Scholarships, 80 Fulbright Grants,
10 Goldwater Scholarships, eight Beckman Scholarships, six Truman
Scholarships, three Marshall Scholarships, two Churchill Scholarships
and a Gates-Cambridge Scholarship, among others, totaling more than
150 fellowships since 1996.
In addition, AHANA representation among students has climbed
from 18 to 25 percent and annual gifts to the University have tripled to
$76 million. The University’s endowment has reached $1.4 billion and
BC has become one of only 30 need-blind universities in the United
States to meet the full financial need of all accepted students.
Over the past 10 years, Boston College has doubled its total acreage,
acquiring more than 120 acres of land including 47 purchased across
Commonwealth Avenue from the Archdiocese of Boston and a 78-acre
retreat center purchased in nearby Dover. It has added 35 buildings,
including new facilities for physics and biology, which have enabled
it to quietly transform itself into an internationally respected research
university that emphasizes a student-centered liberal arts education.
This year, boosted by an increase in its academic reputation score,
Boston College rose in the US News rankings to 34th among national
universities, its highest position to date, and was named one of the
“New Ivies” in a first-time ranking by Newsweek magazine.
“Fr. Leahy is a man of great wisdom and judgment who has led
Boston College into a greater position of excellence than at any time in
its history,” said Board of Trustees Chairman emeritus John M. Connors, Jr. “He has done so by demonstrating skilled leadership, building
a strong team and staying as far away from any credit as possible.
He spends every day living up to the University’s motto ‘Ever to
Excel.’”
Observers agree that Fr. Leahy has also managed to strengthen BC’s
distinctive Jesuit, Catholic mission and character. His efforts to help
renew and revitalize the Catholic Church in the wake of the clergy
sexual abuse crisis through the Church in the 21st Century initiative
drew wide acclaim and have positioned him as one of the nation’s most
respected college presidents on Catholic issues.
“I have been most impressed by how Fr. Leahy has so very successfully combined his deep commitment to Boston College with generous
service, first as Chair of the Board of the Association of Jesuit Colleges
and Universities (AJCU), and now of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU),” said AJCU President Charles Currie,
SJ.
“Even more important has been his leadership role in responding to
the contemporary crisis in the Church, by developing the very effective
Church in the 21st Century project, a great service to Boston and to
the Church at large. Both at Boston College and in his other responsibilities, Fr. Leahy has a knack for getting to the heart of problems and
Continued on page 7
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
september 21, 2006
The Decade At a Glance
1997
vFr. Leahy announces that the
University will invest $260 million
to strengthen academic personnel,
programs and resources over the
next five years.
vThe Center for Ignatian Spirituality is established to help members
of the BC community explore the
relationship between faith, the Ignatian educational tradition and
their lives at BC.
vThe Commission on Institutions
of Higher Education of the New
England Association of Schools
and Colleges formally reaccredits
Boston College, citing in particular the University’s astute management and evident commitment to
its Jesuit mission.
1998
vFr. Leahy names Rev. Joseph
Appleyard, SJ, as vice president
for University Mission and Ministry to promote Boston College’s
distinctive academic and societal
mission as a Catholic and Jesuit
university.
Catholic institution in the U.S. to
make the top 15.
vBC is ranked among the nation’s
top five major NCAA schools in
student-athlete graduation rates,
according to the NCAA’s annual
graduation survey.
vThe international student and
faculty population reaches an alltime high time of 952 (from 102
different countries), an increase of
22 percent over 1998 and 57 percent over a decade ago.
vThe nation’s leading financial
regulators and high-tech executives,
including Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, convenes on
campus for a major summit on
“The New Economy.”
vBoston College and The Atlantic Monthly launches the nation’s
first series of public discussions of
religious belief and non-belief in
contemporary American life.
among students and to encourage
them to integrate faith into their
career choices, and the Center for
Christian-Jewish Learning, which
aims to promote new relationships
and mutual understanding between
Christians and Jews.
cial and gifted education.
vBC Athletics earns significant national recognition: Shannon Smith
’01, a member of BC’s Women’s
Track team, became BC’s first
women’s national champion when
she wins the NCAA 3000-meter
title; in Men’s Ice Hockey, the
Eagles win Boston College’s first
national championship in 52 years,
and Men’s Basketball Coach Al
Skinner is named “National Coach
of the Year” by ESPN, Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News.
2003
2002
vThe University draws national
attention with the announcement
of its two-year “Church in the 21st
Century” initiative, which made
Boston College the first univer-
1999
vBC’s endowment tops the $1
billion mark.
The atrium of the renovated Higgins Hall, one of many improvements made to BC’s
facilities during the past decade. (Photo by Gary Gilbert)
vThe Boston College Center for
Irish Programs in Dublin formally
opens, solidifying BC as the leading
American university in Ireland.
vThe McMullen Museum of Art
strengthens its place among the
nation’s finest university museums
with the exhibition “Saints and
Sinners: Caravaggio and the Baroque Image,” which draws 66,000
visitors.
vBoston College Libraries is invited to join the Association of Research Libraries, which represents
more than 120 of the major research libraries in North America.
vThe University holds its first
annual campus-wide Arts Festival,
open to BC students, faculty, staff,
alumni and neighboring communities.
vTwenty-five percent of entering
freshmen have SAT scores above
1380, placing them among the
top three percent of college-bound
seniors nationally.
vBC’s Chief Executives Club of
Boston, sponsored by the Carroll
School of Management, is named
the top speaking forum for business
executives in the United States.
vSome 1,500 student volunteers
participate in service trips to Boston, Appalachia, Nicaragua,
El Salvador, Jamaica and other
settings in the U.S. and abroad. In
total, BC students provide approximately 80,000 hours of volunteer
community service per year.
vBoston College is ranked fourth
among private national universities
in applications for the freshman
class entering in 2000, the only
vBoston College’s “Ever to Excel” capital campaign concludes,
significantly surpassing its goal of
$300 million. The six-year fundraising drive, the most ambitious in
the University’s history, generates
more than $441 million in gifts
from more than 90,000 donors.
vThe University sees a surge in
graduate enrollment: figures in
the Law School, Lynch Graduate
School of Education and the Carroll Graduate School of Management set new records, while the
Graduate School of Social Work,
Connell School of Nursing and
College of Arts and Sciences postgraduate programs see significant
enrollment increases over the previous year.
vFormal opening of the Boston
College Club in downtown Boston.
2000
vBrett T. Huneycutt ’03 and
Paul A. Taylor ’04 become Boston
College’s first-ever Rhodes Scholars, crowning a year in which BC
students win a school-record of
14 Fulbright Grants, as well as a
Marshall Scholarship, a Truman
Scholarship, a Gates/Cambridge
Scholarship and a Goldwater
Scholarship.
vFr. Leahy announces the University’s decision to accept an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast
Conference, considered the foremost athletic conference in the
nation.
vBoston College is one of two
universities nationwide chosen by
the Social Security Administration
to host a Center for Retirement
Research. The center is directed by
Alicia Munnell, a former member
of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers.
vThe Boisi Center for Religion
and American Public Life, directed
by renowned author and public intellectual Alan Wolfe, becomes the
first academic center in the nation
created specifically to address the
relationship between religion and
public policy.
vFr. Leahy announces plans for
a major strategic planning effort
to set long-term institutional goals
and priorities and build upon existing strengths.
2001
vBoston College launches “Intersections,” a program designed
to promote vocational discernment
sity in the nation to commit its
academic resources to a long-term
response to the clergy sexual abuse
crisis in the Catholic Church. An
audience of more than 4,000 attends the C21 opening forum in
September.
vThe Council of Women for Boston College is established to heighten women graduates’ involvement
with the University.
vBoston College is named one of
the “12 Hottest Schools” by Kaplan/Newsweek.
vThe University is cited among
the nation’s top 20 college sports
programs by US News and World
Report, in a survey based on win/
loss records, number of sports offered, graduation rate of student
athletes, and compliance.
vLynch School of Education researchers co-author two major national studies, one of child care in
the Welfare Reform Era and the
other of minority students in spe-
vThe student group Allies of Boston College is approved to provide support for and address issues
concerning sexual orientation on
campus.
vBoston College is named a
“Teachers for a New Era” school
by the Carnegie Corporation.
The initiative, also supported by
the Annenberg and Ford foundations, is designed to improve
both children’s learning and overall
school effectiveness by developing
state-of-the-art, university-based
teacher education programs across
the U.S.
vBoston College researchers
launch the first professional journal dedicated to exploring higher
education issues in Africa.
2004
vFr. Leahy announces that Boston
College will purchase 43 acres and
several buildings from the Archdiocese of Boston, the largest campus
addition since the acquisition of
the former Newton College of the
Sacred Heart 30 years ago. Also
in 2004, the University purchases
the St. Stephen’s Priory in Dover,
Mass., a 78.5-acre property situated on the Charles River.
vThe University announces that
the groundbreaking two-year
Church in the 21st Century initiative launched in 2002 will become
permanent, and the Church in the
21st Century Center is established
to house the initiative.
vBoston College is numbered
among the top producers of Fulbright Awards for students by The
Chronicle of Higher Education.
vBC’s Graduate School of Social
Work announces the creation of a
new national social work research
center dedicated to improving the
quality of supports and services for
the elderly and persons with disabilities. The Center for the Study
of Home & Community Life is
headed by Prof. Kevin Mahoney,
program director of Cash & Counseling, a groundbreaking program
in which disabled Medicaid consumers decide for themselves how
their personal assistance needs will
be met.
vThe BC Economics Department
is ranked one of the top 25 in the
United States in a survey published
by the Journal of the European Economic Association and based on the
number of contributions by faculty
researchers to the field’s elite professional journals.
vA satellite camera that BC scientists helped build records auroras
more than 500 miles above the
Earth’s surface, a far higher altitude
than previously believed possible.
Also, BC physics researchers team
on a microscopic antenna that captures visible light and could significantly advance the conversion
of solar energy into electricity; and
a BC chemist is named by MIT
Technology Review to its list of the
world’s 100 Top Young Innovators.
vA national study by Lynch
School of Education researchers
shows that fewer American students are reaching 10th grade and
that US high school graduation
rates are showing major declines,
especially in some of the nation’s
largest states.
vMore than 2,500 business leaders
convene on campus for BC’s 2004
Finance Conference on Wealth
and Work in the 21st Century,
with Federal Reserve Chairman
Alan Greenspan heading the list of
keynote speakers.
vThe BC Eagles are ranked in
the nation’s top five by the NCAA
Graduation Rates Report, which
shows that 86 percent of scholarship student-athletes who entered
Boston College as freshmen in
1997 received their degrees, one
of the top academic success records
among the nation’s 117 Division
1-A football-playing schools.
2005
vBC students launch the University’s first-ever undergraduate
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
september 21, 2006
Hallmarks of a Decade
1995-96
Endowment
$590 million
$1.4 billion
Operating Budget
$341 million
$618 million
Full-time faculty
586
662
$106,700
$159,783
Student applications
16,501
26,584
Applicants accepted
41 percent
Faculty compensation (full
Fr. Leahy and Boston Archbishop Sean O’Malley, OFM, Cap, at the 2004 press conference
announcing BC’s acquisition of 43 acres and several buildings from the Archdiocese of
Boston, now known as the University’s Brighton Campus. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
research journal, an outgrowth of
the Boston College Undergraduate
Faculty Research Fellows Program,
which offers talented underclassmen the chance to work side-byside with faculty on cutting-edge
research.
vThe University announces the
establishment of the Boston College Center for Human Rights and
International Justice, which draws
on resources from BC’s College
of Arts & Sciences and schools of
education and law; The Winston
Center for Leadership and Ethics
in the Carroll School of Management, to engage business leaders, faculty and students in ethical
training and leadership formation;
and an interdisciplinary Jewish
Studies Program, among the first
of its kind at an American Catholic
university.
vBoston College welcomes
to campus 150 students whose
schools were closed in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina.
vBC Irish Studies researchers
launch the nation’s first on-line database for tracking “lost” 19th and
early 20th Century Irish emigrants
to the U.S.
vBoston College is cited among
the leading national universities in
offering educational opportunities
to AHANA students, according to
a study assessing minority enrollment in American higher education.
2006
vUndergraduate
applications
to the University top the 26,000
mark. That figure, the highest in
University history, represented an
increase of almost 12 percent over
last year's total of 23,823, the previous high-water mark. BC has set
a new record for undergraduate
applications almost every year in
the past decade, and consistently
ranks among the top private universities nationally for applications
received.
vThe University is named to the
“New Ivies” list, introduced for
the first time this year by Kaplan/Newsweek, which includes
“colleges whose first-rate academic
programs, combined with a population boom in top students, have
fueled their rise in stature and favor
among the nation’s top students,
administrators and faculty -- edg-
ing them to a competitive status
rivaling the Ivy League.” Boston
College also advances to 34th in
the U.S. News & World Report
annual rankings, its highest placement to date.
vBoston College signs a formal
letter of intent to re-affiliate with
Weston Jesuit School of Theology, a move that would boost the
University’s already considerable
Jesuit community and enhance its
resources in Catholic and Jesuit
theology.
vFr. Leahy announces a groundbreaking partnership among Boston College, the Archdiocese of
Boston and St. Columbkille Parish
to assist the financially troubled
St. Columbkille School in AllstonBrighton. The agreement represents the first collaboration of its
kind between a Catholic university
and a parochial school in the U.S.
vThe University announces the
nation’s first graduate degree in
Church management, a cooperative venture between the Institute
for Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry and Carroll School
of Management in response to a
growing need for business-trained
leaders in the Catholic Church.
vPhysicists at Boston College
show for the first time that carbon
nanotubes can be stretched at high
temperature to nearly four times
their original length, a finding that
could have implications for future
semiconductor design as well as in
the development of new nanocomposites.
vAspiring cancer researcher Elizabeth O’Day ’06 achieves what no
2005-06
professor rank with benefits)
Average SAT score of entering freshmen
1,248
Percent, AHANA students
18
29 percent
1,325
25
Student financial aid
$47.5 million
$100.8 million
Total gifts received
$24.6 million
$76.4 million
Total acreage
157
278
Buildings
88
124
Research grants
one at Boston College — and few,
if any, at other universities — has
done, winning five of the nation’s
most coveted academic awards
for her scientific research: Beckman and Goldwater fellowships,
a Winston Churchill Scholarship
to study at Cambridge University,
a Fulbright grant and a National
Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.
vBC’s Center for Retirement Research gains international attention
with its National Retirement Risk
Index, which showed that many
Americans are ill-prepared for retirement.
vBoston College receives a record
$44.4 million in support of research and sponsored projects.
vA national summit on ways to
stem the tide of closing K-12 Catholic schools is hosted on campus.
Fr. Leahy with Tim Russert prior to a special “Church in the 21st Century” event in
2003. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
$18 million
$44 million
BC Makes Solid Progress
Continued from page 5
issues and suggesting creative solutions. Perhaps what I appreciate
most is his availability when needed. I and other presidents very
much value his service.”
Locally, that same willingness
“Fr. Leahy’s 10-year tento address societal challenges has
ure as president of Boston
earned Boston College praise for
its role in saving St. Columbkille’s
College has been marked by
School, the last Catholic elemena style that is both competary school in Boston’s Brighton
neighborhood, and for its outreach
tent and visionary. While
to the City of Boston through BC’s
he has a clear idea of where
Connect Five Initiative, the AllstonBrighton Community Grants and
Boston College needs to go,
work on behalf of Boston’s innerhe has utilized an inclusive
city Catholic schools.
“By supporting many partnerprocess that has been both
ships with the City of Boston, and
pragmatic and effective.
reaching out to its schools both
public and parochial, Fr. Leahy
He has demonstrated what
has strengthened BC’s reputation
you want most in a CEO...
as a trusted partner in the community,” said Boston Mayor Thomas
integrity based on strongly
Menino. “I want to congratulate
held values.”
Fr. Leahy on 10 successful years as
president of Boston College.”
—Patrick T. Stokes
Most recently, Fr. Leahy and
the University have worked to develop a new strategic plan that will
guide BC’s growth in quality and
scope over the next decade. The new plan, which will be finalized later this
year, promises to best position Boston College to fulfill its seven strategic
directions — including its ambitions of becoming the leader in liberal arts
education among American universities, and the world’s foremost Catholic University and theological center.
“Fr. Leahy’s 10-year tenure as president of Boston College has been
marked by a style that is both competent and visionary,” said Boston College Board of Trustees Chairman Patrick T. Stokes, president and CEO
of Anheuser Busch Companies Inc. “While he has a clear idea of where
Boston College needs to go, he has utilized an inclusive process that has
been both pragmatic and effective. He has demonstrated what you
want most in a CEO...integrity based on strongly held values.”
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
september 21, 2006
spiritual component built
into service experiences is
so important.
Another way to respond to entitlement is
through religious retreats.
Students in America are
so busy, so caught up in
the various realities of
their lives, they often do
not take time to reflect, to
listen to themselves and
give God a chance.
When we can take the
focus off self and onto
the transcendent and the
needs of others, it leads to
a healthier perspective.
One of Boston ColNovember, 2003: Paul A. Taylor, second from left, one of BC’s first two Rhodes Scholars
lege’s most well received
(along with Brett T. Huneycutt), with (L-R) University Fellowships Committee chairman
initiatives in recent years
Prof. Donald Hafner (Political Science), Rourke Professor of Physics Kevin Bedell and Fr.
has been The Church in
Leahy. (Photo by Gary Gilbert)
the 21st Century. What’s
made
it
successful? How does it
It was to influence the wider cul- high expectations, given what fit into BC’s mission?
ture through its graduates. So, they’re paying for college now. It
Our C21 initiative is part of
whether the students are Catho- comes out of wanting the best for the long history of the Church relic, Christian, members of other their children. But I think there sponding to issues of the day, and
faiths, or unsure if they believe in are times when we have to say, needs of the wider community. In
God, we want to call upon all of “We can’t meet all of those de- its 2,000-year history, the Church
them to look at what they believe sires. They’re not appropriate for has faced major problems, such
and why they believe, and see how us.” We have to say, “The focus as the bubonic plague and the
that moral compass affects their should be on using gifts for others, French Revolution. Now the US
not just for self.”
future directions.
It’s back to that calling: helping Catholic Church has critical isYou’ve heard the concern exsues facing it. In terms of personpressed by some as to how Bos- others, not just accumulating. The nel, priests and nuns are declining
ton College can remain true to Gospel says, “What we receive as in number, and aging. And we
its roots as a Boston, Catholic a gift we should give as a gift.” have seen the devastating effects
institution yet aspire to be a When we talk about formation, of clerical sexual abuse.
leading national university that how we want to form our students
Boston College is in a position
attracts the country’s best stu- – not indoctrinate, not coerce where it can assist the Church
dents. How do you reconcile – we do have expectations and — and given the resources and
goals. We want our students to
these aims?
commitment in a place like BC,
The mission of Boston College recognize their gifts, develop their we have not only the ability but
has evolved over the years. In the talents for others and understand the obligation to do so. We were
Civil War period, BC began as a their call to act responsibly in life. once a struggling school that relied
Our students who go on serplace to provide Catholic educaon the generosity of the Church as
tion for children of immigrants
an institution and on individual
— not solely, but mainly. In the
“Students in America are
Catholics. Now we have an opsucceeding decades, BC still had
portunity to give back to that
so busy, so caught up in the
a largely Catholic focus and it
Catholic community that has so
was local; students commuted to
various realities of their
shaped us. So much of the renewal
school for the most part.
of the Catholic Church in the US
lives, they often do not take
As American society has
will be shaped by what happens
changed, so has the challenge for
time to reflect, to listen to
on the campuses of Catholic inBC. The University maintains its
stitutions and through the talents
themselves and give God a
interest in and its links to Boston,
and commitment of their alumni.
but the needs of the Catholic
chance. When we can take
Through the past four years
Church and the society around it
of
C21, I’ve found that though
the focus off self and onto
have evolved. There is a legitimate
people have questions and issues
expectation of BC to help prepare
the transcendent and the
about the institutional Church,
the next generation of leaders for
they still consider themselves part
needs of others, it leads to
not only the Catholic community
of the Catholic faith community,
but also wider society.
a healthier perspective.”
and their faith is still very much
Our mission has evolved bealive. It’s the institutional expresyond the local and regional — it’s
sion of that faith which needs to
even moved past the national.
be strengthened.
Our international outlook, I beThis is why initiatives like C21
lieve, fits with what St. Ignatius vice trips often come from homes are so vital to the future of the
wanted Jesuit schools to do, which that are, by comparison, so privi- Church. We have so many issues
is work for the greater good and leged, and they go into sections of that need to be discussed, and
prepare graduates who, through the United States or into foreign a place like BC is an environtheir talents and personal and countries and live in a radically ment where that dialogue can take
moral commitments, would help different context. And they love place, whether it’s among groups
transform the world. The state- doing it. The human spirit re- of bishops or laypeople. And it
ment Ignatius is said to have made sponds to people in need. When can help our students to realize
to Francis Xavier, “Go set the students are engaged in service, that faith matters.
world aflame” – that’s what we that’s the way they get in touch
My hope for C21 that it will
with God. Our challenge is to help
want our graduates to do.
continue
to identify issues that
With the high cost of col- them find service opportunities, need engagement and dialogue
lege education, do you think but then also help them to reflect and prayer.
there is a sense of entitlement on that experience and what they
Ideally, what should each
among some students and their are going to do about the condi- Boston College undergraduate
families? Can a university like tions that so shocked them. When do before he or she leaves the
Boston College fulfill its mis- you hear students talk about going Heights?
sion while making students feel to El Salvador and Appalachia
First of all, I hope all our stuas if they’re getting “full value” and call it a “life-changing experi- dents focus on developing their
ence,” you want to ask, “Was that
for their money?
intellectual talents and personal
I think we have to recognize still true six months from the time gifts, and that they live responsithat students and parents do have you got back? How life-changing bly while on campus.
was it really?” That’s where the
Having said that, I have a variety of other hopes for BC undergraduates while they are here,
some small, some large.
For example, I hope that undergraduates develop a habit of
reading a daily newspaper, and
that they develop a love of books.
I want them to read.
I’d like them to have had an
international experience, whether
a year, a semester, a summer.
I’d want them to develop a fluency in a foreign language.
I’d like them to have made a
religious retreat during their time
at BC.
I hope that by the time they
graduate they have begun the process of integrating the intellectual,
social, affective and religious dimensions of their lives. And I
hope that our students assimilate
a deep desire to use their gifts for
the good of others.
Being a college president
these days is no easy task, to
put it mildly. We hear about
the stresses higher education
administrators must deal with
these days, from faculty, from
alumni, from students and their
families. So why would you
want to be a president?
There’s no question that for
higher ed administrators, there
are extra pressures. It’s harder and
harder to get really talented academics to go into administration
been a lawyer.
I wouldn’t have been a farmer;
that just didn’t appeal to me. I
had four uncles who all had farms,
along with my dad. Of all their
children, only my brother Tom is
a farmer.
What in Boston has made the
biggest impression on you during your time here?
Other than the drivers?
(Laughs)
One of the most positive things
I’ve seen is that Bostonians have
great passion for their city. They
identify with it. You see it manifested in sports, of course, but I
also see it around neighborhoods.
What distresses me about Boston is that it has not solved its
public education problems. And I
think we have to do much better
at creating and retaining jobs in
the metro area, and addressing the
cost of housing.
What are your hopes for BC
during the next 10 years, and
beyond?
I would like BC to continue
providing the best possible undergraduate education it can, emphasizing the liberal arts in an
atmosphere of caring and faith,
and also offering quality selected
programs in the graduate and professional areas.
I think we have an obligation
to make sure the ethical and moral
and religious dimensions of our
Another recent addition to Lower Campus: The administration building at 21 Campanella Way, which opened in 2004. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
and do it well. I think a lot of
people get tired of the frustrations
of administration, given the kinds
of expectations that are so prevalent today.
But as to your question, “Why
be president?”, the answer is
straightforward: It’s a ministry of
the Society of Jesus, and I’m a
Jesuit priest. Also, BC is a school
that has had a wonderful impact
on higher education, as well as the
Catholic and non-Catholic world,
and I think the need is greater
than ever for BC. The vision inspiring BC remains so valid and is
so needed, I’m just glad I can be
part of it.
If you hadn’t gone into higher education, what do you think
you might have done?
Before I got interested in the
Society of Jesus, I’d have said
teacher – though perhaps not in
higher ed. Since I’ve done so much
administration, I might have gone
into the world of business, some
area of management. I might have
intellectual quest remain in the
forefront. I want BC always to be
interested in the formation of students, their lives and values.
I want us to continue to be
concerned about access to BC,
about the importance of the endowment for financial aid. If you
are a student with academic talent, have great desire to serve, and
you want to come to BC and you
meet the admissions standards,
there must be a way for you to
come here. One of our students
just went back to Rwanda. She
was an orphan, a victim of the
genocide. She came to the US to
Houston, a Catholic parish there
funded her high school education,
and she applied to BC with talent
but no resources at all. We provided her financial aid, and she’s
now graduated and has returned
to work in her country. That’s an
example of what BC is able to do
for people, something that is reflective of our institutional values
and commitments.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
september 21, 2006
Four New Entries Make the 2006 ‘Dean’s List’
By William B. Neenan, SJ
A century ago the Chicago
Cubs were about to win their last
World Series, good conversation
could be had in any corner pub,
Afghanistan was renowned for its
rugs, environmentalism was yet to
be created and Henry Ford was
about to establish Detroit as the
automobile capital of the world.
A century later the Cubs have
yet to win another World Series,
conversation has been reduced to
shouting on the radio, Afghanistan is a war zone, the environment has become a cause, and
the world’s automobile capital is
either in Japan or somewhere in
Tennessee.
The four new titles on the
2006 Dean’s List cast at least an
oblique light on these developments of the past century. Stephen
Miller’s Conversation: A History of
a Declining Art is a rambling, that
is, conversational walk through
the history of this art form from
the practice in the 16th century
to its present status in the 21st
century. If, as the philosopher
Oakeshott put it, “Conversation
distinguishes the human being
from the animal and the civilized
man from the barbarian,” one
might well conclude that today
the barbarian is firmly ensconced
within our citadel.
The novels joining this year’s
Dean’s List offer two windows on
the human condition that suggest
there are constant human values
that survive the vicissitudes of the
centuries.
Khaled Hosseini’s Kite Runner is the powerful story of two
boys from different backgrounds
and divergent destinies coming
of age in the midst of the Afghan
turmoil of recent decades. The
metaphor of kite flying which is
central in this novel reminded me
of contests depicted by Homer in
his Greek epics and that human
nature has been torn by violence
and redeemed by loyalty for over
three thousand years.
In The Tree-Sitter, Suzanne
Matson [Matson is a professor of
English at Boston College] spins
an engrossing tale of young love
intertwined with idealism. Saving
a Douglas fir in an Oregon forest?
Sounds noble enough especially
when you and a companion are
romantically involved. But, alas,
as too often happens the real
world of choice and difficult decisions emerge to disrupt this Eden
for the tree-sitter and her friend.
And again are in the midst of a
human quandary that transcends
any particular century or culture.
Freakonomics, by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, is, as
the irreverent title might suggest,
a fascinating application of the
tools of an economist to address
such questions as “Do parents really matter?” ”What do real estate
agents and Ku Klux Klan have in
common?” I readily admit to a
predisposed bias in these matters
but I am confident any reasonably intelligent reader will enjoy
Freakonomics. Believe me. And
after reading this book your assignment will be to report on the
causes for the transformation of
the automobile industry.
And now to the Chicago Cubs.
Do they exist simply to remind
of us why everyone needs a next
year?
-Fr. Neenan is vice president and
special assistant to the president.
He has issued his annual Dean’s
List of recommended reading annually since he was dean of the College
of Arts and Sciences in the early
1980s.
James Agee, A Death in the Family
Kingsley Amis, Lucky Jim
George Bernanos, Diary of a Country Priest
Robert Bolt, A Man For All Seasons
Albert Camus, The Fall
Paul Elie, The Life You Save May Be Your Own
Joseph Ellis, His Excellency: George Washington
Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Graham Greene, The Power and the Glory
*Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
Etty Hillesum, An Interrupted Life
*Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, Freakonomics
*Suzanne Matson, The Tree-Sitter
David McCullough, Truman
Alice McDermott, Child of My Heart
*Stephen Miller, Conversation: A History of a Declining Art
Charles Morris, American Catholic: The Saints and Sinners Who
Built America’s Most Powerful Church
Henri Nouwen, The Return of the Prodigal Son
John O’Malley, SJ, The First Jesuits
Marilynne Robinson, Gilead
Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels
Wallace Stegner, Collected Short Stories
Sigrid Undset, Kristin Lavransdatter
Robert Penn Warren, All the King’s Men
Garry Wills, Saint Augustine
Simon Winchester, River at the Center of the World
Jay Winik, April 1865, The Month that Saved America
*New titles
C21 Program Seeks to Promote Student Discussion
By Stephen Gawlik
Staff Writer
A new program from the
Church in the 21st Century
Center will offer Boston College
undergraduates the chance to
exchange thoughts on faith and
spirituality, as well as mocha lattes
and iced coffees.
Titled “Agape Latte,” the series
will take place in the Hillside
Café, 21 Campanella Way, on the
first Tuesday of each month, beginning Oct. 3 at 8:30 p.m. with a
talk by Vice President and Special
Assistant to the President Vice
President William B. Neenan, SJ.
The goal of “Agape Latte”
— “agape” is a Greek word traditionally used by Christians to
mean love or charity — is to give
students an opportunity to discuss
questions of faith and spirituality
with BC faculty and administra-
tors in a relaxed, informal atmosphere, according to Church in
the 21st Century Center Director
Timothy Muldoon.
“We know that students find
these topics very important, but
they tend to talk about them
amongst themselves,” said Muldoon.
“Agape Latte” is based on a
similar program instituted by the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of
Chicago some 25 years ago, which
offered young adult Catholics the
chance to meet in restaurants, coffee houses or pubs and talk with
a guest speaker about aspects of
spirituality, faith and religion.
“We want students to know
that this is something we take
seriously at Boston College and
we want them to enjoy thinking
about these questions,” said Muldoon. “This is not a classroom setting; it’s meant to be exploratory
“We want students to know that this is something
we take seriously at Boston College and we want
them to enjoy thinking about these questions.
This is not a classroom setting; it’s meant to be
exploratory in nature.”
—Timothy Muldoon
in nature.”
Highlighting the debut series
event will be a talk by Fr. Neenan
on symbols of the Catholic tradition and those of popular culture.
“Symbols are a rich part of the
Catholic tradition, and popular
culture has its own set of symbols,” said Fr. Neenan, a popular
campus figure and creator of the
“Dean’s List” of recommended
readings [see story above]. “We’re
going to start off with a slide show
and I’ll have some things to say.”
Fr. Neenan said symbols representing the Angelus or the Rosary
and icons such as the BC seal and
the abbreviation “A.D.” (short for
the Latin phrase Anno Domini,
“In the Year of the Lord”) are all
potential subjects for discussion.
Muldoon said Fr. Neenan was
invited as the first speaker because
his avuncular nature has made
him instantly popular with BC
students.
“Everybody knows Fr. Neenan, the students love him,” said
Muldoon.
“We think that there’s going to
be a lot of questions and answers
and plenty of excitement,” said
Muldoon.
For more information about
“Agape Latte” and the Church in
the 21st Century, see the Web site
www.bc.edu/church21.
New C21 On-line Courses This Fall
Focus on Parental Responsibilities,
Women’s Role in the Church
The responsibilities of parents passing on their faith to their children and the role of
women in the Catholic Church are the subjects of two new non-credit on-line courses offered
by the Church in the 21st Century Center starting next week.
“C21 Online” provides courses for spiritual enrichment and faith renewal that are schedule-friendly and as close as the nearest computer. Courses — all free of charge for BC employees — features readings, videos, and discussion forums for faith sharing guided by experienced
religious educators
The two new courses begin Sept. 25 and last for four weeks. Institute for Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry Director Prof. Thomas Groome
(Theology) is featured in the course “Parents Handing on the Faith,” which is aimed at parents and grandparents of school-age children. Women and men interested in exploring women’s roles in the Church can register for
“Women Envisioning Church,” which includes video excerpts from the recent Boston College conference “Envisioning the Church Women Want.“
Two other C21 online courses, “Synoptic Gospels” and “What Makes Us Catholic,” will
begin Oct. 30. For more information and registration, go to www.bc.edu/c21online.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
september 21, 2006
10
Postings
Red Bandanna Run is
this Saturday
The second annual Welles Remy
Crowther Red Bandanna Run
— named for the 1999 BC graduate
who died on 9/11 while trying to
save colleagues’ lives — will take
place on campus this Saturday, Sept.
23, at 9 a.m.
The registration fee is $20 for students and seniors, $25 for non-students. All proceeds will benefit the
Welles Remy Crowther Charitable
Trust, an organization that provides
financial support to numerous community programs for youth. Anyone
interested in participating should
arrive at Gasson Hall Rotunda by
7:30 a.m.
For more information on the Red
Bandanna Run, see www.redbandannarun.com/index.html.
Constitution Day 2006 looks at
controversy over military trials
On Sept. 27, the Law School and
Political Science Department will
present a panel discussion in honor
of Constitution Day — established
last year by Congress to commemorate the signing of the document and
encourage the teaching of its history
and significance — titled “Terrorism, Military Trials, and Presidential
Power: Assessing the Significance
of the Supreme Court’s Decision in
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld.”
The event will take place from 45:30 p.m. in McGuinn 121.
Paneslists will be Robert Drinan, SJ,
Professor of Law George Brown, Assoc. Prof. Timothy Crawford (Political
Science), Prof. Marc Landy (Political
Science), Law School International
Human Rights Program Director Daniel Kanstroom and O’Neill Professor
of American Politics R. Shep Melnick.
For information, e-mail melnicrs@
bc.edu.
Visitor program offers
companionship to retired Jesuits
Boston College faculty and staff are
invited to become part of the “Our
Friendly Visitor” program, which provides monthly visits to retired Jesuits
at the Campion Center in Weston.
On selected dates, the group of
volunteers leaves the BC campus at
2 p.m., visits for an hour with the
residents and returns to the campus
by 4 p.m. Transportation is provided
for those who need it.
This semester, visits will take place
on Oct. 23, Nov. 16 and Dec. 20.
For more information, contact Fr.
William McInnes, SJ, at ext.2-8192
or mcinnewi@bc.edu, or Betty Strain
at ext.2-3457 or elizabeth.strain@
bc.edu.
Screening of Israeli film
“Ushpizin” Oct. 4
The Israeli film “Ushpizin” will be
shown on Wednesday, Oct. 4, at 7:30
p.m. in Higgins 300.
Released in 2004, this highly acclaimed comedy offers a humorous
look at the lives of orthodox Jews
in Israel during the holiday of Sukkot. [The film Web site is at www.
ushpizin.com/]
This event is sponsored by The
Coalition for Israel. For more information, contact langerr@bc.edu or
ext.2-8492.
Humanities Series Begins
Fall Season on Sept. 27
A novelist who made Boston’s
underworld fodder for his private
eye protagonists and a professor
who has literally written the book
on English literature highlight
the fall semester’s Lowell Lectures
Humanities Series, which begins
next week.
The series, which celebrates
its 50th birthday next year, has
brought writers, artists and dramatists of distinction to the Boston College campus. This semester’s slate also includes a visit by a
prominent media critic, a Harvard
scholar whose non-fiction has won
accolades and a new writer with a
flair for fiction.
The 2006-7 season kicks off
on Sept. 27 — all events begin
at 7:30 p.m. — in Devlin 101
with author and editor Michael
Massing presenting “The Press
War and American Exceptionalism.” Massing is regarded as the
nation’s most prominent critic of
the mainstream media and is the
author of such works as The Fix:
Solving the Nation’s Drug Problem
and Now They Tell Us: The Ameri-
can Press and Iraq.
Harvard University historian
Jill Lepore presents “Slavery and
the Asymmetry of Evidence” on
Oct. 25 in Devlin 101. She is the
author of four books, including
The Name of War: King Philip’s
War and the Origins of American
Identity, winner of the Bancroft
Prize and Phi Beta Kappa’s Ralph
Waldo Emerson Award, and New
York Burning: Liberty, Slavery and
Conspiracy in Eighteenth-Century
Manhattan, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of the AnisfieldWolf Award for Non-fiction.
Popular mystery writer and
Dorchester native Dennis Lehane,
author of Mystic River — which
became a critically acclaimed
movie — Shutter Island and five
other novels reads from Coronado,
a collection of short stories and a
two-act play, on Oct. 31 in Gasson 100.
Cogan University Professor of
the Humanities at Harvard University Stephen Greenblatt presents “Reshaping the Canon: The
Norton Anthology of English Lit-
Popular mystery writer and Mystic River author Dennis Lehane will appear as part
of the Lowell Lectures Humanities Series this fall. (Photo by Sheila Lehane)
erature and the Emotion of Multitude” Wednesday, Nov. 8, in Gasson 100. Greenblatt, a renowned
English Renaissance scholar, is a
founder of the “New Historicist”
method of criticism. He is the
general editor of the Norton Anthology of English Literature, the
world’s most widely used collection of English authors, and the
author of the biography Will in
the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare (2004).
Jennifer Haigh, a member of
the Boston University Creative
Writing Program faculty, will discuss and read from her second
novel, Baker Towers — winner of
the 2006 PEN / L. L. Winship
Award — on Nov. 29 in Devlin
101. Her first novel, Mrs. Kimble,
won the PEN/Hemingway Award
for outstanding first fiction, and
Haigh will publish a collection of
her short stories in 2007
All events are free and open
to the public. For more information, call ext.2-3705 or visit www.
bc.edu/lowell.
‑Stephen Gawlik
Project on Catholic Intellectual Tradition to Begin
Continued from page 1
and Catholic dimensions of Boston College’s mission on a wide
range of university values and actions,” said Garza, who added that
a group of faculty had approached
him with the idea of discussing the
CIT.
This undertaking would “enable us to explore opportunities
the CIT may or should provide,”
he said, and “support a faculty dialogue about the origins, nature and
future responses to concerns that
surround our institution’s Catholic
distinctiveness.”
In addition, said Garza, the
project can provide a critical context as the University implements
its seven major strategic directions
outlined by President William P.
Leahy, SJ, which include an emphasis on liberal arts education and
student formation and an effort
to cast BC as an intellectual and
cultural crossroads, and a leading
Catholic university and theological
center.
The CIT initiative also can
“contribute to the growing conversation of the domestic and international roles of secular and Catholic
universities in higher education
and civil society.”
In urging faculty to take a role
in this project, Garza said that an
effective conversation on the CIT
will need not only the participation
of Jesuits and Catholics, but “the
wisdom and experience of other
rich traditions.”
“Clearly we share various subsets of identities,” Garza said, “but
the two we all have in common are
membership in the professoriate
and a university that cherishes its
Jesuit and Catholic heritage.”
Project planning committee
co-chairs Prof. James Keenan, SJ
(Theology), and Asst. Prof. Gregory Kalscheur, SJ (Law), said the
discussions will continue on Oct.
31, with a presentation on the CIT
and Boston College by Assoc. Prof.
Stephen Schloesser, SJ (History),
and responses by professors Ali
Banuzzizi (Psychology) and Ray
Madoff (Law). Plans are being developed for a series of events in the
spring featuring scholars “whose
work engages the CIT from a variety of perspectives.”
In addition, the Jesuit Institute
and Intersections Program have
been invited to develop future seminars that “will allow faculty to dig
deeper into the CIT and the ways
in which it does or might enrich
their scholarly lives.”
“We hope that the October
conversations will provide a stimulating opening to an on-going
series of events involving faculty
from across the University,” said
Fr. Kalscheur.
Added Fr. Keenan, “It’s also our
hope that this range of programming will prompt conversations in
each of BC’s schools and departments that will allow faculty in all
the disciplines to explore the role
that engagement with the CIT can
play in our academic culture.”
BC Chemistry Team Discovers New Catalyst
Continued from page 1
can pose a problem: Often, one
hand, or enantiomer, of the
drug molecule can be beneficial
to a patient’s health, while the
other may be harmful.
Because of this, it is important for anyone who wants
to prepare drugs, especially in
large quantities, to be able to
synthesize single-handed compounds with high selectivity;
ideally, none of the opposite
hand should be around. This
way, the unfavorable properties
of one enantiomer are eliminated without diluting the desired
enantiomer’s benefits.
What the Hoveyda-Snapper
team discovered can be referred
to as a “silylation catalyst,” a
molecule that attaches, with extremely high selectivity, a silicon atom to an alcohol group
so that only one enantiomer is
formed. Other molecules are
known to promote this important reaction, but the new
catalyst is the first to control the
handedness of the process at the
same time.
“What makes this discovery
enormously significant is that
silyation is already one of the
most useful ways – if not the
most effective way – to protect
an alcohol from undesired reactions while a molecule is being modified somewhere else,”
Snapper said.
Because of the new catalyst,
what used to take four to five
steps to accomplish – each step
adding significantly to the final
cost – can now be achieved in a
single transformation. The substance also contains no metals
and is therefore more environmentally friendly than many
other catalysts.
“The new catalyst is easy
to prepare, requires little or no
solvent and therefore minimizes waste, and can be used in
air and can be recycled several
times,” Snapper added. “Together, these properties make
our discovery an important one
both from the theoretical as
well as the practical point of
view.”
The research was made
possible in part by a grant
from the National Institutes of
Health, which has funded the
Hoveyda-Snapper collaboration since 1997.
“This is an elegant solution to a very important,
practical problem, with the
potential to result in more efficient, more environmentally
friendly, and less expensive
processes for manufacturing
drugs. It’s a great example of
how NIH support for fundamental chemical research can
benefit the American health
care consumer,” said John
M. Schwab, a chemist at the
National Institute of General
Medical Science, which supported the work.
The Hoveyda-Snapper team
includes chemistry graduate
students Jason Rodrigo and Yu
Zhao, who also co-authored
the Nature letter.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
september 21, 2006
11
PEOPLE
Newsmakers
•Center on Wealth and Philanthropy Director Prof. Paul Schervish (Sociology) was interviewed by
numerous media outlets regarding the focus on philanthropy of
billionaires Bill Gates and Warren
Buffett, including the San Francisco
Chronicle, New Hampshire Public
Radio, WBZ-AM ‘s “Lovell Dyett
Show,” and the New York Daily
News. He was interviewed by the
Irish Times regarding philanthropy
in Ireland and by the Associated
Press for a story on celebrity activism, which was published by MSNBC, the Philadelphia Daily News,
San Jose Mercury News, Montreal
Gazette, Ottawa Citizen and Vancouver Sun, among others. Schervish was quoted by the Philadelphia
Inquirer regarding forthcoming
wealth transfer prospects and baby
boomer inheritances. Also, a study
by the Center on Wealth and
Philanthropy on wealth transfer
in the Washington, DC area was
reported in a front-page story in the
Washington Post, while Schervish
was interviewed about the report
on Washington Post Radio. The
story also was covered by the Associated Press.
•Writings by Prof. Peter Kreeft
(Philosophy) were cited in a Cincinnati Enquirer piece examining
the question of whether there are
pets in heaven.
•College of of Arts and Sciences
Dean Joseph Quinn was cited
by the Los Angeles Times for his
research of retirement patterns.
•Prof. Peter Skerry (Political Science) was quoted by the Boston
Globe regarding the intensifying
debate over immigration, and
published an essay in Time magazine
on why Muslims in the US aren’t
as attracted to jihad as those in
Europe.
•Prof. Lisa Feldman Barrett (Psychology) and her research on the
science of emotion was featured by
the Boston Globe.
•The Boston Globe interviewed
Assoc. Prof. Joseph Tecce (Psychology) regarding the stress levels
of Massachusetts Governor Mitt
Romney and Attorney General
Tom Reilly when discussing problems with the Big Dig. He was also
interviewed by the Sacramento Bee
regarding technology and social
isolation.
•Prof. James O’Toole (History)
was deemed “the foremost academic authority on the history of
the Catholic Church in America”
in a Boston Irish Reporter feature.
•Prof. Carlo Rotella (English)
wrote about Rev. Gilbert Thompson’s 7,000-member church, in
Boston Magazine.
Publications
• Rattigan Professor of English
Emeritus John Mahoney published
“In Memoriam: J. Robert Barth,
SJ” in European Romantic Review.
•Prof. Dennis Taylor (English)
published “Hardy and Hamlet” in
Thomas Hardy Reappraised: Essays
in Honour of Michael Millgate.
•A review by Prof. Frances Restuccia (English) of Imagine There’s No
Woman by Joan Copjec was published in The Journal for Lacanian
Studies.
Keith
• Adj. Assoc. Prof. Michael C.
Keith (Communication) was
interviewed on the New Hampshire Public Radio program “The
Exchange” pertaining to broadcasting’s transition from analog to
digital service.
•Research by Prof. Juliet Schor
(Sociology) on overworked Americans was noted by the Buffalo
News; she also was cited by the Los
Angeles Times for a story on worker
productivity.
Nota Bene
The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College has received
$2.7 million in new funding — a record amount — from the US Social
Security Administration (SSA) to support research and dissemination
on retirement income issues. Since its inception in 1998, the Center
has received $16.7 million from SSA.
Drucker Professor Alicia Munnell, the center’s director, said the new
SSA award “ensures that the center will enhance its role as a national
leader on retirement policy issues,” and that “the additional funding
will allow us to expand our efforts to strengthen retirement security for
all Americans.”
Affiliates Program Seeks Candidates
The University Affiliates Program, which helps prepare AHANA
employees for potential leadership positions at Boston College, is accepting candidates for the 2006-07 academic year until Oct. 13.
Mentored by a team of senior University administrators, University Affiliates learn about the methods used to address strategic
issues in higher education. Through regular meetings with mentors
as well as special presentations and other events during the academic
year, participants can deepen their knowledge of the University and
strengthen their viability for promotion.
For more information on the program, and about applications, see
www.bc.edu/offices/diversity/programs/affiliates/.
Grants
• Associate Provost for Undergraduate Programs J. Joseph Burns:
$1,264,204, Carnegie Corporation of New York, “Teachers for a
New Era: A National Initiative to
Improve the Quality of Teaching.”
•Carroll School of Management
Regional Director Joseph Andrews: $283,717, University of
Massachusetts – SBDC, “Small
Business Development Center
– FY 2005”; Small Business Development Center Director John
McKiernan: $1,750, University
of Massachusetts – SBDC, “Small
Business Development Center.”
•Lynch School of Education faculty members Prof. Ina Mullis and
Research Prof. Michael Martin:
$200,000, International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, “TIMSS
Advance 2008.”
•Institute for Scientific Research
Cesar Valladares: $100,000,
National Science Foundation,
“Collaboratiove Research: Development of the First Distributed
Observatory Dedicated to Studies
of the Low Latitude Inosphere and
Atmosphere.”
•Prof. Michael Russell (LSOE):
$30,000, Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, “Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment.”
•Institute for Religious Education
and Pastoral Ministry Director
Prof. Thomas H. Groome (Theology): $50,000, E. Rhodes and
Leona B. Carpenter Foundation to
provide scholarships to women in
ministry at IREPM.
•Prof. Ali Banuazizi (Psychology): $25,000, National Science
Foundation, “Graduate Research
Fellowship.”
•Prof. Barbara Wolfe (CSON):
$20,916, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, “Symptoms,
Serotonin and Amino Acids in
Anorexia Nervosa.”
•Asst. Prof. Damian Betebenner:
(LSOE) $20,000, Colorado Dept.
of Education, “Growth Analysis.”
•Deluca Professor of Biology Marc
Muskavitch: $18,775, Brooks/
Cole, “Discovering Biology.”
• Prof. John Hepburn (Geology
and Geophysics): $8,840, U.S.
Geological Survey, “Avalon-Nashoba Terrain Boundary Bedrock and
Fracture Mapping.”
•Prof. Eric Strauss (Biology):
$2,000, Urban Ecology Institute,
“Environmental Research Conferences.”
Time and a Half
•Prof. James Bernauer, SJ, (Philosophy) lectured on Hannah
Arendt during the “Ethics in the
Shadow of the Holocaust” meeting
which was held at the Center for
Applied Ethics in Ludwigshafen,
Germany, and participated in a
seminar at the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies at the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC,
titled “Complicity and Confession:
Post-Holocaust Christian Interpretations of Guilt and Forgiveness.”
•Prof. Howard Benjamin
(Mathematics): $85,666, National
Science Foundation, “Intersections of Special Cycles on Shimura
Varieties.”
•Research Prof. Elizabeth Dodson
(Sociology): $50,232, 1199 Service
Employees Industrial Union, “Labor Management Partnership.”
•Prof. Sister Callista Roy, CSJ
(CSON), $30,669, Sisters of St.
Joseph of Carondelet, “Editorial/
Staff Assistant.”
Fr. Morrill
•Assoc. Prof. Bruce Morrill, SJ
(Theology), presented “Eucharist
and Public Life” at the meeting
of the Catholic Theological Society of America in San Antonio.
•Prof. Richard Arnott (Economics) attended the third
International Kuhmo Conference
“Pricing, Financing and Investment in Transport” in Finland. He
gave a keynote address, “Pricing,
Investment, and (Self)-Financing”
and also chaired a session titled,
“Private and Public Provision of
Transport Infrastructure and Maintenance.”
•Prof. Dennis Taylor (English)
presented “Hardy and Shakespeare:
What Hardy read, marked and
saw” at the Thomas Hardy Conference in Dorchester, England.
•Assoc. Prof. Junona Moroianu
(Biology) was chair of session at
The 23rd International Papillomavirus Conference held in Prague.
She presented “The Interactions of
L2 Minor Capsid Protein of Low
Risk HPV11 with Nuclear Import
Receptors and Viral DNA.”
Transitions
•Leslie Homzie is senior reference librarian/bibliographer in
University Libraries.
•Sheila McMahon is the new
director of the Women’s Resource
Center.
•Sarah Jewell joins Information Technology Services as Web
administrator.
•Manager Rickey Luckett has
joined the Animal Care Facility.
•John Gorham has joined Student Services as a student support
specialist.
Jobs
• Receptionist/Secretary, Athletic
Association
• Budget Specialist, Financial
Budget Administration
• Communications Specialist,
Center on Aging and Work
• Project Planner, Planning &
Construction, Facilities Management • Admission/Financial Aid Assistant, Student Services
• Assistant Director, Engineering
Services, Planning & Construction, Facilities Management
• Student Support Specialist,
Student Services
• Research Technician, Biology
Department
• Facilities Supervisor, Facilities
Services 002411
• Senior Cataloger, Burns Library For more information on employment at Boston College see www.
bc.edu/bcjobs
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
september 21, 2006
12
LOOKING AHEAD
READINGS•LECTURES•
DISCUSSIONS
Sept. 21:
•“The Case Against Darwin”
with Michael Behe, Lehigh University, 7 p.m., Robsham Theater,
call ext.2-3847.
Sept. 25:
•Lectura Dantis: Purgatorio XIV,
7:30 p.m., Gasson 305, email:
shepardl@bc.edu.
Sept. 26:
•“Christian Spirituality: An
Ignatian Vision,” with Center for
Ignatian Spirituality Director Julio
Giulietti, SJ, 7 p.m., Gasson 305,
email: blazuk@bc.edu
Sept. 27:
•“Passion and Reason in IrishAmerican Nationalism: The
Strange Case of Thomas D’Arcy
McGee” with Prof. David Wilson,
University of Toronto, 4 p.m.,
Connolly House, call ext.2-3938.
•“Terrorism, Military Trials, and
Presidential Power: Assessing
the Significance of the Supreme
Court’s Decision in Hamdan v.
Rumsfeld,” with faculty panelists,
4 p.m., McGuinn 121. Call ext.
2-4160. This event held in recognition of Constitution Day.
Sept. 28:
• “Collecting and Exhibiting
the Middle East in a Post-9/11
World” with Linda Komaroff,
curator of Islamic Art Los Angeles
County Museum of Art, 7 p.m.,
Devlin 101, call ext.2-8100,
email: artmusm@bc.edu
MUSIC•ART•PERFORMANCE
Sept. 21:
• Third Annual Faculty and Staff
Art Exhibit, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.,
through Sept. 27, Bapst Art Library, email: Hardinjo@bc.edu
•Film: “The Color of Paradise,” 7
p.m., Devlin 026, call ext.2-8100,
email: artmusm@bc.edu.
SERVICE DIG
Lion-headed doorknocker (ca. 1100, Southern Italy), on display as part of the “Cosmophilia” exhibition at the McMullen Museum of Art.
Sept. 22:
•“By the Waters of Babylon:
Sacred Songs of Life, Death and
Resurrection” songs from the
Russian, German, Italian, French,
Jewish, and Armenian repertoire.
7:30 p.m., Gasson 100, call ext.23912, email: cnnmj@bc.edu
Sept. 24:
•“Quartet for the End of Time”
3 p.m., Gasson 100, email: concerts@bc.edu
Oct. 3:
• “Free the DaVinci Code - Fact
and Fiction, Flap and Faith”
with Rev. Jim McDermott, S.J.,
associate editor of America, 6:30
p.m., Gasson 100, call ext.2-8057,
email: maureen.lamb@bc.edu.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
• “Francis Xavier: Jesuit Missions in the Far East” in the Burns
Library, through Dec. 3., hours: 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday, call ext.2-3282.
• “Bridging the Chasm - An
exhibit on international higher
education, collaborative research
and global development”, through
Oct. 15, weekdays, 8 a.m. to 1
a.m., Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 10
p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
• “My Monster is in Safe Keeping: The Samuel Beckett Collection at Boston College” Irish
Room and Fine Print Room,
through Jan. 31, 2007, hours: 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through
Friday, call ext.2-3282.
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 information on campus
events, see events.bc.edu and www.
bc.edu/bcinfo
BC SCENES
Graduate School of Social Work Associate Dean Thomas Walsh and students Sarah Morrison (black sweatshirt) and Bethanne Berish do some landscaping at the Boston Public Library’s Brighton branch as part of the school’s Afternoon of Service
on Sept. 11. GSSW held a 9/11 memorial service at the Burns Lawn Labyrinth before heading out to service sites throughout
the Boston area. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
Gaelic Roots Is Now
More Than a Memory
Gaelic Roots already lives on in the hearts and memories of the
thousands who attended the popular Boston College Gaelic music and
dance event during its 10 years.
Now, the name itself has official staying power.
This fall marks the inauguration of the Gaelic Roots Irish Music,
Song and Dance Workshop and Lecture Series, which will feature
some of the most respected musicians, dancers and scholars of Irish and
related traditions. The series gets off to a fast start with a lecture and
concert tomorrow night, Sept. 22, and another evening of music on
Wednesday, Sept. 27.
While BC has
hosted such events
regularly in recent
years, these will now
take place under a
unifying theme.
As Sullivan Artist
in Residence Seamus
Connolly, director of
Irish music programs
at BC, explains, “This
is simply formalizing
what’s been going
on here since Gaelmusicians Matt and Shannon Heaton
ic Roots ended as a Local
will play at BC Sept. 27
summer festival and
school in 2003. By holding these events throughout the academic year
— as we’ve done the past few years — instead of one week in the summer, our students have an opportunity to listen to, and talk with, these
great performers and experts.
“The concerts, workshops and lectures we’ve been offering very
much reflect the spirit of Gaelic Roots, so we felt that grouping them
under the name was appropriate.”
This year’s Gaelic Roots series is titled “From Boston, New England,
and Beyond,” an exploration of Boston’s role in Irish music and arts.
Tomorrow night’s event, “Thinking Outside the Box: How Button
Accordionist Joe Derrane Helped to Redefine Irish America’s Musical
Identity Twice,” features a lecture by local author and journalist Earle
Hitchner, and a performance by the legendary Joe Derrane, a mainstay
of the mid-20th century Boston Irish dance hall scene who during the
past decade has delighted, and educated, new generations of Irish music
lovers.
The Sept. 27 event will spotlight Boston Music Award nominees
Matt and Shannon Heaton, a husband-and-wife duo whose lively
flute-and-guitar instrumentals and sensitively rendered songs — both
traditional and self-composed — make for a style best described as Irish
Americana. [An interview with the Heatons is available online at www.
bc.edu/bc_org/rvp/pubaf/chronicle/v15/s21/heatonsq&a.html]
All Gaelic Roots events, unless otherwise noted, take place at 7 p.m.
in Connolly House.
A traditional Irish ceilidh, with dancing for all, will take place on
Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in Gasson 100, led by Larry Reynolds, another
well-respected figure in the Boston Irish music scene, and Irish Studies
part-time faculty member Meghan Allen, who teaches Irish dancing at
BC.
Scottish-style fiddler Laura Risk, whose music also encompasses
other varieties of Celtic music, and guitarist-percussionist Paddy League
will give a concert on Oct. 11.
A unique fusion of the traditional and contemporary comes to
Gasson 100 on Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m. with the Boston Urban Ceilidh.
The “BUC” features some of Boston’s premier Celtic musicians playing high-energy dance music of Ireland, Scotland and Cape Breton
(Canada), set to a solid rock’n roll beat. The Urban Ceilidh is co-organized by the Boston Celtic Music Fest [www.bcmfest.com], as part of
its outreach to the Greater Boston Community. [For more details, see
www.myspace.com/bostonurbanceilidh]
New England contra dance music, a popular offshoot of Irish and
Scottish traditions, will be presented on Nov. 7 by the trio Old New
England. The group features renowned pianist Bob McQuillen, who
has played for contra dances for decades.
On Nov. 16, Randal Bays (fiddle), James Keane (accordion), and
Dáithí Sproule (guitar) will present music spanning generations from
both sides of the Atlantic, from traditional to that composed yesterday.
The series’ fall schedule concludes on Dec. 5 with two BC-affiliated musicians, Irish Studies part-time faculty member Laurel Martin
(fiddle) and Irish Music Center Director Elizabeth Sweeney (piano).
For more information on Gaelic Roots events, see www.bc.edu/libraries/centers/burns/services/irishmusic/imcevents/.
—Sean Smith