The Boston College
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Chronicle
2 Cullinan earns Community Service Award 3 A new beginning for Cleansweep 4 Library staffers show their artistic side
Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs
SUMMER 2011 VOL. 19 no. 19
Change in Leadership for Woods College, Student Affairs
James A. Woods, SJ, is stepping down as the dean of the Woods College of Advancing Studies.
and as Jesuit priest,” said University President William P. Leahy, SJ. “Thousands of individuals have benefited from his compassion, encouragement, and pastoral care. He enabled so many to realize their educational and career dreams by earning degrees at BC and on behalf of all of us, I thank him for
WELCOME TO THE HEIGHTS!
By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean for Student Development Sheilah Shaw Horton, a student life administrator at Boston College for more than 20 years, has accepted the post of vice president for student affairs at Loyola University Maryland. Horton, who will begin her duties at Loyola Sept. 1, has served as associate VP for student affairs since 2004 — she was named assistant VP in 1999 — and became dean for student development in 2008. Vice President for Student Affairs Patrick Rombalski said, “Sheilah Shaw Horton has served the division of Student Affairs and the students of Boston College for almost 25 years.
Lee Pellegrini
his boundless energy and wholehearted commitment to advancing the mission of Boston College.” During his tenure, Fr. Woods has overseen comprehensive changes in the curricula at Boston College and designed and introduced a graduate degree program for parttime students. At his request, the name of the Evening College was changed in 1996 to the College of Advancing Studies to reflect the college’s evolving mission. In May of 2002, the name of the college was formally changed to the Woods College of Advancing Studies following a gift from Katharine B. and Robert M. Devlin that symbolized their high regard for Boston College and the unparalleled dedication of Fr. Woods, who had been a mentor to two generations of the Devlin family. Three generations of students Continued on page 4
Sheilah Shaw Horton will become student affairs VP at Loyola Maryland.
She has been responsible for the growth of the division of Student Affairs and the improvement of the quality of student life on campus. Students and faculty members have grown to appreciate her advocacy for student issues and her commitContinued on page 4
Rose Lincoln
Rev. James A. Woods, SJ, Boston College’s longest-serving dean and namesake of the University’s Woods College of Advancing Studies, has announced his plans to step down from the leadership post he has held in the school since 1968. “I have turned 80 and I’m in my 44th year in this job. It seems pretty reasonable,” said Fr. Woods, who will continue to serve as WCAS dean until a successor is named. “I am very, very grateful to my superiors – both Boston College and the Jesuits. It’s an honor that I have been assigned to do this and allowed to stay this many years.” “Fr. Woods has had an immense impact on the Boston College community during his many years here, both as an educator
Lee Pellegrini
By Reid Oslin Staff Writer
(L-R) Graduate School of Social Work Dean Alberto Godenzi, BC President William P. Leahy, SJ, Santander Chairman Emilio Botín and Louise McMahon Ahearn Professor of Social Work James Lubben at last month’s ceremony formalizing BC’s new international social welfare PhD program.
BC Partnership to Aid Social Welfare in Developing Countries By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
Students and staff from the Office of First Year Experience cheered along with members of the Class of 2015 at the close of a recent orientation session. The office holds six sessions during the summer to help incoming freshmen and other students become familiar with the University.
Photos by Lee Pellegrini
MAILING LABEL
Economically developing countries in the Global South that seek to improve their welfare systems face a dilemma. Lacking adequate programs of their own, they typically send future scholars and advanced professionals to study social welfare in North America or Europe. But those models of social welfare may not transfer well to the Global South, and the flow of talent abroad often leads
to “brain drain” and impedes the development of professional networks at home. Boston College aims to address this issue through its newly established doctoral program in international social welfare, which emphasizes and preserves students’ connections with their home countries as part of their training. The groundbreaking program, which will be headquartered in the Graduate School of Social Work, is being funded Continued on page 2
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Cullinan’s Haiti Outreach Earns Service Award By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer
Connell School of Nursing Clinical Assistant Professor Donna Cullinan was named winner of the University’s 2011 Community Service Award, given each year to an employee whose actions exemplify the Jesuit spirit of service to others. The award, sponsored by the Office of Governmental and Community Affairs, was presented to Cullinan by University President William P. Leahy, SJ, at a special recognition event earlier this summer. Cullinan, who earned a master of science in nursing from BC in 1999, was honored for her longstanding commitment to bringing sustainable health care to Haiti, as well as other volunteer endeavors. Through the organization Circle of Hope, Cullinan has traveled to Haiti annually for the past 10 years where she and other medical professionals provide care for hundreds of children and adults living in rural parts of Haiti who have limited or no access to health care. She uses vacation time and her own funds to finance her travel. During the years of volunteering in Haiti, Cullinan has grown close to many of the Haitian people.
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, presented Connell School of Nursing Clinical Asst. Prof. Donna Cullinan with the Boston College Community Service Award earlier this summer. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
She has served as a mentor/sponsor for a translator who is now attending medical school, a student who graduated top of her class from the local nursing school and a family for whom she delivered their baby. This past academic year, she organized a community health clinical experience in Haiti for undergraduate and graduate students who spent a week in the island nation providing health care to more than a 1,000 adults and children in make-shift clinics. They also visited two orphanages in Port-au-Prince. “Donna Cullinan’s commitment to the Haitian people over the past 10 years is truly inspiring, and her love and compassion for her patients is something we, as new nurses, should strive to emulate,” said Lauren Szabo, who graduated from BC in May and was one of
the participants on the CSON-Haiti trip. “I don’t think Donna will ever fully realize how much of an impact she has made on my time at Boston College. My week in mobile clinics in Leogane, Haiti, enriched me clinically, culturally, and spiritually. The all-nursing team I worked with, led by Donna, and the Haitians I met throughout our work have forever changed the way I will practice as a nurse and practice my daily life.” Cullinan also is on the board of trustees at Nativity Prep, a Jesuit middle school for boys in Boston. She serves on its education policy committee and started a nursing program there with volunteer nurses that has expanded to include BC grad nursing students. She has replicated this program at Mother Caroline Academy & Education Center in Dorchester.
GSSW Adds International Social Welfare Program Continued from page 1 by a three-year agreement with Sovereign Bank, a part of Spainbased Banco Santander. The bank, through Santander Universities’ Global Division, provides financial support to universities for projects that advance common goals of expanding knowledge and experience throughout the world. Through the doctoral program, Boston College will form partnerships and exchanges with Jesuit, Catholic universities worldwide to advance and professionalize the field of social welfare. According to program leaders, students will gain research-driven knowledge, experience-based insight, and fieldtested skills to address the unique issues faced by each country or community. Louise McMahon Ahearn Professor of Social Work James Lubben, the initiative’s director and director of GSSW’s doctoral program, says the BC program represents an alternative track for doctoral students interested in international social welfare, whose skills are increasingly in demand among newly democratic nations and those of the Global South. “As more countries embrace democratic forms of government,
there is even greater need for social welfare professionals — not just in practice but in teaching and research,” he says. “But in Mexico and South America, among other places, there is a serious shortage of faculty who hold doctorates in social work. Typically, though, students who enroll in social work doctoral programs in the US spend five years or more away from their home countries. “This deprives their home countries of an important academic and professional resource, and at the same time makes it extremely difficult for the doctoral students to form important contacts, or identify potential areas for research, in their countries.” The BC doctoral program significantly shortens the time international students spend away from home. Students enroll in courses in both BC and the partner university; during the first year they study at the partner university and take two online courses from BC. The second year is spent entirely at BC, while the third and fourth are split between BC and the partner university. During this period, students make the transition from taking formal courses to producing
scholarly material, with particular focus on writing a publishable paper. The fifth year (and if necessary, sixth year) is spent completing a final dissertation that deals with a social problem in his or her home country. The first of these partnerships is already being finalized, according to Lubben, and will link BC with a select group of Jesuit universities in Mexico and South America. Discussions also are underway to expand the program to Spain. Lubben emphasized the critical roles of Jesuit Institute Director T. Frank Kennedy, SJ, GSSW colleagues Assistant Professor Rocio Calvo and Doctoral Program Associate Director Brenda Vitale as well as others across the University like Executive Director for Academic Technology Rita Owens. University President William P. Leahy, SJ, joined GSSW Dean Alberto Godenzi, Lubben and other Boston College representatives, along with officials from Sovereign Bank and Banco Santander — including Santander’s chairman, Emilio Botín — at a June 30 ceremony at Boston College formally launching the doctoral program in international social welfare.
Professor of Sociology and best-selling author Juliet Schor has been selected as the winner of the 2011 Herman Daly Award from the US Society for Ecological Economics, in recognition of her research on work, leisure, and consumption. The Herman Daly Award recognizes individuals who have connected ecological economic principles to practical applications and implementation of solutions that are sustainable in scale, equitable in distribution and efficient in allocation. Lee Pellegrini According to the USSEE, Schor’s research complements the tenets of ecological economics and inspires its practitioners by challenging long-held assumptions and raising thought-provoking questions that are consistent with the aims of ecological economists. “My research has focused on the urgent need to change the way we work and spend in order to reverse the tremendous damage we’re doing as we destabilize the climate and degrade eco-systems,” said Schor, whose books include Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth, Born to Buy: The Commercialized Child and the New Consumer Culture, and The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure. “I’m particularly honored to receive this award because Herman Daly, like me, opposed the orthodox economics which itself has become a contributor to our ecological problems. And I’m grateful to Boston College for giving me a supportive home to do this work.” The award was presented to Schor at the USSEE conference in Michigan last month. —Kathleen Sullivan BC Mobile, the new mobile version of the Boston College website, is now accessible through all smart phone devices. It offers users increased functionality and a consistent look on iPhones, Droids or Blackberrys. With the new format, users have access to the BC Directory, campus maps, library services, shuttle bus information, as well as BC news, athletics and events on any mobile device. BC Mobile is a project led by Information Technology Services, the Office of News & Public Affairs and the Office of Marketing and Communications. More information is available at http://tinyurl.com/43k78jk. —Office of News & Public Affairs The Boston College
Chronicle Director of NEWS & Public Affairs
Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS
Patricia Delaney Editor
Sean Smith Contributing Staff
Melissa Beecher Ed Hayward Reid Oslin Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Eileen Woodward Photographers
Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (617)552-3350. Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. Contact Chronicle via e-mail: chronicle@bc.edu. Electronic editions of the Boston College Chronicle are available via the World Wide Web at http://www.bc.edu/chronicle.
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New Broom Sweeps Clean Renamed and refocused Cleansweep program (now BC Clean) seen as fulfilling its mission
instructions on their responsibilities for moving out, and made aware of opportunities to donate used items. Major changes to the Univer- BC also contracted with a local sity’s Cleansweep program this year moving service, Piece by Piece, to markedly improved efforts to clear be available to assist students if they residence halls of trash and discard- so desired. ed student belongings, according to From Arey and Jednak’s point administrators — and enabled the of view, BC Clean was an overprogram to continue fulfilling its whelming success. Where in the charitable mission. past cleaning up residence halls took Created in 1992 by the Alumni several days after Commencement, Association, Cleansweep utilized this year the task was completed less volunteers to go through residence than 24 hours after the first strains halls at the end of the academic year of “Pomp and Circumstances” and collect items students — grad- sounded in Alumni Stadium. BC uating seniors in particular — left saw a savings of some $48,000 in behind, such as clothing, furniture, straight labor costs, more time to appliances, towels and linens, and prepare facilities for summer opeven food. These items were then erations, according to Jednak, and donated to area churches and social a decrease in staff “burn-out” and service agencies. injuries. This year, however, Cleansweep While the prospect of a $500 fine was renamed “BC Clean,” and undoubtedly spurred seniors to be instead of relying on volunteers, more conscientious, Arey points out the program put the onus on se- that only 31 of nearly 2,200 students niors to remove unwanted stuff were cited for failing to clean up. He from their rooms. The result was a and Jednak believe that BC Clean’s multi-faceted success, marketing and awareaccording to George BC Clean produced size- ness campaigns were Arey, director of the critical in spurring able donations of unOffice of Residential students’ civic-mindLife, which oversees wanted food, clothing and edness. the program with Fa- other items from residence “The students cilities Management: responded very residence hall rooms halls, while saving some well,” said Arey. “I were cleaned in re- $48,000 in labor costs. think they genuinely cord time, plenty of wanted to be comitems were donated to pliant about cleancharity, and — not so incidentally ing up, but with everything that’s — students did their part to up- going on around Commencement hold institutional values. it’s easy to lose track. So we wanted “Contrary to concerns in the to ensure they understood what University community, Cleansweep was expected of them, how easy it was modified, not eliminated,” ex- was to clean up — and that the plained Arey. “Boston College be- effect of their actions can be felt lieves in the concept of ‘men and throughout, and beyond BC.” women for others’ as something that To cut down on logistics and should be reflected in all aspects of campus traffic, the University the University — and that includes streamlined donations of reusable showing respect for the Housekeep- items to two agencies: Household ing staff and the campus they work Goods Recycling of Massachusetts so hard to maintain.” (HGRM) — which distributes, Cleansweep’s aims were laudable or donates proceeds from sales of, and its volunteers worked hard, said the items to various charitable and Arey, but invariably too many seniors service organizations — and the simply viewed the program as license Society of St. Vincent de Paul. to dump their leftovers, usable or Two hundred and 88 large items not. Anything that couldn’t be taken and additional 557 large boxes of by Cleansweep had to be left for items were donated to HGRM, Housekeeping to dispose of, and while 14,200 pounds of clothes this impeded and delayed — and and 1,100 pounds of food went to increased the cost of — clean-up the society. operations in the residence halls. “It was a true collaborative effort, Arey and Facilities Services Di- and took a lot of work to put togethrector Michael Jednak set out to er,” said Jednak. “But we’re very encorrect the problem through the couraged by the degree of enthusiasm instituting of a $500 fine for any and the cooperation we saw this year, room that had not been cleared of and that bodes well for the future.” belongings by 8 p.m. CommenceContact Sean Smith at sean. ment Day. Through BC Clean, smith@bc.edu seniors were given clear and concise By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE—The future Stokes Hall continues to take shape, as this summer work has begun on the framework and exterior of the building. The project is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2012. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
$1M Grant to Support Urban Ed Project The Lynch School of Education has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation that will support graduate students preparing to lead city schools, Lynch School Interim Dean Maureen Kenny and Bank of America officials announced this week. The grant will fund the new Bank of America Leaders in Urban Education program, providing scholarships to graduate students at the Lynch School who are preparing to work as educators and leaders in city schools in Boston, as well as throughout Massachusetts and the US.
“The Bank of America Leaders in Urban Education program will link the best academic resources of Boston College with a corporate leader committed to enhancing the life chances of children, youth, and families through education,” said Kenny. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Bank of America Charitable Foundation to train the next generation of leaders for urban schools.” The program will expand upon BC’s successful Bank of America Scholars Program, which has been preparing urban teachers since 2004. Approximately 92 percent of the graduates of the
program are teaching in elementary and secondary schools, with 80 percent teaching in urban schools. The high retention rates far surpass urban teacher retention rates of less than 50 percent. The Bank of America Leaders in Urban Education program will recruit highly qualified graduate students with leadership experience working with communitybased organizations focused on improving urban schools. Participants in the program will undergo rigorous academic and hands-on educational experience at one of the nation’s top-ranked schools of education. —Ed Hayward
BCPD Takes Part in Special Olympics ‘Convoy’ Members of the Boston College Police Department took part in a special event last month that honored some of the area’s most exceptional athletes and their families. No, it wasn’t the downtown parade in honor of the Stanley Cup champion Bruins: The eight BCPD officers and two civilian volunteers joined fellow law enforcement representatives from across the state on June 18 in the fourth annual “Cruiser Convoy” to provide an exciting and colorful kickoff – along with a giant helping of heartfelt support — to participants in the Massachusetts Special Olympics competition held at Harvard University. “Every officer who participated left the event humbled,” said Patrol Officer Jeffrey Postell, who helped to organize the department’s role in the convoy event. “We have never been so personally rewarded as we were that day.” Three BC cruisers joined the
Boston College Police Detective John Ellis (third from right) awarded a gold medal to a participant in the Special Olympics, held last month at Harvard University. (Photo by Deb Coughlin)
convoy of more than 80 law enforcement vehicles that converged on Harvard’s Allston athletic fields from the west, north and south. The police officers, representing departments from Pittsfield to Provincetown as well as a number of campus and special service forces, spent the day with the athletes and their families, cheering them on in their competitions and presenting medals, certificates of achievement and small gifts to
those who participated in the various athletic events. In addition to BC’s police contingent — Capt. Margaret Connolly, Sgt. Tony Cadogan and Officers Kevin Christopher, Debra Coughlin, John Ellis, Dan Morris and Dina Smith, along with Postell — the department’s “McGruff the Crime Dog” mascot made an appearance at the event. —Reid Oslin
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Fr. Woods to Step Down as WCAS Dean Continued from page 1 have graduated from the College of Advancing Studies since Fr. Woods accepted leadership of the college in April of 1968, the majority of them part-time students who worked steadily toward degrees while balancing the parallel responsibilities of work and families. Each student has received the personal counseling, mentoring and encouragement of Fr. Woods and his staff. Fr. Woods initiated a practice of writing letters to students and faculty several times a year. “We are sending a message,” he said, “and it’s not about money or anything like that. It’s about succeeding. Each letter talks about every subject imaginable that I think would be helpful to people at the moment.” A native of Dorchester’s Neponset neighborhood, and a graduate of both Boston College High School and Boston College, Fr. Woods says the existence of a College of Advancing Studies helps fulfill the University’s educational and service mission in the Boston area. “There is no one in my office that has not given me their all,” he said. “And the faculty is the same way. They have given me their lives and they have given the students their lives. Their goal is to help, to serve, to serve God, to serve neighbors, to serve community, to serve Boston. “Advancing Studies is fulfilling a covenant made many years ago by Boston College to be here. I am so grateful to have been a part of this for so many years and I am going to
continue to be a part.” Fr. Woods established numerous scholarship and endowment funds over the years, naming them in honor of his longest-serving faculty and staff. “When these scholarships are awarded each year,” he said, “it is wonderful that the recipients actually know the person who is helping them.” Fr. Woods joined the Society
and the School of Theology. Ordained to the priesthood in 1961, he served as provincial secretary of the New England Province of the Society of Jesus, where he was extensively involved in the recruitment and admission of candidates to the Jesuit order, from 1962 until returning to Boston College as dean of the Evening College six years later.
“Thousands of individuals have benefited from his compassion, encouragement, and pastoral care,” says University President William P. Leahy, SJ, of James Woods, SJ (left). Photo by Lee Pellegrini
of Jesus shortly after graduating from BC High in 1948. “I was interviewed to join the Jesuits at the exact location where my office is today,” he says, noting that there was a temporary Army barracks on the current site of McGuinn Hall at the time. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from BC – later adding a doctorate in education from Boston University – before launching his own teaching career at the former Jesuit-run Cranwell School in Lenox, Mass. in 1955. In 1958, he returned to Chestnut Hill as registrar of the School of Liberal Studies, the School of Philosophy
During his long term of service to the University, Fr. Woods has witnessed monumental growth in the University’s scope and stature. “I didn’t watch it,” he chuckled. “I took part in it.” What’s ahead for this energetic and admired campus figure? “I’m not retiring from Boston College, not at all. Just from this job,” Fr. Woods added with his familiar hearty laugh. “I just had a wonderful report from my primary physician. I’ve got 15 more years to go – at least!” Contact Reid Oslin at reid.oslin@ bc.edu
Horton Preparing to Move On from BC Continued from page 1 ment to diversity. She has shown ing — to me,” said Horton, who a real passion for working with first arrived at BC as a gradustudents and has mentored doz- ate student in 1984, then served ens of them over the past several as an assistant dean for student years in various capacities. development from 1986-90 and “Sheilah has left a strong, pos- as associate director of AHANA itive mark on Boston College and Student Programs from 1990-99. will be missed.” Reflecting on her years at BC, Horton said assuming the Horton said she took satisfacstudent affairs tion in developvice presidency at ing the Benjamin “I’ve had such wonderLoyola Maryland Mays Mentorwill give her the ful opportunities to grow ing Program and opportunity to here...This has enabled me other services for provide leadership to make connections with AHANA stuto “a division of dents, helping many others throughout significant size.” shape organizathe University.” She also discussed tional changes in —Sheilah Shaw Horton Student Affairs her eagerness to help implement — including esthe university’s tablishment of a strategic plan, which includes the business service center — and her development of learning com- efforts to provide programming munities. for on and off-campus students. “Loyola is, like Boston Col“I’ve also encountered many lege, a Jesuit, Catholic institu- former students who have ention, and its mission and philoso- tered the field of higher educaphy of caring for the individual tion, and regard me as a mentor,” are familiar — and very appeal- said Horton. “I feel very pleased
at having been able to contribute to the development of these young professionals.” In April of 2010, Horton was chosen by the Massachusetts Network American Council on Education National Network of Women Leaders for its Emerging Leader Award, which honors a woman in the state who has demonstrated growth in increasingly responsible leadership positions in higher education. Horton said she will miss “the communities of support” at Boston College, and in particular the students — “they’re very special, so bright and motivated.” Horton added, “I’ve had such wonderful opportunities to grow here, professionally and personally, to move up through the institution into progressively more responsible positions. This has enabled me to make connections with many others throughout the University, and I will remember these associations and friendships very fondly.”
By day (and sometimes evenings), they work in Boston College Libraries. But when they’re not diligently performing their duties, some BC library staff delight in indulging their artistic abilities, through painting, collage, photography, knitting and other forms of expression — and the results are on display this summer in the O’Neill Library Level One Gallery. “Celebrating Creativity of the Boston College Libraries’ Staff,” which runs until Sept. 2, is the second exhibition of works by University library staff. O’Neill Senior Library Assistant Kevin Tringale — an organizer and contributor — is happy that his colleagues have a regular venue for their extracurricular activities. “The gallery is used most often by student clubs and organizations, but that’s during the academic year,” said Tringale. “Rather than see the space empty in the summer, we thought it could be a showcase for the creativity among the library staff. “I’ve been very pleased at the variety, and quality, of the work people have contributed. You never know where you’ll find artistic talent, and the level at which it is practiced — whether a hobby or something more serious.” Above, a color photograph taken by Tringale of sweaters made by a knitting group comprised of library staffers Sonia Ensin, Adeane Bregman, Claire O’Leary, Kathy Williams and Sally Wyman. To read more about the exhibit, see online Chronicle at www. bc.edu/chronicle The Level One Gallery website is at http://bit.ly/gAKIfD. ‑Sean Smith
BC Awards Community Grants
(L-R)State Rep. Kevin G. Honan, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Brighton Allston Improvement Association President and grant recipient Anabela Gomes, Boston College President William P. Leahy, SJ, and Boston City Councilor Mark Ciommo at the Allston/Brighton-Boston College Community Fund grant ceremony held at Minihane’s in Brighton on June 6. At the ceremony 13 Allston-Brighton groups were presented with spring 2011 Allston/BrightonBoston College Community Fund grants, totaling nearly $33,000. Among the initiatives benefiting from these grants are: an adapted bicycle camp for children with disabilities; technology upgrades; camp opportunities for local youth; diaper distributions to local families, and preservation and display materials for historical artifacts. For a complete list, see http://tinyurl.com/65g3t68 (Photo by Justin Knight)