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Around Campus
Reaccreditation
Important Addition
Bapst Library landmark has new piece; CSON’s Burgess honored.
Next phase of decennial review underway.
Burns Library acquires rare copy of historic Irish document.
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A World of Smiles
PHOTO BY MATTHEW HEALEY
University President John T. Butler, S.J., was on hand for the recent Global Picnic on the Hovey House lawn. Organized by the Office of Global Engagement, the annual event serves as a welcome to Boston College international students and scholars.
Workers in addiction treatment face stressors such as vicarious trauma, problems coordinating care, and limited opportunities for career advancement.
$6m Grant Aids Project by BCSSW’s Sabbath and Colleagues for Retention of Addiction Treatment Workforce As the opioid crisis continues to devastate families across the United States, Boston College School of Social Work Associate Professor Erika Sabbath and her colleagues are working to improve the well-being and retention of workers at residential addiction treatment facilities. High turnover rates at these facilities are expected to contribute to a national provider shortfall of 47 percent by 2036, according to Sabbath, exacerbating the opioid crisis through long wait times for treatment and reduced continuity of care. “Once people get into treatment, they need to successfully complete treatment, and a bottleneck to successful completion is continuity within the addiction treatment workforce,” said Sabbath, who studies workplace stress. “The goal of our
project is to improve worker retention within residential addiction treatment centers by improving working conditions within these facilities.” Her work is backed by a six-year, $6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative, a congressionally funded effort to accelerate scientific solutions to the nation’s opioid crisis. The project, titled the Residential Staff Health and Advancement Program for Excellence in Care, or Reshape, is divided into two phases, with funding distributed in stages. The first two-year phase will pilot and refine an intervention at three residential facilities in Massachusetts, while the second four-year phase will exContinued on page 7
OCTOBER 15, 2026 VOL. 34 NO. 4
Inauguration Festivities Begin This Afternoon Beginning today, the University will formally celebrate the inauguration of John T. Butler, S.J., as the 26th president of Boston College with a threeday community event. •Today: Academic symposia at Robsham Theater: “The Light Shines Through: The Catholic Intellectual Tradition,” 1:30-3 p.m.; “Jesuit, Catholic Education at Boston College: Formation for Wisdom and Hope,” 3-4:30 p.m. Update: The symposia are at full capacity but will be available via livestream at youtube.com/live/lT4SmLjgbiw. •Friday: Inauguration Mass, 10 a.m., Conte Forum; historical readings and Academic Procession, 2
p.m., Linden Lane; Inauguration Ceremony, 3 p.m., Conte Forum. A series of community celebrations will take place from 4:30-10 p.m. at several campus locations. Update: The Mass will be livestreamed at youtube. com/live/7UbfyXGERf4; the Academic Procession and Inauguration Ceremony will be livestreamed at youtube.com/live/ BarW2NqKA4g. •Saturday: Alumni Homecoming Tailgate, 9-11:30 a.m., Plaza at O’Neill Library; Boston College-Pittsburgh football game, noon, Alumni Stadium. For information on all Inauguration Celebration events, see bc.edu/inauguration
Restoring Childhood Gray argues that societal focus on kids’ safety and protection is actually doing more harm than good BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER
The experiences and opportunities presented in childhood—a pivotal period of brain and body development crucial for cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth—lay the foundation for how children learn, build relationships, and prepare for life. Against this backdrop, prominent scholar and bestselling author Research Professor of Psychology Peter Gray—long a proponent of childhood freedom and exploration, which he says are no longer the norm—takes aim at our societal focus on safety and childhood protection, for fostering increased anxiety and making children prone to depression and mental illness. In his new book Restoring Childhood: How to Set Kids Free in the Age of Anxiety, Gray addresses whether we are collectively hindering children’s development and setting them up for failure: backfiring in the effort to make their lives achievement-ori-
Peter Gray photo by caitlin cunningham
ented, to help them succeed in an increasingly competitive adult world. Restoring Childhood illustrates the dramatic changes in childhood which have
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Around Campus
Decades Later, a BC Campus Landmark Gets an Important Addition
David Murphy, grandson of John J. Murphy ’35, and his wife Susan Murphy—flanked by grandsons Joseph Sarabian (far left) and Joseph Ryan—with the sundial outside Bapst Library carved and donated by John’s father David J. Murphy in 1933.
Generations of Eagles have likely noticed the pedestal sundial that stands waist-high on the grassy lawn outside Bapst Library. What they may not know is the story behind it. Now a newly installed plaque explains how the sundial ended up at Boston College. The limestone pedestal was sculpted and presented to the University as a gift in 1933 by the Boston-area stonemason David J. Murphy, in gratitude for the education received by his son, John “Jack” Murphy ’35. Jack Murphy would go on to become an army captain during World War II, and then to own a prominent Sacramento insurance firm. “My grandfather was poor, and thankful for the education his son was receiving,” said Jack’s son, also named David Murphy, who visited the BC campus from California in late June with his wife, Susan, and two of their grandsons. On a bright, clear morning, they laid a cheerful arrangement of maroon, gold, and green flowers at the foot of the sundial, where the plaque acknowledges their family. Murphy said the sundial continues to be something of a tradition in their clan. “Whenever anyone in the family is in Boston, they visit the sundial,” he said. —Scott Kearnan is deputy editor of Boston College Magazine
photos by matthew healey
Connell School’s Ann Burgess Receives a Lifetime Legacy Award Connell School of Nursing Professor Ann Wolbert Burgess, a pioneer in forensic nursing whose life’s work has transformed how health care, law enforcement, and the courts understand and respond to violence, was honored with a Lifetime Legacy Award from the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). The award, presented at the Academy’s Health Policy Conference held earlier this month in Washington, D.C., recognizes extraordinary individuals who have dedicated their life to advocating for positive health system changes. In the 1970s, Burgess and Boston College sociologist Lynda Lytle Holmstrom interviewed nearly 150 victims of rape to understand the emotional and traumatic effects of sexual violence. They coined the phrase “rape trauma syndrome” to describe the psychological aftereffects of an attack that would often outlast the physical effects. She helped establish one of the first hospital-based crisis counseling programs for rape victims at Boston City Hospital. Her research in this area brought her to the attention of the FBI, and soon she was part of the agency’s criminal personality study, helping to construct profiles of serial killers. She recounted her story in the book A Killer by Design, co-authored with CSON Associate Director of Marketing and Communications Steven Constantine, which inspired the Hulu docuseries “MindASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
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hunter.” A second book by Burgess and Constantine, Expert Witness: The Weight of Our Testimony When Justice Hangs in the Balance, chronicled Burgess’s courtroom testimony and psychiatric assessments that played critical roles in numerous highprofile criminal cases. “I’m deeply grateful to the American Academy of Nursing for this honor and to the colleagues and students who have helped photo by lee pellegrini carry this work forward,” said Burgess. “At Boston College, I have the privilege of working with students who bring new questions and a strong commitment to people affected by violence and trauma. Seeing the next generation take what we have learned and find ways to improve care is one of the most rewarding parts of my career.” This award is the latest accolade for the highly respected nurse, whom the AAN previously designated a “Living Legend.” Burgess has also received a Living Legend Award from the New England Chapter of the American Psychiatric Nursing Association and been inducted into the Sigma
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Theta Tau International Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame, among other honors. In 2009, the International Association of Forensic Nurses established the Ann Burgess Forensic Nursing Award in her honor and bestowed her with the inaugural award. The AAN serves the public by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of
The Boston College Office of University Advancement notes that National Estate Planning Awareness Week is October 19–25—a great time to organize your information and documents. BC offers free resources tailored to wherever you are in your planning journey. Protecting what matters most doesn’t have to be complicated. To get started, go to bc.edu/estateplan or call 877-304-SHAW for a FREE estate planning workbook, compliments of BC’s Office of Gift Planning.
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nursing knowledge. Academy Fellows are inducted into the organization for their extraordinary contributions to improve health locally and globally. With more than 3,400 Fellows, the academy represents nursing’s most accomplished leaders in policy, research, administration, practice, and academia. —University Communications
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 University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (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 University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135. A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail. Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.
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BC Enters New Phase of Reaccreditation Process Self-study continues as NECHE representative comes to campus to lay groundwork for delegation visit in March BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
Boston College has entered a new phase of its decennial reaccreditation review by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), with last week’s visit by Dennis C. Jacobs, head of the NECHE visiting team that will come to campus March 14-17. Jacobs, who recently retired as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Fordham University, met on Friday with University President John T. Butler, S.J., Executive Vice President Michael Lochhead, Winston Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley, and the team of BC administrators coordinating the reaccreditation process to preview the NECHE visit. A key facet of the reaccreditation is the comprehensive self-study that the University has been preparing to assess compliance with standards across key areas that include academics, student life, governance, and organizational effectiveness. The NECHE visiting team under Jacobs’ direction— composed of educators and administrators from peer institutions—will review the self-study during their visit, speak with members of the University community, and examine supporting documents. The
team’s membership is expected to be finalized in the next few weeks. Both the self-study, which will be completed in January, and the visiting team report will be integral to the NECHE’s discussions on BC’s accreditation status. Good standing in an accreditation association is a requirement for participation in federal
“A broad cross-section of campus constituents has been involved in this effort in order to help Boston College reflect on its current programs and plan most effectively for the future.” —Peter Martin programs that support higher education. The BC reaccreditation coordinating committee includes Associate Vice Provost for Assessment and Accreditation Jessica Greene; Vice President for Institutional Research and Planning Mara Hermano; Special Assistant to the Executive Vice President Carrie Klemovitch; Program Director for the Catholic Historical Re-
search Initiative at Boston College Libraries Seth Meehan; and Special Assistant to the President Peter Martin, who is serving as the University’s accreditation liaison officer, the main point of contact between BC and NECHE. Martin said Jacobs was an ideal choice to lead the delegation, given his years in leadership positions at Fordham, Santa Clara University, the University of Notre Dame, and his broader background in higher education. “He knows BC, but Friday was a good opportunity to reacquaint himself with various aspects of the University, in preparation for the three-day visit in March.” An advisory group has been formed to aid the reaccreditation coordinating committee, with members representing each of BC’s schools and vice-presidential divisions, such as Facilities Management, Human Resources, and University Mission and Ministry. But Martin emphasized the importance of contributions from the larger University community: “A broad cross-section of campus constituents has been involved in this effort in order to help Boston College reflect on its current programs and plan most effectively for the future.” The committee has established a dedicated email address, NECHE2027@ bc.edu, for any questions or comments
from the BC community about the reaccreditation process. Martin noted that NECHE President Lawrence Schall also recently visited BC, coming to campus in August to meet with Fr. Butler, who had assumed the presidency a few weeks earlier. Schall shared his impressions of BC in his blog, “NECHE on the Road,” praising the University for the stability of its leadership, its perseverance during financial difficulties in the early 1970s, and its dedication to providing students with aid that meets their full, demonstrated financial aid; he also extolled BC for creating the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success, and in particular the institute’s associate degree program, Messina College. “BC’s narrative of resilient transformation is particularly relevant amidst these challenging times,” Schall concluded. “Five NECHE schools closed their doors last year, and we will doubtless continue to see others close or merge over the next decade. The Boston College story is a reminder that schools on the edge, (even more than once) can recover and, once healthy, help other institutions like Pine Manor to continue their mission in new and innovative ways.” [The blog post is available at necheontheroad.com/2026/09/11/pit-stop-99boston-college]
Robinette Is New Joseph Professor in Catholic Spirituality BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
Brian Robinette, a professor in the Theology Department specializing in systematic, philosophical, and spiritual theology, has been named Boston College’s Joseph Professor in Catholic Spirituality. He succeeds Pheme Perkins, the inaugural chairholder, who retired from the University in June. Robinette’s scholarship and teaching are focused primarily on theologies of creation, mysticism, phenomenology, and mimetic theory. A member of the BC faculty since 2012, he teaches undergraduates and graduate students and his courses have included Spiritual Exercises: Engagement, Empathy, Ethics; Love & the Human Condition; Thomas Merton: Monk, Mystic, Prophet; Theology in a Secular Age; and Theology and the Mystical Turn, among others. In 2025, Robinette received the Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year Award from BC’s chapter of the international honor society for Jesuit colleges and universities. He was nominated for the award by students for his “exceptional passion for theology and unwavering dedication to student success.” He is author of The Difference Nothing Makes: Creation, Christ, Contemplation, which explores the meaning of creation “from nothing” in Christian theology. In the book, Robinette argues that creatio ex nihilo is not a speculative doctrine referring to cosmic origins but rather a foundational
insight into the very nature of the Godworld relation, one whose implications extend throughout the full spectrum of Christian imagination and practice. He is also author of the award-winning book Grammars of Resurrection: A Christian Theology of Presence and Absence, as well as numerous book chapters and journal articles. His current book project, Letting Creation Happen: An Experiment in Christian Mysticism, explores itineraries of mystical transformation in the Christian tradition, with a particular interest in the dynamics of human consciousness and the cultivation of compassion. “Professor Robinette is a highly regarded scholar in the areas of systematic theology, mystical theology, and contemplative practice and a distinguished contributor to the life of the University and the wider world of Catholic theology,” said Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J. “He is also a dedicated and creative teacher who has been part of one of our longest-running Enduring Question pairs in the Core Curriculum. His outstanding contributions to the discipline and to the University make him a most worthy holder of the Joseph Chair in Catholic Spirituality.” “I am both honored and elated to be named the Joseph Professor in Catholic Spirituality,” said Robinette. “To be able to do the work I do at a place like Boston College, with the quality of students, colleagues, and staff so characteristic of this institution, is a remarkable opportunity.
A member of the Theology faculty for almost 15 years, Brian Robinette was selected for BC’s Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year Award last year, nominated by students for his “exceptional passion for theology and unwavering dedication to student success.” photo by lee pellegrini
Given its stellar academic reputation and pronounced commitment to Jesuit and Catholic values, I can think of no place I would rather teach, write, and share in an intellectual community.” Robinette served as the Theology Department’s director of undergraduate studies from 2015 to 2018 and as co-director of the Joint M.A. Program in Philosophy and Theology from 2013 to 2017. He also was the guest editor for the fall 2023 issue of C21 Resources, published by BC’s Church in the 21st Century Center.
He holds a doctorate in systematic theology from the University of Notre Dame and previously taught at Saint Louis University. Established in 2012 through an anonymous donor, the Joseph Chair in Catholic Spirituality supports a professor in the Theology Department. The donor also created three other chairs: the Joseph Chair in Theology; the Joseph Chair in Catholic Philosophy; and the Joseph Chair for Catholic Systematic Theology.
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Engineering Launches Flood Forecasting and Education Project BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
The Engineering Department was awarded a three-year, $328,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) earlier this year to study hyperlocal flooding and rainfall sensor development in urban settings while developing interest and pathways in the field of engineering among undergraduate and middle school students. Titled “Developing Interest and Pathways for Engineering Engagement in the Localized Contexts of Urban Spaces Across the U.S. Northeast,” the project is funded by the NSF’s Directorate of Engineering and the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers program, which supports endeavors that build understanding of practices, program elements, contexts and processes that contribute to increasing students’ knowledge and interest in STEM, and information and communication technology careers.
educational experiences that highlight the complex, interconnected nature of environmental and social systems,” she said. Through partnerships with education centers in three cities, the project team will collaborate with middle school educators and undergraduate engineering students to co-design a low-cost, rain gauge sensor kit and an accompanying curriculum that highlights the multifaceted interrelation of engineered and natural systems within urban communities. The group will work with middle school students to implement the curriculum, build and deploy the rainfall sensors, analyze data in a multi-city research collaborative, and share processed data through a public dashboard. “The project’s educational research goal is to investigate how localized educational experiences and engagement with a multicity research network can influence students’ interest in interdisciplinary engineering careers and impact their understanding of the complexity of urban environmental
“Preparing the future engineering workforce to address societal challenges requires educational experiences that highlight the complex, interconnected nature of environmental and social systems.” —Catherine Hoar “By addressing gaps in rainfall data needed for flood forecasting, the real-time responses to weather emergencies, and resilient urban development, the sensor network program aims to motivate students to engage with and foster an interest in engineering careers by recognizing how collaborative engineering solutions support human well-being, starting with their local communities,” said Assistant Professor of Engineering Catherine Hoar, the project’s principal investigator. “Preparing the future engineering workforce to address societal challenges requires
challenges,” said Assistant Professor Avneet Hira, a Sabet Family Dean’s Faculty Fellow in Engineering and the co-principal investigator. The multi-city network will connect middle school and undergraduate students across three cities in two states, she noted, fostering collaboration and emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary engineering solutions to challenges that have social, environmental, regional, and hyperlocalized implications. Curricular materials will be publicly shared, allowing additional sites to join the
(L-R) Avneet Hira, Catherine Hoar, and Siddhartan Govindasamy. photo by caitlin cunningham
research network, which will expand the educational program as well as the range or density of rainfall data collection sites, according to project leaders. With this expanded data collection coverage, the network will also be better positioned to answer important questions regarding hyperlocal rainfall patterns and distribution. Additionally, students will develop “engineering ways of thinking” through sharing their stories around flooding while practicing engineering design. The program will also provide students with the opportunity to engage with Inter-
net of Things sensors—smart devices that connect to the web to collect, exchange, and act on information—providing a practical approach for collecting localized environmental data in urban spaces. “Working with these sensors and the information they collect will provide participants with meaningful experiences in system design, electronics and artificial intelligence,” said Professor and Sabet Family Dean’s Faculty Fellow in Engineering Siddhartan Govindasamy, a co-principal investigator. “The project’s focus on urban spaces will highlight for younger and older students, as well as public audiences, the specific challenges to collecting data in metro areas, and developing solutions to address concerns revealed by the data.” Through a mixed-methods approach, the investigators will assess how participation in a localized, informal education experience affects student interest in engineering and related STEM pathways, noted the team. The project’s narrative inquiry approach will also build knowledge about what role stories play in how students conceptualize what engineers do in designing and supporting urban environments. Through observation of the research collaborative, the team will build knowledge regarding how and in what ways the collection of environmental data in the context of an interdisciplinary, multicity collaboration contributes to middle school students’ conceptions of engineering. Andrea I. Silverman, an associate professor of environmental engineering at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering, will serve as a co-principal investigator.
BC Among Recipients of NSF Grant Renewal The National Science Foundation has renewed a five-year, $25 million Science and Technology Center grant shared among 14 marine biology labs and institutions of higher education, including Boston College, designed to promote a deeper understanding and appreciation of the chemicals and the processes that underpin ocean ecosystems. The original $25 million award was announced in September 2021, and it launched the Center for Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet, or C-CoMP, a Science and Technology Center, which is led by a team from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s Marine Biological Lab and the University of Georgia’s Department of Marine Sciences. The center’s aim is to foster education, outreach, and knowledge transfer activities that engage students of all ages, expand participation in the next generation of
ocean scientists, and extend novel openscience approaches into complementary academic and industrial communities. “A goal of C-CoMP is to bring rapid and transformative advances to the understanding of the bio reactive molecules within the chemical-microbial network of the ocean carbon cycle that are responsible for a quarter of Earth’s annual organic carbon flux,” said Laura M. O’Dwyer, a professor in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development’s Department of Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment. “The BC team is involved in the educational research side of the work, and we just conducted a large-scale study with a nationally representative sample of teachers to better understand why ocean science isn’t prioritized in middle and high school science content.” —Phil Gloudemans
The Career Center recently held its annual Business Career Fair in the Margot Connell Recreation Center. The center hosts industry-specific fairs and networking events to connect students with alumni and employers.
photos by matthew healey
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October 15, 2026
University Hosts Forum on Formative Education BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
A distinguished international panel of four whole-person education experts addressed ways to support students’ intellectual, emotional, ethical, and spiritual development in the classroom, on campus, and beyond, at an October 8 discussion hosted by Boston College. The “New Perspectives on Formative Education” discussion in the Yawkey Center Murray Room served as the public portion of a two-day inaugural conference, which brought 22 national formative education leaders together to advance holistic approaches to student formation. The event was spearheaded by the nascent Transformative Education Lab (TLab), directed by Lynch School of Education and Human Development Professor Deoksoon Kim. “We’re hosting this conference to examine formative education, including how BC’s strategies and methods differ from other interesting paths, and what are the significant challenges to conceptualizing and implementing a formative, holistic approach more broadly,” said Stanton E. F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School. Over the two days, attendees grappled with the guiding questions of what formative education is, and what it means to form a person well through education. As the conversations ensued, a deeper dive focused on the questions of determining when formation has occurred, what contemporary life requires of a “formed person,” and what
Meteorite Find Excites BC Scientists BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
Boston College scientists have determined a newly discovered meteorite from Mars is 1.27 billion years old and derived from a previously unsampled, pristine source on the Red Planet, the team reported in the journal Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. Rocks from Mars must be knocked off of the planet by some kind of impact, which has limited the samples available to scientists for study to approximately 400 Martian meteorites that have been found. Samples from the most common group of igneous Martian rocks—called shergottites—that have previously been dated are almost entirely geologically young, or less than 600 million years old. Between that point in time and the next oldest characterized shergottites, dating back 2.4 billion years, is an approximately 1.8-billion-year gap in understanding the geology and history of Mars, a period for which scientists had no shergottite samples to enrich information about geological ac-
might this group of scholars do together in the future. “We’ve made some progress, but we’re not there yet,” said Wortham at the conclusion. “We have a sense of what we share and where the challenges are, but there’s more work to be done. We’re taking on the task of formulating and synthesizing these insights, including identifying a set of practical examples. We’ll also look at expanding the community by finding other people who are doing similar things to help build a network.” Kim underscored that this event is “not a one-time thing; we will build on this conversation.” To open the public panel, Wortham— who served as moderator—noted that it’s a particularly auspicious time to advance the holistic human development of young people. “There was a time—25 to 30 years ago— where educational institutions were narrowly focused on the acquisition of academic content, forgetting that they were dealing with young human beings who have emotions, relationships, moral challenges, and spiritual puzzles, all of which are crucial to their maturation. “More recently, there’s been a resurgence—in the United States and around the world—in interest in holistic approaches to education and human development, and how to facilitate it. But it’s become a chaotic and confusing landscape of movements, with educators trying to devise a whole person philosophy, program or a curriculum—all vying for attention in this larger space of human flourishing, well-being, and character tivity on Mars, said Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Ethan Baxter, coauthor of the report. Two other rare classes of Martian meteorites called chassignites and nahklites have also been dated to 1.3-1.4 billion years ago, but these are very distinct chemically from the shergottites like this new sample. Baxter and his lab group used cutting edge radiogenic isotope Ethan Baxter photo by lee pellegrini techniques to determine the crystallization age and composition of the meteorite. The discoveries were unexpected. “The characteristics of this meteorite were entirely surprising,” said Baxter, who founded the Boston College Center for Isotope Geochemistry, where most of the work was conducted. “No other Martian meteorite like this has an age of 1.27 billion years old.” The team studied a Martian meteorite referred to as Northwest Africa (NWA) 13441, which was discovered in Algeria in 2019. Baxter’s team at BC obtained a small sample from a colleague at Appalachian State University that was cleaned and crushed, as well as a thin section of NWA
Lynch School of Education and Human Development Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean Stanton Wortham speaking at last week’s conference on formative education. photo by matthew healey
education.” Panelist William Damon, professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, said that the focus on developing narrowly defined skills such as those in STEM education overlooked important elements of growth and opportunity. “That vision not only ignores the whole child, but that a huge part of our economy is composed of media and entertainment, and to squeeze art, music, and theater out of schools was taking a wrong turn, even by their own standards,” he said. Howard Gardner, the Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said technology has complicated efforts to think about development, purpose, ethics, and a full life. “The best thing we can do for our students is to help them realize the [world’s] complexity and hope that—with a sense of purpose—they can move the needle in a good direction.”
Suzanne Shanahan, the Leo and Arlene Hawk Executive Director of the Institute for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame, reflected on her work with refugees in relation to whole-person education. “I think about educating students for character, calling, competence and the common good; shared human flourishing is the goal of the formative work I do. Formative education is about the proactive choice to take responsibility for the world.” Oon Seng Tan, director of the Centre for Research in Child Development at Singapore’s National Institute of Education, was unequivocal about the key to his country’s nationwide success in math and reading. “The teacher is the curriculum, and even more so for formative education. Values are the most important element of teacher education; they have an exponential effect on learning.” Read the full article at bit.ly/BC-FormativeEducation-Conference-2026
13441 mounted to a glass slide. The sample had yet to be characterized. Working with colleagues from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Britain’s The Open University, Baxter’s team set out to confirm the suspected Martian origin for the sample, determine its crystallization age, and analyze its chemical composition compared to other Martian meteorites. Central to the study was the analysis of neodymium, a naturally occurring but rare element that consists of seven isotopes. The neodymium isotopic composition of the sample matches the value for the initial solar system, unlike any other shergottites, the team reported. The team at Boston College used highprecision techniques to date the sample to approximately 1.273 billion years old, the first such discovery in a nearly two-billionyear period from which there have been no shergottites to study. “Martian meteorites of this type are either younger than 600 million years old, or approximately 2.4 billion years old,” said lead author Dylan M. Seal, a BC doctoral candidate. “We dated this sample to be 1.273 billion years old, which fills a roughly two-billion-year gap for which we had no shergottite samples to provide information about magmatic and volcanic activity on Mars.” The initial neodymium isotope composition of the sample is the same as the initial
solar system, represented by another class of meteorites, known as chondrites, which are the earliest aggregates of unmelted rocks to form in the solar system 4.56 billion years ago. This “chondritic” composition for NWA 13441 has never been observed in shergottites and suggests that a portion of deep Mars remained unaltered by subsequent planetary processes in the billions of years since the planet formed, Baxter said. Mars formed very quickly, Seal noted— less than approximately five million years after the birth of the solar system—and does not have plate tectonics like Earth, allowing these early formed compositions to remain pristine. In addition to its age of 1.27 billion years, equally surprising was its chondritic initial isotope composition, which provides important new boundaries on the processes that happened in the very early solar system as Mars formed, reported Baxter and Seal, along with co-authors Melody Z. Chen, an undergraduate researcher, and former postdoctoral scholar and current Lunar and Planetary Institute scientist Robert W. Nicklas. “Our goal is to analyze additional isotope systems that will help us better understand how this unique sample relates to other Martian meteorites on early Mars,” said Baxter, an associate dean in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.
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In New Book, Gray Says Adults Need to Ease Up on Kids Continued from page 1
negatively affected youths in the United States over the past 75 years. The book—which has made headlines in such high-profile publications as The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and The New York Times—presents findings from Gray’s three-year immersion in research literature on shifts in children’s and teens’ mental health during that period. Their rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide escalated to unprecedented levels, a spike that began long before widespread use of the Internet and increased screen time, both often demonized. Gray examines societal trends he says have created a fundamentally anti-child environment, such as more supervision at home, more pressure at school, more focus on achievement—and less on independence. With the resulting decline in free play, exploration, and unsupervised peer interaction, the resilience and well-being of children have suffered. But Gray believes Restoring Childhood has the potential to change the way society thinks about children and what they need—and just as importantly, don’t need—from adults in their lives. “If I dare claim to have a magnum opus, this is it,” Gray wrote on his website [petergray.org]. For decades he has studied the biology and evolution of human learning, conditions that promote children’s healthy psychological development, and the educative value of play. “Restoring Childhood is the book I have been working toward my whole life, although unconsciously until the last couple of years,” he explains on his website. “It is the culmination of my decades of research and analyses of others’ research into child development and a lifetime of real-world experience with kids.” Gray’s thesis is that adult overprotection is a large part of the reason children today
struggle. This “hovering omnipresence” leads to over-scheduling, structured play, and strict safety laws, robbing children of the independent, risky play necessary to build emotional resilience. Children need what is missing from modern childhood: chances to explore, solve problems, and take age-appropriate risks without constant adult supervision. Restoring Childhood has earned praise from New York Times best-selling authors
laid—social media, smartphones, or video games (though he advocates setting digital boundaries). “If we continue to tighten the leash on our kids, no amount of screen-time restriction will reverse the alarming mental health crisis we see our kids enduring today,” he says. He argues that the 2010s spike in teen mental health struggles stems from rigid, high-stakes schooling. Extra hours of schooling along “If we continue to tighten the curriculumleash on our kids,” says Gray, determined lines cause burnout, “no amount of screen-time re- he explains, and striction will reverse the alarm- preschool and kindergarten acaing mental health crisis we see demic instruction our kids enduring today.” has proven especially harmful. photo by caitlin cunningham “I could have called the book ‘Destroying Julie Lythcott-Haims (How to Raise an Childhood,’” Gray wrote in his popular Adult) and Jennifer Breheny Wallace (Never Substack series “Play Makes Us Human,” Enough, Mattering), who describe the book “as much of it deals with the ways our socias an essential, gentle, and eye-opening ety has restricted children’s natural ways of roadmap that challenges our obsession being, their natural ways of growing up, by with perfection and forces a hard look at preventing them from behaving as Mother what society has stripped from modern Nature intended.” youth. The American Journal of Play called So how do parents and teachers balRestoring Childhood “a passionate paean to ance freedom and safety for children—and the kind of free play and free learning that promote their self-reliance and self-dihelps children grow into capable, joyful rected growth, confidence, and emotional adults.” health—without putting them in danger “Peter Gray is one of the world’s experts or robbing them of the joy of exploration, on the evolution of childhood play,” added autonomy, and play? psychologist Steven Pinker, author of How After describing the multiple societal the Mind Works. “He forces us to rethink changes that have reduced children’s freeour convictions on how schools should be dom, Gray concludes the book by outlindesigned to accommodate the ways that ing “in concrete terms, ways that all of us, children learn.” regardless of our position in society, can Taking away freedom, Gray maintains, help restore childhood.” is the real cause of rising youth mental Among many strategies Gray suggests health issues, not where blame is typically for parents is to empower children by
being trustful and autonomy supportive (TAS). “TAS parents not only trust their children to direct their own behavior but support those decisions by providing help where help is needed and desired.” Such parents, he explains, recognize the child as a whole person, not their creation; attempt to see from the child’s point of view; focus on the child’s present, not future; do not do for children what they can do for themselves; and expect children to be partners in family chores. They also involve the child in decision making and problem solving; reinforce moral values more than achievement; teach safety rules rather than ban activities; respect the child’s privacy; resist fear-based and defensive modes of parenting, and enable free play and independent exploration. Gray advocates that more play should be facilitated by and in schools: increasing the amount and quality of recess and becoming centers for play during non-school hours. He also suggests expanded and creative programming offered for children at public libraries and by parks and recreation programs. He advises governments and city planners to embrace New Urbanism, the goal of which is to create cities and child-friendly neighborhoods that support community. In collaboration with the National Institute for Play, Gray and others have initiated a campaign to encourage pediatricians to include the value of play into their well-child interviews and to promote outdoor exercise. “This book is not just an intellectual dive into fascinating questions about children and society,” Gray notes. “It is also a call to action. My hope is that it will lead all readers to ask: In my capacity, ‘What can I do to help restore normal childhood?’” A self-proclaimed optimist, Gray concludes, “We can restore what we have destroyed.”
McNeill Joins Science Educators Hall of Fame
For more than three decades, the Massachusetts Science Educators Hall of Fame has recognized and honored “some of the most impactful science educators who have influenced countless students, teachers, and programs across the commonwealth and beyond,” according to a statement from Jennifer Craddock, chair of the organization’s executive board. McNeill, who joined BC in 2006, focuses on the design and scale of curriculum, professional learning, and other resources to support students, teachers and instructional leaders in equitable scientific “sensemaking”—the process by which students actively try to understand how the world works by leveraging their previous knowledge and experience as they build, refine, and test more complicated scientific explanations over time. “I’m honored to be inducted into the Massachusetts Science Educators Hall of Fame as recognition for the work with schools and impact on science education across the state,” said McNeill, who also serves as the Master of Education program director for Curriculum and Instruction at
is done with teachers and students rather than something that is done to teachers and students. The teachers and their students should be at the center of educational research to be responsive to their needs, interests, and strengths.” Among her achievements, McNeill has received Early Career Research and Fellows awards from the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) and was named a fellow by the International Society for Design and Development in Education. She has conducted numerous workshops at the annual meeting of the National Science Teachers Association and for public school systems in Boston, Denver, and Detroit. “Across her two decades at BC, Kate McNeill has both done first-rate academic research— illuminating how young people learn science—and worked closely with educators and schools to translate that science into improved educational practice,” said Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School. “It’s great to see her being recognized for these sustained contributions.”
BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
Katherine L. McNeill, the Bryk Faculty Fellow in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, was recently selected for the Massachusetts Science Educators Hall of Fame, which acknowledges individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement of education in the sciences and/or science teaching in the commonwealth for a minimum of 20 years. McNeill, a professor in the Teaching, Curriculum and Society Department, will be inducted at the Massachusetts Science Education Leadership Association Annual Conference on October 23. Additionally, she will be honored that evening by the Massachusetts Science Teachers Association at its annual awards dinner.
Katherine McNeill photo by caitlin cunningham
the Lynch School. “It has been a privilege to work with so many amazing instructional leaders, teachers, and students in the state over the last 20 years. “Throughout my career, my research has always occurred in close partnership with districts across the state. I believe that the best work results from research that
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October 15, 2026
Project Aims to Help Addiction Treatment Workers Continued from page 1
pand the program to between 30 and 40 facilities across the state if the researchers meet a series of benchmarks. Workers in addiction treatment face a variety of stressors, according to Sabbath, including vicarious trauma, problems coordinating care, and limited opportunities for career advancement. At each facility participating in the pilot, a committee of workers from across roles and levels will identify the most pressing workplace challenges and develop strategies to address them. “Rather than telling facilities what the problems are, we will work with a committee of workers to identify the stressors that are most salient within each facility,” said Sabbath, whose collaborators include Susan Peters, a senior research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Elisabeth Stelson, an assistant professor at the Washington University in St. Louis Bursky School of Public Health. “The people who know the work best are the ones who do it every day.” The researchers have partnered with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, which licenses and oversees substance use treatment facilities across the state. Jennifer Parks, the bureau’s assistant director for provider support, is working with the group to ensure that Reshape is developed in partnership with the state’s addiction treatment system. The intervention itself, however, will be tailored to the needs of each participating facility. The committees will receive support from Reshape coaches, who will help workers assess conditions at their facilities, select problems to address, and identify evidence-based strategies that fit their needs. If workers are unable to take
Snapshot
working conditions, worker well-being, turnover, and client outcomes. If the data show that the intervention helps retain workers, it could be expanded to other types of addiction treatment in the Commonwealth and beyond. The project is personal for Sabbath. Her sister, Lauren Sabbath-Clayton M.S.W.’15, is in recovery and has worked in addiction care for more than a decade. In 2019, Sabbath-Clayton told Sabbath that her work was taking a physical and mental toll, pointing to burnout
and compassion fatigue among addiction treatment professionals as major barriers to overcoming the opioid epidemic. Sabbath realized that her own research on workplace stress put her in a position to help. “I feel compelled to help make things better for this workforce because the work they provide is saving families, and it is bringing families back their loved one who has been in the throes of addiction,” she said. Jason Kornwitz is a senior writer and editor in the Boston College School of Social Work
BC in the Media Sabbath’s project has a personal dimension: Her sister is in recovery and has worked in addiction care for more than a decade.“I feel compelled to help make things better for this workforce because the work they provide is saving families, and it is bringing families back their loved one who has been in the throes of addiction,” she says. photo by caitlin cunningham
breaks, for example, a committee might examine whether staffing shortages or scheduling practices are contributing to the problem and develop a solution based on the underlying cause. “Our coaches will be really involved at first and then gradually step back to help people feel like they can do this themselves,” said Sabbath. The researchers will collect data before, during, and after each facility receives the intervention so that they can evaluate the extent to which the program improves PHOTO BY CAITLIN CUNNINGHAM
Discussing the Lindsay Clancy Case
WCVB-TV News broadcast a feature on the new work-study internship for incarcerated men, organized by the Boston College Prison Education Program in partnership with the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison and the Massachusetts Department of Correction. Prof. Philip Landrigan, M.D. (Biology) spoke with CNN.com on a report that nearly 93 percent of known plastic chemicals in commonly used products pose a high risk to human health. Joseph Professor of Theology Kristin Heyer wrote a piece for America magazine on Pope Leo’s theme for this year’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which focused on threats to the dignity and rights of children. Prof. David Hopkins (Political Science)
offered comments to Reuters (via IDN Financial) on a series of taxpayer-funded television ads featuring President Trump that have drawn bipartisan criticism, as well as legal questions. Prof. Daniel Lyons (Law) was quoted in a Boston Globe story on how the rise of AI, and a court case, have heightened the stakes for parents who post photos of their children online. Part-time faculty member Brian Bethune (Economics) offered his analysis on such topics as inflation, the United States job report, the possible inflationary effect of election dividend checks, and the performance of the United States economy for outlets including the Financial Times (U.K.), Washington Post, Reuters, CNBC, and Marketplace.
Jobs The following are among the recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/jobs or scan the QR code at right. First or Third Cook, Corcoran Commons Teacher Assistant Director of Advocacy Programs Associate Director, Procurement Services Assistant Director, Gift Processing Data Services Librarian Assistant Director, Financial Management Systems Staff Nurse Bartender Senior Associate Director, Content Strategy
Boston College hosted the panel discussion, “Moral Evil, Mental Illness, and Criminal Responsibility: Questions Raised by the Lindsay Clancy Case,” on September 29. Speakers included (L-R) Connell School of Nursing Professor Ann Burgess; Catholic University of America Professor Emerita of Church History Robin Darling Young; Meg Kaveny, a social worker who collaborates with the Portland (Ore.) Police Bureau Behavioral Health Response Team; and BC Law Professor Michael Cassidy. Libby Millennium Professor M. Cathleen Kaveny served as moderator.
Associate Director of Intercultural Programming Associate Director, Church in the 21st Century Center Fiscal & Procurement Specialist Assistant Manager, Corcoran Commons Physical Security Technician Fire Safety Manager
Assistant Director of Program and Operations
Director of Counseling Practicum Experience
Executive Director, Krantz Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Humanity
Assistant/Associate Director, Athletics Leadership Giving Temporary Copy Editor
Academic Support Assistant, Connell School of Nursing
Fiscal Assistant
Resident Director
Associate Director of Graduate Admissions & Financial Aid
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October 15, 2026
A ‘Foundational National Document’ Boston College acquires a rare copy of the 1916 Irish Proclamation BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
Boston College has purchased a rare surviving example of an original 1916 Irish Proclamation, a foundational document in Irish history and the creation of the modern Irish state. The Proclamation—one of perhaps 50 copies believed to have survived from the original printing of approximately 1,000— was obtained by BC’s John J. Burns Library and formally unveiled on September 30 during a reception in the Burns Library Irish Room prior to a public lecture by Senia Pašeta, the fall 2026 Burns Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies. Burns Librarian and Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Resources Christian Dupont negotiated the purchase of the Proclamation, which had appeared at an auction in Ireland last fall. The acquisition was made possible through the library’s gift fund, which is supported by the generosity of many donors. The Proclamation was issued by the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army on April 24, 1916, and read to the public outside the General Post Office in Dublin, marking the start of the “Easter Rising”— an attempted insurrection by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland. Written by the Irish Republican Brotherhood Military Council, identifying itself as the “Provisional Government of the Irish Republic,” the Proclamation declared Ireland’s independence from Britain. It further stated that Ireland would be governed as a
Burns Librarian Christian Dupont and Seamus Ruiz-Earle '20 unveil a rare copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic in the Irish Room of Burns Library on September 30. photo by matthew healey
republic and guaranteed “religious and civil liberty, equal rights, and equal opportunity to all its citizens.” In the short term, the Proclamation seemed irrelevant. The hoped-for uprising failed to attract support from most Irish citizens, and British forces, with an overpowering superiority in manpower, weaponry, and military experience and training, quashed the rebellion in six days. But the severity of the British response, and particularly its execution of the Easter Rising’s leaders—including Patrick Pearse and James Connolly, widely believed to have been the Proclamation’s chief co-authors— produced an upswell of support for the republicans’ cause among the Irish. Almost three years after the Rising, the
nationalist Sinn Féin party, which had won the recent general election to represent Ireland in the British Parliament, formed a unicameral parliament called the Dáil Éireann. In 1921, a treaty ended British rule in most of Ireland and led to creation of the Irish Free State, paving the way for Ireland to become a fully-fledged republic in 1949. During the centenary celebration of the Easter Rising, Andrew Lynch of the Irish Independent called the Proclamation “1916’s greatest legacy, a radical and idealistic statement of the Rising’s principles that still inspires many people today.” “It is of particular significance for Boston College’s Irish Studies program that the Burns Library has acquired a copy of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic, which
is Ireland’s foundational national document,” said Sullivan Professor and Irish Studies director Guy Beiner. “Although the 1916 Easter Rising was a failure in military terms, it ultimately launched a revolution which would lead to independence, and in this historic document the signatories— all of whom were executed—eloquently expressed the ideals which the state still aspires to fulfill.” Dupont noted that the particular significance of the Proclamation obtained by BC stems from its provenance, one of only three known to have been preserved by women involved in the Rising. The Burns copy originally belonged to Helena Molony, a prominent Irish republican, feminist, labor activist, and colleague of James Connolly who fought in the Rising and later became the second woman president of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Molony was charged with safeguarding and transporting the copies of the Proclamation from Liberty Hall, where it had been secretly printed during the night of April 23, 1916, to the General Post Office (GPO), where it was read the next morning by Pearse. Molony gave a copy she had saved to socialist feminist and human rights campaigner May (Walsh) Keating, wife of the prominent painter Seán Keating. May Keating subsequently gifted it to Noel Browne, a physician, social reformer and Irish Minister for Health from 1948-1951. BC acquired the print by descent from Browne’s family through Fonsie Mealy Auctioneers, one of Ireland’s leading auction houses. The Proclamation will remain on display in Burns Library’s Irish Room through the end of the fall semester. Members of the BC community and the public are invited to view it during Burns Library’s regular weekday hours. Call ext. 2-3282 for more information.
BC Scenes
Words and Music
Early autumn campus entertainment on the Heights included a production of Henrik Ibsen’s “An Enemy of the People” at Robsham Theater (above) and the Campus Activities Board’s annual Stokes Set on Middle Campus, which this year featured performances by Mike Posner (far left) and Jack Murnin.
photos by caitlin cunningham and seho lee ’27