Boston College Chronicle by Boston College

The Boston College

Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs december 10, 2015 VOL. 23 no. 8

A recent $10 million gift from the foundation of longtime Boston College benefactor and parent, and current University Trustee Mario Gabelli will support the beautification of the BC campus. In recognition of the gift, made through the University’s Light the World campaign, Boston College will name the open spaces around Conte Forum as the Gabelli Plazas. These areas are among the most frequented public spaces on campus, especially on football game days, and enjoyed by many students, alumni, parents and visiMario Gabelli tors, noted BC administrators.

“One of our goals in developing the campus is to bring more attention to important outdoor spaces and the role they play in the lives of our students,” said Executive Vice President Michael Lochhead. “The Gabelli Plazas are incredibly vibrant, and not just on game days. Most members of our community walk through and pause at these plazas almost daily and now, thanks to the wonderful gift of the Gabelli family, we can sustain and enhance them even further.” The gift adds to the legacy of generosity toward BC forged

By Jack Dunn Director of News & Public Affairs

•BC undergrads host Model UN high-schoolers •Financial VP McKenzie says farewell

•CSOM professor’s fantasy game a winner

•Do luxury and charity mix during holidays?

faculty researchers 5 •BC explore other aspects of immigration issues

•Fr. Morello examines complex role of Catholic Church in ‘Dirty War’ •Kearney, Gallagher team up for unique project on 1916 Irish Rising •Photos: ‘Week of Dance’

Additions’; BC 7 •’Welcome in the Media; Briefings •Students compete in the Fed Challenge Connolly leaves 8 •Seamus Irish music legacy at BC

Boston College’s Christmas tree on the Plaza at O’Neill Library, Dec. 3. More photos on page 8. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

Place of Desperation Three-year stint working with Middle East refugees a vivid memory for STM student By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor

The controversy over whether the US should accept refugees from Syria is not some abstract topic for School of Theology and Ministry student Daniel Corrou, SJ: For many months, they were people he saw every day, and whose lives he and his colleagues tried to improve. Corrou, a Jesuit scholastic from Saratoga Springs, NY, who entered STM in 2014, spent nearly three years in Beirut, Lebanon, as part of his regency – a period in a Jesuit’s formation during which

he becomes immersed in the apostolic and community life of a Jesuit province. As it happened, Corrou’s stay in the Middle East coincided with the unfolding of the so-called Arab Spring, a series of uprisings that brought an additional layer of complexity and volatility to the already distressed region. One of its numerous consequences was the multi-faceted conflict in Syria that exacerbated an already serious refugee situation in Lebanon – one to which Corrou, as an administrator with the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), bore witness. Continued on page 4

QUOTE:

Lee Pellegrini

Alumnus Burke Appointed as Financial VP, Treasurer

INSIDE 2

by Gabelli, the chairman and CEO of GAMCO Investors Inc., highlighted by his longstanding support of the University’s Presidential Scholars Program, which provides an integrated educational experience for some of BC’s most accomplished students. Last year, the program was named the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program following a major gift from the Gabelli Family Foundation. In 2010, through a $3 million gift from Gabelli, the Carroll School of Management established the Mario J. Gabelli EnContinued on page 3

Boston College has named Associate Vice President of Finance John D. Burke as its new financial vice president and treasurer. He will succeed Peter McKenzie, who is retiring on Dec. 18 after 25 years of service. Burke, the University’s chief finance leader and a 1984 graduate of Boston College, brings to the position 30 years of financial leadership in both higher education and health care. After serving in leadership roles at Caritas Chris-

John D. Burke

ti, St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Partners Health Care System, Burke returned to his alma mater Continued on page 3

Nikolova Named Coughlin Prof. By Ed Hayward Staff Writer

Lee Pellegrini

University Health Services Director Thomas Nary, MD, announced yesterday that public health authorities have confirmed the presence of norovirus among Boston College students. Dr. Nary said that more than 120 students had reported to University Health Services “with symptoms consistent with the norovirus.” Nearly all cases are related to students who at the Chipotle restaurant in Cleveland Circle during the past weekend, he said. Read the full announcement at www.bc.edu/offices/uhs/health_ alert.html

$10 Million Gabelli Foundation Gift to Beautify Campus Lee Pellegrini

Norovirus Confirmed Among BC Students

Carroll School of Management Assistant Professor of Marketing Hristina Nikolova has been named the Diane Harkins Coughlin and Christopher J. Coughlin Sesquicentennial Assistant Professor, making her the most recent faculty member to be recognized by a University-wide initiative to support early-career professors. Funding for the professorships comes from the University’s Light the World campaign’s Sesquicentennial Challenge, which is de-

Hristina Nikolova

signed to provide financial support for the research and scholarship of junior faculty. Continued on page 5

“The decade of centenaries is highly charged in Ireland. Everyone is wondering whether the commemorations will heal the scars of a contested history or open the wounds of a fragile peace.” –Associate Professor of Fine Arts Sheila Gallagher, page 6

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle december 10, 2015

A ROUND HITTING THE ROAD Peter McKenzie possessed many qualities that served him well during his 25-year tenure as Boston College’s financial vice president and treasurer, University President William P. Leahy, SJ, told colleagues and friends who turned out last Friday afternoon to offer McKenzie best wishes upon his retirement from BC.

bility and unprecedented growth at Boston College. Associate Vice President of Finance John D. Burke, who has worked with McKenzie for the past several years, will succeed him as FVP, the University announced this week [see page 1]. In his remarks at the Friday reception, which took place in Gasson 100, McKenzie thanked Fr.

University President William P. Leahy, SJ, with retiring Financial President and Treasurer Peter McKenzie last Friday at a reception in Gasson 100 honoring McKenzie. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

McKenzie brought to his job a high level of creativity, excellence and competence, said Fr. Leahy, particularly in regard to planning. Devoted to his alma mater, McKenzie – a 1975 alumnus – also displayed “wisdom, strength and gentleness,” even when he “had to say ‘No.’” Then, picking up a small bag nearby, Fr. Leahy added, “But of all the images that sum up Peter, I think this is the best one.” He reached into the bag and pulled out a small teddy bear, as McKenzie smiled and the crowd laughed and applauded. McKenzie’s retirement, which takes effect Dec. 18, caps his twoand-a-half-decades of effective management that, according to colleagues, help foster fiscal sta-

Leahy and University Chancellor J. Donald Monan, SJ – who as president appointed McKenzie – as well as the Board of Trustees, his fellow vice presidents and other BC senior administrators. He also praised the staff in his office for their support and for “doing such a great job” over the years. McKenzie also expressed gratitude to his family, in particular his wife Maureen Quinn McKenzie, a member of his graduating class, and took note of his grandson, Patrick – “BC Class of 2035,” he quipped. “We’ve been on a wonderful journey, and we’re embarking on a new one,” he said. “It won’t be ‘good-bye,’ just ‘so long for a while.’” –Sean Smith

An upcoming exhibit at O’Neill Library will pay tribute to the annual “Dean’s List” of recommended books compiled by William B. Neenan, SJ, who died in 2014. The display, which will run from Dec. 14-Jan. 15 in the O’Neill lobby, will feature the books from the cumulative list, which Fr. Neenan maintained for more than three decades. Director of NEWS & Public Affairs Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS Patricia Delaney Editor Sean Smith

C AMPUS MODEL FOR LEARNING

A group of local high school students left their classroom behind last Friday for first-hand experience in the high-stakes realm of global politics and diplomacy. As participants in a Model United Nations, facilitated by undergraduate leaders of the Eagle Global Leadership Initiative (EGLI), they gained further understanding of and appreciation for the role of the inter-governmental organization. A new community outreach branch of Boston College Model United Nations (EagleMUNC), EGLI – which helps area schools both establish and develop Model UN programs – offers an interactive educational experience that promotes global awareness, public speaking and writing skills, and a sense of community. Inaugural partners this year are Another Course to College (Brighton) and Boston Trinity Academy (Hyde Park). “Model UN has the ability to teach valuable life skills,” said EGLI Director Kevin Fritz ’16. “We send our experienced Model UN members [to serve] as consultants to the high schools and mentors for the students.” Because Model UN is best taught through experiential learning, Fritz said, the BC Day event – held Dec. 4 at Barat House on Newton Campus – helped the 17 high school participants learn more about Model UN, hone

Boston College undergraduates in the Eagle Global Leadership Initiative (EGLI) hosted area high school students last Friday as part of an initiative to help the schools develop Model United Nations programs. (Photos by Amelie Trieu)

debate skills and experience their first Model UN conference. Participant response to the initiative, he added, has been positive. “Thanks to the hard work of EGLI volunteers and the wonderful faculty advisors at our partner schools, both Model UN teams have double-digit memberships that have progressed significantly. We hope BC Day marks a hallmark event in their appreciation of Model UN.” “It was fun debating and learning about other countries,” said Another Course to College student Denisha Bullock. Her ACC classmate Jonathan Peralta also enjoyed the Model UN event: “Not only did it advance my diction, it gave me insight on

Through the EGLI’s Model UN program, noted one undergraduate, “we’re also forming relationships with [the high school students] and teaching them what it’s like to be a student at BC.” Contributing Staff Melissa Beecher Ed Hayward Sean Hennessey Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Photographers Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini

The Boston College

Chronicle www.bc.edu/chronicle chronicle@bc.edu

how the UN really works.” Fritz said the program is enriching for the BC volunteers, whose leaders also include seniors Nicole Zunick and Steven Vangeli, and junior Lauren Mushro. Other team members are senior Sean Connelly, junior Steven Gingras, sophomores Meredith Thompson, Kelsey Connors, Yaa Obeng and Emma Allen, and freshman Andres Garcia. Several other undergraduates took part in the campus event as BC volunteers. “I volunteer at Boston Trinity Academy and I find that the students, even the middle school students, ask me things about college life, such as the college application process,” said Obeng. “It’s not just teaching them about Model UN but we’re also forming relationships with them and teaching them what it’s like to be a student at BC.” “Personally, the idea behind EGLI is one I had been kicking around for a while, and it means the world to me,” said Fritz. “I’ve never before been able to found an organization that has the power to make a true difference in the lives of others, and I’ve enjoyed every minute I put into the program to ensure that it is not only a success this year, but in the future.” –Rosanne 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.

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T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle december 10, 2015

“This is a type of game that parents can play with their kids, around the table. There’s nothing inappropriate for kids about it, and everyone is using their head. There’s laughter and fun.” –Darren Kisgen

It started out as just something Darren Kisgen made to play with his kids. Now his fantasy adventure game is being sold the world over, and winning awards. By Sean Hennessey Staff Writer

Board games are not on the Christmas list for Carroll School of Management Associate Professor of Finance Darren Kisgen and his family. That’s because the table game his two children love, Dragonwood, was designed by Kisgen himself. A fantasy adventure game that is distributed by the company Gamewright, Dragonwood has picked up several honors since its debut this past summer, including a Mensa Select Award, Oppenheim Best Toy Award, and a Parents’ Choice Award. It’s also received the thumbsup from professional board game reviewers: “I highly recommend Dragonwood for families who like this type of game,” wrote one. ”I consider myself to be a hardcore gamer and I personally loved Dragonwood.” Wrote another reviewer: “It just may be an amazing way to teach basic game concepts to kids.” “It’s incredibly gratifying,” says Kisgen, who worked on the game for two years before it went to market. “Of all that I’ve ever accomplished, this is one of the things I’m most excited about.” This holiday season, Kisgen’s creation is being sold around the world in toy stores and on Amazon, where the average user rating is an impressive 4.8 out of 5. The success of Dragonwood is an unexpected Christmas gift for Kisgen, who simply set out to create a game just for his kids. “Then I thought, ‘Why not send it off to a publisher and see if they want to do it?’ I wanted to create something that I would find interesting and would include some sort of challenging trade-offs and decisions, but that kids would find pretty easy to pick up and fun to play. “Hopefully, Dragonwood will

Carroll School of Management Associate Professor Darren Kisgen with his creation, Dragonwood. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

get kids away from playing video games or watching TV for a little while. I’m just very happy about that.” In Dragonwood, players collect sets of cards to earn dice, which they roll to capture creatures in a fantasy forest. Three sets of cards in combinations similar to gin rummy or poker (cards of same color, numbers in a row, sets of the same numbers) allow one to “Stomp,” “Strike” or “Scream” at creatures such as fire ants, a grumpy troll, giggling goblins, spiders, or an orange dragon. Players also use enhancements – a Silver Sword, Magical Unicorn or Friendly Bunny – to help them along the way. It may not sound like the kind of game one would expect from a finance professor, but Kisgen’s math background was a key asset in Dragonwood’s development. “In developing the game, I had to do quite a few fairly complicated probability calculations to get the number on the card right so they’d make sense, and to create interesting trade-offs. There are decisions you have to make: How many dice do you roll? Do you go for this creature worth more points where you need a higher number or lower points for

an easier number to roll? Getting that requires some decent, but not overly complicated, math. “This is a type of game that parents can play with their kids, around the table,” adds Kisgen, whose nine-year-old son helped come up with some of the card names. “There’s nothing inappropriate for kids about it, and everyone is using their head. There’s laughter and fun.” Kisgen grew up designing games to play with his family and friends, and is thrilled to see his childhood hobby turn into a mainstream success. Dragonwood is being sold not only nationwide, but throughout Canada and Europe and in places such as Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. “I’ve heard that it’s being used in several schools as a teaching tool for probabilities, number patterns and basic strategy. I’m very excited – I love that that’s happening.” Already, Kisgen is considering modifications and expansions to Dragonwood, based on consumer reactions. “Some people have suggested in the reviews that it would be great to have more creature cards or some add-on decks. I have some other ideas as to what to do with the game. There’s always that trade-off though: if I add more on, it will make the game more complicated and I think one of the appeals is that it’s fairly easy to pick up and play.” Contact Sean Hennessey at sean.hennessey@bc.edu

Burke Is New Financial VP

Continued from page 1 as director of University budgets in 2008, where he developed and implemented the annual operating and capital budgets and managed the University’s comprehensive long-range financial plan. He was promoted to associate vice president of finance in 2012, where he oversaw all operational and organizational functions for the Controller’s Office, Procurement Services, Accounts Payable, Financial Management Systems, University Operating Budget and Capital Budget. In addition to these roles, he will also oversee Internal Audit, Risk Management, Treasury, Dining Services and Boston College Police. In announcing the appointment, University President William P. Leahy, SJ, praised Burke as an experienced finance officer and University citizen. “John has decades of experience in financial management, including seven years as director of University budgets and associate vice president of finance at Boston College,” said Fr. Leahy. “He is a respected, talented member of our community who is clearly committed to BC’s mission. I look forward to working with him.” Burke said he was excited to take on this critical role and to continue the skilled fiscal governance that has been McKenzie’s trademark and a key factor in BC’s success. “I am honored to be selected as the next financial vice president and treasurer of Boston College,” said Burke. “I consider myself fortunate to have had Peter McKenzie as a mentor over the past seven years and look forward to continuing his financial legacy as he retires after a quarter-century of service to Boston College. I would also like to thank Fr. Leahy, [Executive Vice President] Michael Lochhead and the search committee for appointing me. I look forward to working with Fr. Leahy, senior leadership and the Boston College community as the

University embarks on a new strategic plan, and to working more closely with Boston College’s academic leadership, vice presidents and administrators in advancing the University.” Among his professional associations, Burke serves as treasurer and director of Boston College Ireland, founding board member of EdHealth and representative of the Collaborative Educational Ventures of New England. He is also active in the National Association of Colleges and University Business Officers, the Eastern Association of Colleges and University Business Offices, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Chief Financial Officers, and the Atlantic Coast Conference’s association of fiscal officers. He is a certified public accountant and holds an MBA from Suffolk University. He has also served as an auditor and financial consultant for Deloitte. While at Boston College, Burke participated in the 2013 cohort of the Ignatian Colleagues Program and has been a supportive member of Boston College’s Monserrat Coalition, which provides support for more than 1,400 low-income students. An avid runner, he completed the Richmond Marathon in Virginia this fall. Burke’s BC roots run deep. His father, Donald, was a 1952 graduate of Boston College and his son, Matthew, a 2015 grad. His son, Andrew, is a BC sophomore, and his wife, Patti, is a clinical instructor at Children’s Hospital, where she teaches students from the Connell School of Nursing. “It is with heartfelt gratitude that I accept this appointment,” said Burke. “I commit to work tirelessly on behalf of Boston College and in support of the University’s goals.” Contact Jack Dunn at jack.dunn@bc.edu

Plazas at Conte Forum Will Be Named for Gabelli Continued from page 1

dowed Professorship, currently held by Finance Professor Alan Marcus. In 1995, the University named the residence hall at 80 Commonwealth Avenue after Gabelli, who co-founded the Boston College Wall Street Council. “A university must have great faculty, facilities, and students,” said Gabelli, in an announcement of the most recent gift. “Those are the elements that

make the greatest difference, and obviously each of those requires financing. “The success of the United States is based on free markets, the rule of law, and meritocracy. The underpinning of meritocracy is education. Therefore, giving back to Boston College will surely help the next generation of leaders get their start.” –Office of News & Public Affairs

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle december 10, 2015

STM’s Corrou Recalls Experiences with Refugees

brand (Godiva) or a value brand (M&M’s). Without any mention of charity, 47 percent chose to purchase the luxury brand. However, when participants were told that the Godiva chocolates were made and sold in association

Gary Gilbert

Luxury items and the high prices they command may make consumers think twice this holiday season about whether the cost is justified. But the decision to buy such items may be easier if they are linked to “doing good,” says a Carroll School of Management researcher. Associate Professor of Marketing Henrik Hagtvedt is co-author of a study that found consumers are more likely to buy luxury brands that highlight partnerships with charity organizations at the point of sale. Hagtvedt and co-author Vanessa Patrick, a marketing professor at the University of Houston C.T. Bauer College of Business, based their study on three experiments with 342 college students and adults. Like every holiday season, luxury marketers will spend millions of dollars this year on retail décor to help convert consumer desire into purchases. Since these retail spaces are designed to dazzle consumers with the luster of luxury, they aren’t perceived as a good place to promote partnerships with charity. But in “Gilt and Guilt: Should Luxury and Charity Partner at the Point of Sale?” – to be published in the Journal of Retailing – Hagtvedt and Patrick contend that the cash register may in fact be the best place for a luxury brand to partner with charity. “A lot of people like to buy luxury but feel a little guilty about it,” says Hagtvedt. “So what we found is that if there’s a way to remove that guilt, people will be more likely to go ahead and make the purchase. One way to do that is to collaborate with a charity.” In one study, participants could purchase either a luxury

Henrik Hagtvedt

with the World Wildlife Fund, the choice of Godiva jumped to 78 percent. Follow-up experiments demonstrated that the willingness to purchase luxury products increased because the association with charity diminished the participants’ feelings of guilt for purchasing a luxury product. The same pattern emerged whether the luxury products were chocolates, high-end jeans or Rolex watches. The collaboration with charity allows consumers “the license to indulge” in the luxury brand they want to purchase, says Hagtvedt. “At this pre-purchase stage of the decision cycle, consumers are often looking for a reason to buy or not to buy. Charity partnerships may not fit perfectly with a dazzling retail display, but they can help justify a desirable purchase.” –Sean Hennessey

Santa Claus visited with children young and old at last week’s Christmaa tree-lighting celebration, held on the Plaza at O’Neill Library. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)

To better understand the refugees’ plight, and the challenges facing JRS and other relief organizations, Corrou says it’s important to realize there is no one-size-fitsall policy for addressing refugee situations in the region. Jordan and Turkey have established refugee camps in demarcated areas, he explains; Lebanon had decided not to, which means refugees crowd into any existing housing or abandoned space, whether residential or commercial. “With camps, the refugees’ movements are restricted, which can certainly be an issue – but at least it’s easier to set up a system for getting assistance to people there. In Lebanon there are no distinct areas where resources are provided.

made it more difficult for JRS to meet the population’s needs. Meanwhile, Lebanese authorities’ declaration that they had no space in their schools to accept Syrian children – although they are legally responsible for doing so – threatened to overtax JRS’ educational programs, which were meant to be temporary. “Food distribution also has become a problem,” he says. “There wound up being far more refugees than we could deal with; there were always people falling through the cracks.” In addition, outbreaks of sectarian violence in some neighborhoods created further anxiety, Corrou says, and JRS faced criticism for not hiring more poor Lebanese

Gary Gilbert

Is it easier to buy high-priced luxury items if they’re linked with charitable causes? Carroll School’s Hagtvedt thinks so

Continued from page 1 The experience was both enlightening and troubling for Corrou, and it put an all-too-human face on a tragedy that, even with on-the-ground insight, can be difficult to comprehend. “When I arrived there were relatively small numbers of refugees; by the time I left [in July of 2014], there were a total of two-and-ahalf million, in a country of four million,” he says. “This created difficulties for us [JRS] as to how we could provide help in the short term, but also raised longer-term questions in areas like education, public safety and employment. “The picture has changed dramatically. Earlier in the conflict, the Syrians – or others who were similarly displaced – by and large were happy in Lebanon and would talk about ‘going back home.’ But it seems that now, there’s a sense among many of the refugees that they are too far removed from their former lives, that too much has been lost – and there’s no resolution in sight.” After joining the Society of Jesus US Northeast Province, Corrou hoped to spend his regency in a non-English-speaking country and assumed he would be assigned to Colombia or Mexico. Instead, the Northeast Province decided to send him to the Near East Province, encompassing most of the Middle East, where the order has longstanding ties. His specific destination was to be Damascus, where he would study Arabic, but by then – early 2011 – the Syrian civil war was in its early stages. So he went to Beirut, where in addition to his studies he was to work with Iraqi refugees and serve as a part-time teacher at a local high school. The influx of Syrian refugees began during the second year of Corrou’s regency, and he and his Jesuit colleagues tried to offer help on an ad hoc basis, visiting with the new arrivals and organizing food and clothing drives. Then during late 2012 to early 2013, fighting between the Syrian Army and various Syrian rebel factions and Islamic militant groups intensified. “That opened the faucet,” Corrou says. “In just a few months, the population of refugees from Syria surged to upwards of two million.” JRS decided to establish an operation in Beirut and assume oversight of some assistance programs and initiatives that the Jesuits had cobbled together, appointing Corrou as program coordinator. These included running a school for refugee children, organizing food distribution and social services, and providing structured programs for women.

Daniel Corrou, SJ: “There’s a sense among many of the refugees that they are too far removed from their former lives, that too much has been lost – and there’s no resolution in sight.” You have to judge where the needs are greatest and then attract people to come where you are so you can give them what they need.” A vital task for JRS, therefore, was to visit Beirut neighborhoods with high concentrations of Syrian refugees, says Corrou, to check on how families and individuals were faring: Did they have blankets? Were they having trouble paying rent? How was their supply of fuel? “One of our biggest concerns was to make sure people didn’t lose track of their humanity,” he adds. “I met a mother who spoke of having no way to socialize, or to simply get out of the house. So in that regard, school wasn’t only about education, it was an opportunity for both kids and families to make social connections. “Similarly, instead of just throwing food at people, we made the distribution points like a café with a little store attached, and with credit points for basic items. This provided at least some semblance of what their lives had been like back home.” But the challenges kept mounting as Corrou neared the end of his tenure in Beirut. Syrian refugees that were arriving were poorer and lacking in resources compared to those before them, he notes, which

for their programs. Corrou has found it difficult to readjust to life in the US. He is hesitant to open Facebook, fearing that he’ll see news of a friend or acquaintance dead, injured or missing. The volume of misinformation and misperceptions voiced in the debate about accepting Syrian refugees is depressing, he says: “It speaks of fear-mongering and a profound ignorance of the situation. The Syrians looking to move out fear the same things we do, and want the same things for themselves and their children that we do.” But every so often there is good news among the bad. A JRS employee who had fled the hard-hit city of Aleppo decided to rejoin her parents there not long after Corrou left Beirut. He had worried about her fate – “Aleppo is no place for young women” – but earlier this fall got a message through Facebook that she had married. “Somehow, love blossomed in this horrible, fratricidal civil war,” Corrou says, “and they even found a red sports car to drive from the wedding.” Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu

T he B oston C ollege

Chronicle december 10, 2015

Immigration and the US

Faculty Research Offers Different Takes on Hot-Button Issue

Marilynn Johnson: Role of

M. Brinton Lykes: Deportation

immigrants in Boston’s renaissance

residents, they helped to repopulate and revitalize neighborhoods and inner suburbs. It’s a story that really needs to be told.” The “old immigrants” to Boston were mostly from Europe and Canada and were primarily unskilled and semi-skilled workers. The “new immigrants,” explains Johnson, are from all skill and education spectrums, with a significant amount representing the professional category. In 2010, three-quarters of the foreign-born in Boston represented more than two dozen countries, including China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and other Latin American, Caribbean, Asian or African nations. “So the new immigrants have made Boston more diverse racially, ethnically, and through their educational and profession-

practices belie the rhetoric of BC Media Technology Services

“one of the least appreciated”

Immigration Reform and Responsibility Act on the country’s immigrant population. “The United States has been engaged in a massive social experiment with deportation,” said Kanstroom, a BC Law School

Lee Pellegrini

Immigration and immigrants – whether from Mexico, Syria or elsewhere – have been a constant topic of discussion and debate this year among politicians, media commentators and the general public. Two new books published by Boston College faculty, heralded last month at a book launch sponsored by the Center for Human Rights and International Justice (CHRIJ), explore different facets of the life of the immigrant in the US and in the Boston area, and both present a reality that is counter to many media soundbites. In The New Bostonians: How Immigrants Have Transformed the Metro Area since the 1960s, History Professor Marilynn Johnson looks at how the large-scale immigration from Latin America, Asia and Africa that followed after the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965 helped to transform the city of Boston. According to Johnson, an urban historian, the late 1960s to the early 1980s was a low point for Boston in terms of economic development and population. “The city saw losses of both people and industry. Boston lost about a third of its population between 1950 and 1980 and lost some 40 percent of its manufacturing base in the 25 years after World War II. It was a city that had a lot of problems.” The 1980s saw Boston undergo an economic and physical revitalization, said Johnson, who set out to explore the relationship between the Boston renaissance and the new waves of immi-

al backgrounds,” said Johnson. The integration of the new Bostonians has not been without incident, noted Johnson. “The 1980s were the cross-currents coming together between the earlier period and the period we live in now.” Johnson cited the large refugee migrations, lingering bitterness over the Vietnam War and the displacement of the nativeborn population over the loss of manufacturing jobs as converging to cause tension, resentment and violence, with immigrants serving as the scapegoats. Johnson plans to expand her research to a digital platform, tentatively titled Global Boston, which would include informa-

grants. “Although there were many things that went into the making of Boston’s renaissance, one of the least appreciated is the role that immigrants played as a key ingredient. As both workers and

By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer

“family-oriented” America

Daniel Kanstroom: Deportation system “unprecedented in size, scope and harshness”

tion that didn’t make it into the book, oral histories and other historical sources. “There are a lot more stories to tell.” The New Deportations Delirium: Interdisciplinary Responses, co-edited by CHRIJ associate directors Daniel Kanstroom and M. Brinton Lykes, takes a look at the impact of the 1996 Illegal

professor. “We’ve created a system that is unprecedented historically in terms of its size, its scope and its harshness. The prevailing rhetoric is that there is no or insufficient enforcement going on, when in reality there is massive enforcement. The government is spending billions and billions of dollars and deporting hundreds of thousands of people.” Many facing deportation are long-term legal permanent residents with “green cards,” who have US citizen spouses and children, according to the editors. “That [deportation] mechanism separates families,” said Lykes, a professor in the Lynch School of Education. “Our policies and practices belie our rhetoric of the United States being family-oriented.”

The interdisciplinary conversation and work Kanstroom and Lykes have engaged in through the CHRIJ highlighted for them the need to have experts from different fields to contribute to this volume. The New Deportations Delirium includes chapters from lawyers, judges, social workers, psychologists, educators, community activists, a filmmaker, and the former director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Detention Policy and Planning. One attorney writes of the inherent conflict he sees between family law and immigration law, because the welfare of the child is not a priority in both arenas. Other chapters are specifically collaborative between disciplines, including a chapter written by a social work professor and lawyer. The New Deportations Delirium is “deeply infused by the voices of the migrants themselves,” added Lykes, who coauthored one of the book’s chapters. “What do we understand from their point of view and how can we re-theorize how we think about migration based on their lived experiences?” In addition to students, Kanstroom hopes the book will reach policymakers and voters “who think they understand what deportation is and who, we hope, will come to understand how it actually functions. We tried to give a ‘ground-up’ perspective on the effects of deportation on real people, how the system has worked, its problems, its strengths, its weaknesses.” Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu

Nikolova Is Inaugural Sesquicentennial Coughlin Assistant Professor Continued from page 1 Nikolova, who joined the Carroll School in 2014, conducts research into joint decision-making, interpersonal relationships, consumer self-control and health promotion. She earned her doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh. “I feel extremely honored, grateful and very happy to receive the Coughlin Sesquicentennial Assistant Professorship,” Nikolova said. “I was both surprised and humbled. This means a great deal to me and it motivates me to work even harder every day in both my research and teaching.” The Coughlin Sesquicentennial Professorship was made possible by the financial support of Diane Harkins Coughlin ’74 and

Christopher J. Coughlin ’74, P’06, ’07, who both studied in the Carroll School, as did two of their three children. The couple, who have supported prior University initiatives, were quick to respond to the Sesquicentennial Challenge, pledging $1 million to endow the early-career faculty post and generating a $500,000 matching gift from an anonymous donor who has pledged to support as many as 10 endowed chairs for assistant professors in schools and colleges throughout the University. “Our family is thrilled to have Hristina Nikolova as our inaugural recipient,” Christopher Coughlin said. “She is truly a rising star in the marketing field,

and we’re proud knowing that we can have a significant impact on her research and on her ability to mentor today’s Carroll School students.” Carroll School Powers Family Dean Andy Boynton said the Coughlins’ gift represents an investment in the development of early-career faculty. “Recognizing newly hired professors like Hristina is critical to the development of our worldclass faculty in the Carroll School and across the University,” said Boynton. “As researchers, our faculty create new knowledge. As teachers, mentors and advisors, they inspire our students on a daily basis. I’m grateful for the Coughlin family’s gener-

ous gift to the Sesquicentennial Challenge, which is an important faculty-building initiative.” Additional Sesquicentennial Challenge faculty include Lynch School of Education Assistant Professor David Miele, of the Department of Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology, whose chair is the result of a gift from University Trustee John E. Buehler Jr. ’69 and family; Assistant Professor of Political Science Jennifer Erickson, through a gift from Susan and Michael White ’74; and Assistant Professor of History Penelope Ismay, with support from University Trustee Robert J. Cooney ’74 and family. Nikolova said the financial

support that comes with the professorship will help advance her research into consumer behavior, which she hopes will contribute to consumer welfare, public policy initiatives and marketing strategies. “My primary research area examines joint decision-making by pairs of consumers – such as spouses, friends and co-workers – a topic that is currently under-researched in marketing but that has tremendous importance given the frequency with which we make decisions with other people on a regular basis,” Nikolova said. Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu

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Chronicle december 10, 2015

Richard Kearney and Sheila Gallagher (Photo by Kevin Sweet)

and will premiere at, Dublin’s renowned Abbey Theatre this coming Jan. 23. The original work is part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, which will feature diverse events to mark the 1916 Easter Rising. “It was a real incentive and inspiration for us to be invited to do this by the national theater of Ireland,” said Kearney – writer, performer and co-director for “Twinsome Minds” – who has served as cultural organizer of several international projects. He and Gallagher, who serves as creative director and performer, worked together on the script and accompanying screen-projected images. They received $15,000 in support from “Culture Ireland” as part of the Ireland 2016 Centenary Programme, to fund an international tour of “Twinsome Minds” following its debut. Performances will be given in a dozen venues in the United Kingdom, Europe and major cities in the US, including in Boston on April 29. Through an interplay of storytelling, animation, music and poetry, “Twinsome Minds” – which takes its title from a phrase in the novel Finnegans Wake – mines what is often lost behind official historical accounts and acts of commemoration, according to its creators, and proposes a transformative work of interpreting the Rising for a new generation. Audiences, Kearney hopes, will take away “a new sense of the unfin-

history and myth – as well as loyalty and love.” “I hope the audience comes away with a more nuanced understanding of 1916 and a more inclusive interpretation of the foundational story of the modern Irish state,” said Gallagher, an interdisciplinary artist and curator. “We hope to offer an imaginative alternative to triumphalist (and boring) military reenactments and partisan positioning, one that nudges towards a collective empathy. “The decade of centenaries is highly charged in Ireland,” she added. “Everyone is wondering whether the commemorations will heal the scars of a contested history or open the wounds of a fragile peace. I feel it is both a huge honor and incredible responsibility to present a multimedia performance that is ‘good commemoration,’ one that is grounded in historical facts, but also expansive and imaginative and can offer fresh insights.” “Twinsome Minds” features original music composed and performed by Dana Lyn; musical direction by WGBH-FM radio host Brian O’Donovan, technical direction by Kevin Sweet and creative consultation by Professor of the Practice of History Robert Savage, Fanny Howe and Roy Foster. The Abbey Theatre provided $8,000 to fund the original music score and other production expenses. For details on the Ireland 2016 Centenerary Program, see www.ireland.ie/#ireland2016. –Rosanne Pellegrini

By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer

In his new book, The Catholic Church and Argentina’s Dirty War, Assistant Professor of Sociology Gustavo Morello, SJ, chronicles the 1976 kidnapping, detainment and torture of American priest James Weeks and five seminarians by the Argentine military government – an event, he says, that points up the complex relationship between the Catholic Church and political violence during Argentina’s infamous Dirty War. “I was interested in the case of Fr. Weeks and the La Salette seminarians because it had not been studied before,” said Fr. Morello, a Jesuit priest from Argentina. “It was a tree that let me explore the forest: By analyzing this case I was able to put the Catholic people of Argentina in context and understand their relationships with the political actors and international networks.” During Argentina’s Dirty War – an attempt by the government to fight communism by eliminating subversives – 15,000 people were killed, 8,000 were jailed and some 6,000 were exiled. In a country where 90 percent of the population is Catholic, these statistics point to the fact that Catholics were killing other Catholics, said Fr. Morello. “In the torture chamber, the discussion was: ‘What does it mean to be Catholic?’” Fr. Morello interviewed Fr. Weeks, three of the former seminarians – Fr. Weeks and the seminarians were eventually released due to pressure from the United States government – and an American nun

Gustavo Morello, SJ

who was a witness to their abduction. He also conducted fieldwork and studied archival documents and records of the case. In 2011, he accompanied Fr. Weeks and former seminarian Alfredo Velarde on a return trip to the site of their detainment and torture. “Theirs is a story that has not really been told,” said Fr. Morello. “And now their story is available in Spanish and English to a broad audience. Although I approached the interviews as a sociologist, I am, of course, also a Catholic priest. And for many of those involved, it was the first time someone from the Church had asked them what had happened to them. “It was hard, but also positive and healing,” he added. The case is going through the court system in Argentina. Earlier this year, Fr. Morello gave testimony as a contextual witness. “It may help people to get justice.” By studying the case, Fr. Morello says, he sought to answer the question: Why did Catholics in Argen-

tina do what they did? “In the book I describe and analyze the complexities of what it meant to be Catholic under Argentina’s dictatorship,” he said. “I wanted to show how victims understood their Catholicism, how torturers justified their actions, and how the Church rationalized its attitude.” The political changes in Latin America came at the same time as the reforms from the Second Vatican Council. Fr. Morello’s analysis concluded that Catholics’ actions were connected to how they identified themselves after the religious transformation. He categorized three types of Catholics during this era: anti-secular, those who were against all forms of change (social, cultural, religious); committed, those who were part of grassroots movements devoted to the poor; and institutional, those who were conservative but open to change and believed that the government and Catholic Church should work together. While the Catholic Church’s silence during the Dirty War has drawn criticism, Fr. Morello contends that one cannot look at the Church without also looking at the other actors. “The Church, as well as the media, unions, political parties, were all in step with the government and did not speak out against the government in public. “This is not an easy topic,” said Fr. Morello. “But it is important to understand what went on because the relationship between religion, politics and violence still exists in the world.” Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu

Boston College’s first “Week of Dance,” which took place from Nov. 30-Dec. 5, included performances and workshops by student dance organizations as well as a photo exhibit by Cindy Chen ’16 (bottom right).

Christopher Huang

ished stories and promises of 1916 as well as a sense of solidarity with both the Irish who died in Dublin during Easter week and in the fields of Flanders wearing British uniforms.” “Twinsome Minds,” according to a performance description, “reimagines a series of micro-narratives surrounding 1916 in Dublin and the battlefields of Belgium during World War I. These stories and images of eclipsed history concentrate on ‘twinned’ pairs – family members, neighbors, school friends, lovers – who ended up on opposite sides during this time of great upheaval in British-Irish relations. The scenes explore crossings of memory and imagination, anecdote and legend,

‘A Story That Has Not Really Been Told’ Gary Gilbert

Ireland’s forthcoming centenerary of the 1916 Easter Rising – a pivotal event in modern Irish history – is a cause for commemoration, and also raises some compelling questions, according to Seelig Professor in Philosophy Richard Kearney. “How do we tell the difference between memories that incarcerate and memories that emancipate? How do we reclaim the proclamations of 1916?” Kearney poses this query in a multimedia performance on which he collaborated with Associate Professor of Fine Arts Sheila Gallagher. “Twinsome Minds: Recovering 1916 in Images and Stories” was commissioned and supported by,

The Catholic Church and Argentina’s Dirty War

Lee Pellegrini

Christopher Huang

BC Project Aims to Put 1916 Irish Rising in a New, and Larger, Context

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Chronicle december 10, 2015

BOSTON COLLEGE IN THE MEDIA An introduction to new faculty members at Boston College

Ethan Baxter

Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences DEGREES: Yale University (BS); University of CaliforniaBerkeley (PhD) WHAT HE STUDIES: Isotope geochemistry and geochronology, tectonics and metamorphism, Earth history WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Earth Materials; Petrology; Ores and Resources; Origins and Evolutions of the Earth; graduate course in Isotope Geochemistry and Geochronology. What is the focus of your work? “I am a geochemist interested in the broad processes occurring within and between the Earth’s crust, mantle, and surface. An interest in unraveling the history of the Earth, as well as predicting certain aspects of its future, is at the heart of much of the research going on in my group.”

Hans de Wit

Research Professor of Higher Education Director, Center for International Higher Education Lynch School of Education DEGREES: University of Amsterdam (BA, MSc and PhD) WHAT HE STUDIES: International higher education WHAT HE’S WORKING ON: Helping to develop a curriculum for a proposed master’s degree in international higher education. What is at the heart of your research interests? “I have been interested in how developing countries can formulate their own higher education policies, and not just act based on what has happened in America or Europe. My work has focused on helping countries develop their own interests and their own focus.”

Suntae Kim

Assistant Professor of Management and Organization Carroll School of Management DEGREES: University of Michigan (PhD); Seoul National University (MS, BBA) WHAT HE STUDIES: Alternative organizational forms, social entrepreneurship, business incubation and urban revitalization. WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Organizational Behavior What aspect of management are you drawn to? “I find it inspiring and meaningful to observe and document people’s diverse efforts to organize economic activities in novel ways, which are aimed to be more sustainable and human-centered.”

Zhuoxin (Allen) Li

Assistant Professor of Information Systems Carroll School of Management DEGREES: University of Texas at Austin (MS, PhD); Harbin Institute of Technology (MS); South China University of Technology (BE) WHAT HE STUDIES: Interaction of information technology and operations/marketing. WHAT HE’S TEACHING: Computers in Management What do you feel is most significant about your area of study? “Platform-based businesses have become an essential part of the new economy, but we still have limited understanding about how these business models work.”

Alison Marshall

Clinical Instructor in Community Health Nursing Connell School of Nursing DEGREES: Boston College (BA); Yale University (MS) WHAT SHE STUDIES: Sexually transmitted infections, sexual health WHAT SHE’S TEACHING: Primary Care Families/Advanced Practice Nursing; Advanced Practice/Community and Family Health Nursing You have worked as a family nurse practitioner in Boston. What’s something from that experience that you want your students understand? “I would like my students to understand that we are all the same. Working in South Boston has afforded me the opportunity to treat people across all socioeconomic groups, and the bottom line is that our bodies all work the same way. Everyone has to breathe, everyone has to eat and everyone needs help sometimes. I wish for my students to find this human connection in their professional encounters because I believe that is what makes the nursing profession its best – how we care for our patients, whomever they are and whatever they need.”

–Ed Hayward, Sean Hennessey and Kathleen Sullivan Photos by Lee Pellegrini and Gary Gilbert

CBS News reported on a nanonet developed by Assoc. Prof. Dunwei Wang (Chemistry) for solar energy conversion as among advanced innovations that may help re-route the path of climate change. Prof. Ray Madoff (Law) discussed trends in charitable giving, from crowd-sourcing to Giving Tuesday, as a guest on National Public Radio’s “On Point.” WGBH-FM highlighted the Lynch School of Education’s City Connects initiative – developed by Kearns Professor Mary Walsh – which serves 74 schools in four states, places social workers in low-income schools to coordinate additional supports for students and their families. Assoc. Prof. Julian Bourg (History), associate dean for the core curriculum in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, wrote

in Boston Review on France’s long history of political violence. Young people who aren’t connected to school or work are at higher risk for a host of ills, according to Assoc. Prof. of Macro Practice Tiziana Dearing (BCSSW), who outlined steps toward improving these connections in a piece for the

WBUR “Learning Lab.” Director of Undergraduate Admission John Mahoney once again joined representatives from Harvard and UMass for the popular college admission panel discussion annually hosted by WBZ-AM “NightSide with Dan Rea.”

EXPERT OPINION Associate Professor of Near Eastern Studies Franck Salameh, writing in the Jerusalem Post about the fight against the Islamic State [read the full article at http://bit.ly/1NDFXRL]. “In the end, the Islamic State is not merely a terrorist transnational group of barbaric misogynist religious fanatics bent oppressing and killing those they deem different. IS is a millenarian triumphalist apocalyptic group of Muslims. Admittedly it is a small group of Muslims, but a group of Muslims nonetheless, who continue to do great damage, armed with an eschatological vision of the world, determined to bring about the end of times. Not defining the Islamic State group for what it is and for what it claims to be only accelerates its doomsday scenario and escalates the violence that its worldview foretells.”

Prof. Maxim D. Shrayer (Slavic and Eastern Languages) presented “Pavel Antokolsky as a Witness to the Shoah” at the Annual Conference of the American Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies in Philadelphia.

BC B

JOBS The following are among the most recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/offices/hr:

RIEFING Assoc. Prof. Marina McCoy (Philosophy) spoke at a Veritas Forum lecture and conversation at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, on “Vulnerability and Virtue: Misfortune, Comfort, and the Good Death.”

Assistant Director, Employer Engagement, Career Center

Assoc. Prof. of the Practice Michael Keith (Communication) published his 10th story collection, Bits, Specks, Crumbs, Flecks.

Director of Annual Capital Projects, Facilities Management

Students Compete in Fed Challenge A team of Boston College students displayed their mettle in economics, the University’s most popular major, at a recent competition where they and other New England undergraduates got to play the role of monetary policymakers. The BC representatives took part in the College Fed Challenge Boston regional competition held last month at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, where they earned honorable mention for the second year in a row. BC won the competition in 2006, the first year it entered. Tasked with giving an assessment of the US economy and recommendations for monetary policy, the team of Matt Walsh ’16, Pamela Krivec ’17, Alexander Cervone ’16, Abigail Brown ’18 and James Ahle ’17 won the first round, then competed in the afternoon finals against teams from Harvard, Bentley, Northeastern and Clark. During a 15-minute presentation, the team told the panel of three judges – economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston – that the economy was gaining steam and predicted the effects of low energy prices and the strong dollar would start to recede, causing inflation. Their recommendation: begin raising the federal funds rate by a quarter of a percentage point. Twenty-two teams in all took part in the regional, with Bentley advancing to last week’s national competition at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC, which was won by Pace University. “Our team gave a terrific presentation and astutely answered questions from the judges,” said Associate Economics Professor Robert Murphy, who coached the team along with Professor of the Practice in Economics Can Erbil. “I am very proud of the team’s performance in this year’s competition. The students put in a lot of effort over two months to prepare for the competition. With three members likely to return, our goal will be nothing short of the national championship.” Walsh, who was on this year’s and last year’s teams, says the fact BC earned a higher numerical score than in 2014 is a good portent for the future. “I have really enjoyed my experience participating in the Fed Challenge these past two years. I think that we have a solid foundation in terms of the presentation and the talent to make us competitive on the regional and national stages.” –Sean Hennessey

Events Assistant, Alumni Chapters, Alumni Association Assistant Director, Core Curriculum, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Assistant Coach, Women’s Soccer Second Cook, Dining Services Facilities Supervisor, Residential Life Communications and Curriculum Management Specialist, Student Services Assistant/Associate Director, Alumni Chapters, Alumni Association Technology Consultant, Law School Financial Aid Assistant, Student Services Unix Systems Administrator, Systems Administration Teacher, Eagle Eyes Assistive Technology, Campus School Assistant Coach, Strength and Conditioning, Athletic Association Senior Applications Developer/ Web Developer, Student and Academic Applications Services

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Seamus Connolly played a vital role in BC’s emergence as a center for Irish music

Musician, teacher, organizer, scholar: Fulfilling these roles for the better part of a quarter-century, Seamus Connolly has helped make Boston College a go-to place for traditional music from Ireland, Scotland, Cape Breton and other Gaelic cultures. But the final notes of Connolly’s tenure at BC have sounded. Connolly, who has been BC’s Sullivan Family Artist-in-Residence since 2004, will retire from the University effective at the end of the fall semester. Appropriately enough, a formal public announcement of his plans came at Tuesday night’s Christmas concert in the Cadigan Alumni Center, held as part of the Gaelic Roots Music, Song, Dance, Workshop and Lecture Series – widely acclaimed as one of his signal achievements. “There comes a moment in everyone’s life when you look back and then say, ‘It’s time,’” said Connolly in an interview last month. “I felt that over 25 years, with the help of many good people, we were able to accomplish so much in giving the Irish and other Gaelic music traditions a home at BC. So moving on at this point just seems the right thing to do. “I wasn’t an academic, but working here I was very fortunate to be around the finest academics in the world, who were always so supportive and helpful to me.” Arriving at BC in 1990, Connolly – a native of Killaloe in County Clare who moved to the US in 1976 – burnished his reputation as one of the finest Irish fiddlers of his generation by establishing Irish music, song and dance programs at the University, expanding the scope

BC SCENES

of BC’s groundbreaking Irish Studies Program. He made it possible for BC undergraduates to take for-credit classes – some of which he taught – in Irish fiddle, flute and tin whistle, as well as Irish dance. Through his efforts, Boston College also became a public venue and resource for Irish and other traditional music. As director of the Gaelic Roots Summer School and Festival (forerunner to the current academic-year series, which will continue after his departure), he brought outstanding performers from around the world to campus each year from 1993-2003 for a weeklong series of classes, workshops and concerts that drew hundreds of aficionados. Connolly also championed BC’s Irish Music Center at the Burns Library, a trove of archival recordings, manuscripts, photos and other materials, by facilitating numerous donations and donating many items from his own considerable collection. Among the many honors he has earned was a National Heritage Fellowship in 2013 from the National Endowment for the Arts, the nation’s highest honor in folk and traditional arts. “It’s impossible to overstate the importance of Seamus’ legacy, not just to BC but to Irish culture in America,” said Brian O’Donovan, WGBH-FM radio host and Celtic music events organizer. “The fact that he was able to take his outstanding skills as a fiddler and an encyclopedic store of tunes and turn them into a sustainable, multi-faceted resource at BC is truly remarkable. The vision shown by BC must also be pointed out. “Anyone with any interest in Irish music has a debt of gratitude to him, and I for one would like to step forward and say a heartfelt ‘thank you.’” Connolly’s many colleagues and

friends laud the contributions he’s made to BC and Irish music. “When the late Adele Dalsimer and I were first creating an Irish Studies Program at Boston College, we were determined to expand our horizons beyond the ‘normal’ academic disciplines of history, and literature in English to include Irish language, visual arts and music,” said

Lee Pellegrini

By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor

Seamus Connolly

Associate Professor of History Kevin O’Neill, who co-founded and directed the Irish Studies Program with Dalsimer. “We knew that Seamus Connolly would bring to Boston College both his own virtuoso ability as a musician and a connection to the world-wide community of Irish music. He did that, but he did much more: He has become the soul of Irish music at Boston College, and he will be impossible to replace.” Center for Irish Programs Director Oliver Rafferty, SJ, affirmed Connolly’s role in O’Neill and Dalsimer’s vision for the Irish Studies Program. “Seamus has had an important part in the development of Irish Studies at BC, validating the insight of Adele Dalsimer and

Kevin O’Neill that the program incorporate broader aspects of Irish culture. Gaelic Roots concerts have been among the best-attended events organized by Irish Studies. Seamus’ teaching also deserves praise, as does his work with the fine Irish music faculty he recruited over the years.” Connolly helped to raise the profile of BC Irish Studies, Fr. Rafferty added, thus attracting interest and support for the program beyond academia: The endowed position Connolly has held, established through a gift from G. Craig and Maureen Sullivan, is an example. One of Connolly’s closest colleagues and friends has been Irish music librarian Elizabeth Sweeney, whom Connolly has praised continually for her collaborative leadership in co-directing the Gaelic Roots series, a joint initiative of Irish Studies and the University Libraries for more than 10 years. Sweeney is happy to return the compliment, pointing to the partnership that has evolved between Connolly and the University Libraries in archival initiatives and digital scholarship. “One thing that has impressed me about him is his commitment to the living tradition as well as to the past, combined with a drive to innovate. Seamus can be very much in the moment, yet at the same time looking to the future.” Reflecting on the past 25 years as he packed up his Connolly House office a few weeks ago, Connolly was characteristically quick to list numerous people who made his time at BC a successful one, beginning with O’Neill and Dalsimer, as well as his Irish Studies colleagues, and Sweeney; Jimmy Noonan, Sheila Falls, Kieran Jordan and other Irish music and dance faculty; the Sullivans; Univer-

sity Libraries administration and staff – and the late William B. Neenan, SJ, who several years ago advised Connolly to trademark the name “Gaelic Roots” so it would always be identified with BC. “I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to do here – not only putting on concerts, but teaching about the music and the traditions, why they’re important, and about the people who exemplify those traditions. And through the Irish Music Center, being able to preserve those traditions through recordings and manuscripts, and making them available so they can be studied and passed down to other generations.” Connolly has a soft spot for his fiddle students at BC, some of whom he still hears from after 20 years. “They were great to work with, especially for the BC Arts Festival; it was always so gratifying that every year, Irish Studies musicians and dancers have opened the festival.” Connolly isn’t completely finished with BC. He’s involved in a major project with the Irish Music Center that involves recordings and notations of some 400 traditional tunes played by legendary musicians of past and present eras. He’ll also be participating in a special concert on campus in March commemorating the 100th anniversary of Ireland’s 1916 Easter Rising. But this is a transition for Connolly, and while he believes the time is right to retire, he feels a certain sadness at the prospect of leaving. On such occasions, he likes to remember a rhyme his father recited for him as a child as a source of comfort: Tell your cares to the birds and the bees They will tell them to the leaves and the trees The leaves on the trees will bow to the breeze And the breeze will blow them away. Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu

LIGHT CELEBRATION University President William P. Leahy, SJ (at left), welcomed members of the University community to Boston College’s annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony last Thursday on the Plaza at O’Neill Library. The event featured entertainment, treats and a visit from a most distinguished visitor (below).

Photos by Lee Pellegrini