Boston College Chronicle September 15, 2022

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Mass of the Holy Spirit

INSIDE

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022 VOL. 30 NO. 2

photo by caitlin cunningham

3x Pops Headline on the Heights

Major University event prepares to xxxxx. celebrate 30th performance.

x Headline 5 Journalism and Democracy xxx.

Two Key Hires at Schiller Inst.

Climate scientists Ming and Tian named as first Institute Professors

CNN’s Acosta will be on hand for Center symposium. xClough Headline xxxxx.

8 Lowell Humanities Series

The popular lecture program will get under way Sept. 28 with Françoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman (below).

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

A bright, sunny day greeted the Boston College community for the annual Mass of the Holy Spirit, held on September 8 in the Plaza at O’Neill Library.

BC Researcher Cites Gut Microbes as Link to Diabetes

BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER

The cause of type 1 diabetes remains unknown and is a central focus of Assistant Professor of Biology Emrah Altindis and others in his field hoping to find new ways to help 1.6 million Americans living with the chronic autoimmune disease—a group likely to grow markedly in the next quarter century.

While genetics studies have identified mutations that increase the risk of developing type 1 diabetes, the gene pool alone cannot fully explain who is susceptible to the disease. Altindis and colleagues have been probing the interconnectedness of gut microbiota, the immune system and the pancreas in the search for answers and a lead on potential paths to combat the disease, which disables the body’s ability to regulate blood glucose levels.

In his most recent work, Altindis and his colleagues for the first time identified a gut microbe that can accelerate type 1 diabetes onset in an animal model, the team reported in the journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Notably, comparing their findings to a clearinghouse of sequencing data for the type 1 diabetes microbiome indicates that exposure to this

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“I’d hope [Priestly Ministry and the People of God] is encouragement to see the future of the priesthood as an issue for all members of the Church—not just for bishops and priests.”

—Rev. Richard Lennan

BC Theologians Promote New Perspective on Formation of Priests

BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

The priesthood is deeply cherished and lies at the heart of Catholic faith and people, but a fresh conversation around the formation of priests is needed for ordained ministry to flourish, according to the new book Priestly Ministry and the People of God (Orbis Books), co-edited by three Boston College theologians.

Priestly Ministry and the People of God presents a collection of essays from a variety of voices—a cardinal, bishops, seminary rectors, ordained and lay ministers, and academic theologians— who have put forth their best hopes for the future of the priesthood. The essays are faithful to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council and the best of Catholic tradition, while also responding to the needs of the Church today, say co-editors Richard Gaillardetz, Thomas Groome, and Rev. Richard Lennan.

“There’s a strong current of hope, creativity, and possibility running through the essays,” said Fr. Lennan, a professor of systematic theology in the School of Theol-

ogy and Ministry. “They’re grounded in the realities of the setting of the priesthood, yet able to imagine a more fruitful future within the mission of the whole Church.”

“A lot of our seminaries are preparing candidates for a priesthood of the past,” said Groome, professor of theology and religious education at STM. “Hopefully people in seminary formation, seminary education, will read this and realize that the old clerical model of forming priests in male-only and isolated seminaries is not effective. It’s bankrupt.”

Priestly Ministry is a capstone of a scholarly, practical, and ecclesiastical examination of the priesthood and ministry undertaken at Boston College. Its genesis was “Priesthood and Ministry for the Contemporary Church,” a 12-person fac-

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Two accomplished climate scientists, Yi Ming and Hanqin Tian, have been hired as the first Institute Professors of the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, according to Seidner Family Executive Director Laura Steinberg.

“We are thrilled to welcome Yi and Hanqin, two of the world’s leading climate scientists, to the Schiller Institute and Boston College,” Steinberg said. “Both embody the collaborative spirit, drive for excellence, and focus on making significant societal impact that characterize the aims of the Schiller Institute. We are excited about how Yi and Hanqin will work with the BC community to further climate change research and interdisciplinary pedagogy at the University.”

The Schiller Institute was created in 2017 to enhance multi-disciplinary, collaborative research processes to address critical societal issues in the areas of energy, health, and the environment. Named in honor of BC Trustee Phil Schiller ’82 and his wife, Kim Gassett-Schiller, through a multi-year lead gift totaling $25 million, the institute is housed in the University’s new science building at 245 Beacon Street [see story on page 2].

Ming, the Institute Professor of Climate Science and Society, uses climate models, observations, and theories to study the physical mechanisms governing Earth’s climate system. He most recently served as senior scientist and divisional leader at the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) in Princeton, NJ, where he was also a faculty member of the Program in Atmospheric

QUOTE

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John [Berardi] has carried his father’s legacy with incredible dedication to the youth of Massachusetts...His Red Sox Jimmy Fund award is a very visible recognition of his commitment and impact beyond the playing fields.

–information technology services vice president michael bourque, page 6

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September 15, 2022

Around Campus

Gaelic Roots to Hold Three Fall Concerts The Boston College Gaelic Roots Series, which explores Irish, Scottish, American and related folk music traditions through concerts, talks, and other events, will present three events this fall, all free and open to the public: •The Murphy Beds (September 22, 7 p.m., Theology and Ministry Library Auditorium, Brighton Campus)—The duo of Eamon O’Leary and Jefferson Hamer is known for an often intricate, intense, yet engaging interplay between their respective instruments—O’Leary on bouzouki and nylon string guitar, Hamer on acoustic gui-

tions, far and wide while recording seven albums. Ní Chathasaigh, from a celebrated Irish music family, is widely hailed as an innovator of the Irish harp technique; English native Newman has performed throughout the UK and beyond both as a soloist, as a member of The Boys of the Lough, and with a lengthy list of collaborators ranging from jazz violin legend Stéphane Grappelli to Northumbrian pipes virtuoso Kathryn Tickell to Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa.

•Tommy Sands (October 28, 6:30 p.m., Connolly House, 300 Hammond

The Murphy Beds—the duo of Jefferson Hamer, left, and Eamon O’Leary, shown during a 2016 appearance at Boston College—will perform September 22 on Brighton Campus. photo by justin knight

tar and mandolin—weaving riffs and motifs behind exquisitely matched close harmony vocals. Though much of their repertoire draws on Irish, American, Scottish, and English folk traditions, O’Leary and Hamer have shown a proclivity for branching out into more contemporary material, as demonstrated on their second album, “Easy Way Down,” released in 2021. The Murphy Beds appeared at Boston College in 2016 as part of the University’s yearlong observance of the centenary of Ireland’s 1916 Easter Rising.

•Máire Ní Chathasaigh and Chris Newman (October 13, 6:30 p.m., Gasson 100)—Since teaming up in 1987, Ní Chathasaigh and Newman have taken their blend of traditional Irish, jazz, baroque, and bluegrass, along with original composi-

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Jack Dunn

SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Patricia Delaney EDITOR

Sean Smith

Street)—Sands, one of Ireland’s most iconic singer-songwriters, has used music to promote peace, reconciliation, and social justice, whether in his native Northern Ireland or elsewhere in the world. A number of his songs, including “There Were Roses” and “Daughters and Sons,” have become standards in the folk music community. He has taught songwriting to underprivileged prisoners as a tool to help them defend themselves in court, aided interfaith initiatives in the Middle East, and collaborated on a theatrical production in which survivors of the Northern Irish conflict tell their stories. In 2019, he released his 10th album, “Fair Play to You All.” Gaelic Roots is sponsored by the Irish Studies Program. See bc.edu/group/gaelic_ roots_series for other information.

—University Communications

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

The new science building at 245 Beacon Street.

photo by caitlin cunningham

Boston College will formally mark the opening of its new science building at 245 Beacon Street with a private event on September 29.

The 150,000-square-foot facility—which features office and laboratory space, classrooms, maker spaces, and common areas, and is the home of the University’s Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society—opened its doors to the BC community in January. Also housed in 245 Beacon Street are the University’s Computer Science and Engineering departments and the Edmund H. Shea Jr. Center for Entrepreneurship.

Highlights of the day include a keynote address by 2018 Nobel laureate Paul Romer, an economist and policy entrepreneur at New York University, and a panel discussion moderated by Vice Provost for Research and Academic Planning Thomas Chiles with Fitzgerald Professor of Data

McNair Program Receives $1.3m Grant Boston College is the recent recipient of the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Grant from the United States Department of Education. Totaling $1.3 million for the next five years, the grant will assist students who aspire to pursue graduate education with an emphasis on attainment of a doctoral degree.

The McNair Scholars program at Boston College, hosted by the Learning to Learn Office, seeks to prepare low-income and first-generation college students, as well as underrepresented populations, to achieve their dream of attaining master’s and doctoral degrees in a variety of fields of study.

Services include an eight-week summer program where participants lead their own research projects with support from a Boston College faculty member and/or join a faculty member’s research team. Among other activities, students in the program present their research and travel to national conferences to

Christine Balquist Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan

Chronicle

PHOTOGRAPHERS

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Caitlin Cunningham Lee Pellegrini

Science George Mohler; Avneet Hira, an assistant professor in the Human-Centered Engineering program; and Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Yi Ming, who has a joint appointment as Institute Professor of Climate Science and Society in the Schiller Institute [see story on page 1].

Guests at the event, including major supporters of 245 Beacon Street, will have the opportunity to talk informally with faculty members about their research.

Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley said, “I’ve been impressed by the range of ways that students and faculty are making use of the teaching, research, and collaboration spaces in 245 Beacon Street.

We designed the building to encourage new forms of collaboration, and it’s begun generating interesting new connections and initiatives in the building and across campus.”

—University Communications

learn about other opportunities.

According to Council of Graduate Schools data, fewer than 10 percent of doctorates conferred in 2020 went to persons of color. The McNair program fills a void in the educational pathway for students who want to pursue education beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Most recently, 60 percent of the Boston College McNair program participants in the Class of 2022 were accepted into graduate programs. Four students, including one Fulbright recipient, were accepted to doctoral degree programs. Over the program’s almost 20-year history, 63 percent of program participants have enrolled in graduate programs.

For more than 40 years, BC’s Learning to Learn Office has served the needs of lowincome, first-generation, and underserved populations. The McNair program has been at Boston College since 2003.

—University Communications

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Chronicle

September 15, 2022

BC Pops on the Heights Marks the Big Three-Oh The annual Boston College Pops on the Heights: the Barbara and Jim Cleary Scholarship Gala—a celebrated tradition at BC and once again a sold-out event—marks its 30-year milestone on September 30 in Conte Forum.

The gala features a dynamic line-up of live performances, including award-winning artist Jon Batiste, in support of financial aid.

Co-chaired for the second consecutive year by BC Board of Trustee member Patti and Jonathan Kraft, P’24, the evening of music and merriment embodies the shared sense of purpose that defines scholarship support at the University and shapes the future of hundreds of Eagles each year, organizers note.

Since 1993, Pops on the Heights—the University’s largest annual fundraiser—has raised $115 million for financial aid and helped more than 3,500 students pursue their dream of a BC education.

“All year long we tout Boston College’s extraordinary financial aid program and the boundless opportunities it creates. Pops on the Heights is the one night each year when

that commitment is on full display,” said Acting Senior Vice President for University Advancement Amy Yancey. “It’s an honor and a privilege to celebrate Pop’s 30th anniversary with our generous benefactors and many of the families they have supported.”

Batiste, bandleader and musical director of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS from 2015-2022, is widely regarded as among the most brilliant, prolific, and accomplished musicians of his generation. After earning a Grammy nomination for Best American Roots Performance in 2018, two years later he received two Grammy nods for the albums “Chronology of a Dream: Live at the Village Vanguard” and “Meditations” (with Cory Wong). That same year, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Score for the Disney/Pixar film “Soul,” an honor he shared with fellow composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. He is the second Black composer in history, after legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock, to win an Academy Award for composition.

Batiste’s work on “Soul” also earned him a Golden Globe, BAFTA, NAACP Im-

Musical guest Jon Batiste photo by david needleman

age Award, and a Critic’s Choice Award.

His 2021 studio album, “WE ARE,” was released to critical acclaim. He was subsequently nominated for 11 Grammys across seven different categories—a first in Gram-

my history—and went on to win five, including Album of the Year. Batiste received a B.A. and M.F.A. from The Juilliard School.

Pops on the Heights also features perennial favorites: renowned conductor Keith Lockhart leading the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, which has entertained audiences in Boston and beyond for more than 135 years. Also taking the stage is the University Chorale of Boston College under the direction of John Finney, as well as the “Screaming Eagles” Marching Band, and student soloist Maxwell Korman ’23. Pre-show entertainment includes both individual student performers and campus performance groups.

Pops on the Heights was founded by the late Barbara and James F. Cleary ’50, H’93, a BC trustee; their children—Kara ’84, M.A.’91; Kristin ’89, J.D.’93; and James Jr.—continue their legacy as Pops benefactors.

For more on Pops on the Heights, a cornerstone event of Family Weekend, see bc.edu/pops.

—Rosanne Pellegrini

University Maintains Its Position in US News Rankings Boston College retained its ranking of 36th in the 2023 survey of national universities released Monday by US News & World Report.

The University’s peer assessment score remained at 3.8, but BC continued to be negatively affected by the 2019 change in US News’ methodology that rewards state universities with a high volume of Pell Grant-eligible students.

Boston College once again placed

highly in several specialty rankings among national universities this year, including “Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching” (fifth); “Service Learning” (seventh); “First Year Experience” (12th); “Most Innovative Schools (16th); and “Undergraduate Research” (32nd). The University also placed 50th in the “Best Value Colleges” listing, due to its need-based financial aid allocation of $151 million.

In addition, Boston College ranked

CSON Signs MOU with Filipino Nursing School The Connell School of Nursing and Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan College of Nursing have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that formally brings together the nursing schools of two prominent international Catholic, Jesuit universities. The agreement is designed to support and facilitate collaboration between the nursing schools for academic and research engagement.

The MOU was signed at the close of the last academic year by Barry Family/Goldman Sachs Endowed Professor in Nursing and Associate Dean for Research Christopher Lee and Xavier University–Ateneo de Cagayan President Mars P. Tan, S.J. Founded in 1933 and located in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines, Xavier Ateneo enrolls more than 13,000 students, forming leaders of character for the needs of Mindanao, the Philippines, and Asia-Pacific.

“We hope to learn from Boston College and share our best features and practices as well,” said Fr. Tan. “I am confident the collaboration will be fruitful for both institutions.”

CSON faculty involved in the discus-

sions say their Xavier Ateneo counterparts are interested in online teaching, expanding the use of nursing simulation, and developing a foundation for research, among other topics. Student and faculty exchanges have also been discussed.

Connell School Associate Professor Corrine Jurgens will work on developing a research capacity series for Xavier Ateneo faculty that will include forming programs of research, ethical review of projects, and collaboration/guidance on publishing and dissemination.

Once research interests are determined, she said, “we will be working on writing a state-of-the-science paper(s) for publication. These papers will assist in identification of gaps in knowledge and direction for future research.

“I foresee [Connell School] research faculty outlining the evolution of their programs of research followed by development of research teams to build a collaborative international research relationship.”

—Steven Constantine, Connell School of Nursing

30th out of 516 schools in the “Best Undergraduate Business Programs,” while placing eighth overall in Finance; 11th in Accounting; 11th in Analytics; 12th in Entrepreneurship; 15th in Marketing; and 16th in Management. BC was also ranked 22nd out of 681 schools in the “Best Undergraduate Nursing Program.”

Overall, Princeton ranked first among national universities in the 2023 rankings, followed by MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and

Yale, which were tied for third. Among Massachusetts universities, BC placed fourth behind MIT, Harvard, and Tufts (32nd), and ahead of Boston University (41st), and Brandeis and Northeastern, which were tied at 44th.

The 2023 US News rankings of all colleges and universities can be accessed at usnews.com.

—Jack Dunn

Snapshot

Student Involvement Fair

Boston College Bands was among the hundreds of student clubs and organizations to toot its horn at the annual Student Involvement Fair, held September 2 on Stokes Green.

PHOTOS BY LEE PELLEGRINI

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September 15, 2022

Woods College Launches B.A. in Cybersecurity

BY PATRICIA DELANEY SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

“This program is designed specifically

A new undergraduate degree program at Boston College is designed to respond to surging industry demand in one of the world’s fastest-growing fields.

Launched this fall, the Bachelor of Arts in Cybersecurity program at the Woods College of Advancing Studies equips its graduates to protect public and private organizations from today’s urgent threats through a comprehensive focus on all aspects of cybersecurity fundamentals, from programming and analysis to policies and recovery.

With Cybersecurity Ventures research showing some 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs around the world, the new program is launching at a critical time.

Industry surveys show some 600,000 cyber positions are unfilled in the U.S. alone, The Wall Street Journal reported in July, and as more companies seek to mitigate the risks posed by increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, this need is likely to grow.

“Not only will this program address a demand for cybersecurity professionals that is already sky high,” said Woods College Dean Karen Muncaster, “it also is a perfect fit for Woods, given the great success of our master’s program in cybersecurity policy and governance. With the addition of this

within cybersecurity.”

for graduates to enter the workforce with required skills and competencies –Michelle Elias Bloomer

more technically-oriented undergraduate program, we can now offer students a fully comprehensive educational experience that can prepare them for positions at all levels in this rapidly expanding area.”

“Research has shown that one of the greatest obstacles in recruiting cybersecurity professionals is finding candidates with the requisite skills or experience,” added Michelle Elias Bloomer, Woods College associate dean for undergraduate programs. “Likewise, there is a gap in this area within higher education; very few cybersecurity programs exist at the undergraduate level, and many of those that do are taught as an extension of computer science and programming.

“This program is designed specifically for graduates to enter the workforce with required skills and competencies within cybersecurity,” she said.

Students are grounded in the concepts of risk management, risk tolerance, and

risk mitigation, as well as in their practical applications in various fields. They also learn to navigate changes to threat environments in business and technology through understanding cyber risks, attacks, security, defenses and penetration testing, related software and services and their life cycles, and system and network architecture.

Graduates of the program will be able to demonstrate and communicate security concepts and the value of a modern cybersecurity program to diverse stakeholders; detect, analyze, identify, prioritize, and resolve security vulnerabilities, threats, risks, and breaches using appropriate tools; develop cybersecurity programs, policies, and procedures to manage enterprise security risks; apply security principles and practices to maintain operations in the presence of risks; and make decisions, judgments, and recommendations based on legal and ethical principles.

Biology Professor Emrah Altindis

tially linked to the disease onset,” Altindis said.

When the immune system detects a foreign particle, it starts to produce proteins called antibodies to destroy it. In autoimmune diseases, autoantibodies and immune cells target human proteins and insulin is the main target of the immune system in type 1 diabetes. Altindis and his colleagues have focused on molecular mimicry, a mechanism of autoimmune disease in which a foreign antigen that shares a structural similarity with a host protein can modify disease pathogenesis.

“Based on the central role of insulin in type 1 diabetes autoimmunity, we hypothesized that type 1 diabetes is caused by a molecular mimicry mechanism in which exposure to a microbial insulin stimulates the immune system against human insulin,” Altindis said.

Previously, Altindis and his team made a surprising discovery and showed that viruses have insulin-like proteins. In the latest project, they focused on an insulin region, specifically a peptide, or a chain of amino acids—known as the B chain of insulin, or B:9-23—that is targeted by the immune cells in type 1 diabetes patients and identified mimics of this region in different microbes.

The team hypothesized that because human insulin B:9-23 and microbial insulin B:9-23 will be very similar, immune cells cannot distinguish the difference and an immune response to this bacterial B:9-23like peptide will cross-react with the insulin and consequently will target and destroy the cells that produce insulin.

Diabetes Continued from page 1

bacterium at an early age increases the risk to develop type 1 diabetes in children at genetic risk for the disease.

“While there are several studies indicating associations between gut microbes and type 1 diabetes onset, to our knowledge, we discovered the first bacterium that can enhance type 1 diabetes,” said Altindis.

“Taken together with our analysis of the available gut microbiota data from children developing type 1 diabetes, we are one step closer to understanding the potential link between gut microbiome—in particular the microbe Parabacteriodes distasonis—and this complex autoimmune disease.”

According to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), there are 1.6 million Americans living with this chronic disease and this number is expected to increase to five million by 2050.

“Although we have known type 1 diabetes for thousands of years, its cause is unknown,” said Altindis, whose research is supported by the National Institutes of Health, G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation, and JDRF. “While genetics studies have identified mutations in some human genes that increase the risk of developing type 1 diabetes, genetics alone cannot fully explain the increasing incidence rates in the world, specifically in industrialized countries.”

A central question for researchers is what turns the body’s immune system against itself.

“The primary role of immune system is

photo by peter julian

to recognize self and non-self and protect the body from the non-self,” Altindis said.

“When this recognition system is impaired, our immune cells start to attack not only foreign cells but also our own cells. This impaired mechanism of the immune system causes autoimmune diseases.”

Recent type 1 diabetes gut microbiome studies observed that the composition of the gut microbiome in type 1 diabetes patients was significantly different from individuals who do not have the disease.

However, those studies did not establish a causal relationship between the microbiome and type 1 diabetes. “In this study, we identified a gut bacterium that is poten-

Taught by industry experts, courses range from computer networks to ethical hacking.

Focus areas include cybersecurity fundamentals, security and networks, programming and technical writing, incident response and disaster recovery, systems analysis and design, and automation and cloud security. In addition, project-based work is designed to reflect contemporary, real-world scenarios.

“While every organization’s cybersecurity program is different, as a whole they are no longer solely a function of information technology, but are now integrated with institutional risk management,” Bloomer said. “Our program was developed with this understanding; each course and the content within was selected to dovetail modern cybersecurity and risk management principles.”

The program is designed to appeal to a wide range of potential students, including high school graduates, first-generation students, those already in the workforce looking to change careers, or even those already employed in information technology and looking to specialize in cybersecurity.

Full- and part-time students are able to complete the hybrid program fully online, fully on campus, or in any mix of the two.

For more information, see the Woods College B.A. in Cybersecurity website at www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/schools/wcas/ undergraduate/bachelors/BA-cybersecurity. html.

Based on the molecular mimicry hypothesis, the team identified 17 microbial peptides very similar to insulin B:9-23.

Testing them in immune cells obtained from type 1 diabetes patients, they identified one bacterial insulin B:9-23 mimic peptide in Parabacteriodes distasonis that can stimulate the immune cells specific to insulin. Using cellular and animal models of type 1 diabetes, Altindis and his colleagues showed that molecular mimicry might be triggering type 1 diabetes.

Identifying the presence of the peptide is a significant step, said Altindis, who collaborated on the project with C. Ronald Kahn, MD, of the Joslin Diabetes Center, researchers at the University of Florida and the Benaroya Research Institute, and a BC team including post-doctoral researcher Khyati Girdhar, BC’s Flow Cytometry Lab Director Patrick Autissier, and undergraduate student researchers Claudia Brady and Amol Raisingani.

But, he added, there is much more work to be done—such as proving that Parabacteriodes distasonis can enhance type 1 diabetes development in the animal model. The team will also analyze another, more comprehensive type 1 diabetes study, known as TEDDY. “If these studies support our findings, this will support our initial molecular mimicry mechanism,” Altindis said. “This study and similar studies have the potential to guide us to develop new tools, including vaccines, antibiotics or probiotics, for the prevention and treatment of type 1 diabetes.”

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September 15, 2022

Theologians Edit Book on Ministry Continued from page 1

ulty seminar sponsored by the Church in the 21st Century Center that met from 2016 to 2018. Representing a spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives, the group conducted intense research on Church history, held conversations, produced papers, and heard from scholarly experts.

The seminar participants produced a document, “To Serve the People of God,” that outlined the essence of the priestly ministry which they said were to preach, pastor, and preside. The document was published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and distributed to Pope Francis and to chairs of bishops conferences throughout the world. Priestly Ministry and the People of God opens with a reprinting of “To Serve the People of God.” At a Boston College conference in early 2020, a larger group—including Cardinals Reinhard Marx (Munich, Germany), Joseph W. Tobin (Newark, NJ) and Blase J. Cupich (Chicago) as well as other bishops, seminary rectors, ordained and lay ministers, and scholars—met to discuss the seminar’s document. At the conclusion, a formal communique was issued that outlined 10 pastoral recommendations to expand existing ecclesial ministries and explore new models for ordained ministry.

In the book, Gaillardetz—the Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology— highlights the flaws in the existing system for forming priests. “Our current vocational system is constructed more to discern impediments to ordination than the existence of a charism or aptitude for the exercise of genuine pastoral leadership or pastoral ministry of any kind.”

Writing from the perspective of a catechist, Groome emphasizes that we should distinguish between universal truths of the

(L-R) Priestly Ministry co-editors Richard Gaillardetz, Thomas Groome, and Rev. Richard Lennan. photos by gary wayne gilbert, caitlin cunningham, and lee pellegrini

priesthood and contemporary practices. “We must catechize now that the essential functions of the ordained priesthood…are to be an effective preacher of the Word to people’s lives, to preside prayerfully at liturgy, and to pastor in ways that empower the whole faith community, especially in the works of compassion and justice for all.” He adds: “We should not catechize essentialism regarding maleness or celibacy for priesthood.”

According to Groome, in response to the Protestant Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church emphasized the hierarchical ordering of priesthood, and priests and bishops began to take on an exaggerated, pedestalized role above the faithful. The Council of Trent referred to priests as “alter Christus”—another Christ. This top-down pyramid did not reflect early Christian communities, he said, which were more of a collaborative circle.

“What we’re trying to do now with priesthood is to take that top-down pyramid and turn it upside down,” said Groome.

“In other words, put the people at the top, which of course is what Vatican II tried to do. Pope Francis has given us a green light to return to the project of Vatican II, and to recast the Church as much more a community of faith.”

In addition to the editors, other mem-

bers of the Boston College community who contributed essays to the Priestly Ministry and the People of God are: John Baldovin, S.J. (STM); Monsignor Liam Bergin (Theology); Boyd Coolman (Theology); Jacqueline Regan (STM); and doctoral candidate Emily Jendzejec ’06.

Fr. Lennan, who co-chaired the seminar with Gaillardetz and Groome, said the project’s major contribution has been to acknowledge the need for reformed ministry while putting forward “a theology and many specific considerations that would support and further reform.” Accomplishing this simultaneously is important, he said, because the fall-out from the clergy sexual abuse crisis has drawn attention to the ordained priesthood—and “has often implied that there’s no future for the priesthood or else has stressed the need to defend it without embracing possibilities for reform.”

Gaillardetz added that the diversity of participants in the process is noteworthy.

“We had significant participation by lay women, clergy, pastoral leaders, and academics. I would note, in particular, the contributions at our conference and in this volume of both church prelates and seminary rectors, representing groups who in the past had been most resistant to reform but who have

now joined us in calling for significant reforms in seminary formation and the exercise of priestly ministry.”

Groome said the conference showed him that despite ideological differences “one of the things that emerged was a deep care for holy orders, be it deacon, priest, bishop. I would say there is great affection and appreciation for the need for priesthood and for good priests who are well-trained and wellprepared for our contemporary world.”

Groome points to the STM as a model for seminary formation. “The education of people for priesthood has to be revolutionized, and in many ways the model to follow is here at the STM, where seminarians and lay people, men, women, are all mixed in together and learning from each other and learning to respect and listen to each other and value each other’s perspectives,” he said.

“I’d hope [Priestly Ministry and the People of God] is encouragement to see the future of the priesthood as an issue for all members of the Church—not just for bishops and priests,” said Fr. Lennan, who recently participated in Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Australia. “Just as Pope Francis stresses the synodality of the whole Church, the book presents a healthy priesthood as a concern for the whole Church.”

Clough Center to Hold Symposium on ‘Renewing Journalism’ CNN anchor and chief domestic correspondent Jim Acosta and leading journalism scholar and author Michael Schudson will be the keynote speakers at a September 22 symposium, “Renewing Journalism, Restoring Democracy: Framing the Conversation,” organized by the Boston College Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy.

The symposium, which takes place at 4 p.m. in Gasson 100, will launch a yearlong exploration of the vital relationship between journalism and democracy, the challenges these institutions face, and what might be a hopeful path forward for both.

“Even as we’ve slowly emerged from the pandemic, another crisis has become evident: that the United States is fighting to preserve its democracy,” said Professor of Political Science Jonathan Laurence, director of the Clough Center. “COVID helped reveal the stagnant inequalities, growing polarization, backsliding democratic institutions, and

Jim Acosta

retreating federal government that weigh heavily on American political life today. Nor is this phenomenon limited to the U.S.: The German, French, and Italian governments are facing threats from the far right; Tunisia’s new president has snuffed out the lone

parliamentary democracy in the Arab world; and Russia has invaded and occupied the fledgling democracy of Ukraine.

“While these and other crises have complex and multifaceted origins, a common culprit is the threat to credible sources of news and information. Democratic societies depend on the press to hold the powerful to account, keep their citizens informed, and keep the processes of democratic communication and deliberation alive. At this symposium and throughout the academic year, the Clough Center will celebrate the democratic press, which helps keep our system running—but also inquire how best to improve it.”

Schudson, a faculty member at the Columbia Journalism School, will present the opening keynote, “What Values Guide—or Should Guide—the Practice of Journalism in a Democracy?”; Associate Professor of English Angela Ards, who directs BC’s interdisciplinary minor in journalism, will serve

as discussant and moderator for an audience Q&A. Next will be a roundtable discussion, “What Can Journalism Do for Democracy?” with Boston Globe associate editor and columnist Renée Graham; Piotr Smolar, Washington, D.C.-based international correspondent for Le Monde; and Charles Sennott, founder, CEO, and editor of The GroundTruth Project and creator of its local reporting initiative. WBUR “Radio Boston” host Tiziana Dearing, a former Boston College School of Social Work faculty member, will be the moderator.

Acosta’s address will close the symposium, followed by an audience Q&A moderated

by Associate Professor of Communication Michael Serazio.

For symposium information and registration, and to learn about other Clough Center events, see bc.edu/content/bc-web/centers/clough/ events.html —University Communications

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Two Schiller Faculty Hired Continued from page 1

and Oceanic Sciences at Princeton University.

“I am thrilled to join Boston College,” Ming said. “The most exciting part is the Schiller Institute’s mandate of fostering collaborations among different fields, especially between natural sciences and social sciences. I come from a physical climate science background. At the Schiller Institute, I will be able to put that physical climate knowledge to good use by working with my colleagues in social sciences to study the downstream impacts of climate change on society, and vice versa. Moreover, we, working together as a team, will strive to produce actionable climate information and help formulate a holistic response to climate change, with environmental justice front and center.”

Ming’s work has been supported by funding from NOAA and other agencies.

His honors include the U.S. Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the World Meteorological Organization Norbert Gerbier-Mumm International Award, the American Meteorological Society Henry G. Houghton Award, and the American Geophysical Union Ascent Award.

“Yi’s unique background in atmospheric sciences and engineering, together with the breadth of his experience in climate modeling, and his deep interest in understanding

the social dimensions of climate change mitigation and adaptation, makes him a superb fit with the Schiller Institute’s ambitions to be recognized as a top institute for climate change research,” Steinberg said.

Tian, the Institute Professor of Global Sustainability, studies the broad area of climate and sustainability sciences, particularly interactions among climate, ecosystems, and humans in order to find science-based solutions to climate change and sustainability challenges. Tian held the Solon and Martha Dixon Endowed Professorship and Alumni Professorship at Auburn University, where he also served as director of the International Center for Climate and Global Change Research.

Early in his career, Tian was a scientist at both MIT and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Cape Cod. “Coming to BC is a bit like coming home,” Tian said. “I am glad to be back in New England. In this next phase of my career, I am really trying to tackle climate change and sustainability challenges. To provide a scientific basis of effective options for managing climate change risks at local to international scales, it is increasingly important to promote the integration and communication of knowledge across the physical, ecological, and human systems.

The mission of the Schiller Institute is to integrate science and society into the work we do, so I am very excited to be here and

Hanqin Tian, Institute Professor of Global Sustainability, left, and Yi Ming, Institute Professor of Climate Science and Society. The two also hold joint appointments with the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department.

photo by lee pellegrini

focused on that mission.”

Tian’s research has been supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and other organizations. He is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union, and the Ecological Society of America.

“As arguably the world’s leading expert on nitrous oxide emissions, Hanqin brings his special blend of systems ecology, terrestrial modeling, and data science to bear on such key climate change issues as food security and carbon sequestration,” Steinberg said. “His international network and experience leading large interdisciplinary groups of researchers will further extend

BC’s John Berardi Receives Honor from the Jimmy Fund

John Berardi received the Jimmy Fund’s highest honor at a special ceremony held at Fenway Park on August 22. L-R: Jimmy Fund Vice President Suzanne Fountain, Red Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy, Berardi, and his son Chris, wife Joan, daughter Megan, son Matt, and daughter-in-law Kristina. photo by griffin quinn/boston red sox

John Berardi, technology director in applications services for Information Technology Services, was announced as the recipient of the 2022 Boston Red Sox Jimmy Fund Award at an on-field ceremony at Fenway Park during the 20th WEEI/ NESN Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon on August 22. This award, considered the Jimmy Fund’s highest honor, is given to individuals who demonstrate a long-standing commitment to the lifesaving mission of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund.

Berardi is the Massachusetts Little League District 13 administrator and the program director of Jimmy Fund Little League, which his late father, George Berardi, co-founded in 1986 and ran for more than 40 years. Since its inception, the Jimmy Fund Little League has raised more than $6 million for Dana-Farber, and continues to introduce thousands of youth baseball and softball players to the world of philanthropy.

“I am truly honored to be the recipient of such a distinguished award and it is

September 15, 2022

particularly special that the Jimmy Fund Little League program was launched by my dad many years ago,” said Berardi. “The program’s success would not be possible without the efforts of thousands of Little League players, coaches, and volunteers over the many years.”

ITS Vice President Michael Bourque praised Berardi for his commitment to Little League and the Jimmy Fund, both of which have benefitted from his countless hours of service.

“Even prior to meeting John here at BC nearly 20 years ago, I knew of the work of John’s father, George Berardi, through my family’s involvement in Little League baseball,” said Bourque. “The Berardi name has been synonymous with youth baseball and softball in Massachusetts since the 1950s.

“John has carried his father’s legacy with incredible dedication to the youth of Massachusetts. In addition to his work with baseball and softball programs, John has been an advocate and supporter of disabled youth through the Little League Challenger programs. His Red Sox Jimmy Fund award is a very visible recognition of his commitment and impact beyond the playing fields. I am proud to have John as a colleague here at BC where we see him demonstrating positive values and making a significant impact on others.”

Berardi received the Boston College Community Service Award in 2019 for his activities in support of Little League baseball.

—University Communications

BC’s reach as an intellectual center of climate change research.”

Both professors also hold appointments to the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, where they will be teaching undergraduate and graduate students.

Ming said that a current focus of his research is how climate change may affect regional precipitation, giving rise to droughts and floods, and extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, blizzards, and wildfires. He looks forward to working with other BC researchers in a wide range of disciplines to better understand the socioeconomic consequences of these environmental disasters and to explore possible technological and policy remedies.

“I think that the cross-pollination between natural sciences and social sciences will yield a great deal of impactful research key to preparing our society for what a changing climate may bring about. It is this kind of interdisciplinary work that I am most eager to pursue at the Schiller Institute and BC,” Ming said.

Tian uses a data-driven systems approach to understanding, quantifying, and predicting drivers and effects of global-scale changes in the biosphere, climate, and human activity. His work combines ecology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, economics, earth system modeling, and data science.

He explores the complex multidirectional interactions in the food-energy-water nexus in the context of a changing climate.

His current research focuses on biogeochemical cycles and climate feedback, net zero emissions and decarbonization.

To improve the usefulness and usability of research products, his outreach has engaged with a range of stakeholders locally and internationally. He has worked extensively with scientists and farmers around the world to maintain crop yields while reducing the volume of nitrogen used, most commonly in the form of fertilizer, as well as to increase carbon storage and reduce the production of greenhouse gasses through farming practices.

Tian is a coordinating lead author for the International Nitrogen Assessment. He has served on the Steering Scientific Committee of Global Carbon Project (GCP) and as co-chair for the international consortium of Global Nitrous Oxide Budget Assessment, which is supported by GCP and the International Nitrogen Initiative.

OBITUARY

Walter Haney, Lynch School Funeral services were held on September 4 in Orleans, Mass., for Walter M. Haney, a retired professor in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development’s Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, & Assessment (MESA) department, and a senior research associate at the Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy. Dr. Haney died on August 31 at age 76.

A pioneer in the use of children’s drawings as a gauge of their attitudes toward teachers and learning, Dr. Haney served the Lynch School for more than 30 years, initially as an adjunct professor in 1980, then joining the faculty in 1983; he was named a full professor in 1993, and retired from BC in 2011.

In 2000, Dr. Haney, along with a leading think tank, were cited as the chief debunkers of the “Texas Miracle in Education,” an erroneous claim by the then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush that the test-score gap between white and minority students on the state’s standardized tests had dramatically narrowed during his tenure. Dr. Haney’s research, titled “The Myth of the Texas Miracle,” revealed the systemic suppression of students of color to increase test scores.

Dr. Haney told The Washington Post, “What is happening in Texas seems to me to be not just an illusion, but from an educational point of view, an outright fraud.”

His closing sentence in the study’s summary stated: “The Texas ‘miracle’ is more hat than cattle.”

He published widely on testing and assessment issues in scholarly journals such as the Harvard Educational Review, Review of Educational Research, and Review of Research in Education and in wide-audience periodicals such as Educational Leadership, Phi Delta Kappan, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. He also served on the editorial boards of Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice and the American Journal of Education and on the National Advisory Committee of the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation.

Dr. Haney was born in Texas and raised in Michigan but lived most of his adult life in Jamaica Plain, Westminster, and—most recently—Orleans, Mass. He earned a B.Sc. degree in biochemistry from Michigan State University, and an Ed.D. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Following a stint with International Voluntary Services, Inc., a U.S.-based, private, nonprofit organization that placed American volunteers in Third World countries’ development projects, Dr. Haney served as a civil servant for the Royal Lao government, the ruling authority in the Kingdom of Laos from 1947 until the communist seizure of power in 1975. During his free time, he photographed and interviewed many Laotian civilians who had survived the secret and illegal Vietnam-era American bombing of their country between 1964 and 1973. He wrote about these atrocities in his own pamphlet, “They Survived,” and contributed both to congressional investigations and to the work of a nonprofit, Legacies of War, to deliver justice for these brutalities. He returned to Laos in 1975 to help friends and colleagues escape prior to the communist takeover.

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September 15, 2022

BC in the Media Given the challenges ahead, social and emotional learning programs aren’t enough to help students have a happy and healthy future, wrote Lynch School of Education and Human Development professors Dennis Shirley and Andy Hargreaves in the journal Phi Delta Kappan.

Assoc. Prof. Jaime L. Waters (STM) authored an essay on the biblical call to confront ableism for America magazine.

In the wake of the economy adding 315,000 jobs in August—exceeding economists’ expectations but far below July’s blowout report—part-time faculty member Brian Bethune (Economics) offered comments to CNN Business.

Walter M. Haney photo by gary wayne gilbert

It was the drawings of the U.S. bombings

by Laotian refugees that inspired Dr. Haney to utilize illustrations in education evaluation.

Dr. Haney served as a board trustee at Westminster’s Forbush Memorial Library from 2003 until 2019. As board chair for three years, he supervised the expenditure of a bequest directed to undertake significant landscape improvements. A remembrance on the library’s website noted that Dr. Haney was “committed to the conservation of the fine arts collection and to diversified public programming,” and “his insightful suggestions, wit and sense of humor will be missed by all who worked with him.”

“Walt was the epitome of the Vietnam War era activist who maintained his principles of social justice and his distrust of government agency objectives, self-serving reports, and self-appointed spokespersons, throughout his professional life’s work,” said Larry Ludlow, a Lynch School professor and a former MESA department chair. “His wellknown, oft-cited, and highly regarded ‘Myth of the Texas Miracle,’ is a classic in advocacy research that puts the lie to the misunderstood adage `numbers don’t lie.’

“His passion for basic human dignity and equality are evidenced in his long-record of distinguished research conducted personally and supervised as a dissertation director; the extensive congressional testimony he offered on numerous occasions; the novel research methodology he pioneered in using student drawings to reveal their educational experiences, and perhaps most important in the long-run, the purposes and goals of education he advocated in the classroom to three decades of educational researchers and policy-makers committed to ensuring our nation’s students receive the highest quality education our system can deliver.”

Dr. Haney was predeceased by his wife, Kristine, and he is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth. He was an avid gardener and home horticulturist—reviving many friends’ orchids over the years—and he supplied many acquaintances with Haney Honey from the hives he tended.

—Phil Gloudemans Read the full obituary at https://bit.ly/walter-haney-obit

Assoc. Prof. Brian Quinn (Law) shared his insights on the Twitter whistleblower and Elon Musk’s legal battle with the company with the Associated Press, The Grid, Quartz, News Nation, and The Wall Street Journal. He also discussed how businesses are valued with Marketplace.

How does student debt effect the economy? Assoc. Prof. Robert Murphy (Economics) answered this and other questions for WalletHub. Speaking with The Boston Globe, Carroll School of Management Drucker Professor Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research, discussed why many people resist the notion of retirement.

Prof. Mary Jo Iozzio (STM) spoke with National Catholic Reporter about the praise disabled Catholics have given Pope Francis for publicly using a wheelchair or cane.

Nota Bene Frederick J. Adelmann, S.J., Professor of Philosophy John Sallis has received several honors in recognition of his contributions to philosophy. Most recently, 15 essays on Sallis’ work were published in the volume Philosophy, Art, and the Imagination, edited by James Risser. Sallis also was selected as the 2021 “Professor Honoris Causa” by the International Institute of Hermeneutics. Two volumes in the planned 40-volume set of Sallis’ writings—many of which are related to his lectures at Boston College—are scheduled for publication by the end of this year through Indiana University Press; five have already been released.

These accomplishments are the latest for Sallis, recipient of the 2019 Comparative and Continental Philosophy Circle Compass Award—bestowed in recognition “of his pointing the way to a more inclusive and compassionate world”— and the focus of a 2018 conference, “John Sallis: A Celebration of His Work,” at the Duquesne University Simon Silverman Phenomenology Center, which subsequently established an archive for his papers and library.

Is the hiring dynamic currently tilted in employees’ favor? Concurrent Professor of Law and Philosophy Thomas Kohler weighed in for WalletHub. Prof. Ray Madoff (Law), director of the Forum on Philanthropy and the Public Good, offered comments to The New York Times on the structure of an unusual $1.6 billion political donation.

Asst. Prof. of the Practice Nicholas Block (German Studies) discussed the intersection of Hebrew typography and Jewish art with The Forward.

Prof. Belle Liang (LSOEHD) was interviewed on WBUR’s “Here and Now” about her recently co-authored book, How to Navigate Life: The New Science of Finding Your Way in School, Career, and Beyond, which is designed to help students find their purpose in life. Liang also wrote a piece for Psychology Today on how to send a child off to college.

In a Q&A for America magazine, Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies Associate Director Seth Meehan interviewed Markus Friedrich, the author of The Jesuits: A History, a “sweeping and engaging account of nearly five centuries of labor by members of the Society of Jesus.”

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.

Tutor, Learning Resources for Student Athletes Physical Therapist Administrative & Program Assistant Assistant Director, Volunteer & Service Learning Center Development Assistant, Athletic Advancement Reference & Collection Development Assistant Senior Staff Psychologist Systems Integrator/Developer Senior Associate Director, Annual and Leadership Giving Software Release Analyst Assistant Director, Fiscal & Grant Administration Deputy Editor, Boston College Magazine Systems Librarian Senior Financial Analyst, Endowment Head Librarian, Educational Resource Center Assistant Director, Graduate Recruitment and Admissions Associate Director, Housing Operations

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Lowell Humanities Series Fall Slate Begins Sept. 28 A conversation with celebrated couple and professional collaborators Françoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman—called “the first family of edgy, cosmopolitan comics”

by Publisher’s Weekly—will launch the fall Boston College Lowell Humanities Series.

All events begin at 7 p.m. and take place in Gasson 100 unless stated otherwise.

•September 28: Françoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman—Art editor of The New Yorker since 1993, Mouly has overseen more than 1,400 covers, many named “cover of the year” by the American Society of Magazine Editors. In 1978, she

Françoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman

and Spiegelman co-founded the groundbreaking comics anthology RAW; they also edited the New York Times-bestselling Little Lit series and the TOON Treasury of Classic Children’s Comics. Mouly—a member of the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame—is the publisher, designer, and editorial director of TOON Books, an awardwinning imprint of comics for early readers launched by the couple in 2008.

Spiegelman has almost single-handedly brought comic books onto the literature shelves, according to event organizers. He won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for his Holocaust narrative Maus, which portrayed Jews as mice and Nazis as cats, followed

by Maus II, his parents’ survival and later lives in the United States. His work was displayed at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art as part of its “15 Masters of 20th Century Comics” exhibit. One of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2005, Spiegelman received the Edward MacDowell Medal, the first-ever given in comic art, in 2018.

The event, which takes place in Robsham Theater, coincides with the McMullen Museum of Art exhibition “Alternative American Comics, 1980–2000: ‘Raw,’

BC Scenes

First Year Convocation

Members of the Class of 2026 gathered, quite enthusiastically, at Linden Lane on September 8 for the annual First Flight Procession to First Year Convocation in Conte Forum. This year’s speaker was Liz Hauck ’00, M.Ed. ’09, author of Home Made: A Story of Grief, Groceries, Showing Up—and What We Make When We Make Dinner.

‘Weirdo,’ and Beyond” [see bc.edu/sites/ artmuseum/exhibitions/comics]. It is cosponsored by the McMullen Museum, Center for Christian-Jewish Learning, Center for Human Rights and International Justice, Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy, American Studies Program, Literature Core Program, English Department, History Department, and Art, Art History, and Film Department. Tickets are required, and are available through bc.edu/ lowell.

•October 6: Natsu Taylor Saito—A Georgia State Law professor whose most recent book is Settler Colonialism, Race, and the Law: Why Structural Racism Persists, Saito focuses her scholarship on the legal history of race in the U.S., the plenary power doctrine as applied to immigrants, American Indians, and Natsu Taylor Saito U.S. territorial possessions, and the human rights implications of U.S. governmental policies. Her teaching areas include public international law and international human rights; seminars in race and the law, federal Indian law, and indigenous rights, and she has been an advisor to diverse law student groups. Saito has served on the Georgia Supreme Court’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Courts, co-directed the Human Rights Research Fund, and consulted for the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism.

The event is cosponsored by the Center for Human Rights and International Justice.

October 19: Ocean Vuong—Vuong’s body of work contains themes of class, queerness, and identity.

His New York Timesbestselling novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, is a coming-ofage epistolary and work of self-discovery and diaspora. Framed as a Ocean Vuong letter from a son to his mother, this portrait of family, first love, and the redemptive power of storytelling asks how to survive, how to find joy in darkness, and the meaning

of American identity. A Ruth Lilly fellow from the Poetry Foundation, Vuong has earned such honors as the T.S. Eliot Prize (he was only the second debut poet to win it), several fellowships, the Pushcart Prize, and awards including the Stanley Kunitz Prize for Younger Poets, and the Forward Prize for Best First Collection; in 2019 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship.

The event is cosponsored by the BC Fiction Days Series, Poetry Days Series, American Studies Program, Literature Core Program, Asian American Studies Program, and the English Department.

October 26: Heather McGhee—McGhee’s personal experiences come together in The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together—an analysis of how we arrived at this divided nation, illuminating how racism is at the root of some public Heather McGhee problems, and featuring stories of people yearning to be part of a better America.

Hailed as “illuminating and hopeful,” the book spent 10 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, was longlisted for the National Book Award and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, and will be adapted into a Spotify podcast series and a young adult reader’s version. An NBC contributor, she appears on “Meet the Press,” MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” “Deadline White House,” and “All In.” The event is cosponsored by the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics, Park Street Corporation Speaker Series, and the PULSE Program for Service Learning.

November 16: Seyla Benhabib—The Eugene Meyer Professor of Political Science and Philosophy Emerita at Yale University, Benhabib is a senior research fellow and adjunct law professor at Columbia University and senior fellow at its Center Seyla Benhabib for Contemporary Critical Thought.

Her most recent book is Exile, Statelessness and Migration: Playing Chess with History

from Hannah Arendt to Isaiah Berlin; her other works include The Claims of Culture: Equality and Diversity in the Global Era, and the award-winning The Rights of Others. Aliens, Citizens, and Residents; and Another Cosmopolitanism: Hospitality, Sovereignty and Democratic Iterations.

Benhabib won a Guggenheim fellowship and has been a research affiliate and senior scholar in many U.S. and Europe institutions.

The event is cosponsored by the International Studies Program and the Global Citizenships Project.

November 30: Merry WiesnerHanks—A historian of early modern Europe, WiesnerHanks also is a global historian; her work has been central to the integration of women, gender, and sexuality in both fields.

The Distinguished Merry Wiesner-Hanks Professor of History and Women’s and Gender Studies Emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she is the senior editor of the Sixteenth Century Journal, former editor of the Journal of Global History, and editor-in-chief of the sevenvolume Cambridge World History. WiesnerHanks has authored or coedited 30 books and many articles widely used in teaching around the world, including What Is Early Modern History? and Christianity and Sexuality in the Early Modern World: Regulating Desire, Reforming Practice. She is currently coediting the four-volume Cambridge World History of Sexualities.

The event is cosponsored by the History Department.

The Lowell Humanities Series is sponsored by the Lowell Institute, the Institute for the Liberal Arts at Boston College, and the Office of the Provost and Dean of Faculties.

All events are free and open to the public. For more details, including resources for faculty and students, go to bc.edu/ lowell.

—University Communications photos by sarah shatz (mouly and spiegelman) and tom hines (benhabib)

PHOTOS BY LEE PELLEGRINI