Warm Welcomes
Fr. Beaumier Named VP for Mission and Ministry
BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Vice President and University Secretary Casey C. Beaumier, S.J., has been named Haub Vice President for University Mission and Ministry, succeeding Jack Butler, S.J., who will become the 26th president of Boston College in the summer of 2026.
During his 19 years at Boston College, Fr. Beaumier has been an active and popular presence on campus who is well known among BC students. In addition to his role as vice president and University secretary, he has been director of the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies (IAJS) and teacher in the Capstone Program since 2014, resident minister in Fenwick Hall since 2008, and a member of the Steering Committee of the Church in the 21st Century Center (C21) since 2013. He has led Kairos, Manresa, and 48 Hour retreats for undergraduates, and provided spiritual direction programming for students, faculty, and staff. He has also directed the Ever to Excel summer immersion program for high school students since 2016.
In announcing the appointment, University President William P. Leahy, S.J., said Fr.
Burch Is New Rourke Professor of Physics
BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
Professor and Chair of Physics Kenneth Burch, a leading researcher in condensed matter physics, has been named the John H. Rourke Professor of Physics, Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., has announced.
Burch, who joined the Boston College faculty from the University of Toronto in 2013, succeeds Professor of Physics Kevin Bedell, the inaugural Rourke Chair holder.
“As a researcher, teacher, departmental leader, and stalwart participant in the work of the University, Ken exemplifies the sort of faculty excellence we hope for at Boston College,” said Fr. Kalscheur. “I am grateful for all he has done for his students and the Physics Department, and I look forward to his future accomplishments.”
The chair was created by a $3 million bequest from the late siblings John and Mary Rourke, the long-time owners of
Rourke’s Pharmacy in Brighton Center near BC. At the time of the gift, it was the largest bequest in the University’s history. John Rourke ’41 and his sister ran the landmark pharmacy—established by their father in 1897—into their 80s.
“I am extremely honored and grateful to join the growing list of endowed chairs at BC that represent such a high level of scholarship and service,” said Burch, who just finished his first year as department chair. “I have very big shoes to fill, given Kevin’s accomplishments as the inaugural holder of the professorship. I am also excited about the opportunity to try high risk/ high reward projects with a source of reliable support not tied to specific projects.”
As a researcher, Burch’s work focuses on quantum materials, optical spectroscopy, and biosensing. His research has resulted in more than 100 publications, with many papers in high-impact journals such as Nature. He has given more than 200 invited
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Beaumier’s extensive knowledge of the University and commitment to its mission has prepared him for his new role.
“Fr. Beaumier knows Boston College well and has been involved in many aspects of
on page 4
2 Dedicated Service BC honored long-time Board of Trustees member Marianne Short.
4 Accolades for BCDS
Dining Services a big winner at national food services awards.
8 Talking with a Legend
How a BC sociologist wound up sharing a stage with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.
Casey Beaumier, S.J.
Continued
photo by lee pellegrini
photo by gary wayne gilbert
On July 6, Messina College welcomed the second class in its history, with greetings from Dean Erick Berrelleza, S.J. (above). Later, as orientation began, student members of the Office of First Year Experience staff offered their own introductions.
photos by frank curran
Kenneth Burch
Around Campus
Trustee Short Receives Medal for Excellence for Four Decades of Service
Marianne D. Short, a respected Boston College trustee since 1985, was presented with the President’s Medal for Excellence at the June 6 Board of Trustees meeting by University President William P. Leahy, S.J., and Board Chair John Fish, in recognition of her 40 years of service to the University.
As a trustee, Short served on the Executive Committee, chaired the Academic Affairs and Student Life committees, and was a member of two presidential search committees, in 1994-1995 and 2024-2025. A 1973 graduate of the Newton College of the Sacred Heart, which became part of Boston College in 1974, Short received a juris doctor degree from Boston College Law School in 1976.
Appointed a trustee at age 34, Short was one of the youngest members and one of the first women on a board composed of 12 Jesuits and 12 laypersons.
“Marianne has been such a devoted and wise member of the BC Board, always ready to assist and offer the benefit of her wide experience,” said Fr. Leahy. “We are grateful for her service to the University.”
Short was formerly the executive vice president, chief legal officer, and a member of the office of the chief executive at UnitedHealth Group for 10 years, responsible for overseeing all aspects of legal, regulatory, and compliance matters across the enterprise. Additionally, she was the chair of UnitedHealth Foundation.
Prior to joining UnitedHealth, she had more than 35 years of courtroom and
management experience, including serving as the first female managing partner at Minneapolis-based Dorsey & Whitney LLP (now The Dorsey Firm LLC), with responsibility for more than 600 attorneys in 19 offices worldwide. In addition to her executive responsibilities, Short was an active litigation partner and co-chair of
BC Theologian Presents Gift to Pope
When Monsignor Liam Bergin, a professor of the practice in the Boston College Theology Department, met Pope Leo XIV on June 6 (right), he presented the American-born pontiff with a copy of Catholic Fundamentalism in America, the latest book by BC Professor of Theology Mark Massa, S.J., director of the University’s Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life.
Msgr. Bergin is in Italy co-teaching a summer course with International Studies faculty member Peter Martin that explores the intersection of Catholicism and culture as manifested in the cities of Rome, Assisi, and Florence from antiquity to the present.
Msgr. Bergin previously had studied
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Jack Dunn
SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Patricia Delaney
EDITOR
Sean Smith
and taught in Italy for more than two decades, serving as rector of the Pontifical Irish College in Rome for 10 years, until he came to Boston College in 2011; he also was a professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he had earned a doctorate in sacred theology. After sharing copies of Catholic Fundamentalism in America with several of his friends who worked in the Vatican, Msgr. Bergin also presented one to the pope.
Fr. Massa’s seventh book, Catholic Fundamentalism in America, is a scholarly examination of the rise of a radical antimodernism within the Catholic Church in the United States. Fr. Massa says Catholic fundamentalism is characterized by a fear of change, pluralism, and debate.
—University Communications
CONTRIBUTING STAFF
Phil Gloudemans
Ed Hayward
Audrey Loyack
Rosanne Pellegrini
Kathleen Sullivan
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Caitlin Cunningham
Lee Pellegrini
the firm’s Appellate and Health Litigation practice groups.
Following graduation from BC Law, and a brief stint as a special assistant in the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, she spent 12 years as a litigator at Dorsey & Whitney. In 1988, at age 37, Short was appointed a judge on the Minnesota
Court of Appeals, the youngest justice on the court. She authored more than 900 opinions in virtually every area of civil and criminal law. She retired from the court in 2000 to rejoin Dorsey & Whitney.
A Minneapolis native, Short has served on numerous local nonprofit boards, including the American Public Media Group, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Robina Foundation, the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.
Short and her husband, Raymond L. Skowyra, Jr., a former technology marketing and business strategy executive, have been among the University’s leading supporters. In 2021, their $10 million gift to BC Law established the Marianne D. Short, Esq. Law School Deanship, with Odette Lienau becoming the inaugural dean in 2023.
Short is a member of the Council for Women of Boston College and a former associate member of the BC Law School Board of Overseers.
“I have such respect and gratitude for Boston College and have watched with admiration what it has become through the leadership of Fr. Leahy and former president Fr. J. Donald Monan,” said Short, whose son Louis and four nieces are recent BC graduates.
“But what excites me most is the next generation. I am very enthusiastic about the future of Boston College.”
—Phil Gloudemans
The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (617)552-3350. Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus.
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POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135. A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail. Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.
After accepting the President’s Medal for Excellence, Boston College Trustee Marianne Short NC ’73, J.D. ’76 is congratulated by University President William P. Leahy, S.J., as Trustees Chair John Fish looks on.
photo by lee pellegrini
BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
Assistant
Professor of Mathematics
Spencer Leslie—who did his graduate studies in the department where he now teaches—has won a National Science Foundation CAREER Award that will enable him to continue his research on automorphic forms.
The five-year awards support earlycareer faculty who, according to NSF, “have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.”
“This was a huge, and welcome, surprise,” said Leslie, who earned master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics at BC and did his postdoctoral work at Duke University before joining the Mathematics faculty in the fall of 2022. “I feel very fortunate to be part of a special research program that I really love, and to be part of a larger community of colleagues that supports this work. It’s just a wonderful environment.”
Automorphic forms, the focus of Leslie’s work, are highly symmetrical functions or objects that play a significant role in
BC Mathematician Wins An NSF CAREER Award University Presents Community Service Award to Beekman
BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
Joshua Beekman ’05, M.S. ’06, the director of alumni programs and former director of football initiatives in BC’s Athletics Department, is the winner of BC’s 2025 Community Service Award, presented at the annual employee recognition dinner on May 29.
Organized by the Office of Governmental and Community Affairs, the award honors the outstanding contributions of a Boston College employee whose actions epitomize the Jesuit spirit of service to others.
“It’s very clear from those who nominated him that Josh’s BC experiences as a student, a student-athlete and an employee have made him the man who he is today— one who truly exemplifies the credos of ‘ever to excel’ and ‘being a man for others,’” said Vice President for Governmental and Community Affairs Thomas J. Keady Jr.
Keady quoted one of Beekman’s nominators who lauded him for embodying the Jesuit spirit by consistently giving back to people both on and off campus, declaring that “I have never met anyone who exemplifies selflessness more than Josh.”
“Josh is known for his caring nature and compassionate spirit, and he brings that spirit with him as he volunteers his time at organizations both on and off campus,” said Keady. “To Josh, even 10 minutes of your time can mean the world to someone, and he modeled this not only for the football team, but for anyone who is willing to help make a difference.”
Keady noted that Beekman believes in using his unique talents to serve others,
various areas of mathematics, including number theory, representation theory, and algebraic geometry. A set of conjectures called the Langlands program suggest deep connections between automorphic forms and other areas of mathematics via the properties of L-functions—special mathematical functions that connect different areas of math.
A more recent development, the relative Langlands program, seeks to make the connection between L-functions and automorphic forms even more precise, by linking L-functions to certain features of automorphic forms called “periods.” To understand these periods, mathematicians use the relative trace formula (RTF) to break down a complex period into simpler, building-block pieces, which are often directly related to important values of Lfunctions.
Supported by the NSF CAREER grant, Leslie will work on a concept called endoscopy to stabilize a large family of RTFs by developing new theories related to endoscopy and adapting some existing mathematical techniques to a new context. These new tools can be used to solve problems in arithmetic geometry—which com-
bines number theory and geometry—and to test the ideas of the relative Langlands conjectures.
A key feature of the project is that it goes beyond research, noted Leslie: “It will create opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students to get involved in this fast-moving field, enable me to organize workshops for graduate students to learn from each other, and help them prac-
tice giving presentations about their work.”
As a former grad student and now a faculty member, Leslie cites the department’s smaller-is-better approach to research as one of its most important features.
“Instead of looking at all aspects of mathematics, the department built groups which each have a specific focus—number theory, geometry and topology, algebraic geometry, and more recently, machine learning,” he said. “We’ve been able to develop world-class research and offer our students an intellectually stimulating experience.”
“We are delighted to see Spencer’s outstanding work recognized by this prestigious early-career award,” said Professor Renato Mirollo, the department chair. “Spencer has been extremely productive since joining the department, and most recently had a paper accepted in the Annals of Mathematics, arguably the most competitive journal in our field. As the youngest member of our number theory group, Spencer brings boundless energy to our department, and we look forward to watching his research deepen in the years ahead. He is eminently deserving of this CAREER Award.”
whether it’s brightening the day of a Campus School student with a visit, assisting with a Christmas toy collection campaign, or working with Catholic Charities to organize a Thanksgiving food drive and meal preparation effort during the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Due to Josh’s commitment, the pandemic-driven program has now become an annual event—not just involving the football team—but it has expanded to include volunteers from across the Athletics Department,” said Keady. “He also coordinates BC’s involvement with the Beautiful Lives Project, which provides the opportunity for people with disabilities to actively participate in activities not previously available to them due to physical or facility limitations.”
The Amsterdam, NY, native has worked
as the director of football initiatives since 2018. He earned an undergraduate degree in history and Black Studies from BC’s Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, and a master’s degree in administrative studies from the Woods College of Advancing Studies. He also holds a M.S. in Sports and Recreation from Florida International University.
A guard for the Eagles who started 37 games from 2002-2006, Beekman served as a tri-captain of the Eagles’ football team during his senior season. He was named First Team All-America by the Associated Press and All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team in 2006, garnered four Second Team All-America honors, and received the 2006 Jacobs Blocking Trophy for the ACC’s most valuable offensive protector.
Presented with the Scanlan Award, BC’s highest football honor, by the Boston College Varsity Club, Beekman was drafted in the fourth round by the Chicago Bears in the 2007 NFL Draft. In addition to playing with the Bears from 2007-2009, he spent time with the United Football League’s Florida Tuskers, the Indianapolis Colts practice squad, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Following his playing days, Beekman launched his college football coaching career at Eastern Kentucky in 2012 and served three stints as a graduate assistant at Florida International University from 20132015. He then spent the 2016 season as the offensive line coach at Concord (W. Va.) University, and the 2017 season at Garden City (Kan.) Community College in the same role.
Earlier this summer, United States Senator Edward Markey '68, J.D.'72 joined University President William P. Leahy, S.J., Messina College Dean Erick Berrelleza, S.J., and first-year students Armand Pierre, Truns Winslie-Paul, and Teresa Peyron for a tour of BC's newest college.
Joshua Beekman with University President William P. Leahy, S.J.
photo by lee pellegrini
photo courtesy messina college
Spencer Leslie
BC Dining Receives Multiple Professional Honors
BY AUDREY LOYACK STAFF WRITER
Boston College Dining Services was a big winner at the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) Awards on July 11, taking the organization’s grand prize and two other high honors as well
BCDS received the Grand Prize for Catering Program of the Year, as well as gold and bronze Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards for, respectively, Catering Program of the Year and Most Innovative Dining Program. The Horton awards recognize colleges and universities nationwide for their innovative dining concepts and successful implementation. In addition, each year NACUFS selects a particular category—this year being Catering Program of the Year—to showcase for the Grand Prize.
Founded in 1958, NACUFS is the first association focused solely on food service in higher education, with members in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and beyond.
“Winning the Grand Prize for our catering program is an immense honor, and it’s all thanks to the tireless efforts of our incredible team,” said Director of Dining Services Beth Emery, who traveled with Associate Director of Food and Beverages
dining experience and variety through innovative and forward-thinking strategies.
They note that Executive Chef Phyllis Kaplowitz has spearheaded the rewriting of BC Catering’s menu offerings, which are divided into two operations: Heights Catering, providing a blend of classic flavors and contemporary culinary elements, featuring menus and packages that showcase a combination of both familiar and refined tastes; and Heights Express, convenient catering for small-scale events with a streamlined ordering system.
“Phyllis and our Heights Catering team have truly elevated campus dining at Boston College,” said Bailey. “Their new menu, with its emphasis on seasonal and global flavor profiles along with their focus on presentation, offers our community access to a world-class dining experience right here on campus.”
the world’ package that encompasses something from five different regions.”
One of Kaplowitz’s most notable catering events from the past year showcased her expertise in global flavors and her appreciation for a menu challenge. A dinner held to celebrate the naming of the Carroll School of Management’s Seidner Department of Finance featured an Australianinfluenced menu, including a Pacific Rim display featuring sushi, bao buns, fresh spring rolls, an Australian pie buffet station, a carving station, and a pasta station that contained a large parmesan wheel.
The bronze award signifies BCDS’ commitment to integrating new technology, culinary excellence, student engagement, and sustainability within its operations over the past year.
Frank Bailey and Assistant Director of Catering Operations Scott Powers to receive the awards at the NACUFS National Conference in Salt Lake City. “We couldn’t be prouder of their menu innovation, impressive food presentations, and ability to delight customers.”
BCDS administrators say the initiatives that earned the grand prize reflects the department’s commitment to the community
Fr. Beaumier Is Mission/Ministry VP
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the University, including teaching, residential life, and pastoral activities,” said Fr. Leahy. “I am confident that he will continue building on the many successful programs of University Mission and Ministry developed by Fr. Butler and his team.”
As part of a divisional reorganization, the Center for Student Formation will move to the Office of the Provost and Dean of Faculties, and C21 and IAJS will become units of University Mission and Ministry.
Fr. Beaumier said he is excited to lead the effort to promote Boston College’s mission as a Jesuit, Catholic university.
“As vice president for University Mission and Ministry, I want to keep inviting members of our community to deepen their knowledge of Boston College’s culture and heritage,” said Fr. Beaumier. “Our commitment to mission and formative education makes BC distinctive among American colleges and universities.”
As vice president and University secretary since 2017, Fr. Beaumier served as the liaison to the Nominations and Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees and a member of various University committees. In directing IAJS, he has promoted understanding of the history, spirituality, and pedagogy of the Society of Jesus through the institute’s courses, workshops, publications, and symposia. His efforts helped Boston College to earn a $10 million grant from the Lilly Endowment’s National Youth and Young Adult Initiative on Faith and Service in 2024.
In his role as Haub Vice President for University Mission and Ministry, he will lead a division that promotes spiritual growth
and integration on campus through faith programs, retreats, service and immersion trips, and various outreach initiatives. He will serve as director of Campus Ministry, and supervise the Center for Ignatian Spirituality, Intersections, Montserrat, and the Volunteer and Service Learning Center.
“BC has a very lively sense of mission that people appreciate and want to be a part of,” said Fr. Beaumier. “Having the chance to participate in retreats, volunteer service, mentorship, and spiritual conversation is something that nurtures the interior life of our community members. I intend to further encourage those opportunities.”
Fr. Tony Penna will remain in Campus Ministry in a part-time role, and Vice President and Executive Assistant to the President Kevin Shea will assume the duties of University secretary.
In addition, IAJS Associate Director Matthew Schweitzer will become associate vice president for University Mission and Ministry, and Lynch School of Education and Human Development Professor and IAJS Research Scholar Cristiano Casalini will serve as IAJS academic director.
A graduate of Marquette University with master’s degrees in philosophy and American Studies from St. Louis University, Fr. Beaumier also received a master of divinity degree and licentiate in sacred theology from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, and a doctorate in history from Boston College.
He is a trustee at Creighton University and a member of the Board of the Ecclesiastical Faculty at Boston College. He was a trustee associate at BC from 2003-2006.
During the 2024-2025 academic year, Heights Catering served some 2,500 events and delivered more than 750 Heights Express orders to the BC community. Based on the positive response, Kaplowitz is confident that the old menu will be phased out, with BCDS officially adopting the new menu by the end of July.
The new catering menu includes adaptations of international flavors from five different regions and vegetarian options, while balancing a “something for everyone” approach.
“Our other dining programs offer an extreme variety of items,” said Kaplowitz, “but our catering menu lacked some of these international global flavors and vegetarian options. That’s where I incorporated new menu items into some different Asian packages, Latin influences, and an ‘around
With an á la carte approach to its dining model, BC Dining’s forward-thinking ability is the reason for its inclusion of several new items on the menu, allowing students to customize their meals and access a diverse range of flavors that accommodate various tastes and dietary preferences.
This past year, BCDS hosted seven Global Flavors Pop-Up Concepts, including a Pupusa station, Northern African dishes, and Middle Eastern Shawarma bowls. Many of these global flavors concepts will be incorporated into the offerings at Corcoran, McElroy, and Stuart dining halls.
BC Dining has received numerous silver and gold NACUFS nutrition and sustainability awards, including a grand prize in 2015 when Heights Catering was honored for its work at the Pops on the Heights scholarship gala, as well as the grand prize for last year’s Nutrition Awards.
Burch Assumes Rourke Chair
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talks at domestic and international conferences, and his work has been supported by numerous organizations, including the National Science Foundation, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy. In 2022, Burch was named a fellow of the American Physical Society.
In addition to his scholarly work, Burch welcomes students from across the University, and beyond, to satisfy their interests in fundamental physics and devices with societal impacts—whether as a physics major, or to simply expand their knowledge. He frequently attends events to reach out to underrepresented students and discuss the ongoing research of his group.
He routinely hosts undergraduate students to perform research in his lab, including students from Chemistry and Biology, with many serving as co-authors on papers and patents. He has participated in “Skype a Scientist” for many years, holding video conferences with K-12 students from around the country to expose them to his pioneering research and explain why physics is exciting and impactful.
One of Burch’s recent projects focused on using the material graphene, where electrons behave as particles of light, to create
a cutting-edge biosensor for early detection of diseases and opioids in wastewater.
Burch said the Physics Department has remade itself during the past decade, building a unique focus entirely on materials. The faculty’s focus on condensed matter physics has supported recent initiatives that have expanded faculty hires into Applied Physics.
The emphasis on condensed matter “offers opportunities to explore the emergence of exotic phases, novel quasi-particles, along with devices and techniques that provide revolutionary capabilities to society— such as clean energy, biological sensing, and efficient AI,” Burch said. “To achieve this, we made a concerted effort to hire top-notch faculty who also better reflect the society we serve.”
As chair, Burch has sought to open up classes and talks to students outside of the major course of study.
“We are working to increase our course offerings to non-majors, both at the undergraduate and graduate level,” Burch said. “I have also been meeting regularly with other STEM chairs to find ways to create joint opportunities for course offerings and potential faculty hires.”
Assistant Director of Catering Operations Scott Powers holds the NACUFS Grand Prize.
WCAS Student Joins John Lewis Young Leaders Program
BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER
Rising senior Magno Garcia—a psychology major in the Woods College of Advancing Studies who is committed to social justice and community empowerment—has been selected as a fellow in the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights’ John Lewis Young Leaders Program. The yearlong fellowship prepares highly motivated college students for a future in community organizing and civic engagement.
Through the program, each fellow works on a capstone project that provides hands-on opportunities to engage their respective campuses and local communities in human rights work. They receive mentorship from RFKHR staff, financial support, and access to organizing toolkits and workshops as well as an extensive network of human rights professionals, peers, and program alumni.
The cornerstone of the program—the annual John Lewis Young Leaders Retreat in Atlanta, held this year from June 1922—launched the fellowship year through immersive organizing training, professional development workshops, and communitybuilding activities to inspire and equip the students for their work. Fellows engaged with grassroots leaders and activists in the community that the late Congressman John Lewis served for more than three decades.
“This fellowship embodies the very essence of why I am completing my undergraduate degree,” said Garcia. “It directly aligns with my passion and purpose: to
and agent of change, championing the rights and dignity of underserved communities.”
uplift, empower, and advocate for Black and Brown youth through restorative justice and healing-centered approaches. This opportunity will amplify my capacity to be a transformative voice and agent of change, championing the rights and dignity of un-
derserved communities.”
The 15 members of the 2025-2026 cohort were chosen from more than 500 applicants from United States colleges and universities.
“We are so proud of Magno Garcia’s acceptance into the John Lewis Young Leaders Program,” said Woods College Dean David Goodman. “These are the moments when you can truly see ‘men and women for others’ coming to life and being embodied in our students. Through community organizing, civic engagement, and human rights-oriented work, Magno will further hone his incredible gifts and become an even more powerful agent of change.”
Garcia said his Woods College experience and education prepared him well for this opportunity.
“The WCAS has profoundly shaped both my academic and professional journey. Through the unwavering support of advisors, the insight and mentorship of professors, and the robust curriculum and campus resources, I have cultivated a deeper understanding of my field and refined my vision for social impact.
“Most notably, these experiences have expanded my intellectual horizons and professional network, providing a solid foundation for the capstone project I intend to pursue—one centered on community healing, advocacy, and restorative practices,” he added.
Garcia, who lives in Chelsea, Mass., described his capstone project as a series of “Restorative Circles” that explore such themes as racial justice, systemic inequity,
human rights advocacy, and civic engagement.
“These gatherings will be designed not only to foster dialogue and reflection but also to cultivate a vibrant sense of community,” he explained. “Despite engaging with weighty and complex topics, the Circles will remain rooted in joy, connection, and collective healing—complete with shared meals, creativity, and a spirit of belonging.”
According to the RFKHR website, the resources provided to fellows aim to “build their capacity and confidence to pursue careers as human rights defenders and enact positive and perpetual change in their communities. The experience equips students with the necessary skills to become effective social justice and civic leaders.”
Garcia said he hopes to engage in a meaningful collaboration with “passionate, like-minded individuals who are equally committed to justice and community empowerment. I seek to deepen my leadership and expand my impact by sharing knowledge, forging partnerships, and building sustainable strategies to serve our communities,” he said. “Above all, I aspire to leave this experience enriched, inspired, and equipped to drive long-lasting change.”
The John Lewis Young Leaders Program [rfkhumanrights.org/our-impact/education/john-lewis-young-leaders/], which selects highly motivated undergraduates who see themselves as human rights advocates, pays homage to the inspiring friendship between Senator Lewis and the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who shared a dream of building a more just and equitable future.
Roche Center, BC Ireland Team Up for New Initiative
Initiative aims to foster leadership for Catholic primary and postprimary schools across Ireland
BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
Responding to increased challenges and complexities facing Catholic education leadership in Ireland, Boston College’s Roche Center for Catholic Education has partnered with Boston College Ireland to cultivate a new generation of mission-driven leaders for Catholic primary and postprimary schools across Eire, announced Melodie Wyttenbach, the center’s executive director.
“The initiative aims to equip aspiring and current Irish Catholic leaders with the theological grounding, professional skills, and collaborative networks necessary to articulate and embody the distinctive ethos and values of Catholic education for the 21st century,” said Wyttenbach. “Having witnessed the transformative impact of our leadership programs in the United States for the past 15 years, we are thrilled to partner with the Irish Catholic educational
community to cultivate a new wave of leaders who are deeply committed to the mission of Catholic education.”
She noted that the new program, Leadership Formation-Ireland, will particularly address the increased disassociation from spiritual concerns, the evolving educational expectations, and the changing governance structures in Ireland’s Catholic educational system. By investing in these leaders, according to Wyttenbach, the Roche Center seeks to ensure that Irish Catholic schools will flourish and remain true to their mission while actively engaging with contemporary society.
Angela Mitchell, a seasoned Irish educator with over 20 years of experience working in the Irish education system as a teacher, school leader, and mentor of leaders across the network, will assume the role of director of Leadership FormationIreland. Mitchell will be responsible for designing and implementing a variety of leadership programs intended to strengthen institutional governance.
“This timely initiative recognizes the critical juncture at which Irish Catholic education stands,” said Mitchell. “As leadership transitions occur and younger educators assume key roles, this project will
provide the necessary support and formation to ensure the continued vitality and Catholic identity of our schools.”
The initiative is funded by Kristine Trustey and Sean McGraw on behalf of the Trustey Family Foundation in partnership with the Dublin-based Boston College Ireland, which serves as a permanent location for BC’s Irish Institute as well as an in-country resource for the University’s Irish Studies Program, Burns Library, international student programs, and outreach to political, business and educational leaders
“Having witnessed the transformative impact of our leadership programs in the United States for the past 15 years,” says Roche Center for Catholic Education Executive Director Melodie Wyttenbach, “we are thrilled to partner with the Irish Catholic educational community to cultivate a new wave of leaders who are deeply committed to the mission of Catholic education.”
photo by caitlin cunningham
in both the republic and Northern Ireland. The Barbara and Patrick Roche Center for Catholic Education, established by the BC Board of Trustees in 2007 and located at the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, builds on more than a half-century of research, teaching, and outreach related to Catholic schools. The center assembles under one banner strategic initiatives to develop vibrant and revitalized models for the future of Catholic education.
Magno Garcia ’26: “This opportunity will amplify my capacity to be a transformative voice
Bringing a ‘Palette of Virtues’ to Computer Science
Symposium focuses on reframing computer science education to include character-building focus
BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
Boston College’s Developmental Technologies Research Group hosted a threeday international symposium on May 28-30 that focused on reframing computer science education as a more ambitious human-centered endeavor that builds character.
“A Palette of Virtues: A Humanistic Education Through Computer Science” brought to campus educators, researchers, and innovators from non-profit organizations, universities, and governmental institutions—all of whom have collaborated with the Lynch School of Education and Human Development-based group over the past three years—representing nine countries.
The research team, known as DevTech and founded and directed by the Augustus Long Professor of Education Marina Umaschi Bers, advances playful, developmentally appropriate technologies and pedagogical approaches that foster young children’s creative learning about computational thinking, computer programming, robotics, crafting literacies, and engineering
skills—and critically, making the world a better place.
The “palette of virtues”—a metaphor coined by Bers in her 2022 book, Beyond Coding: How Children Learn Human Values through Programming—stresses that coding and creating projects can go well beyond computational thinking to promote the development of human values, character strengths, and personal growth.
“By equipping educators to teach computational thinking, coding, and robotics while intentionally emphasizing virtues and character development alongside the technical skills, it’s possible for diverse cultural and religious groups to find points of connection, work together toward a common goal, and find shared meaning and purpose,” said Bers, who holds a secondary appointment in BC’s Computer Science Department. “The goal is to educate young children who can grow as autonomous individuals, who are capable of thinking systematically and independently, can problem solve creatively, and who strive to achieve the social good by collaborating with each other.”
The philosophy closely aligns with BC’s commitment to the Jesuit-based tradition of formative education, a holistic approach to instruction that nurtures and integrates students’ intellectual, spiritual, ethical, and social development.
Recognized nationally and internationally as a pioneering interdisciplinary research lab, DevTech was launched by Bers
Marina Umaschi Bers: “The goal is to educate young children who can grow as autonomous individuals, who are capable of thinking systematically and independently, can problem solve creatively, and who strive to achieve the social good by collaborating with each other.”
in 2001 at the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts University; in 2022, Bers and the team moved to the Lynch School.
“The symposium’s goal is to help you find and create your ‘palette of virtues’
Gift Endows Women’s Lacrosse Coaching Position
Boston College Athletics has received a $2.5 million gift from University Trustee Phil Schiller ’82 and his wife Kim GassettSchiller to endow the head coaching position for the BC women’s lacrosse program.
The Schiller Family Head Coach for Women’s Lacrosse position is the third women’s head coaching endowment in BC Athletics history. Acacia Walker-Weinstein, who has guided the Eagles to two national championships and eight straight trips to the NCAA Division I Final Four, will be the first to hold the position in women’s lacrosse.
“We are extremely grateful to Phil, Kim, and the entire Schiller family for this transformative gift,” said William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Blake James. “Their generosity honors the historic achievements of our women’s lacrosse program and ensures that we will continue to build a legacy of excellence for years to come. We are profoundly thankful for the Schiller family’s dedication to Boston College, our athletics department, and our student-athletes.”
Phil Schiller is an Apple Fellow, and formerly Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, a position he held from 2002 until 2020. In 2017, the Schillers made a multi-year lead gift totaling $25 million in support of BC’s newly created Institute for Integrated Science and Society, which is now named for them.
to become one of the premier programs in the country,” Phil Schiller and Kim Gassett-Schiller said. “Under her outstanding leadership, the Eagles have advanced to the NCAA Final Four in each of the last eight seasons, including national titles in 2021 and 2024, while producing three Tewaaraton Award winners and over 40 All-American honorees. We could not be more proud to support Acacia and the entire BC women’s lacrosse team for all the success they have had and all that is to come.”
Boston College women’s lacrosse has been a fixture among the top programs in the country during the past decade. Since 2017, Walker-Weinstein has guided BC to the most wins by any Division I program in the country—158—and the team captured three ACC regular season titles and two ACC Championships. During that span, the Eagles have won two national championships, in 2021 and 2024.
that represent the human values that can be nurtured and that represent your own learning environment,” said Bers at the welcome reception at the DevTech Workshop in Carney Hall. “The palette will then guide what and how you teach in the classroom and the practices you develop.”
In addition to a tour of the BC campus, and a dinner at the Hatchery Makerspace at 245 Beacon Street, attendees presented their respective uses, adaptations, and translations of the Coding as Another Language (CAL) curriculum, and ScratchJr, a programming language for five-to-sevenyear-old children developed by Bers and DevTech in 2014. The group also explored DevTech’s newest ScratchJr prototypes by building a robot and designing physical blocks to tell stories about CAL “playgrounds” around the world.
“I was inspired by the collective work,” said Tim Dixon, a computer science consultant at the Maryland Center for Computer Education. “It will continue to supply motivation for me when my daily work starts to get me down.”
Bers noted that the common computer language that the attendees share “broke down the divides” that often exist when an international group assembles.
“We come from different parts of the world, but we face many of the same challenges and are inspired by a shared goal,” said Bers in closing. “There was a lot of energy here. It’s like the wind; you can’t see it, but you see the trees moving. We built a coding playground and brought the head and heart together in our effort to improve the world.”
The symposium was funded by a grant from the Siegel Family Endowment, a foundation focused on understanding and shaping the impact of technology on society, and founded in 2011 by David M. Siegel, a co-founder and co-chair of financial sciences company Two Sigma.
The couple also made a $5 million donation which endowed the head men’s hockey coaching position in 2012, then the largest gift to a BC Athletics team and the first coaching endowment at any Hockey East member institution. Additionally, the Schillers have endowed scholarships with the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams.
“Acacia Walker-Weinstein has led the Boston College women’s lacrosse team
“I am honored to be named the Schiller Family Head Coach for Women’s Lacrosse and am excited to formally thank the Schillers for their gift to our program,” Walker-Weinstein said. “The sustained support for the women’s lacrosse program will be instrumental for us to continue to succeed at the highest level. Thank you so much for believing in us.”
—Boston College Athletics
Stanton E.F. Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, has been elected chair of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) board of directors. CPED, a collaborative network of over 150 American and Canadian schools and colleges of education, is dedicated to improving the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree.
“As a long-time supporter of CPED’s mission, Professor Wortham has helped shape the national conversation around the purpose and potential of the Ed.D.,” noted the organization in its announcement. “His vision, leadership, and collaborative spirit will be instrumental in guiding CPED’s continued growth and innovation.”
Established in 2007, CPED assists institutions in redesigning their Ed.D. programs to better prepare advanced practitioners and educational leaders for real-world challenges.
Nota Bene
Acacia Walker-Weinstein, inaugural Schiller Family Head Coach for Women’s Lacrosse.
photo by caitlin cunningham
photo by meg kelly
OBITUARIES
Richard Nielsen
Professor of Management and Organization Richard P. Nielsen, a longtime Carroll School of Management faculty member who was a nationally recognized leader in the teaching, study, and advocacy of professional and business ethics, died on May 28. He was 79.
Dr. Nielsen, who joined Boston College in 1981, saw ethics not simply as an individual code of conduct, but a means to promote positive holistic change and improve the lives of those around them.
In a 2024 interview for the “Business Ethics Pioneers” YouTube channel, Dr. Nielsen explained that he had become interested in ethics as a young boy: He observed people who, although aware of unethical, and injurious, behavior that caused great harm in their community, did not take any action against it. When he asked these individuals why, he recalled, they expressed a fear of retaliation and that they felt helpless against those who were committing immoral acts.
Dr. Nielsen said that experience remained fresh in his mind during his college years and beyond: “Ever since then, I’ve been trying to find out ways to try to help people who feel powerless to help themselves and the people they love and care about.”
During 1978, Dr. Nielsen worked as a reporter/researcher for a New York Times project concerning criminal penalties for managers in situations where consumer and employee injuries and deaths are caused by organizational behavior.
In 1985, Dr. Nielsen published the paper “Alternative Managerial Responses to Unethical Strategic Management,” one of the first to examine the relationship between ethics and management, and what managers can do about unethical organization behaviors. Dr. Nielsen related the experience of a plant manager who was concerned because his company planned to cut costs and ignore anti-pollution laws. When the manager urged the owner to reconsider, he was told that complying with the regulations would cost too much; either the plant would have to close—putting several thousand people out of work—or it would have to ignore the pollution regulations.
Ultimately, the manager was able to negotiate with other plant managers and engineers to find a solution that permitted affordable adherence to pollution laws and allowed the plant to remain open.
Ideally, said Dr. Nielsen in a 1985 interview with Boston College Biweekly, talking and problem solving together will enable an organization to find optimal solutions. But negotiations don’t feel “natural” to us, and when faced with the stress due to actual or potential conflict, he said, our impulse is to “attack or run away.
“Negotiating takes courage, wisdom, clarity in communication skills and most of all practice. Most of us have no experience at negotiating, neither in our business nor personal lives.”
“Alternative Managerial Responses to Unethical Strategic Management” won first prize in the annual “Best Paper in Corporate and Organization Planning” competition.
In his 1996 book, The Politics of Ethics: Methods for Acting, Learning and Sometimes Fighting with Others in Addressing Ethics Problems in Organizational Life, Dr. Nielsen used fictional and historical characters to demonstrate attitudes and beliefs that work against organizational ethics: Adolph Eichmann was so immersed in the Nazi organization that he avoided ethical questions altogether, Faust personified the idea of using bad means to achieve good ends, while Socrates’ jailer portrayed a person who recognizes his actions on behalf of the organization are wrong but is afraid to stop them.
The book also included more contemporary and business-oriented case studies, like an automobile maker who calculates the cost of recalling a defective model against that of potential fatalities, or a manager who falsifies data to prevent a company from closing.
But handing out punishment in such cases is seldom enough to truly address ethics issues, Dr. Nielsen said: Organizations should create “political space” to assess—and if necessary, change—their approach to ethics.
“If it is true that most organizations, and the people in them, have a cognitive understanding of ethics, then the question is how to stimulate and empower that characteristic. This is where the original meaning of politics comes in, the idea of a community of citizens interacting with one another.”
This “action-learning” could involve a small group of people discussing ethical matters informally over lunch, or a board of employees designated to examine and act on ethical issues in their organization. These models are not interchangeable, nor are they necessarily perfect solutions, but the objective is that “as an organization acts upon the decisions it makes regarding ethics, it learns about its policies, traditions, biases, and other factors affecting ethics.”
At BC, he taught such courses as Organizational Ethics and Politics, Ethics Leadership Methods, Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility, Corruption and Ethics Reform Methods. In 1989, he was among the first cohort of faculty members to receive Boston College Jesuit Institute research grants, for his project “Dialectic Mysticism as Ethics Method: Is There a Lonerganian Catholic and Quaker Convergence?”
Dr. Nielsen was active in the Carroll School’s Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics, and part of a faculty group that in 1997 launched an interdisciplinary seminar series at BC, “Ethics in Practice,” to examine the professional and philosophical dimen-
Michael Moore
Services were held on June 4 for Michael Moore, a retired associate professor of psychology in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences whose dedication to students inside and outside of the classroom earned him recognition from Boston College. Dr. Moore, who was 80, died on May 30.
A specialist in child and young adult development, Dr. Moore joined BC in 1977. During his 45-year tenure, he served as director of undergraduate education for the University, and as Psychology Department chair and assistant chair. Among his scholarly interests were parent-child interactions, emotional development, cognitive development, sports psychology, and children’s participation in organized sport.
It was Dr. Moore’s eagerness to build a rapport with students that defined his BC career. Widely praised for his teaching—including classes such as Cognitive Psychology, Self-Help Literature, Learning Theories, Advanced Developmental Psychology, and the Courage to Know first-year student seminar—and advising, he also found more informal ways of engagement, notably by hosting small groups of students for dinner at his home or a day trip to his Cape Cod house.
In 2006, the University selected him for a Distinguished Teaching Award. “Michael’s lectures are a work of art,” wrote one faculty colleague in nominating Dr. Moore. “He conveys his own enthusiasm about the issues to his students, treating each of them as a curious, intelligent social scientist. Michael’s dedication to and passion for teaching and undergraduate education is unequalled. He is truly one of our best and most dedicated teachers.”
Fourteen years later, Dr. Moore received BC’s Student-Athlete Academic Services Outstanding Faculty Award, co-presented by the Office of Student-Athlete Academic Services and the student-athletes of Boston College. The award, while honoring an
sions of ethics, and the unique resources the University brings to the exploration of each. His work in ethics led him to national prominence, filling roles as president, program chair, and executive board member of the Society for Business Ethics, a non-profit organization established in 1980 to promote the advancement and understanding of ethics in business; the organization named him as one of the “Academic Pioneers in Business Ethics.” He also served on the editorial board for its journal, Business Ethics Quarterly, and on those of the Business and Professional Ethics Journal, Journal of Academic Ethics, and Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal.
A native of New York City, Dr. Nielsen earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and a doctorate at Syracuse University.
He is survived by his wife, Angela; daughters Lara and Anna; and siblings Donna Stricker, Eric Nielsen, and Merrily Biechele; he was predeceased by his brother Seb. Plans for a service will be announced at a later date.
—Office of University Communications
overall commitment to teaching and to fostering students’ intellectual and personal growth, also recognized Dr. Moore for an “extraordinary concern for and support of the academic lives of Boston College student-athletes.”
Dr. Moore demonstrated an acute understanding of student-athletes, specifically those whose involvement in sports ended with the beginning of college, in a 2009 interview with The Heights. Most first-year students are just beginning to define themselves in a broader sense, which is seldom an easy process, he explained—but it can be especially difficult for those who built strongly held identities as athletes early in childhood. Furthermore, said Dr. Moore, former athletes who spent so much time in high school with teammates, and seldom had to think about making friends, are now without their social circle and support system.
“Anybody who goes in thinking the transition is seamless is naïve,” he said. Prior to Boston College, Dr. Moore taught at Harvard University, where he earned bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.
A native of Erie, Pa., Dr. Moore is survived by his wife, Gail; his children, Rebecca and Samuel; and two grandchildren. He was predeceased by his brother, Richard.
—Office of University Communications
JobsThe 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.
Associate Director, Major Capital Projects
Supervisor, Athletic Fields
Assistant Director, Global Field Education
Senior Budget Financial Applications Analyst
Manager, Research Computing
Utility Worker / Dishwasher
Public Safety Dispatcher
Senior Associate Director, Stewardship & Donor Engagement
Assistant Director of Sports Medicine (Football)
Chemical Purchasing & Compliance Specialist
photo by lee pellegrini
photo by gary wayne gilbert
Conversations with Coppola
BC’s Schor connects with the legendary filmmaker on work, life, and the concept of a better
BY PATRICIA DELANEY SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
When a message sent by “Francis Ford Coppola” arrived in her inbox in December 2023, Professor of Sociology Juliet Schor was skeptical. Though the widely recognized social economist was well accustomed to connecting with notable individuals, iconic figures in American cinema didn’t drop her a line every day.
Upon opening it, Schor was surprised to read that the multiple Academy Award winner (who introduced himself as “a movie director”) hoped to ask her a few questions related to themes depicted in his then-forthcoming film “Megalopolis.”
“A line at the bottom of the message asked me not to give out his email address or add it to a mailing list, so I thought ‘Maybe this is for real,’” she said.
They arranged to speak the next day.
Decades in development, “Megalopolis” is written and directed by Coppola, who is internationally acclaimed for his Oscarwinning “Apocalypse Now” and “Godfather” films as well as a lengthy list of other memorable works. Billed as a Roman epic set in a futuristic New York City, with a cast including Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight, and Dustin Hoffman, “Megalopolis” draws parallels between the fall of the Roman Republic and the future of the United States, while considering thorny issues related to humanity and the possibility of a better society.
But the film had yet to be released at the time of Coppola’s message, so Schor— whose research focuses on consumer society and culture, working life, environmental degradation, and alternative, sustainable economies and societies—was at that point unsure as to exactly what the filmmaker might be seeking. (A clue arrived on De-
world
he mentioned that there would be a screening event for “Megalopolis” in Los Angeles on New Year’s Day, and would she like to be part of it?
She agreed, and ultimately led a postscreening discussion with him at American Cinematheque, then attended a lunch hosted by one of his old friends. (“He’s such a humane person,” she said. “He’s so genuine and kind, and open. He’s just a great person.”)
Later, when the term “megalopolis” appeared in a New York Times puzzle, she sent him a note, and learned in his reply that he had done a showing in London and was planning others.
“So I asked, what about Boston? And minutes later, I started getting emails from people about setting up a screening.”
Coppola suggested the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, and also that they reprise their post-film conversation at the showing. The April 28 event sold out in nine minutes, prompting the addition of a second showing and discussion on the following day.
cember 20, the date of their first conversation, when a neighbor stopped by with the news that Coppola had mentioned Schor’s book The Overspent American in an Instagram post.)
Schor describes their initial phone exchange as “amazing. He was asking questions about where scholars stood on various issues related to the film, but also talked about his movies and his life. I felt privileged to be having [the conversation],” she said. “I really enjoyed it.”
In particular, she recalls, he mentioned that “one of his fervent hopes for the film was that it would become one that people
watched at New Year’s, which is the setting for its final scene. He said he’d like to see New Year’s conversations center less on resolutions to diet or exercise and more on what kind of world this is, and is it the best possible world we can have?”
Schor agreed that it would be great if the film sparked those kinds of conversations, and the two stayed in touch from time to time about books and other topics in the months before “Megalopolis” was released the following September.
It was when she wrote to congratulate him on being honored by the Kennedy Center in December of 2024, she said, that
Though reviews for “Megalopolis” have been mixed, audiences at the events love it, and always go wild for him, Schor said. She herself has now seen the film several times, drawing something new from each viewing. “The movie has a big utopian dimension,” she said. “The lead character is a dreamer, has a vision for a different kind of city.”
She also can now discern where the film intersects with her own work, prompting that first, unexpected email. “A big part of what he’s trying to say is that we, human beings, have incredible capacity for good,” she said. “We have genius, we have empathy. We have the possibility of really positive social connections with each other. He believes that very strongly.
“And I think that’s underlying a lot of my work,” she said. “The idea that we can do better.”
Boston College sociologist Juliet Schor with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola during their conversation after the screening of Coppola’s recently released “Megalopolis” on April 28 at Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline. “A big part of what he’s trying to say is that we, human beings, have incredible capacity for good,” says Schor of the film. “We have genius, we have empathy. We have the possibility of really positive social connections with each other. He believes that very strongly.”
photo by dawn kingston
Nearly 300 employees took part in the Boston College Faculty and Staff 5K on June 13, sponsored by the Human Resources Department and Campus Recreation. Runners and walkers followed a course that started at the Mods (at left), went up Commonwealth Avenue, across Middle Campus and down Beacon Street, then around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir before returning to the Mods. Afterwards, participants relaxed with food and refreshments in Baldwin’s Backyard next to the Connell Recreation Center.
BC Scenes Summer Exercise
PHOTOS BY CAMPUS RECREATION