Year in Review academic program development, faculty expansion, endowed undergraduate financial aid, student formation programs, capital projects, athletics, and efforts to advance Boston College as a leading global Catholic university. Buoyed by this early support, Light the World continues its surge toward its planned 2015 conclusion. Some 300 guests turned out to celebrate the campaign’s landmark achievements at this year’s October 28 New York Gala, hosted by the New York Regional Campaign Committee at the New York Public Library. Emmy Award-winning broadcaster Bob Costas P ’12 moderated a discussion with University President William P. Leahy, S.J., and William B. Neenan, S.J., vice president and special assistant to the president, who talked about the campaign’s milestone achievements and goals. Undergraduate alumni continued to show enthusiastic support for their alma mater, with nearly 26,000— 26 percent overall—contributing to the Boston College Fund. Meanwhile, life income and bequest gifts poured in, as membership increased to more than 1,400 in the Shaw Society, which recognizes donors who make legacy gifts. William J. Cunningham ’57, P ’80, received the William V. McKenney Award, the Alumni Association’s highest honor, given to a Boston College graduate who has made outstanding contributions to service, industry, and the University. Cunningham was recognized at the Alumni Association Awards of Excellence ceremony in October as a past association president and board member, and tireless fundraiser. The Rev. Nicholas Sannella, a physician, medical legal expert, parish priest, and University trustee, received the Ignatian Award at the ceremony, while former women’s hockey team captain Sarah Joy (Carlson) Hollingsworth ’05 took home the GOLD Award for her work as an emergency room nurse in hospitals at home and abroad. Susan Kelley, Ph.D. ’88, a one-time Boston College professor who is now the dean of the College of Health and Human Services at Georgia State University, won the Professional Excellence Award for her children’s rights advocacy. After years of planning, the University broke ground October 4 on Stokes Hall, a cornerstone of the University’s institutional master plan, and the first academic building to be constructed on Middle Campus since 2001. Named for Boston College alumnus, benefactor, and trustee Patrick T. Stokes ’64 and his wife, AnnaKristina “Aja” Stokes, P ’91, ’94, ’97, in recognition of their $22 million gift, the four-story, 183,000-squarefoot building will be the new home of the University’s
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humanities departments, undergraduate academic programs, 36 classrooms, a café, and an honors library. It is expected to be completed in fall 2012. The 23rd annual Wall Street Council Tribute Dinner raised more than $1.6 million to support the Presidential Scholars Program. More than 900 alumni, parents, and friends attended the April 28 event at the Waldorf=Astoria New York, where Citibank CEO Eugene McQuade, P ’06, ’10, the evening’s honoree, received the President’s Medal for Excellence. More than 46,400 alumni, parents, and friends turned out for alumni events during the course of the year. Reunion Weekend drew the largest number of participants, with more than 5,000 alumni and their guests returning to the Heights for celebrations of their milestone years.
student life More than 6,000 students registered to use MyBC, a web-based software program that allows student clubs and organizations to manage their members, budgets, and schedules, and to advertise events on a common calendar. The Division of Student Affairs’ new Office of Health Promotion, which directs programs and services and provides information about student health and wellbeing, opened in February. That month, the division also launched a comprehensive new website (www.bc.edu/ studentaffairs), which brings together 14 student affairs departments and features student-centered news, events, and multimedia posts at one web address. Running on a platform of “Building Community Through Programming, Outreach, Accessibility, and Formation,” Mike Kitlas ’12 and Jill Long ’12 were elected president and vice president of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College. Student government leaders this year spearheaded two efforts to improve academic advising, working with faculty and administrators to develop advising guides for student majors, and collaborating with the University Council on Teaching and the Provost’s Advisory Council to draft an advising evaluation similar to course evaluation forms. Students greeted Boston Marathon runners with an inflatable maroon and gold arch emblazoned with the message “The Heartbreak Is Over—Mile 21,” which stood in front of Bapst Hall on Marathon Monday. Nearly 300 Boston College students ran the marathon to gather contributions for the Campus School for children with special needs. Boston College’s fourth annual Relay for Life raised