2 Around Campus
Conte basketball floor named for Edgerley family; plaudits for Event Planning and Catering personnel.
court named for Management and Catering personnel.
3 Transition
3 Transition Schiller Institute director to step down at end of semester.
Schiller Institute director to step down at end of semester.
8 BC Global
8 BC Global
BC School of Social Work Jesuit authors book on migration and humanitarianism.
BC School of Social Work Jesuit authors book on migration and humanitarianism.
BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
The Messina College dean’s position will be named the Patti and Jonathan Kraft Family Deanship, thanks to a gift from University Trustee Patti Kraft and her husband Jonathan Kraft.
Erick Berrelleza, S.J., the founding dean of the school, will be the first holder of the deanship.
The Krafts, whose son graduated from Boston College in 2024, said they were pleased to make the endowed gift in recognition both of Messina College’s success in providing educational opportunity to first-generation students, and the University’s ongoing commitment to formative education.
“Since we joined the Boston College community as parents, we have been in-
Boston College’s annual Homecoming Week included Fresh Fest (above), the Undergraduate Student Government of Boston College’s signature event for first-year students, held on Newton Campus. Also taking place was the College Athletic Board’s Fall Fan Fest on Stokes Lawn (right), where undergraduates enjoyed food, raffles, games, and other activities—and the opportunity to display their own miniature Baldwin.
credibly impressed by the formative education that the University offers all Eagles, and now extends to the students of Messina College,” said Patti and Jonathan Kraft.
“Equity of opportunity ranks highly among our priorities, and our family is honored to support this mission that we so strongly believe in. Endowing this position is our way of demonstrating that belief.”
The Krafts’ gift supports Boston College’s Soaring Higher campaign, of which they serve as co-chairs. The campaign seeks to raise critical funding for strategic priorities in financial aid, academics, and student life. To date, $1.9 billion has been raised towards the campaign’s $3 billion goal.
The gift qualifies for an additional $2 million challenge grant provided by an anonymous donor to inspire new investments in the University’s scholarly en-
Continued on page 4
In her new book, BC Law’s Ray Madoff says tax system has created an American aristocracy
BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
In pre-revolutionary France, the highly privileged nobility known as the Second Estate was legally exempt from paying taxes, shifting the burden to everyone else, including peasants, wage-earners, and the professional and business classes.
In Ray D. Madoff’s new book, The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy, the Boston College Law professor and Eileen Colligan Morrissey Law Faculty Fellow reveals how the American tax system has changed over the past 40 years to create a situation in which the wealthiest Americans are allowed to effectively secede to a tax-free version of American life, forming the contemporary second estate.
“It’s particularly surprising given the intention and design of the American tax system, which was conceived in response to the highly regressive tariffs of the early 20th century to impose its greatest burdens on those with the greatest capacity to pay,” said Madoff. “Through the progressive income tax, adopted in 1913, and the additional estate tax implemented in 1916, the levies were intended to limit
concentrations of wealth among the richest Americans.”
While the American tax structure was meant to serve as a counter to inequality today, it does just the opposite: Imposing its greatest burdens on earners at all income levels, while those with high wealth get a free pass, according to Madoff.
She believes that the American public would never knowingly accept a system in which the wealthiest Americans were given a free pass on taxes, but it’s the result of confusion about who bears the costs of government. Because individual tax burdens occur under three different taxes—income, payroll, estate, and gift— it’s difficult for Americans to understand the overall picture.
An oft-quoted statistic about the allocation of income taxes fuels the misunderstanding: Those with the top one percent of income pay 40 percent of income taxes, while 40 percent of Americans pay no income taxes at all.
This measurement suggests that the richest Americans carry the lion’s share of the burden while a significant portion of Americans are freeloading off their largesse. But it’s highly misleading, she
Continued on page 5
Thanks to a generous gift from longtime Boston College supporters University Trustee Sandra and Paul Edgerley P’23, and their family, the basketball court at Silvio O. Conte Forum will officially be named the Edgerley Family Court.
A significant statement of Boston College Athletics support, the newly named Edgerley Family Court is the home of the BC men’s and women’s basketball teams from November through March. The gift also counts towards Soaring Higher: The Campaign for Boston College, which aims to raise more than $400 million for Athletics.
“We are incredibly grateful to Paul and Sandy Edgerley for their generosity and support of Boston College,” said William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Director Blake James. “Naming the basketball court in their honor is more than just recognizing a gift—it is about celebrating a family that believes in our mission, our studentathletes, and the future of BC basketball. Their impact will be felt here for years to come.”
“We are most thankful for the generous support from the Edgerley family,” said Earl Grant, the Clement and Elizabeth Izzi Family Head Men’s Basketball Coach. “They have made a huge impact on the BC basketball programs and our entire athletics department. The Edgerleys provided a
tremendous boost as we continue to strive to reach greater heights.”
“It is incredibly meaningful to have our home court named the Edgerley Family Court,” said Joanna Bernabei-McNamee, head coach of Boston College women’s basketball. “Their generous gift sends a powerful message, and we’re truly grateful for everything the Edgerley family has done to help move our program forward.”
The Edgerleys are active members of the Parents Leadership Council and supporters of Boston College undergraduate financial aid, having co-chaired Pops on the Heights in 2023 and 2024.
Sandra Edgerley serves on the BC Board of Trustees, where she is a member of the Academic Affairs Committee. She is also the founder and president of Hexagon Properties and The ’Quin House, and a respected
Boston-area philanthropist and civic leader who has been named one of the Top 20 Most Influential Bostonians by Boston magazine.
Paul Edgerley is a senior advisor at Bain Capital, where he was a managing director and played a leadership role for more than 30 years, as well as the co-founder and managing director of VantEdge Partners. Paul also serves on the board of directors of the Boston Celtics, the Kansas City Royals, and the professional Italian soccer club Atalanta.
The Edgerleys are parents of Brian, Matthew, Hayley, and Michael ’23.
“Our family is deeply honored to support the men’s and women’s basketball programs through the Edgerley Family Court,” said Sandra and Paul Edgerley. “We are thrilled to help grow BC Athletics to new heights and support the student-athletes who represent BC on the court and in the community. The school spirit and camaraderie of the students, alumni, and fans who support the athletes by attending games is second to none and part of what makes the BC community so special.”
The Edgerley Family Court will be unveiled for the start of the 2025–2026 basketball season. The court is a lasting symbol of the Edgerleys’ commitment to enhancing the tradition of excellence at Boston College.
—University Communications
Among Event Management and Catering staff at Boston College, it is known simply as “the weekend”—that exhaustive stretch each year in late September when the University hosts Family Weekend and its multiple events that include Pops on the Heights, parent programs, tailgating, a football game, and Family Liturgy on Sunday.
Throw in a Board of Trustees meeting and, this year, a Thursday evening dedication of the St. Teresa of Ávila Statue and Prayer Garden on the Brighton Campus, and you have a stressful and demanding schedule that would test the limits of hardworking staff anywhere. Fortunately for Boston College, it is a challenge that its frontline staff meets with enthusiasm.
“The work that Event Management Director Jim Mastin and Assistant Director of Catering Operations Scott Powers and their respective teams do within this four-day period is truly outstanding,” said
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Jack Dunn
SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Patricia Delaney
EDITOR
Sean Smith
Associate Vice President for Auxiliary Services Patricia Bando. “The Family Weekend events require these two teams to execute sophisticated food and beverage services for 11,000 event guests while fulfilling the ‘usual’ football game day catering at Alumni Stadium. They are exceptionally devoted employees who always deliver. They deserve our praise and recognition.”
only on our own team but on our campus partners, which include Catering, Facilities, Grounds, Custodial Services, Athletics Maintenance, and BC Police, among others.”
“They are BC at its best,” says AVP for Auxiliary Services Patricia Bando.
Mastin, whose tenure at BC dates back 37 years, said he was pleased with the success of the Family Weekend and grateful for the kind words he and his staff received from parents, students, and colleagues who attended the slew of events.
“I could not do what I do without the outstanding and dedicated staff in Event Management,” said Mastin. “This is a weekend where it takes a village for all of the events to run successfully. We rely not
CONTRIBUTING STAFF
Phil Gloudemans
Ed Hayward
Audrey Loyack
Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Caitlin Cunningham
Scott Powers, BC’s general manager of catering, said he was gratified that the weekend went well and that his staff and colleagues were lauded for their good work, considering the countless hours they put into making it go so smoothly.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated catering team here at Boston College,” said Powers. “It is their commitment to providing the best possible experience and warm hospitality that makes Family Weekend so special for all our guests. This success is a true team effort across all Dining Services units, Event Management, Catering, and the other Uni-
versity departments with which we work.”
BC parent Jessica Cherry, of Milton, Mass., who attended the parent events, football tailgate, and Family Liturgy, said that the weekend was “unforgettable” and exceeded all her expectations.
“BC does everything right and makes its guests feel welcome at every event, big or small,” said Cherry. “Everything this whole weekend was first rate.”
Bando said positive feedback from the BC and parent community is greatly appreciated by the staff and will help inspire them next September when the same challenges present themselves at Family Weekend.
“They take pride in the work that they do and in the knowledge that no other college or university could have been as successful in pulling all of these events in one weekend,” said Bando. “They are BC at its best.”
—Jack Dunn
The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135 (617)552-3350.
Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus.
Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of University Communications, 3 Lake Street, Brighton, MA 02135.
A flipbook edition of Chronicle is available via e-mail.
Send requests to chronicle@bc.edu.
BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society inaugural Seidner Family Executive Director Laura J. Steinberg has announced she will step down at the end of the semester after nearly six years of service and return to teaching and research.
Steinberg, who holds a faculty appointment in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, took the helm of the Schiller Institute in February 2020 and began hiring new faculty, engaging colleagues across campus, and developing a broad range of programming.
“Laura Steinberg arrived at Boston College in the early months of the pandemic and immediately got to work in building the Schiller Institute,” said Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “During that time, Laura has brought the founding vision for the institute to life, in the process gathering together a lively community of faculty and students. I am grateful for her leadership and look forward to building on the strong foundation she has established.”
Following a sabbatical in 2026, Steinberg said she looks forward to returning to the faculty and her research and teaching about problems at the intersection of environment, infrastructure, and society. “The time is right for me to renew my research on environmental issues and public policy,” she said. “There’s a great need now for scholars to translate their work so that it can be understood and used beyond the academy.
“It’s been hugely satisfying to take the vision of an institute devoted to collabora-
tion and the study of energy, environment, and health, and turn it into an actual operating organization,” she said. “I’m proud that we have offered programming, grants, classes, and support in ways that touch all the colleges of the University. The institute has become embedded in the life of BC and has engaged hundreds of BC students, faculty, and staff.”
Under Steinberg, the institute hired the first Institute Core Faculty: Institute Professor Jier Huang (with a joint appointment to Chemistry), Institute Professor of Climate Science and Society Yi Ming (Earth and Environmental Sciences), Institute Professor Edson Severnini (Economics), and Institute Professor of Global Sus-
tainability Systems Hanqin Tian (EE&S). In its academic role, the institute helped launch the Global Public Health and the Common Good minor; Global Public Health added a major last year in partnership with the Connell School of Nursing. The institute is also home to the Center for Earth System Science and Global Sustainability, directed by Tian.
Steinberg initiated Schiller Institute Grants for Exploratory Collaborative Scholarship (SI-GECS) and Grants for Research in Targeted & Emerging Areas (SI-RITEA) seed funding programs to support research by faculty throughout the University.
During the first four years, SI-GECS funded 43 projects with $1.4 million. During its first three years, SI-RITEA funded 20 projects with $600,000. Of the external funding applications that grew out of these grants, 39 proposals were awarded funding of $7 million from organizations including the National Science Foundation, the William T. Grant Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
In an effort to connect the humanities with the sciences, the Schiller Institute has hosted symposia, seminars, social hours, and other events to bring together faculty from across the University, as well as programs to connect students with the work of the institute and faculty. Lecture series have focused on topics including the impact of climate change on migration and ethics, and how climate change is covered in the media.
The Schiller Institute also helped manage the University’s involvement in the last four United Nations Climate Change Conferences. Another delegation will be going to COP30 in Brazil next month.
“We’ve built the Schiller Institute into a University-wide force aimed at fostering collaborative research and teaching,” said Steinberg. “Through the grant programs we’ve sponsored and the many ways we encourage interdisciplinary research and integrative thinking, the institute has helped create a culture of innovation on campus. This energy, buoyed by the contributions of the Core Faculty, the Faculty Affiliates, and the Schiller staff, will no doubt translate into Boston College becoming an even greater player on the global stage, as scientists from around the world continue to search for solutions to ensure a healthy, flourishing planet.”
The Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society is the centerpiece of a 150,000 square-foot science facility that opened in early 2022. Named in honor of BC Trustee Associate Phil Schiller ’82 and his wife Kim Gassett-Schiller through their multi-year lead gift, the institute addresses critical issues in the areas of energy, health, and the environment.
The Seidner executive directorship was made possible through a gift from BC Trustee Marc Seidner ’88, chief investment officer for non-traditional strategies and a managing director of Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO), and his family.
“I’m grateful to Phil and Kim Schiller for their support of the institute, the Seidner family, and to Provost Quigley for creating an environment that has allowed the Institute to become a hub for interdisciplinary research and teaching at BC,” Steinberg said. “I’ll also be eternally grateful for the inspiration I’ve experienced from working with amazing, dedicated faculty at BC.
BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER
The challenges of re-entering society after imprisonment will be the focus of a November 4 event sponsored by the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America.
“Life After Incarceration: A Panel Discussion on Re-Entry, Justice, and Belonging” will be held at the Robsham Theater Arts Center from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., presented in collaboration with the Boston College Prison Education Program (PEP). The program’s director, Inaugural Ignacio Chair Patrick Conway, will be among the panelists who will visit the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Shirley, Mass.— the site of PEP—prior to the event.
In addition to Conway, panelists sharing their insights will be Anna Haskins, the Andrew V. Tackes Associate Professor at the University of Notre Dame; Massachusetts Department of Correction Commissioner Shawn Jenkins; Thrive for Life Prison Project founder Zachariah Presutti, S.J.; and Ved Price, executive director of the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison.
“The Forum on Racial Justice in Ameri-
ca is pleased to host another dynamic panel of experts to speak on life after incarceration,” said forum co-director Joy Moore, University vice president and executive director of the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success. “For those looking to understand what it takes to re-enter after incarceration, this is a discussion you won’t want to miss.”
Moore also will be among the BC contingent visiting MCI-Shirley, along with PEP Assistant Director Michelle Brooks, Program Assistant Molly April, and graduate assistant Sasha Smith, and Matthew Clemente, director of research and curriculum at BC’s Center for Psychological Humanities & Ethics.
The forum “creates an invaluable space for dialogue about what it truly means to come home after incarceration,” according to Conway. “For the Boston College Prison Education Program, this conversation speaks directly to our mission: education as a pathway toward restoration, belonging, and full participation in community life.
“Our students—both inside and on campus—are helping to lead the way nationally in reimagining what higher education in prison can be,” he added. “Each
“The forum has a mandate to provide a meeting place for listening and dialogue in order to promote justice, reconciliation, empathy, and understanding,” said forum co-director Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., dean of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. “We are grateful for the opportunity to bring this panel’s expertise with the challenges related to post-incarceration reentry into a wider conversation about what respect for human dignity and care for the common good requires of us at this moment in our national life.”
The event will be followed by a reception.
panelist brings extraordinary expertise to this conversation, and I hope attendees leave with a deeper understanding of the structural barriers that persist during and after incarceration, and of the transformative power of education to help break those cycles.”
Founded in 2019, PEP offers a highquality liberal arts education to incarcerated students at MCI-Shirley. Courses are taught by BC instructors and offer credits leading to a bachelor’s degree in the Applied Liberal Arts in the Woods College of Advancing Studies. For more on PEP, see bit.ly/Boston-College-PEP.
With its focus on understanding race and racism in the U.S., the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America [bc. edu/forum] serves as a catalyst for bridging differences, promoting reconciliation, and encouraging new perspectives.
BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
A few months after making history, the 26 members of the Human-Centered Engineering program’s first graduating class have embarked on an impressive array of work, graduate study, and other opportunities.
Many have taken engineering positions with companies focused on everything from water supply, public works, and health to the environment and construction. Others have entered graduate programs including medical school, finance, biomedical engineering, nuclear science and engineering, and educational design technology.
“It is rewarding to see the breadth of careers our students are going into both within and outside the engineering field,” said Professor Glenn Gaudette, the John W. Kozarich ’71 Chair of the Engineering Department. “That speaks to the Boston College education where we want them to find their passion.”
Gaudette noted that most members of the graduated class are pursuing engineering careers aligned with the program’s focus on health, energy, and the environment. Others are making documentary films and caring for the homeless, “because they found their passion while they were here,” he said.
Nava Bozorgmehri ’25 is a product development engineer at Applied Medical, where she designs new surgical devices focused on the needs of surgeons and patients. “The medical device industry is, at its core, human-centered,” she said. “Every detail matters—how a device feels
in a surgeon’s hands, how quickly a patient recovers after surgery, and how to ensure that products are high-quality while also remaining affordable. The human-centered engineering mindset I gained at BC guides my daily work to ensure the new devices we develop meet clinical needs and improve surgical outcomes in the most humane way.”
Will Purnell ’25, who began graduate study in biomedical engineering this fall at Duke University, said he feels uniquely prepared by the combination of BC’s tra-
Continued from page 1
terprise. The challenge fund has already garnered more than 40 new faculty endowments, including deanships, professorships, and faculty support funds.
Fr. Berrelleza said he was grateful to be named the inaugural Kraft Family Dean and to lead a school that has the full support of the University, and its trustees and parents like Patti and Jonathan Kraft.
“I am honored to continue the missiondriven work of supporting students who are the first in their families to attend college as the inaugural Kraft Family Dean of Messina College, said Fr. Berrelleza. “Patti and Jonathan believe in the transformative power of a Jesuit education and their commitment ensures that more students have the opportunity to thrive at Boston College in this fully residential two-year college. As Messina continues to grow, I am grateful to have the Krafts alongside as partners in our mission.”
David Quigley, the Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Provost and Dean of Faculties, praised the Krafts for their generosity and unwavering support of Messina College, which now serves more than 200 students on the 50-acre Brookline Campus of Boston College.
“Patti and Jonathan Kraft have made a resounding statement of support for the Messina College and its life-changing mission,” said Quigley. “The Krafts were among the first members of the Boston College community to rally around our newest school, and they have forged a powerful relationship with the inaugural dean, Fr. Erick Berrelleza. The Kraft Deanship is a signature success of the Soaring Higher campaign and will support Messina’s leaders—and students—for generations to come.”
Established in 2022 as part of the University’s $100 million Pine Manor Institute for Student Success initiative, Messina College is a two-year, residential associate’s degree program for first-generation, high financial need students that features academic programs in applied data science, applied psychology and human development, general business, and health sciences. Students from Messina College who maintain a 3.4 cumulative grade point average are eligible to transfer to Boston College as juniors to complete a bachelor’s degree. Students are also eligible to transfer to other four-year colleges and universities, including those with which BC has forged
ditional core curriculum and the humancentered engineering curriculum.
“Boston College inspired me to look for unconventional solutions to engineering problems that more conventional programs might discourage or otherwise not emphasize,” he said. “I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to study engineering at BC,” Purnell added. “I went into this experience fairly blind, with little idea about what the program would actually look like, but I also had fairly strong confidence that I was in good hands. After four years, I can
say this was certainly true.”
For his part, Charles Neill ’25, a design engineer at Acorn Engineering, said he formed close bonds with his classmates and faculty. “I really enjoyed being part of a group of people with such diverse goals and personalities. I am truly grateful to have been part of a major with people who have such distinct interests. Plus, being part of the development of new classes with new professors in a new major made for a unique experience.”
Boston College launched its HumanCentered Engineering program in 2021, integrating BC’s core liberal arts focus and a rigorous engineering curriculum to prepare students to find solutions to critical human needs. The bachelor of science in engineering requires 120 credits, with twothirds in engineering, mathematics, and science topics and one-third in liberal arts and humanities. Course offerings include Introduction to Human-Centered Engineering, Engineering for Society, Introduction to Statistical Data Analysis and Machine Learning, and Collaborative Service Engineering Project.
In many ways, the students in the inaugural class and those who have followed have helped faculty to refine the very curriculum that they study, said the program’s Director of Undergraduate Studies Jenna Tonn.
“We appreciate that our students took a chance on us,” said Tonn, also an associate professor of the practice in the department. “Students and faculty worked hard to make their time here an academic success and to prepare them for that next step and to reflect on what they want to do with their lives.”
articulation agreements, or to use their associate degrees to seek careers in their respective fields.
“Wherever our students go next and whatever they choose to do, they will benefit from the foundation of the world-class Jesuit education they received here at Mes-
sina College,” said Fr. Berrelleza. “Whether it is faculty at BC or our partner institutions or future employers, they will find Messina graduates who are reflective, hardworking, and prepared to tackle pressing issues. I am proud of our students and very enthusiastic about their future.”
Continued from page 1
notes, because it fails to recognize the significant payroll taxes carried by all income earners.
“Payroll taxes are referred to as hidden taxes since they are concealed behind terms like FICA and FUTA and because they are called ‘contributions,’ making them seem like they are somehow voluntary or savings for future employee benefits,” explained Madoff. “In fact, these are taxes like any other and pay for the country’s biggest expenses: Social Security and Medicare for current retirees.”
Additionally, this statistic also overcounts the richest Americans’ contribution, she said. The figure refers to the contributions of the top one percent of earners, but the richest Americans, such as Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett and others, are just as likely to be in the 40 percent of non-payers as they are in the top one percent because of the way that our income tax code excludes their most common sources of income: investment gains and inheritances.
As she outlines in The Second Estate, wealth taxes are not the solution since they’re unlikely to be adopted and would be almost impossible to administer, particularly now with the recent gutting of the Internal Revenue Service. Most concerning, she argues, is that the adoption of an annual wealth tax could motivate the wealthiest Americans to flee the publicly traded—and easy to value—stock market, in favor of more private interests that are more difficult to value. This could have disastrous effects for all Americans who depend on the stock market for their
photo by caitlin cunningham
The United States was founded on principles of equality, says Madoff, “which, though incomplete at conception, have served as a continuing guide for the ongoing process of building ‘a more perfect union.’ Bringing the rich back into the tax system is an essential step in this ongoing endeavor.”
retirement and other savings.
“Nor is the solution to restore estate taxes,” she added. “Due to an effective public relations campaign in the early 1990s funded by 18 of the country’s richest families, the perception of the estate tax changed from an innocuous reinforcement to the income tax to an immoral double tax imposed on people at death—
the moment of greatest vulnerability.”
The campaign was so successful that Congress under both parties has engaged in a form of “quiet quitting,” she quipped.
“Congress has not closed a single loophole in the estate tax since 1990, even as the tax has become even more hollowed out by a growing panoply of tax avoid-
ance techniques.”
The answer, she argues, is to abandon the estate tax, which currently provides more cover to the rich rather than burden, and instead bring investment and inheritance income into the income tax system so that all Americans are subjected to the same rules.
She also advocates reforms to the philanthropy regulations to strengthen the nonprofit sector, specifically endorsing meaningful payout rules on donor advised funds (DAF)—a charitable giving vehicle that allows individuals to donate to a public charity, receive an immediate tax deduction, and then recommend grants to other qualified charities over time—and private foundations, to clarify that contributions to DAF are not the same as transparent charitable giving.
The Second Estate closes with a vignette that recounts 19th-century diplomat, political philosopher, and historian Alexis de Tocqueville’s examination of the causes of the French Revolution. He concludes that the crucial factors were taxes, and how the “disparate treatment of the rich” created divisions that “permeated all aspects of life,” eliminating their common interests, and the desire to act in concert.
“Unlike pre-revolutionary France, the United States was founded on principles of equality,” writes Madoff. “These principles, though incomplete at conception, have served as a continuing guide for the ongoing process of building ‘a more perfect union.’ Bringing the rich back into the tax system is an essential step in this ongoing endeavor.”
BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society Professor Hanqin Tian will receive the Bert Bolin Award and Lecture from the American Geophysical Union (AGU), recognizing his groundbreaking research and leadership in global environmental change.
The award and lecture is named to honor the work and life of Bert Bolin, a Swedish meteorologist who served as the first chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Tian will deliver the Bert Bolin Lecture at AGU25, to be held in New Orleans in December.
Tian is director of the Boston College Center for Earth Systems Science and Global Sustainability and a professor in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department. He also directs the newly established Global Carbon Project’s Boston Office (GCP-Boston), which fosters international collaboration on global carbon and nitrogen cycles, the food–energy–water nexus, and sustainable food systems—providing actionable insights for global sustainability.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to
integrating multiple disciplines to advance our understanding of coupled human–Earth systems. This recognition highlights the importance of interdisciplinary research in addressing global environmental and sustainability challenges, and it underscores how science can guide action for human well-being and the common good.”
AGU, the world’s largest Earth and space science association, celebrates individuals and teams through its annual Honors and Recognition Program for accomplishments in research, education, science communication, and outreach. These honorees have transformed understanding of the world, impacted daily life, strengthened communities, and contributed to solutions for a sustainable future.
Tian is a pioneering leader in global environmental change whose discoveries have fundamentally advanced understanding of biogeochemical cycles and their roles in the climate system. His scholarship is original, rigorous, and impactful, bridging science and policy at the highest levels.
among the top one percent of highly cited researchers worldwide, according to the Clarivate Web of Science. He is recognized by Reuters as one of the world’s most influential climate scientists and is an elected Fellow of AGU, the Ecological Society of America, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as an Andrew Carnegie Fellow.
Over the past decade, Tian has made several landmark contributions. His 2016 Nature paper reframed the role of the biosphere in climate change, while his 2020 Nature paper provided the most comprehensive quantification of global nitrous oxide sources and sinks—central to the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report and UNEP’s 2024 Global Nitrous Oxide Assessment—directly shaping international climate negotiations.
More recently, his breakthrough work on the land–ocean interface enabled the first inclusion of previously missing lateral greenhouse gas fluxes, helping to close the global carbon and nitrogen budgets.
receive the Bert Bolin Award and Lecture,” Tian said. “Throughout my
I have been inspired by Bert Bolin’s legacy of
He has published more than 420 peerreviewed papers with nearly 70,000 citations and an H-index of 119, placing him
Tian joins a distinguished group of scientists, leaders, and communicators recognized by AGU for advancing science and inspiring solutions for a thriving, sustainable, and equitable future.
BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER
The ninth annual Boston Conference on Cyber Security, a partnership between Boston College Law School and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, examined critical issues facing government and private organizations and their defense against the malicious and ever-increasing global cyber threats during a half-day convening at BC Law on October 15.
The conference’s new location—having been held in Gasson Hall since its inception—and date reflected this fall’s launch of the Master of Legal Studies in Cybersecurity, Risk, and Governance program at BC Law and to coincide with “Cybersecurity Awareness Month.” BCCS 2025 was organized by Kevin R. Powers, faculty director and lecturer-in-law for the program.
Conference keynoter Brett Leatherman, assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division, acknowledged the “distinguished history” and strong alliance between the FBI and BC during his opening remarks, and said it was a privilege to speak to industry professionals and partners who share the FBI’s passion for the cyber mission.
“Make no mistake, the FBI recognizes the urgency of the cyber threat which greatly impacts national security in an increasingly digital battle space,” he said. “Unlike crime problems that we often see that impact single areas of geographic locations or regions in the United States, cyber threats are border-agnostic; they’re inherently international threats.”
He noted that hostile nations have grown more ambitious in their cyber operations, such as China’s state-sponsored Volt Typhoon cyber-attack group, burrowing deep in both America’s critical infrastructure and the private sector, seeking not just intelligence, but to “pre-place” capacity in networks in the event of military combat, specifically in the Indo-Pacific region. Leatherman emphasized that China’s cyber
strategy is not just about intelligence collection, but about re-shaping the global balance of power
“This isn’t espionage; this is preparation. This ensures that if a military conflict breaks out, especially in the Indo-Pacific, they can flip the switch and potentially ‘turn off the lights’ and communications within the U.S. military before any shot is even fired.”
Simultaneously, cyber criminals continue to wreak havoc across entire industries, increasingly relying on inexpensive or stolen digital infrastructure to hide their operations, he noted: Just last year, Americans reported $1.5 billion in cyber-crime losses to the FBI, although that figure “is only a fraction of the actual.”
The FBI requires government and industry cooperation to fight cyber-crime, Leatherman said.
“Our charge is to make malicious cyber activity unsustainable for the bad actors. That means disrupting them—fighting the battle on their digital infrastructure—and trying to re-shape the broader environment through persistent engagement in cyberspace operations.”
One recent Massachusetts-related incident demonstrated the success of collaboration between the FBI’s Boston field office and private industry, he said. A software and cloud storage company utilized by numerous U.S. school systems was breached and threatened with the public disclosure of personal information for millions of students and teachers if they didn’t pay a multimillion-dollar ransom. But a private sector partner alerted the Boston FBI office which, with the aid of other field offices, identified the culprit as a Massachusetts college student who “apparently thought he had found a way to get rich quick.”
The conviction of the perpetrator, who was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay over $14 million in restitution, didn’t undo the harm caused, but “the accountability does provide some measure
of justice to those victims.”
Leatherman cited the four pillars of the FBI’s cyber mission: identify and arrest; pressure the threat; leverage domestic authorities to inform the intelligence communities’ posture and to inform private sector partners to better defend their networks and downstream stakeholders; and protect cyber victims.
“The cornerstone of our work for over 115 years has been our commitment to the victim. It’s on all of us to support cybercrime victims to help mitigate the harm of malicious cyber-attacks. Our commitment to support victims remains our north star.”
In her welcoming remarks, Odette Lienau, the Marianne D. Short, Esq., Dean of BC Law, noted that cybersecurity has become a strategic priority and a core business function, and requires a holistic approach to its challenges. But few professionals possess the technical, analytical, communication, and managerial skills to develop and then implement a unified strategy to address ever present and varying cyber threats.
“At BC Law, our mission is to educate lawyers—and now non-attorney professionals more broadly—who are technically skilled and deeply committed to service,
ethics, and leadership. Our MLS program is a natural extension of that mission, designed for the times, which are defined by rapid technological change, escalating cyber threats, and a growing demand for professionals who can bridge the gap between law, policy, technology, and operational risk, while navigating the intricate legal and regulatory landscapes of cybersecurity and their intersection with data privacy and artificial intelligence.
“The collaborative approach of this conference, which emphasizes how different sectors must work together to ensure a secure cyber environment, reflects the hallmark of our program.”
Following the keynote address, a panel moderated by Powers and composed of technology executives from Boston professional sports franchises, along with former Boston Police Commissioner and current BC Chief of Police William B. Evans, discussed “Cybersecurity and Data Privacy in the Big Leagues: Protecting Fans, Players and the Stadiums.” In addition to Evans, the panelists included Randy George, Boston Red Sox; Michael Israel, The Kraft Group & Affiliates (New England Patriots); Richard Pruitt, Boston Celtics; and Shannon Torgerson, Boston Bruins.
BY ELLEN SEAWARD SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
A trio of events hosted by the Music Department next week will bring Renaissance music to campus to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of renowned Italian composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina and the return of Dutch vocal ensemble Cappella Pratensis.
Cappella Pratensis, which previously visited Boston College last October, will join with Daniele Filippi, a professor at Italy’s University of Turin, to present a hands-on exploration of Renaissance vocal music on October 29 at noon in Gasson 100. Rare music books from the Burns Library will be exhibited, and a free lunch will follow.
At 7 p.m. that evening in St. Mary’s Chapel, a Cappella Pratensis concert of requiems by Renaissance masters Ockeghem and Pierre de la Rue will bring sacred Franco-Flemish vocal music into conversation with paintings from the Frascione Collection in Florence currently featured in the McMullen Museum of Art exhibition “Medieval | Renaissance: A Dialogue on Early Italian Painting.” The repertoire— chosen because it exemplifies the music composed and performed in settings where the art from the Frascione Collection was discovered—will evoke a contemplative space for reflection, say organizers.
On October 31, the Burns Library and the Music Department will host a 500th anniversary celebration for Palestrina, who composed both secular music as well as an enormous amount of sacred music for the papal Church, and is particularly known for his use of polyphony, a musical style where many melodies play simultaneously.
The event, which takes place at 4:30 p.m. in the Burns Library Thompson Room, will explore the legacy of Palestrina through print and performance, with a lecture-recital featuring Tufts University Emerita Professor Jane Bernstein, Filippi, and Cappella Pratensis. A reception will follow. Admission to this event is by online registration only at bc.edu/music.
Discussing the career of Palestrina, Professor of Music Michael Noone pointed to his use of polyphony as one of his signal
achievements.
“We’re used to the idea of voice and accompaniment—that is one voice being dominant, perhaps being the only voice. But polyphony isn’t like that at all: All the voices are sounding, and all are heard.”
It’s that sentiment which helps Palestrina’s music endure, he said, and explains the worldwide celebrations of the 500th anniversary of his birth. At a June event in the Vatican commemorating the anniversary, Pope Leo XIV described polyphony by saying “This dynamic unity in diversity is a metaphor for our shared journey of faith under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”
A portrait of Palestrina is visible within the frescos in Gasson 100, which Noone said offers a reminder that much of Renais-
Prof. Brian Quinn (Law) offered comments to Bloomberg Law on Johnson & Johnson’s effort to erase a record $1 billion court loss, the largest ever in a dispute over contingent payments known as “earnouts.”
Prof. Kent Greenfield (Law) discussed the use of troops in American cities with The Boston Globe.
Talks to agree on an international plastics treaty collapsed in August. Global Public Health Program Director Philip Landrigan, M.D., and colleagues wrote on what comes next, and the role of the medical community, in a piece for The Lancet
More than $2 trillion sits in forgotten or left-behind 401(k) retirement savings accounts, according to a new white paper issued by Capitalize in partnership with the Boston College Center for Retirement Research. CRR Associate Director Anqi Chen spoke on the matter with USA Today.
Assoc. Prof. Dan Farbman (Law) weighed in on the Supreme Court and the Trump Administration for The Christian Science Monitor
Church in the 21st Century Center Director Karen Kiefer wrote on the early days of Leo XIV’s papacy in a piece for Living City magazine, published by the Focolare Movement, a global Catholic organization focused on unity and dialogue.
November issue of National Review.
A 4.3 earthquake was recorded in Berkeley, Calif., in September. Weston Observatory Senior Research Scientist Professor John Ebel discussed the occurrence with the Bay Area’s KTVU.
Part-time faculty member Brian Bethune (Economics) was interviewed by CBS News Boston and Associated Press about the most recent Federal Reserve interest rate cut.
Prof. David Hopkins (Political Science) weighed in for USA Today on findings from a Reuters/Ipsos poll suggesting that a substantial majority of the public favors limits on presidential power.
Prof. Dan Kanstroom (Law) was quoted by Documented on the Mohsen Mahdawi and Rümeysa Öztürk immigration cases.
Google Maps, available in much of the world, doesn’t fully work in South Korea. Asst. Prof. Soyun Ahn (Communication), whose research interests include global platform governance, provided comments on the situation to CNN.com.
sance culture is Catholic culture. He noted that the Cappella Pratensis’ residency offers the BC community a perfect opportunity to appreciate Palestrina’s music.
“Cappella Pratensis specializes in polyphony,” said Noone. “The Burns Library owns a very rare, atlas-sized choir book of Palestrina’s, published in 1570. The group will be performing from facsimiles of the book, alongside a select group of voice students. It’s a great opportunity for the students to meet really top-notch professionals.”
The upcoming events also offer a means for the BC community to engage with music from the Renaissance, he added.
“Boston College Libraries house a treasure trove of musical scores, but they are mute, even lifeless,” Noone explained. “What we’re doing is bringing together the musicians to sing and to bring that music alive.”
The event series is sponsored by the Music Department in collaboration with Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences
Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., the Institute for the Liberal Arts, Boston College Libraries, the Department for Romance Languages and Literatures, the Jesuit Community of Boston College, and the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies.
Ellen Seward is a senior digital content writer in the Office of University Communications
Prof. Peter Skerry (Political Science) was among the writers invited to discuss “The Trump Effect” on aspects of society for the
The following are among the recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/jobs or scan the QR code at right.
Construction Project Manager Supervisor, Athletic Fields
Assistant Dean, Field Education
Senior Budget Financial Applications Analyst
Senior Assistant Director/Assistant Director/Specialist, Financial Compliance & Audit
Staff/Registered Nurse, University Health Services
Public Safety Dispatcher
Lead Catering Staff
Associate Dean, Academic Affairs
Job Coach/Case Manager, Supported Employment
Teacher Assistant
Temporary Office Pool, Academic Advising
Prof. Maxim D. Shrayer (Eastern, Slavic, and German Studies/English) explored the transformation of Vladimir Nabokov’s views of religious conversion from the pre-war émigré years to the post-war and post-Shoah years he spent in the United States, in a special issue of SIMON (Shoah. Intervention. Methods. Documentation) published by the Wiener Wiesenthal Institut für Holocaust Studien.
Research Coordinator, Lab-to-Classroom Research Group
Administrative Assistant, Student Services
Director, Parent Development
Data & Access Assistant
Special Collections Curator
Award Intake Associate
Systems Integrator Developer
Bartender
BCSSW Jesuit examines role of Mexico’s migrant shelters in the complex immigration ‘ecosystem’
BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR
No matter their individual views on the subject, Americans need to understand something about immigration, says Boston College School of Social Work Assistant Professor Alejandro Olayo-Méndez, S.J.: Migration itself is not a problem, but the way immigration policies are developed and implemented is—and whatever policies the United States enacts, immigration to the U.S.-Mexican border will never cease.
“It may be more difficult for migrants to cross into the U.S., and the numbers have certainly gone down recently, but the push factors don’t stop,” explained Fr. Olayo-Méndez. “The experience of poverty and violence which compels people to leave their countries in search of a better life is what ultimately determines the extent of attempted immigration to the border. Until and unless those things change, at some point the numbers will pick up.”
Given that migration patterns and populations changed over time—besides people heading to the U.S. border, there are also Mexican deportees from the U.S. as well as asylum seekers and internally displaced persons (IDPs) staying in Mexico—it is vital to understand how various agencies, groups, and other entities provide humanitarian aid to such an increasingly diverse population with equally distinct needs, he said. Large international organizations such as the Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees may readily come to mind, but Fr. Olayo-Méndez points to an overlooked yet key grassroots resource: “casas de migrantes,” or migrant shelters.
In his newly published book, Humanitarianism from Below: Faith, Welfare, and the Role of Casas de Migrantes in Mexico, Fr. Olayo-Méndez describes how these shelters—more than 150 in all—have emerged as an informal welfare system by providing temporary living quarters, organizing food preparation and water distribution, and offering childcare, legal assistance, and money transfer services, among other needs. Because many of the organizations running the shelters are faith-based, sponsored by local Catholic parishes or congregations from other religious denominations, he notes, they are often perceived as doing “charity work” instead of operating a professional humanitarian operation—an assessment that minimizes the value, and overlooks the adaptability, of casas de migrantes.
“During the more than 30 years these shelters have been operating, they have displayed a great ability to change as needed,”
said Fr. Olayo-Méndez, a native of Mexico City who spent some two years traveling along migration routes to learn how migrants move and how they interact with the shelters. “They have been able to recognize and respond to migrant trends: At one point they might have been largely serving single men; then they were seeing an increase of women with children more often; and then there were more diverse populations arriving. So they would say, ‘OK, we need a playground for kids’ or ‘We need a dormitory just for women.’
“In contrast to the ‘humanitarianism from above’ that we are most familiar with, the casas de migrantes are an example of what I theorize as ‘humanitarianism from below’: deeply humane and local, existing within formal and informal organizational structures, self-sustained and adaptable.”
Fr. Olayo-Méndez provides a look at the day-to-day operations of casas de migrantes and how the various services they provide—sometimes in the midst of violence, natural disasters, and health crises like COVID—become a vital lifeline for migrants, deportees, IDPs, and others in need. As delays in processing immigration and asylum applications have stretched longer, so has the amount of time migrants remain in the casas, he said: What was usually a oneor two-night stay, or perhaps a week, now stretches upwards of six or seven months.
“Obviously, this affects the casas’ operation, because now they must provide resources on a longer-term basis. But how do you administer the resources when you own so few of them? So they broker with the larger community, try to link with local churches, for instance, or international agencies. There is a lot of learning on the fly, but the casas have been able to rise to the occasion.”
Assistant Professor Alejandro Olayo-Méndez, S.J. spent some two years traversing migration routes to get an “on the ground” perspective of Mexico-U.S. immigration.
As part of a complex “humanitarian ecosystem” of various actors, said Fr. Olayo-Méndez, casas de migrantes contend with the issue of containment versus welfare, a dynamic common to most all humanitarian-related work. Simply put, he explained, casas and other aid providers must exert control over how their services and resources are distributed, which means that persons who use them must abide by certain rules and conditions—such as helping with cleaning and other chores—or face expulsion. Many shelters forbid residents to leave the premises because of security concerns.
In a wider context, Fr. Olayo-Méndez points out that the casas themselves are often part of a wider containment-vs.-welfare scenario. State and local authorities, which normally might have to aid the migrants, aren’t allowed to visit or oversee the shelters but find it convenient for them to be the point of focus: The casas are essentially assuming the authorities’ role of providing welfare while also asserting containment over the migrants.
ed how one night she and her sister helped several migrants rescue a companion with a severe gunshot wound suffered during a robbery attempt. “I knew I needed to serve them,” she said. “But it was at that moment, I knew that in helping them, I was helping Christ.”
At a shelter in northern Mexico, he observed how staff and residents reacted to the death of a 58-year-old Honduran man who had died while watching television. The other migrants prayed and sang for him, even after the body was removed, and later a Mass was held.
“At least he did not die like a dog on the street, alone and with no one to take care of him,” said Padre Toño, the shelter director.
Victor, a 27-year-old from Guatemala Fr. Olayo-Méndez met at a shelter about 186 miles from the U.S. border, described his 60-day, 1,380-mile journey by foot, sometimes by public transportation or on top of freight trains, and how he panhandled or relied on food donations.
“Thanks be to God and the people of goodwill who have fed us along the way,” said Victor. “For the most part, nobody denies food to you. However, people do not want to give you money anymore.”
As a Jesuit priest, Fr. Olayo-Méndez felt called as part of his pastoral duty to be present and observe and listen at the source in researching migration-related subjects: “I am who I am because I have stayed with migrants and the people who work with them. They have transformed and nurtured me.”
“I am who I am because I have stayed with migrants and the people who work with them,” says Fr. Olayo-Méndez. “They have transformed and nurtured me.”
“Any humanitarian action has political dimensions, no matter who’s involved,” he said. “Care and control are intertwined in the shelters’ operation.”
Throughout Humanitarianism from Below, Fr. Olayo-Méndez includes the voices and experiences of individual shelter representatives as well as migrant residents whom he encountered on his travels.
Norma, leader of Las Patronas, recount-
But he found that maintaining a professional detachment from the sheer emotional impact of such experiences was difficult in ways he hadn’t expected.
“Usually, the concern is that one will feel too deeply. But last year, after I went to the border and heard about the terrible, heartbreaking cruelty and violence so many people had endured, I found that I was actually too distant. ‘I should be enraged!’ I thought to myself. So I found some professional support to help me deal with this experience.”
Fr. Olayo-Méndez, who has taken graduate and undergraduate students to the U.S.-Mexican border as part of his classes, said that he continues to be amazed, and inspired, by what he hears from migrants.
“The faith of these people puts me to shame, even as a priest. In spite of what they’ve been through, even though they know that getting into the U.S. and staying there will likely be very difficult, they fully believe that there is goodness in the world and in people.”