PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
MARCH 13, 2025 VOL. 32 NO. 13
Murray Gift Strengthens Health, Wellness Services BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Boston College will enhance student health and wellness services through additional staffing, education, and training, and increase access to mental health counseling for all students, thanks to a generous gift from BC alumna, parent, and benefactor Tami Murray ’83, P’09, ’15, ’19. The gift, made in honor of her late husband, former BC Trustee Stephen P. Murray ’84, will establish the Murray Center for Student Wellness and enhance access to same-day appointment availability for University Counseling Services (UCS), increase education, training, and resource development around health and wellness, and expand the promotion of mental health services.
Tami Murray ’83 and her sons (L-R) Nolan, Ryan, Sean, and Jay. photo courtesy murray family
It will also integrate campus health and wellness programs, placing University Health Services (UHS), UCS, Sports Medicine, and the existing Center for Student Wellness under the umbrella of the Murray Center, which will work closely with the Dean’s Office in Student Affairs to provide timely support to students in need. The center will be directed by Murray Center for Student Wellness Associate Vice President Dr. Douglas Comeau, who previously served as director of University Health Services and Primary Care Sports Medicine. “We are grateful for this important gift, which will support a campus-wide effort to promote holistic student wellness, and a proactive, integrated approach to wellness education in support of students’ well-being,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Shawna Cooper Whitehead. “The Murray Center for Student Well-
ness will play a pivotal role in supporting the BC community through increased outreach and education, training, and resource development to address student needs proactively and collaboratively, placing BC at the forefront of collegiate efforts nationwide to address student wellness.” Murray said that having observed her sons’ positive experience with the Connors Family Learning Center when they were at BC, she believed creating a center where students could more readily access wellness services would be a great benefit to the Boston College community. “As a parent, I know there is so much more that young people face today, from social media pressures to increased academic and career competition,” said Murray. “I want anyone who is struggling to have access to services in their time of need. The
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Accessible Education Advocate Wins 2025 MLK Scholarship BY AUDREY LOYACK STAFF WRITER
Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences junior Esosasehia (Esosa) Owens, a leader and advocate for accessible education, is the winner of this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarship. University President William P. Leahy, S.J., presented Owens with the award at Boston College’s 43rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Banquet on February 24. The MLK Scholarship recognizes a Boston College junior who has demonstrated superior academic achievement, extracurricular leadership, community service, and
INSIDE 2 Around Campus
Faculty Pub at the McMullen; WCAS, Messina movie night.
4 Making the Cut
BC’s Bowles longlisted for the Booker Prize.
8 Origin Story
Mike Cronin co-authors book on almost forgotten Boston sports legend.
involvement with the African American community and African American issues. Owens was one of five finalists for the annual scholarship award. She will receive $35,000 towards her senior year tuition and a $1,000 gift certificate to the BC Bookstore. “When I reflect on Dr. King’s life, I think about how transformative his advocacy was,” said Owens, a business management major and sociology minor from Randolph, Mass. “Growing up, I always had one view of what advocacy looked like, and that was just yelling to a large group of people. But when I think of Dr. King, I think of how he advocated even in small groups or through individual relationships. “That’s the kind of advocacy I am trying to reflect in my life. Where I’m not necessarily the biggest voice in a crowd, I can see myself advocating for things in small meetings or conversations with people. I’m so grateful to have received this award, but it also reminds me to continue that advocacy in every aspect of my life, whether it’s for people at work or for someone who feels as if they don’t have a voice. Using advocacy in ways that I feel are unconventional is what this award means for me.” Owens, one of three siblings to attend BC, first found her passion for education accessibility during her freshman year on
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Engineering senior Wiliam Gotanda during his mid-semester presentation in the class of Professor Siddhartan Govindasamy. photo by lee pellegrini
‘We Will Build a Tradition’ Engineering program prepares to graduate first class BY ED HAYWARD STAFF WRITER
Just a few months away from becoming the inaugural class of graduates from the University’s Human-Centered Engineering program, 28 seniors—working in five teams—are undertaking their Senior Impact Projects and preparing to present their results next month. Class presentations are nothing new, but in the engineering discipline, they can take on an exalted status. Some engineer-
ing schools cancel classes on presentation days so the student body can attend. Even accrediting agencies take note of a department’s approach to these senior projects and the lessons learned in presenting the essential challenge and solutions to an audience of peers. “We really want to test our seniors at this point,” said Professor Glenn Gaudette, the John W. Kozarich ’71 Chair of the Department of Engineering. “This is our first go-round, so we are all learning. But along
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