The Boston College
Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs January 17, 2013 vol. 21 No. 9
INSIDE
At Last, the Doors Are Open for Stokes Hall
•Baldwin under glass for ESPN spot, page 2
•BC Law profs draw raves among blogs, page 2 •Flu advice, page 2 •Marching band to appear at inaugural, page 3
After two years of construction, Stokes Hall formally opened to the Boston College community on Monday. The 183,000 square-foot building houses classrooms and offices for several humanities departments.
Symbol of BC’s ‘enduring commitment’ to liberal arts
•Vanderhooft earns award for book, page 3 •GSSW, Robsham host film on street kids, page 3 •Biologist Gubbels earns grant to aid in study of disease, page 5
•Lykes to receive APA humanitarian award, page 5 •A record win for York, page 5
•Spring schedules for Humanities Series and Gaelic Roots, page 8
Hall provides the ideal facility to enhance the educational and formational experiences of our students in a way that honors our institutional commitment to the liberal arts and to student formation. It is an exciting time for the University.” Continued on page 4
St. Mary’s Project Underway St. Mary’s Hall, the primary residence of the Boston College Jesuit community, will be shuttered during 24 months of interior and exterior renovations that began Monday. The majority of St. Mary’s Jesuit residents have relocated to the BC-owned apartment complex at 2000 Commonwealth Avenue for
the duration of the project. The renovations to St. Mary’s, administrators said, are needed to restore the historically significant building, which opened in 1917 and is the second oldest on the Chestnut Hill campus. The project will entail a complete facelift of St. Mary’s, similar to that of GasContinued on page 4
Fr. O’Keefe to Direct Center for Ignatian Spirituality By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
•Obituaries: Former BC Librarian O’Connell; Prof. Crescenti, page 7
and spiritual development of our students as they study here. This building is intentionally designed to support that liberal arts commitment and to foster student formation through enhanced student-faculty interaction.” Added Executive Vice President Patrick Keating, “Stokes
Lynch School of Education Professor Joseph M. O’Keefe, SJ, an experienced administrator and a leading scholar of Catholic education, has been appointed interim director of the Center for Ignatian Spirituality. Established in 1997 by the University and the Boston College Jesuit Community, the center’s mission is to develop programs that provide a basic understanding
of Jesuit education and Ignatian spirituality; help faculty and staff to integrate Ignatian values in their professional or personal lives; and encourage those wishing to lead this process in their areas of the University. “I think this is a great moment to do this and I’m excited and enthusiastic about the possibilities,” Fr. O’Keefe said. “As a faculty member, I am delighted to have the opportunity to be able to enhance the spiritual life of our community.”
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Lee Pellegrini
•Profile of 2012-13 Burns Scholar Fallon, page 6
Photos: left, Gary Gilbert; above, Caitlin Cunningham
The building also includes By Jack Dunn space for the Academic Advising Director of News Center, College of Arts and Sci& Public Affairs ences Honors Department and Stokes Hall, Boston College’s Office of First Year Experience, 183,000 square-foot humanities as well as common areas, conferbuilding and nod to liberal arts ence rooms, a coffee shop and education, officially opened with an outdoor garden and plaza that the start of classes on Monday provide multiple meeting spaces after two years of construction. to connect students and faculty. The new $78 million facility, “Stokes Hall embodies Boston which is strategically designed to College’s enduring commitment foster interdisciplinary collabora- to the liberal arts, which is a cortion among BC’s hunerstone of Jesuit edumanities departments cation and the heart and enhanced student- Campus parking of our identity,” said faculty interaction, changes announced College of Arts and provides 36 new state- S ee p a g e 4 Sciences Dean David of-the-art classrooms Quigley. “Humaniand 200 faculty offices ties in particular form for the Classical Studies, English, the core of our undergraduate History, Philosophy and Theol- requirements, which enables us ogy departments. to integrate the academic, social
Joseph O’Keefe, SJ
Fr. O’Keefe replaces Michael Boughton, SJ, who left the center last summer to direct formation for the Society of Jesus New EnglandNew York-Maryland Province. The center offers retreats, lectures, and workshops to help members of the campus community reflect on the University’s Jesuit mission and the teachings and spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Jesuit order. Vice President for University Mission and Ministry Jack Butler, SJ, said Fr. O’Keefe’s experiences Continued on page 6
“I’m not sure you can teach people how to write poems, but you can help them to learn to read poems. And that’s a way of fine-tuning, so you can see better what you’re writing.” —Peter Fallon, Burns Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies, page 6
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Two members of the Boston College Law faculty have emerged as thought leaders in the world of legal blogging. Assistant Professor Richard Albert was recently named a founding member of a new scholarly blog, I-CONnect [http://www.iconnectblog.com], launched jointly by the Oxford and New York University peeredited law journal I-CON: International Journal of Constitutional Law and ConstitutionMaking. org. Professor Brian Quinn’s lauded Mergers and Acquisitions Blog [http://lawprofessors.typepad.com/mergers] was named to the ABA Journal’s Blawg 100 list for 2012. Both professors have been prolific writers online, a skill that can no longer be understated, said Quinn. “I am continually surprised at how important blogs have become in bridging the conversation between practitioners and the academy as well as in pushing forward discussion of topics important to academics. When I started writing the blog, I really had no idea how quickly the sources of academic and professional conversations were shifting away from traditional law review formats and towards online publication and blogs. “The blog format is one of those disruptive technologies that causes us to rethink how we do things and approach our work,” said Quinn. The M&A Law Prof Blog has been cited on LexisNexis’ Top 25 Business Law Blogs in recent years. I-CONnect, Albert’s new project, aims to serve as the blogging arm of the journal I-CON. Limitations in the publication cycle made it difficult for the journal to cover new or breaking stories in a meaningful way. I-CONnect will now serve as the source for the most recent
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Richard Albert, above, and Brian Quinn
news in the legal field, providing analysis of recent developments in comparative public law, article reviews and book reviews, as well as self-standing posts about comparative public law, creators said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to be a part of this exciting new venture,” Albert said. “I-CON is the best journal around for comparative public law, and I’m working with some of the very best people in the field. It’s an honor to help launch the new site.” Albert is on a founding ICONnect team that includes Joseph Weiler of New York University Law School, editor-in-chief Michel Rosenfeld of Cardozo Law School, ConstitutionMaking.com director Tom Ginsburg of Chicago Law School, Ran Hirschl of University of Toronto Law School, and David Landau of Florida State. —Melissa Beecher and Law School Marketing and Communications Director Nathaniel Kenyon
Boston College will host a Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Gathering this Monday, Jan. 21, as a way for members of the University community as well as Boston area neighbors to celebrate the life and legacy of the civil rights leader. The ecumenical worship service, coordinated by the Office of Campus Ministry, will take place in Gasson 100 beginning at 7:30 p.m. According to Campus Minister Rev. Howard McLendon, the service was planned by students representing the Multi-cultural Christian Fellowship, the Black Student Forum, the Voices of Imani and FACES. The service will feature the Rev. Gina Casey, newly installed pastor of the Columbus Avenue A.M.E. Zion Church in Boston’s South End. Music will be provided by the United Voices of Freedom, a joint musical effort of Against the Current, the Liturgy Arts Group, the Voices of Imani and other campus singers.
In the wake of the flu emergency declared for the City of Boston, University Health Services Director Thomas Nary, MD, has made the following recommendations: •All preliminary data suggests that this will be a more serious than average flu season. Please get a flu shot as soon as possible if you haven’t already. You can get one at your primary care provider or at one of the retail outlets that advertise “flu shots.” While it takes 10 days or longer for full immunity, some degree of protection begins almost immediately. •Be aware of flu symptoms in yourself, your family, colleagues and students. These include rapid onset of fever, body aches, cough, sore throat, headache, runny nose and fatigue. •Be sure to wash hands frequently, cover your coughs, and remove yourself from close contact with others if you have symptoms. Health Services is sponsoring a flu vaccine clinic today from 2-6 p.m. in the Murray Room of Yawkey Center. For more information, call ext.2-3235 or go to www.bc.edu/uhs
Baldwin in the ESPN SportsCenter “Birds” promo spot.
Glass act Boston College mascot Baldwin the Eagle makes a cameo appearance in a recently released promotional spot for all-sports cable station ESPN. In the 30-second “This Is SportsCenter” promo, Baldwin — along with Hooter the Owl, mascot for Temple University — is seen walking into the clear glass window of a conference room where ESPN staffers are meeting, parroting behavior often observed in real-life ornithological counterparts. According to ESPN, the “Birds” spot came about after a couple of athletes scheduled to take part in a promotional shoot had to cancel at the last minute, forcing the station to change plans on the fly. After coming up with the new concept, ESPN reached out to colleges with bird mascots, including BC. Once confirmed, Baldwin winged it
A day’s work — at the White House Assistant White House Press Secretary and Director of Media Outreach Bernadette Meehan ’97 was a recent guest of the Boston College Career Center’s popular “Career Conversations” lecture series. Meehan spoke to a group of BC students last week at the Washington, DC, law offices of Nelson Mullins Riley Scarborough LLC, where 1982 alumnus Tom Sullivan works as a partner. Meehan, a longstanding friend to the Career Center, shared with students her interesting career path to the White House. A political science major at BC, Meehan worked as a Wall Street financial analyst, foreign service officer and special assistant to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. This past summer, Meehan became assistant White House press secretary, where part of her role is to handle the Middle East portfolio. Senior Marsha Jean-Louis said she was excited to take part in the event. “I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to meet with someone, particularly a BC alumna, who works in a field I am interested in. I thought the event was infor-
mative because she not only gave a good overview about her job and her own experience, but she also gave us advice on how we can enter into the political field and what to expect professionally as well as personally.” BC Career Center Associate Director Janet Costa Bates said the success of the Career Conversation series is a testament to the dedicated alumni who are willing to give back to students, many of whom are anxious about their lives after graduation. “Our alumni are phenomenal. Even with her busy schedule, Bernadette is committed to providing insight to Boston College students,” said Bates. “After blogging for the RealJobs Blog [http://bit.ly/106git2] series in February 2012, she was in touch to ask what else she could do. Tom Sullivan graciously offered to hold the program at his office and was a key element in the execution of the program.” For more on the event, see the Boston College Career Center blog, http://bccareer.wordpress.com/, where one of the students in attendance will be posting her thoughts. –Melissa Beecher
down to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., for the filming. ESPN Marketing Manager A.J. Mazza, interviewed for ESPN.com’s “Front Row” feature, said the spot entailed “probably 20-25 takes. Each time, the birds walked into the glass. There were no camera tricks for this one. They went headfirst each time, and they were great about it.” Mazza, presumably wishing not to ruffle any feathers, added that “no mascots were injured in the filming of these spots.” The ESPN “Birds” spot may be viewed at http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=SSTpMQAGPv0. —Sean Smith The Boston College
Chronicle
Director of NEWS & Public Affairs
Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS
Patricia Delaney Editor
Sean Smith Contributing Staff
Melissa Beecher Ed Hayward Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Michael Maloney Photographers
Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini
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 News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (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 News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. Contact Chronicle via e-mail: chronicle@bc.edu.Electronic editions of the Boston College Chronicle are available via the World Wide Web at http://www. bc.edu/chronicle.
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A Big Gig for the Screaming Eagles BC marching band to perform during Monday’s Inaugural Parade The Boston College “Screaming Eagles” Marching Band has been selected to perform in the nation’s 57th Inaugural Parade this Monday, Jan. 21. The 155-member band, one of the most highly respected units in New England, will perform the University’s signature fight song, “For Boston,” along the 15-block parade route, joining other performance groups from across the country in Washington, DC, to mark the second inauguration of President Barack Obama. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said David Healey, director of the band, which was
founded in 1919. “We’re thrilled to be able to go to Washington in order to support the country and the Office of the President on this historic day.” Healey said the band’s selection is a tribute to a committed group of students who devote more than 200 hours to the band during the fall semester. “These are some of the brightest students in the country and they make a huge contribution to the University as members of the band, spending hundreds of hours in rehearsal and performances,” said Healey, who has been affiliated with the band for 24 years, dating back to his days
as a student musician. “They are a very talented and dedicated group of students. We’re all extremely proud of them.” The BC marching band has performed in such high-profile venues as The Emerald Isle Classic in Dublin, Ireland, in 1988, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 1995. The “Screaming Eagles” have also joined local Boston rock band The Dropkick Murphys on stage. In addition, the band has performed at numerous post-season bowl games during the past two decades. This will be the band’s second performance for President
Biblical Scholar Wins Wright Award By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer
Associate Professor of Theology David Vanderhooft has won the 2012 G. Ernest Wright Award by American Schools of Oriental Research for his co-authored book, The Yehud Stamp Impressions: A Corpus of Inscribed Impressions from the Persian and Hellenistic Periods in Judah. The honor — named for the late G. Ernest Wright, an influential Old Testament and ancient Near Eastern archaeology scholar at the Harvard Divinity School and curator of Harvard’s Semitic Museum — is given to the editor/author of the most substantial volume(s) dealing with archaeological material, excavation reports and material culture from the ancient Near East and eastern Mediterranean. Vanderhooft and coauthor Oded Lipschits of Tel Aviv University were presented with the award at the ASOR annual meeting in Chicago. The Yehud Stamp Impressions is the product of years of research and analysis and displays the first comprehensive examination of these important artifacts from ancient Israel in about 40 years. The systematic study by Lipschits and Vanderhooft presents a comprehensive catalogue, classification, and analysis of all published and unpublished Yehud stamp impressions, with digital photographs and complete archaeological and publication data for each impression. ASOR described the book as an “invaluable, insightful, and exhaustive resource [that] provides a new historical typology for the development of the impressions and casts new light on the related fields of stratigraphy, paleography, administration, historical geography, and the Persian-period economy.” The authors, according
Assoc. Prof. David Vanderhooft (Theology) and his co-author Oded Lipschits “have produced a very substantial volume, dealing with both archaeological material and material culture from the ancient Near Eastern and eastern Mediterranean world,” according to the American Schools of Oriental Research. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
to ASOR, “have produced a very substantial volume, dealing with both archaeological material and material culture from the ancient Near Eastern and eastern Mediterranean world.” “To receive the G. Ernest Wright award from ASOR was a great surprise and honor, and we are both delighted,” said Vanderhooft. “The book contains the kind of detailed scholarship on the ancient world that ASOR has done so much to promote, so for peers in our field to acknowledge the book is incredibly important to us. “It was a tremendous pleasure to work with my colleague, Oded Lipschits, on this book, and to offer a framework for understanding the society and economy of ancient Judah in the Persian and early Hellenistic periods. Those are the periods when scholars agree that the books of the Hebrew Bible largely assumed the shape in which we know them. Yet answers to fundamental questions about the society in which the texts were collated, copied, and in some cases composed, remain elusive: What was the extent of the province? How was it governed? How big
was Jerusalem? What was the role of the temple in the society and the economy? “I wouldn’t say we’ve solved these questions, but through careful study of the jar stamp impressions, we’ve clarified the parameters of discourse. We’ve shown when and why Aramaic became the language of administration, how commodities stored in the jars circulated in the province, and how the governing and tax structures changed over time. We hope our study of the dating of Aramaic inscriptions and the stratigraphy of sites that yielded the stamped jars will be of help to other scholars.” Vanderhooft joined Boston College in 1996 after earning his doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard University. His research focuses on the Hebrew Scriptures, ancient Israel’s literature and the relationship between Israel and the ancient empires of Assyria and Babylonia. He teaches courses on the Hebrew Bible. Contact Kathleen Sullivan at kathleen.sullivan@bc.edu
The Boston College Screaming Eagles Marching Band.
Obama. When, as a US Senator, he delivered a speech at Boston College in 2005, the band also performed. “He was very complimentary of the band on that day,” Healey noted.
“This will be the most prestigious performance in the band’s history, given what this day means to our country,” said Healey. --Office of News & Public Affairs
GSSW Sponsors US Debut of Film on Street Children Robsham Theater will host the US premiere of “When Home Is the Street,” a documentary about efforts to help street children in Mexico and Brazil, on Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m. The event, sponsored by the Graduate School of Social Work, will include a talk by Irene Rizzini, who conceived and developed the film. Rizzini is a professor and the director of the International Center for Study and Research on Children — known as CIESPI — at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro; as a Guggenheim fellow, she undertook a comprehensive study of the phenomenon of street children and strategies to help them. GSSW Associate Professor Stephanie Berzin, who chairs the school’s Children, Youth and Families concentration, will moderate the film discussion. Directed by award-winning Brazilian filmmaker Thereza Jessouroun, “When Home Is the Street” was funded by the Fetzer Institute, a private foundation that seeks to foster awareness of the power of love and forgiveness in the emerging global community. The 35-minute film depicts the challenges of reintegrating street children into society, focusing on youths in Guadalajara, Mexico, as well as Rio de Janeiro. Interviews with youths — who show themselves to be thoughtful, articulate and philosophical about their situations — describe the danger and degradation of life on the street. But the documentary also shows how dedicated people are helping these youths to realize their potential, particularly through education. The message of “When Home Is the Street,” Rizzini says, is that these children — whether in Guadalajara, Rio de Janeiro, New York City or Boston — need compassion, support and understanding from society, rather than scorn or indifference.
Irene Rizzini
“We need to show the children how love for them includes reconnecting them to educational opportunities to restore their chance for a future,” said Rizzini. “A second challenge is to convince the general public that street children are full human beings, especially in the sense that they deserve and are capable of a decent future. “The film demonstrates this humanity, and the humanity of the people who sincerely care for the children.” Discussing GSSW’s sponsorship of the event, GSSW Dean Alberto Godenzi explained that the film’s subject matter resonates with the school’s values and mission. “Our faculty and students have been engaged in innovative community-based projects that contribute to improving the lives of vulnerable populations across the globe,” he said. “This documentary visualizes the hardships of life on the street and it demonstrates how various forms of social support can lead to a better future for marginalized children and youth.” The film and discussion are free and open to the public, but registration is requested. To register, go to http://bit.ly/13bQVFW. For more information, contact Executive Director of University Advancement Ellen Sullivan at ellen.sullivan.2@ bc.edu or ext.2-6818. —Sean Smith
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Stokes Seen As Helping Fulfill Academic Mission Continued from page 1 Named after a $22 million gift from BC alumnus and businessman Patrick T. Stokes, Stokes Hall is the first of four academic buildings scheduled to be built on the BC campus as part of Boston College’s $1.6 billion Strategic Plan. It represents one of the largest investments in a liberal arts facility in the United States in the past five years. Kathleen Wendt, associate principal and director of interior design at Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, which designed the building, called its design “groundbreaking” and an affirmation of Boston College’s commitment to liberal arts education. “We listened to and understood Boston College’s emphasis on the humanities as the fundamental foundation for learning, leadership and service to the community,” said Wendt. “Stokes Hall’s architecture reinforces this principle and sets the tone for the student experience by strategically locating key liberal arts departments, programs and services in one building to foster faculty-student interaction
and build community.” Wendt said the humanities departments are specifically designed to share floors to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as to maximize faculty interaction with students. They also feature collaborative work zones throughout faculty office areas and seminar rooms that can be reconfigured for various-sized lectures or discussions. “One hundred years ago, when Boston College moved to Chestnut Hill, its distinguishing feature was an English Collegiate Gothic building that suggested connections to the great liberal arts universities of Europe,” said Quigley. “Stokes Hall continues that sense of tradition and the expression of transcendence in its academic goals, yet with the wonderful 21st-century openness and sensibility in the architecture, internal spaces and building flow. It is a great addition to the University as it celebrates its 150th anniversary.” Contact Jack Dunn at jack.dunn@bc.edu
PARKING CHANGES With the Stokes Hall construction project concluded, and renovations at St. Mary’s Hall now underway, the Office of Transportation and Parking has announced several changes in campus parking. •The Stokes/McElroy Parking Lot will be “A” permit parking only; BC Bookstore and “Dining to Go” will have five 30-minute temporary parking spaces for customers with no BC affiliation or opportunity to buy a permit. •The Gasson/Lyons Parking Lot will be “A” permit parking only; the College Road entrance to the lot will be open for deliveries only, Monday-Friday, 6:30-11:30 a.m. •Non-BC permit holders attending Mass in Gasson Hall between 7:45 a.m. and 1 p.m., and construction vehicles, will be the only cars allowed to park on Linden Lane. •Although “A” and “J” permit parking will still be allowed on the roof of the Commonwealth Garage, the road leading to the roof will have frequent activity, and may be closed without notice at times due to construction. •Ten spaces to the right and left of the bridge connecting the Commonwealth Garage Level 5 to the rear of O’Neill Library will be converted to “R” permit parking — those wishing to upgrade parking permits may exchange their current “G” permits at Student Services in Lyons Hall. •“Z” permit parking is not allowed anywhere on Middle Campus except on the roof of Commonwealth Garage. •“G” permit parking is not allowed on Middle Campus in “A” permit areas in the evenings — this restriction includes the Commonwealth Garage Roof, Linden Lane, Gasson/Lyons, Carney/McGuinn, Cushing and McElroy/Stokes parking areas.
For information and updates, see www.bc.edu/transportation and www.bc.edu/bcinfo
Staff and faculty — including Classical Studies Chair Prof. Charles Ahern, above left, and English Department Chair Prof. Suzanne Matson, bottom right — unpacked in their Stokes Hall offices, while students began navigating their way around the campus’ newest building.
Photos: top left and bottom left, Caitlin Cunningham; others, Lee Pellegrini
Work Begins on St. Mary’s Continued from page 1 son Hall, and will enable the Jesuit residence to remain in the location where it has stood for 95 years. In addition, the renovations will allow the majority of the south wing of the building to be converted into University academic space, which will be occupied by the Communication and Computer Science departments, as well as the Woods College of Advancing Studies, when the building reopens in January 2015. With the popular St Mary’s Chapel unavailable, Gasson Commons — across from the Irish Room in Gasson 100 — has been converted into a chapel that will serve the University community until St. Mary’s reopens. The administrative offices of the Jesuit community have moved to 30 Old Colony Road, where they will remain for the next two years. “Given its age, St. Mary’s Hall is in need of significant upgrades, including the building envelope and the building systems,” said Mary Nardone, associate vice president of capital projects management. “On the inside, the overall goal is to maintain the wonderful ‘feel’ of St. Mary’s on the first level, while upgrading the residential
Scaffolding appeared earlier this week on the facade of St. Mary’s Hall, in preparation for the 24-month project. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
floors to improve functionality and efficiency. On the outside, there is a need to replace the roof and windows as well as the cast stone, which is approximately three times the quantity of Gasson Hall. “Once completed, the transformation of the exterior of the building will be just as stunning as it was for Gasson.” “As a Jesuit community, our religious and apostolic life is what matters most to us,” said Jesuit Community Rector T. Frank Kennedy, SJ, who is Canisius Professor of Music. “We no longer needed all of the space we had once occupied in St.
Mary’s, but we realized the value of living on campus and supporting the mission of the University through our presence and service,” said Fr. Kennedy. “We said we would be happy to stay in a building that has hosted the Jesuits since 1917 — with the exception of World War II when the community left to provide housing for soldiers — if it was possible, and the University has made it possible.” Updates on the construction project, and pedestrian and vehicular traffic restrictions along Linden Lane, will be available via BCInfo. —Jack Dunn
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ACS Grant Boosts Biologist’s Research
ICING THE RECORD
For Gubbels, a chance to continue fight against toxoplasmosis By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
Assoc. Prof. Marc-Jan Gubbels (Biology), center, talks with his research team, left to right, Megan Farrell, Angela Lin and Bradley Coleman. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
of this, but we don’t know how it all fits together or is controlled. If we can understand that process, we can design drugs that can counteract that and hopefully save lives.” Toxoplasma gondii is carried by almost every warm-blooded animal and is spread through ingesting cysts present in undercooked meat or in cat feces. An intra-cellular parasite that lives within the cells of its host, the parasite must first enter a cell and then, after consuming its contents, exit the cell. Gubbels and researchers in his lab are looking
“We’re trying to find out how this parasite gets in or out of a cell,” says Gubbels. “If we can understand that process, we can design drugs that can counteract that and hopefully save lives.” for ways to control entry and exit by turning off genes that inform the parasite’s mobility. Invasion and egress share many features, Gubbels added. But they are poorly understood at the molecular level. In addition, current anti-toxoplasmosis drugs do not target either invasion or egress. Toxoplasma gondii has steadily grown as a research priority since the 1960s, when it was discovered that cats host the parasite in its reproductive stage. Pregnant women are urged to avoid close contact with cats and cat feces during pregnancy, since toxo-
plasmosis can cause birth defects. During the onset of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, toxoplasmosis claimed many victims whose immune systems were compromised by the virus, Gubbels said. The decoding of the parasite’s genome within the past decade has further advanced research into a largely unseen killer. The Gubbels research team will take normal strains of the parasite and then create gene mutations within them. After singling out the altered parasites, researchers will determine whether the genes involved play a role in the parasite’s entrance to or exit from a host cell. Gubbels said the goal is to find proteins with essential functions in a defining pathogenic process not targeted by current drugs. Advances in cellular biology and genome sequencing have paved the way for this type of project, Gubbels said. Armed with these tools, researchers can make more focused inquiries into the functions those genes control. “The overarching goal of our work is to increase the number of treatment options for toxoplasmosis, in particular to develop drugs with fewer side effects,” Gubbels said. “The best drug targets are found in biological processes that the parasite does not share with the host. The process we are interested in is the process of how the parasite gains access to the cells of the host, and subsequently, how it is able to escape from the host cell upon completion of replication.” Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu
Bapst Among ‘Most Beautiful’ The website Travel + Leisure selected Bapst Library for its list of “America’s Most Beautiful” college libraries, noting that Bapt has the “traditional elements of a gorgeous library: soaring arches and stained-glass windows, each devoted to a different academic discipline.” For more, see http://bit.ly/Y7HCqv
Boston College men’s hockey coach Jerry York became the winningest coach in college hockey history on Dec. 29, when the Eagles defeated Alabama-Huntsville, 5-2, in the Mariucci Classic tournament in Minneapolis. It was victory No. 925 in York’s 41-year coaching career, moving him past former Michigan State coach Ron Mason. (Photo by Jim Rosvold)
APA Selects Lykes for Award Lynch School of Education Professor M. Brinton Lykes has been named winner of the American Psychological Association’s 2013 International Humanitarian Award, in recognition of her sustained and enduring humanitarian services to underserved populations and her many contributions to international psychology. The award, overseen by the APA’s Committee on International Relations in Psychology, honors extraordinary humanitarian service and activism by a psychologist or a team of psychologists, including professional and/ or volunteer work conducted primarily in the field with underserved populations. “Extraordinary humanitarian services” are defined as professional activities initiated by psychologists, working alone or in association with others, to help alleviate severe stress and restore psychological well-being to a group of people in a variety of difficult circumstances, such as a natural or person-induced disaster, a national or international incident, a civil war or a forced migration. As a community-cultural psychologist, Lykes is focused on documenting and responding to the effects of state-sponsored violence and human rights violations in collaboration with those directly and indirectly affected. Her work has brought her all over North America: to Boston working with Latino middle school youth and collaborating with unauthorized migrants; to rural Guatemala seeking answers and reparations alongside Mayan women survivors of armed conflict and sexual violence; and to her hometown of New Orleans, post-Katrina, teaming with Af-
Lee Pellegrini
The American Cancer Society has awarded a four-year, $720,000 grant to Associate Professor of Biology Marc-Jan Gubbels for research into potential new drugs that can prevent the onset of toxoplasmosis in cancer patients with weakened immune systems. The parasite Toxoplasma gondii has infected one out of every five people in the US, typically remaining dormant in healthy individuals. But when the immune system is weakened, the parasite attacks, wreaking havoc on the patient’s body and often causing death. Gubbels, who specializes in parasitology, said he’s grateful for the opportunity to advance Toxoplasma gondii research as a means of improving the health of individuals at risk for toxoplasmosis. “The American Cancer Society has given us a unique opportunity to take a new approach toward identifying potential targets to combat a deadly disease,” said Gubbels. “This is a novel approach and we’re excited to move forward with our work.” Among those most at risk for the stealthy killer toxoplasmosis are cancer patients whose immune systems are compromised during chemotherapy and other treatments that weaken the body’s defenses. While there are drugs that can help hold the illness in check, they produce unwanted side effects in some patients and also inhibit the effectiveness of some anti-cancer drugs. Gubbels, whose work has helped to unlock some of the genetic mysteries of Toxoplasma gondii, is researching new ways to prevent the spread of the parasite by limiting its mobility and effectively trapping it within the cells where it attacks. The American Cancer Society grant will, he hopes, help lead to the development of new drugs that can prevent the parasite from attacking its unsuspecting hosts. Patients battling cancer are particularly vulnerable when potent anti-cancer treatments weaken their immune systems. “We’re trying to find out how this parasite gets in or out of a cell,” said Gubbels. “Cells in our bodies don’t invade other cells, but Toxoplasma gondii cells have dedicated machinery to do that. We have a basic understanding
M. Brinton Lykes
rican-American and Latina community-based health promoters to develop new models of crosscommunity leadership. “Partnering with [these people] to develop solidarity and actions that challenge the underlying causes of social injustice has sustained my ‘audacious hope,’” said Lykes, who chairs the Lynch School’s Department of Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology. Lykes also is an associate director of the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College. Earlier this academic year, she was selected for the prestigious Ignacio Martín-Baró Lifetime Peace Practitioner Award from the APA’s Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence. “I am deeply humbled to accept these honors as recognition of the many individuals and communities in whose lives I have shared over the past several decades,” she added. She will be honored at the APA convention in Hawaii this summer. Information from a Lynch School of Education article was used in this story. —Kathleen Sullivan
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Poetry from the Heart, and the Land Burns Scholar Fallon equally well-known as a publisher and a poet By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
If you’ve been running a successful Irish literary press since you were in college, and you’re an accomplished poet yourself, it stands to reason that you must have spent childhood with a pen in one hand and a ledger in the other. If you’re Peter Fallon, well, not exactly. Fallon, who is the 2012-13 Burns Library Visiting Scholar in Irish Studies, is founder of The Gallery Press, which in four-plus decades has published more than 400 books of poems and plays — works by both young, emerging authors and renowned figures like Seamus Heaney, Paul Muldoon, Brian Friel, John Montague and Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill. He also is widely acknowledged as one of the best Irish poets of his generation, his honors including the O’Shaughnessy Poetry Award from the Irish American Cultural Institute. Fallon’s unlikely entry route into writing — his youth spent not in some literary hotbed, but on his uncle’s farm in County Meath — and his roles as a publisher and editor have given him a unique, and acclaimed, perspective on the Irish literary scene. The opportunity to serve as Burns Scholar — which entails using the library’s Irish collection for
research, teaching one Irish Studies course and presenting a public lecture each semester — is another source of fulfillment for Fallon, a frequent visitor to Boston College. “I look at Boston College as an important station along the route of any Irish writer,” says Fallon, who has been Writer Fellow and Visiting Writer at Trinity College in Dublin where he is now an Adjunct Professor of English. “To spend an academic year here is a tremendous honor and privilege. Besides the attractions of being in Boston, I enjoy the chance to teach — something I don’t get much of a chance to do — and, of course, being able to look through the resources of Burns Library.” Fallon, who presented a reading of his poetry at Burns in November, will be using the Burns holdings to explore the works of harpistcomposer Turlough O’Carolan (1670-1738) and his association with Meath, where Fallon continues to make his home. Last fall, he taught a graduate class on Friel and Heaney — “I revere both people. They’re friends of mine and I’ve been involved in their writing for decades. What could be better, I felt, than to revisit their work and talk about it in a classroom setting?” — and this semester is leading a poetry workshop for undergraduates. “I’m not sure you can teach people how to write poems, but you can help them to learn to read poems,” he says. “And that’s a way of fine-tuning, so you can see better what you’re writing.” Fallon’s own youthful experi-
ence in writing poetry, he says, came “from some impulse, utterly unschooled, to write something down — with no sense that it might be poetry.” In fact, up until age 15, he says, “happy as I was reading poems, I didn’t think anyone actually wrote poems anymore. Given what was taught at school, I thought all the poets were dead.” Since then, Fallon has cultivated a poetic view that is rooted in the rural life he has known most of his years, with evocative yet unsentimental depictions of daily activities, people and places, as well as the rhythms and lore of nature. His collections include The Speaking Stones, Winter Work, and Eye to Eye. Another volume, News of the World: Selected and New Poems, was included in the Irish Times’ “Books of the Year.” His most recent collection is The Company of Horses. “Out of limited possibilities Fallon creates, records and celebrates local activities and people,” noted critic, biographer, editor, literary historian and poet Maurice Harmon, who was Burns Scholar in 1993-94. “The rhythm of the work and of the words not only brings the region alive, they bring them into an aesthetic that is both distancing and immediate. One thing offsets another, what destroys is replaced by what endures. Once again the music of the lines, their inner rhythm affirms what the conclusion confirms.” Fallon’s “other” enterprise grew naturally, and rapidly, out of his embrace of poetry: Publishing poems and arranging readings led to
Fr. O’Keefe Will Head Ctr. for Ignatian Spirituality Continued from page 1 give him a unique perspective as Fr. O’Keefe said he plans to an interim leader of the center. spend the next few months listen“Joe will have the ability to ing to faculty, staff and adminisassess and evaluate the Center for trators in conversations about how Ignatian Spirituality as we begin the center can serve as the most to restructure some of its pro- effective resource. In particular, gramming and its mission as it Fr. O’Keefe wants to look at how begins a new era,” said Fr. Butler. the center can engage with faculty “Joe’s vast experience as an aca- about Ignatian pedagogy, the redemic both within lationship between the classroom and “As a faculty member, I research and spirias a dean, in addituality, and worktion to being one of am delighted to have the life balance. the leading scholars “What I hope opportunity to be able to in Catholic educato do is listen to tion, will broaden enhance the spiritual life an array of voices the perspective and from the campus of our community” the profile of the community as well —Joseph O’Keefe, SJ as external concenter to the larger University commustituencies and hear nity.” from them what Fr. O’Keefe they see as the posserved as dean of the Lynch sibilities for the center,” said Fr. School of Education from 2005 O’Keefe. “Likewise, I’ll look at until 2011 and as associate dean best practices at other universifrom 2001-2003. He has been ties and institutions to develop a member of the Lynch School the best possible venue for the faculty since 1991. exchange of ideas about Ignatian
spirituality.” Throughout the course of his academic career, Fr. O’Keefe has coordinated the educational administration graduate program and the Catholic School Leadership Program, as well as the Spiritual Growth Leadership Seminar and Selected Programs for Improving Catholic Education (SPICE) initiative. As dean, he played a pivotal role in the formation of the Roche Center for Catholic Education. As a scholar, Fr. O’Keefe studies faith-based educational institutions, especially Catholic schools that provide opportunities for underserved populations. He is the co-editor of The International Handbook of Catholic Education and last year was appointed by US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to a four-year term on the National Assessment Governing Board. Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu
Peter Fallon: “I look at Boston College as an important station along the route of any Irish writer.” (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
his starting a magazine, and then in 1970, while a student at Trinity, a publishing company. As it turned out, The Gallery Press filled a need for Irish poets, Fallon explains: “At that time, you would be more likely to look toward London or Oxford, instead of in Ireland, to publish your works. The Gallery Press helped to change that.” Such has been the impact of The Gallery Press that its 25th anniversary celebration was held in Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, and among those giving tribute was Irish President Mary Robinson, who praised Gallery for “bringing Irish poets and writers of plays and fiction to a wider world culture.” The 40th anniversary in 2010 included an hour-long radio tribute, readings at the Abbey, and concerts featuring Bill Whelan’s musical settings of poems by Fallon and others. But Fallon is not about to claim the mantle of management genius where Gallery Press — which is supported by arts funding from the Republic of Ireland — is concerned. “If you were to ask how I
combine the business side with the artistic, I’d say ‘badly,’” he quips. “When I have discussions with our accountants about finances, they’ll say, ‘That’s impossible,’ and I say, ‘Well, it’s been impossible for 15, 20 or 30 years.’ My important role is as editor. That’s where I make the most of my contributions, hoping to help poems become their best selves. “But it’s very pleasing to see that a small press like ours has a favorable reputation in Ireland, with its national, even international, standing.” Fallon notes that his appointment as Burns Scholar necessitated “front-loading” about a year’s worth of Gallery Press-related work before departing, as a means of avoiding distractions while at BC. “In more recent years, as The Gallery Press has grown, it’s taken a lot of time and energy I might have spent on other endeavors, such as my own poems,” he says. “Being here removes the excuses.” Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
Irish Voice Honors Fr. Leahy, Five Others University President William P. Leahy, SJ, and five other members of the Boston College community have been named to the Irish Education 100, an annual list produced by the Irish Voice newspaper that showcases educators, writers, inventors, researchers and entrepreneurs who have “made their own unique contributions to making the world a better, smarter place.” Also honored were: Sullivan Artist-in-Residence Seamus Connolly, director of Irish music programs; Mike Cronin, academic director of Boston College-Ireland, the Dublin outpost for the University’s Center for Irish Programs; School of Theology and Ministry Professor Thomas Groome, a leading authority on religious education; Adjunct Associate Professor of English and Irish Studies Program faculty member Joseph Nugent, who has pursued innovative research projects on James Joyce; and Associate Professor of English and Irish Studies Program faculty member James Smith, who has chronicled the plight of Irish women and girls in the Magdalen Laundries. For more, see http://bit.ly/VVcKDA. —Office of News & Public Affairs
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WELCOME ADDITIONS Adjunct Associate Professor of English Allison Adair came to Boston College after 10 years as a senior lecturer in writing at Boston University, where she received the Metcalf Cup and Prize for Excellence in Teaching. In addition to teaching, she has been an instructor, consultant and board member for Grub Street Writers, which organizes poetry workshops and seminars for Boston-area writers. Adair earned a bachelor’s degree in English and American literature and European history at Brown University, and an MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop; she also was awarded the workshop’s highest honor, the Teaching-Writing Fellowship. Assistant Professor of Mathematics Ian Biringer, co-organizer of the University’s geometry/topology seminar, pursues research interests in hyperbolic geometry, combinatorial and geometric group theory, differential geometry and the geometry of lattices in higher rank Lie groups. Last fall, he was awarded a National Science Foundation grant in topology. He is a proponent of inquiry-based learning methods, whether by teaching non-lecture-based courses or by introducing some discovery and experimentationbased activities into lecture courses. Prior to Boston College, Biringer spent almost three years at Yale University as assistant professor and NSF fellow. He earned bachelor degrees in mathematics and computer science from Oberlin College, and master of sciences and a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Chicago, where he earned the Graves Teaching Prize. Assistant Professor of Physics Ruihua He studies the microscopic behaviors of electrons in solid state physics, examining the interplay among multiple degrees of freedom, charge, lattice, spin and orbit. He works with high-temperature superconductors and complex oxides in both bulk and thin-film form. These materials are studied for their unique elemental properties – which often run counter to the laws of physics. A native of China who studied at Fudan University, He earned his doctorate at Stanford University, and was a post-doctoral researcher at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. His research has appeared in numerous journals, including Science, Nature Materials, Nature Physics and Physical Review Letters. —Ed Hayward and Sean Smith Photos by Lee Pellegrini “Welcome Additions,” an occasional feature, profiles new faculty members at Boston College.
NOTA BENE Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations John Feudo ’82 has been selected to receive the Council for Advancement and Support of Education District I Eleanor Collier Award, which is presented to a current member of CASE District I whose contribution to his/her organization and/or to the professions encompassed by the membership reflect honor on CASE, education and those fields of professional expertise. Feudo, who has been associate VP for alumni relations at BC since 2006, will receive the award at the CASE District I conference in Boston later this month. John E. Cawthorne Professor of Teacher Education for Urban Schools Marilyn Cochran-Smith, an internationally recognized scholar of teacher education research, practice and policy, has received an honorary degree of letters from the University of Glasgow in Scotland. At the presentation, held last fall at the university’s commencement ceremony, Cochran-Smith was hailed as “one of a small group of elite scholars who have changed the face of teacher education, not only in her homeland of the United States, but across the world. Her influence has been felt in universities and school systems from Aberdeen to Auckland as she traverses the globe in an effort to improve the quality of scholarly reflection and day-to-day practice in teacher education.”
Full versions of these obituaries available at www.bc.edu/chronicle
o b i t u a r ies
Thomas O’Connell, University Librarian During a Key Period of Transformation
Newsmakers Asst. Prof. Peter Krause (Political Science) spoke with New England Cable News about events in the Middle East in light of the abduction of journalist James Foley in Syria. Center for Work and Family Assistant Director Jennifer Fraone discussed with Fox News Boston the challenges facing new parents as they return to the workforce.
Thomas F. O’Connell applauds House Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. during the 1984 dedication of O’Neill Library.
A funeral Mass was held on Jan. 9 for former University Librarian Thomas F. O’Connell ’50, who oversaw the most dramatic expansion of Boston College’s library facilities in the school’s history. Mr. O’Connell, who was a resident of Milton, Mass., died Jan. 3. Mr. O’Connell’s 10-year tenure as head of University libraries included the construction of O’Neill Library, the renovation of Bapst Library and the related creation of the Burns Library. “Few people contribute to the benefit of an institution as Tom has to Boston College,” said Graduate Arts and Sciences Dean Donald White in presenting the Joseph Coolidge Shaw, SJ, Medal to Mr. O’Connell at the rededication of Bapst Library in April of 1986, shortly before Mr. O’Connell’s retirement. When then-University President J. Donald Monan, SJ, appointed Mr. O’Connell as University librarian in 1975, there was widespread agreement throughout BC that its library facilities were long overdue for improvement. Bapst, constructed in 1925 as the original University library, was now inadequate for a growing undergraduate population and the scholarly needs of a modern research university. Fr. Monan, who had become president in 1972, identified the construction of a new library as a top priority. Mr. O’Connell arrived at BC well-prepared for the task, having overseen major construction and expansion of library facilities at York
University in Toronto, where he had served as library director since 1963. Mr. O’Connell’s major role in helping bring about what would be O’Neill Library — named for legendary House Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. ’36 — was not simply in its planning and design, but in the way it should serve the University’s needs. When the $28 million library opened in 1984, patrons were able to utilize technology hitherto unavailable, notably a modern computer system that replaced the traditional card catalogues. Speaking as master of ceremonies at the Oct. 14, 1984, dedication of O’Neill Library, Mr. O’Connell took a long view of the landmark event. “This library is not the work of any single person or group. Some of its roots, intellectual and physical, are buried in antiquity, and some of its attributes contain computer technology that is incorporated in no other library on this continent. Truly the many who have been involved in this building must have received in full measure the grace to see, as William Butler Yeats has said, ‘In all poor foolish things that live a day, Eternal Beauty wandering on her way.’” A native of Dover, Mass., Mr. O’Connell is survived by his wife, Margaret, his children, Thomas, Margaret Mary, John and Mark, and four grandchildren. He was the brother of the late John P. O’Connell. —Sean Smith
Joseph Crescenti, Latin American Scholar A funeral Mass was celebrated in St. Bartholomew Church in Needham on Jan. 7 for Joseph T. Criscenti, a professor of Latin American history for 33 years who died on Jan. 3. He was 92. A specialist in Argentine history, Dr. Criscenti — who began teaching at BC in 1955, after receiving his doctorate in history from Harvard University — won the 1961 James Alexander Robertson Prize of the Conference on Latin American History for his article “Argentine Constitutional History, 1810-1852: A Re-examination,” published in the Hispanic American Historical Review. During his research trips to Argen-
tina, Brazil, and Uruguay, he acquired books that became part of the Boston College Libraries’ collection of Latin American materials. Dr. Criscenti was a founder and secretary-treasurer of the New England Council of Latin American Studies (NECLAS). In honor of his efforts, NECLAS established the annual Joseph T. Criscenti Best Article Prize. He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline (Penez); his daughter, Louise; his brother, Sam; his sister-in-law, Lily Ethier, and several nieces and nephews. —Office of News & Public Affairs
BC BRIEFING Assoc. Prof. Jonathan Laurence (Political Science) offered his views to National Public on Radio Muslim integration and cultural tensions in Germany, and in an interview with ParisBerlin magazine, discussed the differences between the French and German policies towards their Muslim-origin minorities. Prof. Kent Greenfield (Law) discussed assumptions about free will and the way people make choices — even about what to read — in an interview with the Washington Post. The Boston Globe named “Paul Klee: Philosophical Vision from Nature to Art,” the fall exhibition at the McMullen Museum of Art, as a top pick of 2012 and one of the year’s “most intellectually nourishing” shows. Prof. Juliet Schor (Sociology) discussed the Senate deal approved by the House to avert the “fiscal cliff ” and what it means to social and environmental programs as a guest on the syndicated independent radio news hour “Democracy Now!”
JOBS The following are among the most recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/offices/hr/: Vice President for Student Affairs Assistant Director, Law School Student Services Research Economist, Center for Retirement Research Associate Director of Operations, Residential Life Art Director, Office of Marketing Communications Assistant Director, Housing Assignments & Occupancy, Residential Life Senior Information Security Analyst, Information Technology Resident Director, Residential Life Staff Psychologist, University Counseling
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LOOKING AHEAD
Lowell Humanities Series Set to Resume at End of the Month By Rosanne Pellegrini Staff Writer
The 55-year-old Lowell Humanities Series, under the leadership of Professor of English and American Studies Program Director Carlo Rotella, resumes this semester with a slate of appearances by literary notables and award-winning authors of acclaimed works. Jan. 31: Elaine Pagels— Princeton University’s Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion will deliver this year’s Candlemas lecture, which kicks off the series. Pagels is the author of a major body of work on religious subjects, including The Gnostic Gospels; Adam, Eve and the Serpent; The Origin of Satan; Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas; Reading Judas: The Gospel of Judas and the Shaping of Christianity; and most recently, Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation. She was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1981. Feb. 6: Karen Russell—Author of the celebrated debut novel Swamplandia! and the prize-winning story collection St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised By Wolves, Russell has been featured in The New Yorker’s debut fiction issue and its “20 Under 40” list. She was chosen as one of Granta’s
Lowell Humanities Series speakers (clockwise from left): Carol Gluck, Michael Chabon, Karen Russell, Elaine Pagels and Teju Cole.
Best Young American Novelists and in 2009 received the “5 Under 35” award from the National Book Foundation. Three of Russell’s short stories were selected for the Best American Short Stories volumes. Currently a writer-inresidence at Bard College, her new collection of stories will be published next month. Feb. 21: Teju Cole—Writer, art historian and street photographer, Cole is a Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at Bard Col-
lege. American-born but raised in Nigeria, he is the author of two books: the novella Every Day is for the Thief and the novel Open City, which won the PEN/ Hemingway Award, the New York City Book Award for Fiction, and the Rosenthal Award of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Open City also was shortlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the New York Public Library Young Lions Award, and the Ondaatje Prize of
the Royal Society of Literature. March 20: Carol Gluck—In her forthcoming book Past Obsessions: World War Two in History and Memory, Gluck considers examples from Europe, Asia and North America that help demonstrate how public memory works, and the challenge that the present preoccupation with memory poses to what is typically considered as history. The Columbia University George Sansom Professor of History, she
Gaelic Roots Spring Schedule Includes Local, Regional, International Artists Boston College’s Gaelic Roots series of traditional music will host the acclaimed duo of fiddler Matt Cranitch and accordionist Jackie Daly during the spring semester portion of its schedule. Also featured will be Boston native Brendan Bulger, New England husband-wife duo Keith Murphy and Becky Tracy, and the trio of Kathleen Conneely, Dan Gurney and Eamon O’Leary. The series, directed by Sullivan Artist-in-Residence and master fiddler Seamus Connolly and sponsored by the Boston College Center for Irish Programs, brings to campus acclaimed musicians and experts in Irish, Scottish and other related Gaelic music traditions. Gaelic Roots events, all of which begin at 6:30 p.m., are free and open to the public. Bulger, a former student of Connolly, will open the spring
schedule on Jan. 31 in the Walsh Hall Function Room. His credits include the prize-winning recording “Music at the House” with Marty Fahey and Kathleen Gavin, the Huntington Theatre production of Edwin O’Connor’s “The Last Hurrah,” and the soundtrack of the independent film “The Bounty.” The Feb. 12 concert with Conneely (whistle), Gurney (accordion) and O’Leary (guitar, vocals) – postponed from November due to weather conditions – will take place in the Gasson Hall Irish Room. Conneely is a widely respected musician and teacher who has often appeared at BC, and just released her first album. Gurney, who lived in Boston while attending Harvard University, released a well-received solo album in 2011. Dublin native O’Leary has been part of the thriving New York City Irish mu-
sic scene for the past two decades. Cranitch and Daly, whose concert takes place March 14 in the Walsh Hall Function Room, are regarded as among the foremost interpreters of the rich tradition of instrumental music from Sliabh Luachra, the unique cultural area on the borders of northwest Cork and east Kerry that is marked by a special repertoire of tunes as well as a very distinctive style of playing. The two — who were part of the faculty at Gaelic Roots when it was a summer festival — have made or appeared on numerous recordings, including their 2010 release “The Living Stream.” On April 2 in the Walsh Hall Function Room, Murphy (guitar, mandolin, piano, foot percussion, vocals) and Tracy (fiddle) will present traditional music from Newfoundland, Quebec, Ireland and New England. In addition
is also the author of Japan’s Modern Myths: Ideology in the Late Meiji Period; Showa: The Japan of Hirohito; Asia in Western and World History; Words in Motion: Toward a Global Lexicon; and the forthcoming Thinking with the Past: Japan and Modern History. April 17: Michael Chabon— Best known for his novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2001, Chabon is a novelist, screenwriter, columnist and short story writer. His debut novel, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, made him an immediate literary sensation, and his second, Wonder Boys, was made into a critically acclaimed movie of the same name. Chabon’s distinguished body of work also includes Werewolves in Their Youth, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Gentlemen of the Road, Summerland, Manhood for Amateurs, and Telegraph Avenue. [Chabon’s campus appearance is through the generous support of the Marianacci family]. Lowell Humanities Series events are open to the public, free of charge. Times, locations and other series details are available at www.bc.edu/lowellhs. The series is sponsored by the Lowell Institute, BC’s Institute for the Liberal Arts and the Office of the Provost. Contact Rosanne Pellegrini at rosanne.pellegrini@bc.edu Matt Cranitch, left, and Jackie Daly are among the performers appearing on campus this semester in the Gaelic Roots series.
to playing with Tracy — as a duo, and as part of the popular trio Nightingale — Murphy has shared his natural, intimate singing and quietly powerful percussive-style guitar style in stints with Boston-area fiddle ensemble Childsplay, among others. Tracy, who studied Irish fiddling with Brendan Mulvihill and Eugene O’Donnell, has a strong background and wealth of experience in the New England contra dance
scene. The 2012-13 Gaelic Roots series will close out on April 17 with an Irish dance and ceili in the Gasson Irish Room, with music by Connolly, Boston College students and other area musicians. There will be participatory dances, all of which will we be taught; no experience is necessary. See the Gaelic Roots website at http://www.bc.edu/gaelicroots —Sean Smith