“Law is the most powerful barometer with which to measure the quality of the world that we live in,” said J. Donald Monan, S.J. (left), shown with John Garvey and Daniel Coquillette.

On September 13, in front of a standing-room only crowd of students and faculty, J. Donald Monan, S.J., accepted the Law School’s seventy-fifth anniversary Distinguished Service Award from Dean John Garvey for more than thirty years of dedication to the school. Currently Chancellor of Boston College, a position he acquired in 1996, Monan holds the distinction of having been Boston College president for 24 years, the longest tenure in school history.

Monan talked about the bond between BC, the Law School, and the community at large. “Knowledge is a light that helps illuminate the world in which we live,” he said. “And Boston College helps men and women find the potential to make their own futures, indeed, to make themselves.”

Monan recalled his many years of educational pursuits, which have yielded him honorary doctoral degrees from thirteen colleges and universities, including Boston College, and spoke of the Jesuits’ tradition, development as an order, and strong commitment to education, culture, and law. “Law is the most powerful barometer with which to measure the quality of the world that we live in,” he said. “In order to continue this great tradition, excellence has to be the standard, and we must strive toward a shared humanistic goal.”

After receiving his award, along with two standing ovations from the audience, Monan thanked Boston College and the many students who he has worked with. “No awards are as pleasing to me as those that are accompanied by the applause of students,” he said.

In 2002, Monan was appointed chair of the Visiting Committee on Management in the Courts by Massachusetts Supreme Court Justice Margaret H. Marshall. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Mentoring Partnership, the Massachusetts Mentoring Partnership, and the Yawkey Foundation.

—Matthew Karr ’08

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