Online via Zoom, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Presenter: Thomas C. Chiles

Research by faculty and students focuses on complex problems facing humans and natural systems. To catalyze these efforts, the University opened in January 2022 a new 157,000 sq. ft. research and innovation building designed to develop and advance collaborative approaches and practical solutions to complex problems. This facility allows faculty from different scholarly and research disciplines - including science, engineering, politics, and economics - to come together in common spaces, allowing them to share information, ideas, and to make decisions collectively. These important exchanges can lead to more desirable and sustainable solutions on a timescale that can yield meaningful results. This presentation will provide an overview of the design of the new building and highlight an example of a complex problem faculty are currently working on (i.e., air pollution and its impact on the global burden of disease).

Online via Zoom, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Presenter: Ann Wolbert Burgess

Crime does not discriminate by age or gender. Victims can be as young as toddlers and as old as seniors in nursing homes. What motivates people to commit crimes, and how can we get inside the mind of serial criminals to intervene? This presentation examines criminal profiling, an investigative strategy used by law enforcement to identify likely suspects and link cases that may have been committed by the same perpetrator. Professor Ann Burgess will review some high-profile cases addressed in her book, A Killer by Design, and their effects on the public’s view of crime. In addition, she will explain her work with the FBI and the ways in which nursing has advanced the fields of forensics and victimology by collecting the evidence to solve crimes.

Online via Zoom, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Presenter: Thomas H. Groome

There was a time when Catholic schools were staffed almost entirely by vowed religious - sisters, brothers, priests - and the assumption was that they were reliable custodians of the schools' Catholic identity. But that day is gone! Now, for example, vowed religious make up less than 3% of the faculties of U.S. Catholic schools. With some 55,000 Catholic schools in over 200 countries throughout the world, that they deliver what they promise - a "Catholic" education - is a fresh challenge and opportunity.

Online via Zoom, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Presenter: Patricia Lowe

Cultivating a sense of belonging as a catalyst for change strengthens hope, optimism, and resilience. As worldwide challenges continue to emerge and impact our campus community, it is vital for each of us to engage in self-reflection and awareness, deepening our understanding and awareness of experiences different from our own and the difference that this experience makes in cultivating a culture of inclusion and belonging. This presentation provides a deeper look at how the Office for Institutional Diversity has incorporated the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to better equip the Boston College community with the knowledge and skill sets necessary for cultivating a culture of inclusion and belonging, moving the institution toward inclusive excellence.

Online via Zoom, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Presenter: Guy Beiner

The Irish Studies program at Boston College was founded in 1978 and is a world leader in the field. Traditionally, Irish Studies have focused on History, Literature, and Music. However, just as Ireland is rapidly changing and dynamically facing new challenges, Irish Studies is increasingly engaging with other disciplines and exploring new interdisciplinary directions, while still building on innovative work in its core strengths. This presentation will review some of these exciting developments and consider possibilities for the future.

Online via Zoom, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Presenter: Ray Madoff

We live in a time of extraordinary inequality and concentration of wealth. According to recent data from the Federal Reserve, the wealthiest 1% of Americans own more than the combined wealth of 90% of Americans. The wealth of America’s billionaires grew an unprecedented 62% over the course of the pandemic. Will any of this wealth ever be subject to taxation so that it can be used to support the expenses of government? This presentation will explore questions around taxing the rich. What do we know about the wealth and tax liabilities of the rich? What features of the current system allow the wealthy to avoid paying taxes? What proposals have been made to change the status quo, and how effective are they likely to be? 

Online via Zoom, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Presenter: Patrick Conway

The presentation will offer insight into both the landscape and history of the involvement of higher education in prison, and specifically highlight the Boston College Prison Education Program. Since 2019, Boston College has been offering a degree-granting program to incarcerated students at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Shirley, MA (MCI-Shirley). Admitted students enroll in the Applied Liberal Arts Bachelor’s degree program granted by Boston College’s Woods College of Advancing Studies. Coursework includes instruction in the humanities, as well as in both the natural and social sciences. The presentation will discuss student outcomes within such programs, both quantifiable (such as effects on recidivism and post-release employment) and experiential. These types of programs provide a much-needed space for mentorship, personal development, community building, and reflection.

Online via Zoom, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Presenter: Christina Matz

The current narrative around retirement planning, decision-making, and "working longer" has not necessarily captured the issues faced by low-income workers, workers of Color, and others often subject to decades of discrimination within the workplace intersecting with ageism. The devastating effects of a global pandemic have further exacerbated these issues, bringing us to a critical juncture. Please join us as Professor Matz, Director of BC’s Center on Aging & Work, discusses shifting the narrative away from depicting “successful” or “productive” agers as those who make good choices to secure their health and well-being, employment security, and pension and welfare provision in later life, and toward broader approaches that identify socio-economic, structural, historical, and cultural factors contributing to disparate outcomes in later life, and centering marginalized voices.