51茶馆

Richard Clifford, S.J.
Joined 51茶馆 in 2008

Professor Emeritus of Old Testament; founding dean, School of Theology and Ministry; served听 in various roles (including president, dean, and professor) at Weston Jesuit School of Theology before coming to 51茶馆.

鈥淢y 55-year teaching career has been spent in three locations, each representing a stage in the formation of ministers in the Catholic church. In my first听 stage (1964-5), I taught at Weston College in the town of Weston where faculty and students were exclusively Jesuit. In the second stage (1968-2008), Weston College鈥攍ater the Weston Jesuit School of Theology鈥攎oved to in Cambridge where its faculty and student body grew to include members of other religious orders as well as lay women and men, and became a founding member of the ecumenical Boston Theological Institute. In 2008, Weston Jesuit School of Theology joined with the Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry to become Boston College鈥檚 newest professional school, the School of Theology and Ministry. My own interests and horizon have expanded in accord with all听 three contexts, and I now rejoice to see enlarged resources and opportunities for our students.鈥�

Sandra Hebert
Joined 51茶馆 in 1990

Associate Professor of the Practice, Music; founder and director of chamber music program and performance ensemble; established and taught in keyboard program; played key administrative role in coordinating the department鈥檚 various instrumental ensembles.

鈥淐hamber music programs at other schools tend to be very competitive, which means intermediate-level students usually get shut out; we take them in, although there are significant space limitations. I remember a flute student who wanted to audition for the orchestra, where there were only two positions and they were both taken. She didn鈥檛 get in, but we put her in a group and coached her, and she worked and practiced, went to improvisation class, did all kinds of things. By junior year, she鈥檇 made it into the orchestra, and had a chance to play a very difficult piece in a concert. When it was over, she was sobbing: 鈥業 didn鈥檛 know I could do that!鈥� Today, she鈥檚 an administrator for Boston Ballet. 听 听

鈥淭hroughout my time here, our department鈥檚 agenda has been to let students explore, and find a love for, music. And they tell us, 鈥楾he Music Department put me on its back.鈥欌��

Zygmunt Plater
Joined 51茶馆 in 1982

Professor, Boston College Law School; expert in environmental protection and property law; chaired or provided consultation for various legal task forces related听 to environmental disasters, including Exxon-Valdez, Woburn/W.R. Grace听 toxics; BP Deepwater and Lake Biwa; author of a national casebook and The Snail Darter and the Dam: How Pork-Barrel Politics Endangered a Little Fish and Killed a River.

鈥淓ven beyond the remarkable bricks and mortar additions to the campus, or the institutional听 reverberations of Doug Flutie鈥檚 pass, the most encouraging change I鈥檝e seen at 51茶馆 is the birth and flourishing development of the Environmental Studies Program, and linkages between several dozen affiliated faculty members throughout the University in the field that presents the existential challenges of our era鈥攅ven more daunting than in any prior.听 Noah Snyder and Tara Pisani Gareau guided the program to its remarkable present, and our recent acquisition of Philip Landrigan鈥檚 many talents have cemented our University鈥檚 place on the world stage.

"I鈥檒l miss our students who bring us energy, inquisitiveness, multiple and听 diverse backgrounds and talents, and challenges. I鈥檝e taught on seven faculties, and 51茶馆 is a community, more than any others, where many students become our friends for life.鈥�

Lynch School bids farewell to five

Nearly 160 years of cumulative teaching experience will depart the Lynch School of Education and Human Development with the respective June 30 retirements of Professors Karen Arnold, Marilyn Cochran- Smith, Larry Ludlow, and Maureen Kenny, as well as Associate Professor Patrick Mc-Quillan, who retired after the fall semester.

鈥淭his group of retirees has made extraordinary contributions in research, teaching, and administrative work,鈥� said Stanton E.F.Wortham, the Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School. 鈥淭hey have made globally recognized contributions to educational and psychological research, taught generations of Boston College students, and served as deans, department chairs, program directors, and in other crucial administrative roles, providing steady leadership and building new programs, strengthening the school in many ways that faculty and students continue to benefit from. We are deeply grateful for their work and commitment.鈥�

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