Associate Professor of 经济学 Robert 墨菲 was the first director of the 国际太阳城官网 program. He will step down June 1 and be succeeded by Associate Professor of the Practice of Theology Erik Owens. (摄影:Lee Pellegrini)
国际太阳城官网, one of the University’s most popular interdisciplinary programs – and which had the highest number of majors in its history in 2017-18 – will shortly enter a new era, as inaugural program director Robert 墨菲 steps down on June 1.
墨菲, 经济学副教授, will be succeeded by Associate Professor of the Practice of Theology Erik Owens, associate director of the Boisi Center for 宗教 and American Public Life.
国际太阳城官网 offers students the knowledge and skills to meet economic, 道德, political and social challenges in the 21st-century global environment. 国际太阳城官网 faculty members are drawn from the Communication, 经济学, 英语, 历史, 浪漫语言文学, 政治科学, Sociology and Theology departments; some have joint appointments with the program.
专业知识的多样性, IS seeks to spur contemplation and discussion of international issues not only among undergraduates but also across the wider University community, 墨菲和欧文斯说.
“While world events certainly play a part in influencing students’ choice of majors or minors, there’s always been a strong interest at 太阳城网赌平台 in exploring international issues,墨菲说。. “The vision for 国际太阳城官网 at BC has been to provide an interdisciplinary approach that enables undergraduates to view these issues from different perspectives. 同样重要的是, 坚持耶稣会, 天主教的原则, we work to ensure the 道德 dimensions of international relations and policies are understood and appreciated.”
墨菲 says the time was ripe for a transition in IS leadership, with the program having recently undergone a self-study and external review that led to a revamping of its curriculum.
“I certainly didn’t plan to stay as director for this long, but I enjoyed having the opportunity to be part of the planning for the program’s next phase. 我认为, with Erik at the helm and our talented faculty contributing, 国际太阳城官网 will be able to build on its success.”
罗伯特·墨菲和埃里克·欧文斯(右), who will succeed 墨菲 as director of the 国际太阳城官网 program. (摄影:Peter Julian)
“在他担任董事期间, Bob has skillfully managed the program’s growth in faculty and students alike,欧文斯说。. “He presided over the hiring of all of our joint faculty hires as well as our visiting faculty, all of whom have proved to be remarkable interdisciplinary scholars and teachers. 我非常感激他们中的许多人, 这学期鲍勃花了很多时间陪我, talking about the complex process of leading and managing this dynamic program.”
墨菲’s involvement with the program goes back to the 1980s, when he sat on the board overseeing the then-new interdisciplinary minor in 国际太阳城官网. 多年来, IS has consistently been at or near the top of BC’s most-enrolled minors; this academic year there were 133, 历史上仅次于137.
多年来, students wishing to major in 国际太阳城官网 could only take it as an independent major. 在90年代末, a committee was appointed by then-College of 艺术s and Sciences Dean Joseph Quinn to recast the 国际太阳城官网 Program with a formal major, 哪个是2001年推出的. 从31个专业开始, 这一数字在五年内翻了三倍, and reached 213 by the end of its first decade; the total was 253 for 2017-18.
In addition to 墨菲’s management of the program’s growth in faculty and students, Owens praises the support of 国际太阳城官网 Associate Director Hiroshi Nakazato and Program Administrator Patricia McLaughlin, 以及这个项目的学术顾问委员会.
展望未来, Owens sees a clear role for 国际太阳城官网 in helping contribute to the University’s emphasis on global engagement, 如战略计划所述. The program will commit more resources to “building community” among faculty and students, 他说, in part through a planned relocation to Connolly House, 哪一个将提供提供咨询的场所, 指导, meetings and an enhanced array of academic programs and social events – including visits from IS alumni.
例如, Owens will organize a six-week project this fall, 全球参与门户网站, that will enable members of the University to communicate directly with refugees, 实地工作者, 教育工作者, students and others at nearly 30 sites around the world.
Owens says work will continue on the new IS curriculum, which has added new foundation courses and re-framed interdisciplinary concentrations. Program administrators and faculty also will seek to make IS – which he notes has a competitive application process and strenuous academic requirements “that require thoughtful planning and advising” – less challenging for its majors and minors to navigate, 他补充说, and increase student-oriented programming with a focus on internships and post-graduation jobs.
——肖恩·史密斯|大学传播