April 18, 2017
PC News Spring 2017
$100,000 for 100
In honor of its centennial, the College will donate $100,000 to the Diocese of Providence to provide financial aid to help children from throughout the diocese to attend elementary and secondary schools. The gift will be paired with a service component involving PC students, faculty, and staff. The announcement by College President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. ’80 came during a ceremony at St. Pius V School, across from campus. Offering remarks were Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, D.D., bishop of Providence, and other diocesan officials.
Two-in-one distinction
Two associate professors of history who joined the College in 2011 had articles published in the same issue of a prestigious, highly selective academic journal. Research pieces by Dr. Edward E. Andrews ’01 and Dr. Adrian C. Weimer appeared in the January 2017 issue of the William and Mary Quarterly, the leading academic journal of early American history and culture. Andrews wrote about Tranquebar, a Danish colonial outpost on the Bay of Bengal in India. Weimer’s article focused on Elizabeth Hooton, an outspoken Quaker preacher who traveled extensively in England and the American colonies.
Applications streak continues
The College received a record number of applications for the incoming class for the third consecutive year. The total of 11,243 applications for the Class of 2021 surpassed the previous high of 10,801 set for the Class of 2020 last year. There was a surge of applications particularly in the Mid-Atlantic region, where the growth over last year was 16.9%.
Record numbers studying abroad
Study abroad participation continues to rise significantly at PC. This academic year, 361 students are studying in 27 countries. The figure represents an increase of 50 students over the previous high of 311 set last academic year (2015-16). Since the College began implementing changes in 2011 in several areas, including financial aid and academic credit, the percentage of juniors who study abroad has risen from 16.5% to 39.6%.
Tops in college rankings
U.S. News & World Report named Providence College number one in “Regional Universities — North” in its Best Colleges rankings for 2017. The distinction was based on 15 indicators of academic success, including graduation and first-year student retention rates, alumni giving, faculty resources, and student selectivity. Meanwhile, USA Today College included PC on its list of the 10 best Roman Catholic colleges in the United States. Schools were selected for inclusion because they are rooted in the Catholic faith while valuing “diversity and open dialogue.”
Real news fit to print
“It wasn’t just Southern companies that benefited from slavery; many Northern institutions also benefited directly or indirectly.”
— Dr. Sharon Ann Murphy, professor of history, on her research on insurance companies that sold policies on slaves, in The New York Times
“We envision a world with devices that operate as efficiently as animals.”
— Dr. John H. “Jack” Costello, professor of biology, on how his jellyfish propulsion research could affect vehicle design, in The Providence Journal
“[Nate] Parker’s indictment of America’s racist past is powerful in part because it draws upon so much of American history, but its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness.”
— Dr. Patrick H. Breen, associate professor of history and author of The Land Shall Be Deluged in Blood: A New History of the Nat Turner Revolt, on the film The Birth of a Nation, in Deadline Hollywood
