Think back. During the summer before freshman year everyone receives a lot of mailings and a lot of paperwork. It can be hard to keep track. But, somewhere between the notices about rack-raisers, rugs and roommates everyone received a sheet of paper containing the “Dean’s List.”
Nope, it’s not the kind of dean’s list that catalogs the academic over-achievements of your peers; it’s not even compiled by one of Boston College’s deans.
William B. Neenan, SJ, now a vice president and special assistant to the president, came to BC in 1979 as the first Gasson professor and was only meant to be on loan to BC from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. But, by 1982 he had made the decision to hang around the Heights and had been named Dean of Arts and Sciences.
“I was told that I had to give a talk to the welcome the freshmen,” says Neenan. “ So, I had to fill up the time. I told them welcome and that we have a big library here, you’re going to be here four years, you might want to read a couple books,” he recounts.
“I mentioned it the next day in the faculty dining room and some faculty member, I wish I could remember who, said, ‘Bill, why don’t you put out a list and call it the ‘Dean’s List.’”
The rest is BC history.
There were 26 books on the first list, including selections from James Joyce and Graham Greene. However, Neenan thought there were 27, a number which he deems an appropriate amount for the list because it’s the “mystical 3-cubed,” so, he added another title the next year and 27 books have appeared every year since.
Each year four are put on the list while four are taken off.
What started out as a simple comment in a run-of-the-mill welcome speech has become an annual event. The July release of the list is anticipated by both faculty and students, alumni send in requests and, this summer, an article about Neenan and his list ran in the Boston Globe.
The cumulative collection of titles numbers 105 suggestions to the BC community.
Spring Break
