Boston College Jesuits Receive New Educational, Theological Appointments

Education Secretary Arne Duncan has appointed Jesuit Father Joseph M. O’Keefe, a professor of education at Boston College, to the National Assessment Governing Board.

Board members help set policy for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as The Nation’s Report Card.

Fr. O’Keefe, who most recently served as dean of Boston College’s Lynch School of Education, was appointed to a four-year term as a representative of non-public schools.

“The Governing Board plays a crucial role in ensuring that The Nation’s Report Card reflects the results of a challenging assessment of our K-12 students,” Duncan said. “We can be sure that the Board’s insight, wisdom and recommendations will help sustain the NAEP assessment as a barometer for what our students know and can do in the core subjects.” [Boston College]

Jesuit Father James F. Keenan, a professor of theology at Boston College, was elected to a two-year membership to the board of directors of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA) at its recent annual meeting.

Fr. Keenan, an expert in theological ethics and moral theology, is also an advisor to the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance, chair of the Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church and a member of the board of directors of the Society of Christian Ethics.

At Boston College, Fr. Keenan directs the Presidential Scholars Program, an integrated honors educational experience for select university undergraduates of exceptional academic talent and leadership potential. [Boston College]