New Ascione Faculty Formation Fellow
Holly R. VandeWall, a professor of the practice of philosophy, has been named the second Ascione Faculty Formation Fellow for outstanding teaching and scholarship in support of the University’s commitment to formative education.
The Ascione Faculty Formation Fellowship is made possible by the generosity of 1993 Boston College alumni Katheryn H. and Michael C. Ascione, the parents of two current BC undergraduates. Michael Ascione has been a member of the BC Board of Trustees since 2021. The Asciones also serve as co-chairs of the BC Board of Regents.
The inaugural fellowship recipient was Belle Liang, a professor in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology Department, who was appointed in 2023.
“Holly VandeWall has been a vital presence in the Perspectives classroom since she arrived at Boston College,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley, who noted that the fellowship’s donors strongly believe in the pursuit of distinctive faculty excellence at Boston College. “Her commitment to thoughtful mentorship transcends the classroom and has led her to engaging in a range of retreat experiences for students and other members of the University community. Her work embodies the best of our commitment to formative education.”
“The chance to teach, mentor, and serve at an institution devoted to formative education is one of the great blessings of my life,” said VandeWall, who joined the BC faculty in 2008. “I’m honored to have my work recognized and supported by the Ascione Fellowship.”
“Holly VandeWall epitomizes everything this Ascione Fellowship recognizes. She is a serious scholar and an extraordinarily dedicated teacher...Formative education animates all her work and indeed, as her friends know, her entire way of life.”
VandeWall is co-author of the textbook History and Philosophy of Science: A Reader, and a general editor of the upcoming three-volume series, The History and Philosophy of Western Science: From Antiquity to the Present.
She is a long-time member and leader of the Jesuit Essentials group, which has focused on upholding the work of professors of the practice on campus, providing resources for them to support student mental health and inclusive classroom dynamics. She has spoken regularly at both departmental and University-wide events about student formation inside and outside the classroom; annually serves as an emcee for the Halftime student retreat program; and has led student international formation trips with the Arrupe Service Immersion Program and the Self-Knowledge and Reflection course, during which students walk the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route.
VandeWall received a doctorate in the history and philosophy of science at the University of Notre Dame, and holds a master’s degree in science and ethics from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif., as well as a master’s degree in science journalism from Boston University. She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Macalester College.
“Holly VandeWall epitomizes everything this Ascione Fellowship recognizes,” said Albert J. Fitzgibbons Professor Jeffrey Bloechl, chair of the Philosophy Department. “She is a serious scholar and an extraordinarily dedicated teacher, accompanying her students in the classroom, on pilgrimage, and on many discernment retreats. Formative education animates all her work and indeed, as her friends know, her entire way of life. I’m exceptionally pleased for Holly, and for those who will continue to learn from her example.”