The University created a new financial aid fund, enabling students to attend the School of Theology and Ministry (STM) and preserving former STM Dean Rev. Thomas D. Stegman’s, S.J., legacy, according to Ken Mostello.
“Long after he’s gone, and after we’re gone, future STM students will be able to attend Boston College with this endowment and will want to know who Fr. Thomas Stegman, S.J. was and why his legacy endures,” Mostello, BC ’79, said in an email to The Heights.
Rev. Michael McCarthy, S.J. replaced Stegman—who served as the STM Dean from 2016 until 2022—after Stegman announced he would step down from his position due to health issues.
“A few years ago, he was diagnosed as having a fairly aggressive brain cancer, and he beat a lot of odds as he continued as dean but finally had to step down last summer,” McCarthy said in an email to The Heights. “I am privileged to be his successor.”
McCarthy said everyone at the school loves and admires Stegman.
“In the face of significant health issues, [Stegman] has shown courage, patience, and trust in God,” McCarthy said.
Ken Mostello and Michelle Maglaty, BC ’79, were lead donors in the establishing the fund, alongside four other families who chose to remain anonymous, according to a University release.
Mostello said their past involvement with the STM, as well as their close relationship with Stegman, led to the Office of University Advancement team asking them for their help in creating the new fund.
He said the motivation for their contribution to the fund was driven by their attachment to the Jesuit community and hope of leaving a lasting positive impact.
“I recall what Fr. Monan said in a homily at a Shaw Society Mass years ago, ‘You’re here today because you understand that there’s something more enduring than yourselves,’” Mostello said. “Life on earth is finite, and Fr. Stegman is reminded of that sobering reality every day. His courageous battle with glioblastoma compels us all to confront our own inescapable mortality.”
Director of Development for Schools and Programs Amanda Angel, who led the fundraising efforts, said in the release that the fund will go into effect once the contribution goal is reached.
“We can begin offering the graduate fellowship once we reach $250,000 in contributions received,” she said. “Our goal is to continue to raise money so that one day we will be able to offer multiple Stegman Fellowships each year.”
Mostello and Maglaty said Stegman was informed of the new fund at a dinner over the summer and was moved by the tribute.
“We felt a scholarship in his name would provide an enduring testament to his outstanding legacy as Dean of the STM,” Mostello said.
Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley said he worked closely with Stegman during his time as the STM dean.
“I was supportive of the [new financial aid fund] and see it as a wonderful way of honoring all that Fr. Stegman has done for generations of students at the School of Theology and Ministry,” Quigley said in an email to The Heights.
Quigley said Stegman’s work has benefited the BC community and beyond.
“Colleagues across Boston College—and around the world—have benefited from Fr. Stegman’s work in the classroom and his scholarship, and from the example he set of visionary servant-leadership for the STM community,” Quigley said.
