On Veterans Day in 2009, Boston College dedicated the Veterans Memorial Wall to the 209 BC alumni who had given their lives in service to their country. Nobody knew at the time, but the ceremony also marked the success of a network of connections and relationships that would still provide support to veteran alumni a decade later. The Veterans Memorial Committee, formed in 2005 with the purpose of fundraising and researching for the wall, soon transformed into the BC Veterans Alumni Network (BCVAN).

In his speech at last Wednesday's faculty convocation, Boston College Executive Vice President Mike Lochhead provided new information on the status of several high-profile facilities projects and renovations,...