Academic Affairs
- The University conferred 2,343 undergraduate and 1,759 graduate degrees, including 133 doctorates and 244 law degrees, at Boston College’s 143rd annual Commencement Exercises on May 20. University President William P. Leahy, S.J., presented an honorary doctor of humane letters degree to Commencement speaker Isabel Capeloa Gil, an international leader in Catholic higher education, who encouraged graduates to seek out opportunities to engage with “the most challenging dimension of human growth: the experience of difference.” Retired Boston College administrator Dan Bunch ’79, MSW ’81; former assistant dean and professor Reverend Robert D. Farrell, S.J.; longtime Boston College trustee and benefactor Thomas D. O’Malley; and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson were also awarded honorary degrees.
- Professor of Philosophy Patrick Byrne, a founder of the University’s PULSE program, became the second recipient of the St. Robert J. Bellarmine, S.J., Award, which honors a distinguished faculty member whose contributions have consistently and purposefully advanced the University’s mission.
- Boston College retained its R1 status among the nation’s top research universities in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
- In the U.S. News & World Report 2019 rankings, BC placed 38th among national universities overall, and 16th for its “commitment to undergraduate teaching." The Carroll School of Management advanced three positions to 21st among undergraduate business programs.
- Boston College graduate programs performed exceptionally well in the 2020 U.S. News “Best Graduate Schools” rankings, released in March 2019. The Connell School of Nursing rose four spots to 28th, and the School of Social Work rose to 10th in the nation. The Carroll School of Management’s full-time M.B.A. program advanced to 43rd, and its part-time M.B.A. program placed 28th.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked Boston College 7th among U.S. private nonprofit institutions in four-year graduation rates.
- Isabelle Stone ’18 became the third Boston College student to win a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University. Henry Dieckhaus, a Boston College junior majoring in chemistry, received a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, considered the nation’s premier undergraduate award in the sciences.
- The University continues to rank among the nation’s top 25 Fulbright-producing research institutions, with 13 fellowships this year.
- BC announced in January it would introduce an Early Decision program for undergraduate admission—an effort to meet a growing preference among today’s high school students, and to enroll more “best fit” applicants whose first choice is Boston College.
- Elizabeth Shlala was named assistant director of Boston College’s Core Curriculum, and Jeffrey P. von Arx, S.J., joined the School of Theology and Ministry as the University's 2018–19 Thomas I. Gasson, S.J., Professor.
- The Psychology Department announced it would introduce a new major in neuroscience in fall 2019.
- Professor of Biology Philip J. Landrigan, M.D., ’63, one of the world’s leading authorities on public health, has been named founding director of Boston College’s Global Public Health Program and Global Observatory on Pollution and Health, the inaugural academic initiative of the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society.
- The Lynch School was officially renamed the Lynch School of Education and Human Development in recognition of its faculty expertise and the outstanding strength of its achievements in counseling and developmental psychology.
- Economics, finance, and biology were once again the most popular undergraduate majors.
- Boston College received 35,500 applications for the Class of 2023, the most in University history and a 14 percent increase over last year. The previous high-water mark for undergraduate applications was 34,061 for the Class of 2016.
Faculty Research and Awards
- The John Templeton Foundation awarded three grants totaling $4.7 million to the Departments of Psychology and Philosophy, the largest cumulative amount of private funding from one foundation within a single year in Boston College history.
- Associate Professor of Political Science Jennifer Erickson, a noted researcher on global security and arms control, received the 2019 Phi Betta Kappa Teaching Award. J. Joseph Moakley Professor of Political Science Kay L. Schlozman became the first woman to receive the American Political Science Association's Warren E. Miller Lifetime Achievement Award. And STM Professor of Moral Theology Mary Jo Iozzio became the fifth Boston College faculty member to receive the St. Elizabeth Seton Medal.
- School of Social Work Professor Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes was named a fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and received a Special Lifetime Achievement Award from the Work and Family Researchers Network. Stanton E.F. Wortham, Charles F. Donovan, S.J., Dean of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, was inducted into the National Academy of Education.
- The Connell School of Nursing presented its 2018 Dean Rita P. Kelleher Award to John C. Welch, M.S. ’12, a senior nurse anesthetist at Boston Children's Hospital and former chief clinical officer for the Ebola response at Partners in Health.
- Lynch School of Education and Human Development Professor G. Michael Barnett received $2.72 million in grants from the National Science Foundation. Assistant Professor of Biology Sarah McMenamin received a five-year, $800,000 CAREER Award through the NSF.
Jesuit, Catholic Mission
- The School of Theology and Ministry celebrated its 10th anniversary year. The milestone marked a decade in which the STM has doubled in size and established itself as a global leader in theology, divinity, and religious studies—advancing Boston College toward its goal of becoming the world’s foremost Catholic university and theological center.
- In October, Boston College joined the new, eight-member Strategic Alliance of Catholic Research Universities, whose goal is to jointly engage in collaborative research projects and promote scholarship around the world.
- Having completed coursework online, on campus, and in Rome, 11 Catholic women religious from Latin America traveled to Boston College for Commencement 2019, where they received master’s degrees in applied leadership studies from the Woods College of Advancing Studies through Catholic Extension's U.S. Latin American Sisters exchange program.
- In July 2018, Boston College hosted Envisioning the Future of Catholic Religious Archives, the first-ever U.S. conference on the preservation of religious communities’ records and collections. The Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies launched a new Jesuit Online Bibliography, developed and hosted by BC Libraries.
- Roughly 500 people gathered at Robsham Theater on November 27 for a panel titled “Why I Remain a Catholic: Belief in a Time of Turmoil,” hosted by the University’s Church in the 21st Century Center and moderated by Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns, ’78, H’ 02.
- In January, a scholarly group co-chaired by faculty from the School of Theology and Ministry and the Theology Department issued a report calling for more diversity in the priesthood, more collaboration among ordained and lay ministers, and a re-examination of “the deeply embedded clerical culture” of the Church.
Athletics
- In September, University President William P. Leahy, S.J., and William V. Campbell Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond announced the launch of Greater Heights: The Campaign for Boston College Athletics. This first-of-its-kind, five-year strategic plan for athletics at Boston College aims to raise $150M to strengthen competitive excellence, increase external engagement, and enhance both facilities and student-athlete formation.
- The Eagles scored the game’s only touchdown in the first few minutes of December’s First Responder Bowl against Boise State, but a lightning storm stopped play at 9 minutes and 53 seconds into the first quarter. The game was later ruled a no contest.
- Boston College women’s lacrosse senior attack player Sam Apuzzo won the prestigious Tewaaraton Award, the lacrosse equivalent of football’s Heisman Trophy, given each year to the athlete deemed the country’s best college lacrosse player. Apuzzo is the first Boston College athlete to win the Tewaaraton.
- Seemingly unstoppable throughout a remarkable season and post-season, the women’s lacrosse team lost the NCAA championship game to the University of Maryland, 12–10, in late May.
- The University once again ranked sixth in the nation in Graduation Success Rate for student-athletes in the NCAA’s yearly statistics.
Arts and Events
- In summer 2018, the Cambridge-based Fo Guang Shan Buddhist Temple donated the 22-volume Encyclopedia of Buddhist Art— believed to be the world’s first comprehensive reference collection of Buddhist art—to Boston College Libraries.
- The McMullen Museum opened its fall season with Carrie Mae Weems: Strategies of Engagement, a multimedia exhibition exploring the work of the celebrated artist, which was curated by Professor of English Robin Lydenberg and art history faculty member Ash Anderson. The first speaker of the 2018–19 Lowell Humanities Series on September 10, Weems spent a three-day residence at Boston College, meeting with students and faculty to discuss the issues addressed in her work and the role of art in shaping a more enlightened future.
- A gift from Boston College benefactors Robert ’60 and Judith Winston established McMullen Museum director and Professor of Art History Nancy Netzer as the inaugural Robert L. and Judith T. Winston Director of the museum.
- In the 1970s, Professor of Nursing Ann Burgess, a pioneer in the assessment and treatment of trauma victims, and former FBI special investigator John Douglas conducted collaborative work on the psychology of serial killers that brought about signal changes in the theory and practice of criminal profiling. Douglas recalled their work in his 1995 book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, a book that was the basis for the fictionalized Netflix hit series "Mindhunter." In September, Burgess and Douglas spoke to a packed Robsham Theater about their research.
- Accomplished actor, director, and arts educator Maurice Emmanuel Parent joined the Boston College Theatre Department as the Rev. J. Donald Monan, S.J., Professor in Theatre Arts during the 2018-2019 academic year. A co-founder and executive director of The Front Porch Arts Collective, “a black-led theatre company committed to advancing racial equity in Boston through theater,” Parent led workshops on Shakespearean performance, offered creative support to student productions, and taught courses in musical theater.
- Best-selling author and media commentator Mike Lupica ’74 returned to his alma mater to share his professional experiences during a three-day residency in December. While on campus, Lupica spent time talking with students on the staff of The Heights, where he covered BC sports in the mid 1970s.
Student Life
- Carolina Tiru ’20 was awarded the 2019 Saint Oscar A. Romero Scholarship. Thair Brown ’20 received the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Scholarship, and Jinoo Song '20 was named the 2019 Benigno and Corazon Aquino Scholar.
- Maria Meyer ’19 received the 2019 Edward H. Finnegan, S.J., Award, the University’s highest Commencement honor, given to a student who offers an outstanding example of the University motto Ever to Excel.
- Michael Osaghae ’20 and Tiffany Brooks ’21, won the 2019 race for president and executive vice president of the Undergraduate Government of Boston College.
- Student Affairs, BC Recreation, BC Dining, and Boston College Libraries collaborated to launch BC After Hours, a campus-wide effort to keep the lights on later in common public spaces so students can study, rehearse, hold meetings, or just hang out in more places after dark.
- According to data from the annual Student Experience Survey, 86 percent of Boston College students would recommend BC to others, and 93 percent say they are challenged intellectually by BC’s academic program.
University Advancement
- Boston College raised a single-year record $160.9 million in cash gifts and grants from donors who contributed to the University's highest priorities including financial aid, athletics, formative education, social innovation, and the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society.
- A gift from Regent and University trustee Marc Seidner ’88 and Regent Mary Lou Seidner endowed the executive directorship of the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society. The 115,700-square-foot Fish Field House, made possible through a transformational gift from University Trustee John Fish, opened in August 2018.
- The 26th annual Pops on the Heights Barbara and Jim Cleary Scholarship Gala, co-chaired by Board of Trustees member and former chairman John Fish and his wife, Cyndy, raised more than $13 million to fund 431 scholarships. Keith Lockhart led the Boston Pops Orchestra in the sold-out concert in Conte Forum, which featured a performance by Oscar-, Golden Globe-, and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist Lionel Richie H ’86, along with a centennial tribute to composer Leonard Bernstein.
- The Boston College Board of Regents, chaired by John Fish, met for the second time in November. The board, formed to advise and support the University president and Board of Trustees on strategic priorities and institutional decisions, organized into committees on financial aid, formation, global engagement, integrated science and society, and leadership development. The 94 regents’ overarching goal is to explore the value of the University in the world today and imagine the possibilities of its impact in the world of tomorrow.
- On April 5, seven outstanding members of the Boston College community were honored at the Distinguished Volunteer Awards Dinner in Boston. Senior Vice President for University Advancement James J. Husson presented the James F. Cleary ’50, H ’93, Masters Award to Steven M. Barry ’85, P ’14, ’17, and the William V. McKenney Award to Javier J. Rodriguez ’93, P’ 22. Eileen Bocci Campbell accepted the John P. Curley 1913 Award on behalf of her late husband, William V. Campbell, H ’12. Neeraj R. Prathipati ’11 and Brendan N. Feinberg ’11 were this year’s John J. Griffin Sr. ’35, H ’72 Alumni Association Award winners. The Philip J. Callan Sr. ’25 Young Alumni Award was presented to Kaitlyn M. McGillycuddy ’14. Jacqueline Elizabeth Lacovara ’18 received the James F. Stanton ’42 Senior Class Gift Award.
- Also in April, University President William P. Leahy, S.J., presented Guido M. Barilla, P’ 21, ’22, ’23 and chairman of Barilla G. e R. Fratelli S.p.A., with the President’s Medal for Excellence at the 31st Annual Wall Street Council Tribute Dinner in New York City. The event raised $2.4M for financial aid for the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program, BC’s only merit-based financial aid program, which each year awards full-tuition scholarships and fully funded summer programs to 15 incoming first-year students.
- The Shaw Society, which celebrates those who have remembered Boston College in their wills or estates, surpassed the 3,000-member mark.
- The Boston College Alumni Association introduced two new entries to its roster of more than 75 regional chapters and 17 affinity groups and councils, establishing the LGBTQ+ Alumni Network and the Arts Circle of New York.
Management
- The Boston College Board of Trustees welcomed four new members: Nicholas Burns ’78, H ’02; Jonathan M. Rather ’82; Kendall Reid '79, H ’18; and Kevin Smart '99. The board set undergraduate tuition for 2019–2020 at $56,780, part of a 3.97 percent increase in tuition, fees, and room and board. The trustees voted to increase need-based undergraduate financial aid by 6.9 percent, to $140.3 million.
- Boston College named Grant M. Gosselin ’97, M.A. ’02, director of undergraduate admission. Gosselin succeeds John L. Mahoney ’79, who was named vice provost for enrollment management after directing undergraduate admission for nearly 30 years. Vice President for Student Affairs Barbara Jones retired, and Associate Vice President of Alumni Relations Joy Haywood Moore was appointed interim vice president.
- Former Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans replaced John King as executive director of public safety and chief of police. Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley was named chair of the New England Commission of Higher Education, Boston College’s longstanding accrediting body. At the beginning of the 2018-19 school year, Michael Davidson, S.J., became director of the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center, succeeding Ines Maturana Sendoya.