A LETTER FROM UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT WILLIAM P. LEAHY, SJ
March 28, 2012
Dear Members of the Boston College Community:
As the month of March comes to a close, I want to provide an update on key aspects of Boston College, as I have done in past years at this time. In particular, I would like to offer comments related to academics, student formation, campus facilities and institutional finances, as well as to summarize plans to celebrate the 150th anniversary of our founding in 1863.
Boston College continues to move forward and strengthen itself as a top-tier, national institution of higher education. Between 2006 and 2011, for example, the University’s ranking in US News improved from 40th to 31st, with the average SAT scores of incoming students increasing by 31 points, to 2014. Undergraduate students identifying themselves as AHANA (African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American) also rose from 25 percent to 28 percent, and sponsored research grants grew from $31.5 million to $46 million, an increase of 46 percent.
Searches have been underway in recent months to recruit new faculty, and departments have successfully attracted talented academics to join our ranks as teacher-scholars. In addition, faculty awards and special recognition in the past year have included the following:
- Assistant Professors Liane Young (Psychology), Dunwei Wang (Chemistry), Michelle Meyer (Biology) and Ying Ran (Physics) won prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowships, given to the nation’s best young scientists and scholars in recognition of their early career achievement. This is a remarkable accomplishment for an institution of our size;
- The research of Biology Professor Ken Williams on molecular markers for HIV activity was recognized as among the top biological and medical research projects in the world;
- English Professor Suzanne Matson won a 2012 Creative Writing Fellowship in Prose from the National Endowment for the Arts;
- Lynch School Assistant Professor Katherine McNeill won an Early Career Research Award from the National Association for Research in Science Teaching;
- Theology Professor Roberto S. Goizueta was named winner of the 2012 Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence;
- James Lubben, Louise McMahon Ahearn Professor and director of the Institute on Aging in the Graduate School of Social Work, was among the first fellows named by the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare.
The undergraduate admission picture remains strong, with a record 34,050 individuals (3.3 percent more than last year) applying for the 2,270 seats in the freshman class. Applications also increased among early action (6 percent), AHANA (4 percent) and international students (23 percent). Despite the challenges caused by the recent economic downturn, Boston College remains committed to its policy of admitting undergraduate applicants on a need-blind basis and meeting their full-demonstrated need, one of only 21 private universities to do so.
This past year a number of students received prestigious fellowships and awards, including:
- Christopher Sheridan A&S ’12 was selected for a Goldwater Scholarship, considered the premier undergraduate fellowship in the sciences;
- Aditya Ashok A&S ’12 won a Truman Scholarship for leadership potential and commitment to public service;
- Nathan Kono A&S ’11, LGSOE ’12 was one of 25 in the United States awarded a Woodrow Wilson-Rockefeller Brothers Fund Fellowship for Aspiring Teachers of Color;
- Anne Kornahrens A&S ’11, already a winner of Goldwater and NSF fellowships, became the first Boston College student to win a Skaggs-Oxford Scholarship for graduate study in integrated biosciences;
- Robert Kubala A&S ’09 and Tedd Wimperis A&S ’11 received Lilly Graduate Fellowships, which support doctoral studies for those intending to teach in church-related institutions.
Boston College was also named the eighth-leading producer of students awarded Fulbright grants among national research universities in 2011, with 21 students and recent graduates earning Fulbrights for research and foreign study.
In addition to the pursuit of academic excellence, Boston College remains committed to the goals stated in its mission statement of fostering “the religious, ethical, and personal formation of its students in order to prepare them for citizenship, service, and leadership in a global society.” Many American colleges and universities no longer strive to achieve such formation, and instead focus on intellectual development. But students enrolling at Boston College are challenged in classes, extracurricular activities and residence halls not only in regard to intellectual life, but also moral and ethical beliefs and the place of religious faith in their lives. For example, the Pulse program offers students the opportunity to combine academic work and community service. This year 1,100 freshmen, joined by 110 leaders from the sophomore and senior classes, participated in “48 Hours” weekends to reflect on their college experience and ways of enhancing it. Students can attend numerous Masses celebrated each day in various chapels on campus as well as at St. Ignatius Church. Campus Ministry provides multiple opportunities for religious retreats and volunteer programs. This year, Student Affairs established a pilot initiative called Pathways to test new ways of fostering closer relationships among students, their resident assistants and faculty in two of our residence halls.
In support of its academic and student formation goals, the University has been engaged in major renovation and construction projects. Gasson Hall, completed in 1913, was renovated this past year, and the divisions of Human Resources, Finance and Advancement have been relocated to the Brighton Campus, a move that will allow their former site (More Hall) to be used for a future undergraduate residence hall. Planning has started for renovating St. Mary’s Hall, the main Jesuit residence, so that the Jesuit Community can consolidate its space and a portion of the building can be used by academic departments. Stokes Hall, a 183,000 square-foot humanities building that will provide 36 new classrooms and offices for the departments of English, History, Classics, Philosophy and Theology, will open in January, 2013.
Identifying and obtaining resources for the general University budget as well as strategic programs and campus facilities requires careful planning and sustained fundraising. Boston College launched the public phase of its $1.5 billion Light the World campaign in 2008, and I am delighted to report that $870 million has been raised thus far, almost twice as much as in any previous campaign. Despite the difficult economic climate of recent years, we continue to make progress, thanks to the generosity of so many alumni, parents and friends. Recently, an anonymous donor issued a $5 million challenge to encourage the endowment of assistant professorships, and commitments of $10 million and $15 million have been made to name two campus buildings. Large numbers of Boston College supporters attended events this academic year in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, Naples, Miami and Palm Beach. Hundreds of others continue to enhance their alma mater and its goals through involvement in alumni chapter activities, reunion planning, service projects and annual gifts. I am profoundly grateful for these many contributions to Boston College.
But much remains to be done in the coming years for Boston College to reach its goals and fulfill its potential. As an institution, Boston College continues to be committed to reducing costs and operating as efficiently as possible in accordance with strategic priorities. During the last four fiscal years alone, these efforts have resulted in $20 million in budget reallocations and savings.
At its meeting on March 9, our Board of Trustees approved an $862 million budget for the 2012-2013 academic year, a 2 percent increase from the previous year. It calls for an overall increase in tuition, fees, room and board of 3.6 percent and raises tuition to $43,140. Need-based undergraduate financial aid will rise by 6.4 percent to $90 million, with total financial aid growing to $143 million. This budget also includes an additional $7 million for academic and infrastructure initiatives outlined in the Strategic Plan.
As a final note, I want to call attention to plans for the celebration of our 150th anniversary from September, 2012 to December, 2013. Among the events scheduled are academic symposia, a Sesquicentennial Speakers Series, an inaugural Founders Day celebration, a meeting of leading Catholic college presidents, and a student concert at Symphony Hall. The official start of our Sesquicentennial will be on September 15 with a 4 p.m. Mass at Fenway Park in Boston. All members of the Boston College community — students, faculty, staff and alumni, and their families — are welcome to attend. This Mass will be concelebrated by Jesuit and alumni priests, and will be followed by a reception and a walking tour of the field and ballpark for guests and their children. Information on this and the other events will be available beginning March 29 on the Sesquicentennial website at www.bc.edu/150.
As we approach this important milestone in our history, all members of the Boston College community should take pride in the remarkable evolution and progress of our University. It not only stands as a leader in Catholic education in the United States, but also ranks among the premier higher education institutions in the world. Since 1863, it has remained true to its mission and Jesuit, Catholic roots; and with the help of its thousands of alumni and supporters, it will meet the challenges of today and tomorrow with grace, determination, and abiding hope.
