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Boston College Advancing the Legacy: The Implementation Plan September, 1997
The Mission of Boston College strengthened by more than a century and a quarter of dedication to academic excellence, boston college commits itself to the highest standards of teaching and research in undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs and to the pursuit of a just society through its own accomplishments, the work of its faculty and staff, and the achievements of its graduates. It seeks both to advance its place among the nation's finest universities and to bring to the company of its distinguished peers and to contemporary society the richness of the Catholic intellectual ideal of a mutually illuminating relationship between religious faith and free intellectual inquiry.
Boston College draws inspiration for its academic and societal mission from its distinctive religious tradition. As a Catholic and Jesuit university, it is rooted in a world view that encounters God in all creation and through all human activity, especially in the search for truth in every discipline, in the desire to learn, and in the call to live justly together.
In this spirit, the University regards the contribution of different religious traditions and value systems as essential to the fullness of its intellectual life and to the continuous development of its distinctive intellectual heritage.
Boston college pursues this distinctive mission by serving society in three ways:
By fostering the rigorous intellectual development and the religious, ethical and personal formation of its undergraduate, graduate and professional students in order to prepare them for citizenship, service and leadership in a global society;
By producing nationally and internationally significant research that advances insight and understanding, thereby both enriching culture and addressing important societal needs; and
By committing itself to advance the dialogue between religious belief and other formative elements of culture through the intellectual inquiry, teaching and learning, and the community life that form the University.
Boston College fulfills this mission with a deep concern for all members of its community, with a recognition of the important contribution a diverse student body, faculty and staff can offer, with a firm commitment to academic freedom, and with a determination to exercise careful stewardship of its resources in pursuit of its academic goals.
The Implementation Plan
Inspired by our Jesuit and Catholic religious and intellectual heritage,
Determined to solidify our position among the nation's best universities,
Committed to educating a new generation of students who will be leaders in the next millennium,
Confident in the strength and quality of our students, faculty and academic resources,and building on the firm foundation of growing support from our alumni and friends, Boston College will invest $260 million over the next five years to strengthen undergraduate, graduate, and professional education, to reaffirm its Jesuit and Catholic mission, to increase research productivity, to enlarge and support an outstanding faculty, and to improve the quality of student life.
Some investments will improve selected programs or seize special opportunities; most incremental funding will benefit the entire University and all its programs and schools: additional full-time faculty will improve undergraduate and graduate instruction university-wide and ensure that faculty assignments are competitive with peer universities an emphasis on faculty development and research support will enhance faculty effectiveness university-wide academic program enhancements and a renewed commitment to student formation will have a significant influence on University life greater internationalization will have a broad impact on students, faculty, research and curriculum development in all schools enhanced financial support will attract more talented students and improve the quality of both undergraduate and graduate programsnew state-of-the-art academic and student life facilities will complement the major investments in facilities of the past two decades
Teaching and Research: Faculty Initiatives
We will hire 50 additional full-time faculty members
•to increase the full-time faculty teaching undergraduates, especially in the core curriculum
•to achieve outstanding quality and recognition in selected programs and insure that teaching and research assignments are competitive with peer institutions
•to increase the diversity of among the faculty
We will select and evaluate faculty using the multiple criteria integral to the University's mission
•a balanced commitment to excellence in teaching and research
•the Jesuit tradition of student formation
•the University's ambition to become a more international university the goal of increasing the number of minority faculty significantly
•ability to contribute to the Jesuit, Catholic character of Boston College
We will emphasize faculty development
•by providing opportunities for all faculty, especially new members, to learn about the heritage, traditions and values of Boston College
•by establishing a summer post-tenure seminar that will promote faculty commitment to the liberal arts and core curriculum
•by improving definition and assessment of student learning outcomes
•by increasing to 50% the number of faculty utilizing computing, communication and video technology to enhance instruction,
We will construct a $32 million humanities building, an $80 million science facility, and a $12.5 million Law School classroom wing to provide modern teaching, research and office facilities for Classics, English, Music, Philosophy and Theology, state-of-the-art laboratory and teaching facilities for Biology and Physics, and modern instructional facilities for Law.
We will improve teaching effectiveness and student learning in courses taught by graduate fellows and part-time faculty
•by requiring that graduate fellows attend teaching seminars sponsored by either their department or the University
•by developing an effective orientation program to introduce part-time faculty to Boston College's mission and teaching resources
•by providing access to our extensive computing and communications instructional resources.
We will provide faculty and staff with opportunities for the exploration of faith and religious questions by establishing an endowment of $4 million for a Center for Ignatian Spirituality.
We will attract and retain outstanding faculty who can make significant contributions to student learning and to national and international issues
•by achieving Association of Research Library membership by the year 2000
•by establishing an endowment of $5 million to provide incentive grants for faculty research, including support for research on international topics. Teaching and Research Programs:
We will improve the quality of graduate and professional programs
•by strengthening programs that require additional resources to establish a level appropriate to Boston College's ambitions
•by selectively reducing the size of graduate programs and emphasizing increased quality
•by investing in programs where there is special opportunity for quality and distinction
•by continuing strong support for programs that have achieved superior quality and recognition
In Biology, we will achieve national recognition for preparing undergraduates for careers in health care, science education and biotechnology by renovating and expanding facilities for research and teaching in Biology.
In Economics, we will be among the 25 best graduate programs in quality and recognition.
In Irish Studies, we will maintain our standing as the premier American program.
In Philosophy, we will enhance our national reputation as one of the outstanding programs in continental philosophy.
In Physics, we will establish a leadership position in novel electronic materials physics and significantly strengthen undergraduate instruction.
In Political Science, we will strengthen our national reputation as one of the best political philosophy graduate programs.
In Theology, through greater collaboration with Weston Jesuit School of Theology, we will establish preeminence as a national and international center for Catholic theology.
In the Carroll School of Management, we will achieve top-30 quality and recognition for our MBA program.
In the Law School, we will be among the 20 best American law schools and will be recognized as the preeminent Catholic-sponsored law school.
In the School of Education, we will strengthen our position among the top 20 schools of education nationally and will be among the first five in educational policy programs.
In the Graduate School of Social Work, we will strengthen our position among the best 20 schools of social work.
In School of Nursing, we will maintain our position among the 20 finest graduate nursing programs nationally.
Through the Jesuit Institute, we will establish a national reputation for intellectual exploration of issues where religion, social problems and academic life intersect.
Student-centered Initiatives
We will invest selectively in programs and facilities that directly affect undergraduate, graduate and professional students.
We will attract and retain the most talented and best prepared students
•by offering graduate financial support that is competitive with the best universities
•by meeting the full financial need of all undergraduate students
•by enlarging the number of University minority graduate fellowships
•by reducing the number of graduate students university-wide and redirecting funding to support fewer and better students;
•by establishing teaching expectations for graduate students that support timely completion of their degrees
We will improve selected undergraduate programs
•by expanding the number of participants in the undergraduate research program from 100 to 200 participants and increasing opportunities for internship experiences
•by establishing a pilot cornerstone course to introduce freshmen to the intellectual, social and spiritual life of Boston College, with a view to potential expansion to the entire freshman class
•by strengthening undergraduate honors programs through increasing the number of full-time honors program faculty
•by providing more effective career, core curriculum, and major advisement
•by systematically surveying student attitudes and opinions to provide a basis for continuous improvement of services and programs we will significantly improve student life extracurricular, residential and recreational facilities
•by constructing a $27 million student center and centralized computing service center as a focal point for extracurricular life on the Middle Campus
•by converting Murray House to a graduate student center and appointing an associate dean for graduate student life
•by renovating Upper Campus and Newton Campus residences ($20 million)
•by providing modern recreational and fitness facilities for students, faculty and staff in a $63 million sports center we will reaffirm our commitment to student formation
•by establishing a Council on Student Formation to design and implement programs to promote faculty and staff involvement in student formation
•by establishing five Christian Life communities each year for the next five years
•by increasing significantly the number of undergraduate and graduate students participating in retreat programs
•by initiating pilot programs to increase adult presence in student residences we will establish a Center for International Studies
•to integrate existing international programs and activities
•to provide the framework for ongoing development of Boston College as an international university
•to expand international opportunities to include 50% of our undergraduates
We seek to advance all aspects of our mission and heritage: to attract students more talented and accomplished, to support a faculty increasingly expert in both teaching and scholarship, to offer programs recognized for their excellence, to provide facilities and academic resources among the best in higher education, to produce graduates challenged intellectually and spiritually to use their education and talents in the service of others.
The saga of Boston College over the past 25 years has been remarkable; we stand on that firm ground, grateful for the hard work that has brought us to this point. But we look ahead committed to the proposition that our rich legacy is more a challenge than a gift, a clear call to excel.
We undertake the ambitious plan outlined above confident in the worth of our mission. In the end, we are convinced that our success will be in the same measure as our generosity, our imagination and our determination to advance our legacy.