BC Chronology
| 1857 | Father John McElroy, S.J., purchased property in the South End of Boston for a new college. |
| 1863 | Gov. John A. Andrews signed the charter of Boston College, April 1. First meeting of the Boston College trustees was held on July 6. |
| 1864 | Boston College opened on September 5, with Father John Bapst, S.J., as president and Father Robert Fulton, S.J., as dean. Twenty-two students were admitted. |
| 1877 | Commencement was held. Nine students received First A.B. degrees, June 28. |
| 1883 | The Stylus, the College literary magazine, founded. |
| 1907 | Father Thomas Gasson, S.J., named president; purchased 31-acre Lawrence farm in Chestnut Hill for new campus. |
| 1913 | Gasson Hall completed. First graduation held at the Heights, June 18. Four classes enrolled in Gasson in September. |
| 1918 | Conscription and voluntary enlistment for World War I reduced the College enrollment to 125 in October, down from 671 two years earlier. |
| 1919 | Boston College won its first major football victory, 5-3, over favored Yale at New Haven. First issue of The Heights, student weekly, printed November 17. |
| 1923 | Baseball team beat Holy Cross 4-1 before 30,000 at Braves Field, June 18. |
| 1924 | Summer School started. |
| 1925 | Graduate School of Arts and Sciences started. |
| 1928 | Bapst Library opened, the fourth of the early Maginnis and Walsh buildings. Weston Observatory, the seismological station, founded. |
| 1929 | Law School opened at 11 Beacon Street. Boston Evening College started as "Boston College Intown" at 126 Newbury Street, Boston. |
| 1935 | Greek requirement for the A.B. degree dropped. |
| 1936 | Graduate School of Social Work opened at Newbury Street. |
| 1938 | School of Management opened at Newbury Street as the "College of Business Administration. |
| 1940 | Cotton Bowl vs. Clemson (3-6) first bowl game. |
| 1941 | Cardinal O'Connell purchased the Liggett estate, the upper campus, and gave it to the College. |
| 1946 | To accommodate post-war enrollment, army surplus barracks became dormitories on the site of present Campion Hall; a larger office/classroom building was erected on the site of McGuinn, and a recreation building on the site of Cushing Hall. |
| 1947 | Construction began on the first permanent building since the completion of Bapst in 1928, to house the College of Business Administration (occupied in September 1948). The School of Nursing opened at 126 Newbury Street. |
| 1949 | College acquired small reservoir (lower campus). Hockey team won national title at Colorado Springs. |
| 1951 | Lyons Hall was completed in July. |
| 1952 | The School of Education opened in September in Gasson Hall. Doctoral programs were begun in Economics, Education, and History, the beginning of increased emphasis on graduate education. |
| 1954 | Law School moved to St. Thomas More Hall on the Chestnut Hill campus. |
| 1955 | Claver, Loyola, and Xavier Halls opened, first campus residences constructed by BC. The School of Education moved into Campion Hall. |
| 1957 | Graduate School of Management founded. Alumni Stadium dedicated September 21. |
| 1958 | Latin no longer required for the A.B. degree. The College of Arts and Sciences Honors Program and the Scholar of the College Program were begun. The original gymnasium, Roberts Center, and the first hockey rink, McHugh Forum, were opened. |
| 1959 | The Board of Regents, advisory to the trustees and administration, was established. |
| 1960 | The Nursing School occupied its campus building, Cushing Hall. Three more student residences, named for the early bishops of Boston, Cheverus, Fenwick, and Fitzpatrick, were completed. |
| 1961 | McElroy Commons opened. |
| 1963 | The Boston College Centennial Convocation was addressed by President John F. Kennedy on April 20. The Self-Study of the College of Arts and Sciences led to a new core curriculum, a reduction in the course load, election of department chairmen, the establishment of Educational Policy committees, and sabbaticals. |
| 1964 | Carney Hall opened. Welch, Williams, and Roncalli residences were occupied. |
| 1966 | Higgins Hall was dedicated in November. |
| 1968 | The Board of Regents joined the Jesuit trustees to form the Board of Directors, October 8. The Black Talent Program was started, precursor to AHANA Student Programs. |
| 1970 | Women admitted for degrees in all undergraduate colleges. The modular residences were placed on the lower campus. PULSE, an academic/social action program, was started. The Campus School for multi- handicapped children was begun. |
| 1971 | The offices of President of Boston College and Rector of the Boston College Jesuit Community were separated on January 1. Installation of Omicron Chapter, Phi Beta Kappa took place on April 6. |
| 1972 | Father J. Donald Monan, S.J., succeeded Father W. Seavey Joyce, S.J., as president, September 5. The trustees voted to eliminate the Board of Directors and to expand the Board of Trustees to include laymen, November 19. The newly structured Board of Trustees, with 35 members (13 Jesuits), elected Cornelius Owens '36 chairman. The Women's Center was established. |
| 1973 | The Long-Range Fiscal Planning Committee presented to the Trustees a plan for balanced budgets for the succeeding five years. |
| 1974 | Newton College of the Sacred Heart became part of Boston College (announced March 11). |
| 1975 | The Law School moved to the Newton Campus. Edmond's Hall was occupied in September. |
| 1976 | The New Heights Advancement Campaign to raise $21 million was begun in April. Over the next five years, more than $25 million was raised. |
| 1979 | One thousand friends of Speaker of the House Thomas P. O'Neill, '36, gathered in Washington to establish the O'Neill Chair in American Politics, December 9. The Graduate School of Social Work established a doctoral degree program. The Recreation Complex was named for Athletic Director William J. Flynn. |
| 1980 | The Jesuit community endowed the Thomas I. Gasson, S.J., Chair for distinguished Jesuit scholars. |
| 1982 | Walsh Hall residence dedicated to former president Michael P. Walsh, S.J., October 7. |
| 1984 | O'Neill Library dedicated to Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill, October 14. Doug Flutie awarded Heisman Trophy. |
| 1985 | The E. Paul Robsham, Jr. Theater Arts Center was dedicated on October 25. |
| 1986 | Dedication of renovated Bapst Library, dedication of Burns Library, April 22. Goals for Nineties (planning document) published. Alumni Association moved to Alumni House on the Newton Campus. St. Patrick's Day dinner took place in Washington honoring Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill. Speakers included President Ronald Reagan, former President Gerald Ford, and Bob Hope. Two million dollars were raised for BC scholarships. Five-year $125 million Campaign for Boston College started. The dismantling of McHugh Forum was begun to make way for Conte Forum. |
| 1987 | The Graduate School of Management's doctoral program in finance was approved by the Trustees. The Jesuit Institute, funded by a $1.5 million gift from the Jesuit community, with a matching University commitment, was established to support exploration into the religious and ethical questions that emerge through the intersection of faith and culture. |
| 1988 | The first students enrolled in the new Nursing Ph.D. program. The Music Program became a department of the College of Arts and Sciences. Vouté Hall and its companion student residence were occupied. The Museum of Art was opened in Devlin Hall. |
| 1989 | Congressman Silvio O. Conte, '49, was present for the dedication of Conte Forum. The School of Management became the Carroll School of Management in honor of Wallace E. Carroll, '28. Sister Thea Bowman was awarded an honorary degree and AHANA House was named for her in October. Roberts Center was razed to make room for the Merkert Chemistry Center. |
| 1991 | Wing added to Campion Hall, with major renovation of the original building. |
| 1992 | The Eugene F. Merkert Chemistry Center dedicated. The Campaign for Boston College completed, exceeding the $125 million goal by over $11 million. |
| 1993 | Renovated Devlin Hall welcomed occupants: the Department of Geology and Geophysics, the Department of Fine Arts, the Art Museum, and the Admission Office. The football team beat Notre Dame at South Bend, 41–39, when Notre Dame was ranked No. 1 in the country. Renovation of Fulton Hall was begun. The Theater Department was established. |
| 1994 | Graduate programs in Nursing and Education separated from the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Father Monan established a University Academic Planning Council to map university strategies. A garage for 900 cars was completed behind St. Mary's Hall. The stadium seating capacity was enlarged from 32,000 to 44,500. |
| 1995 | On October 6, 1995, the trustees elected Father William P. Leahy, S.J., to succeed Father J. Donald Monan, S.J., as president. Fulton Hall reopened, enlarged and transformed exteriorly to match the Gothic style of the early buildings. |
| 1996 | The Law School's new library was completed and opened on the Newton campus in January. U.S. News & World Report ranked Boston College 16th among the nation's teaching universities and 37th in the national university category. The student residence at 70 St. Thomas More Road was named Thomas A. and Margaret A. Vanderslice Hall; the nearby residence building at number 80 was named Gabelli Hall; the Art Museum became the Charles S. and Isabella V. McMullen Museum of Art. On July 31, Father Monan's 24-year presidency ended, and on October 18, Father William P. Leahy, S.J., was inaugurated as the 25th president of Boston College. |
| 1997 | In a rating of graduate schools, U.S. News & World Report placed Boston College Law School 22nd in its field, while the Graduate School of Social Work was ranked 14th, the School of Nursing 27th, and the School of Education 28th. In March, Father Leahy was homilist at the annual St. Patrick's Day Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. |
| 1998 | The formal opening of the Irish Institute and the Irish Studies Program was held at Connolly House. Work began on a three-year project to renovate and expand Higgins Hall, which houses the Biology and Physics departments. U.S. News & World Report rated the BC schools of law, education, and nursing among the top 25 in their fields. BC undergraduates won more than 20 prestigious national fellowships, including a dozen Fulbrights and a coveted Marshall Scholarship. |
| 1999 | BC's School of Education was named the Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch School of Education in recognition of the couple's gift of more than $10 million. For the fifth consecutive year, BC was ranked among the top 40 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. The McMullen Museum of Art's exhibition Saints and Sinners: Caravaggio and the Baroque Image attracted more than 65,000 visitors to the campus. BC announced a $400 million "Ever to Excel" capital campaign. |
| 2000 | The annual U.S. News & World Report survey ranked Boston College 38th among the nation's 228 national universities. BC, Notre Dame, and Georgetown were the only Catholic universities in the top 40. Geoffrey and Rene Boisi committed $5 million to establish the Center for Religion and American Public Life, directed by social scientist Alan Wolfe. BC appointed Sheila Blair and Jonathan Bloom to share the Norma Jean Calderwood Chair in Islamic and Asian Art. |
| 2001 | The BC School of Nursing was renamed the William F. Connell School of Nursing in honor of longtime trustee, William F. Connell, '59. A $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment supported a BC program to encourage students to integrate faith and career. BC established a permanent Dublin home, on St. Stephens Green, as a resource for the University's Irish Studies Program. |
| 2002 | Boston College received a record number of undergraduate applications for the 2002-2003 academic year, with more than 21,000 applicants for the approximately 2,200 available seats. In the April issue of U.S. News & World Report, the Carroll Graduate School was ranked 39th in the nation. The former Evening College was renamed the Woods College of Advancing Studies in honor of longtime dean Rev. James A. Woods, S.J.; President William P. Leahy, S.J., announced that Boston College would launch an initiative called "The Church in the 21st Century". |
| 2003 | The Boston College "Church in the 21st Century" initiative attracted national attention with its conferences and seminars. BC's "Ever to Excel" fundraising drive surpassed its original $400 million goal by generating more than $440 million in gifts and pledges. BC announced it would withdraw from the Big East and accept an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. |
| 2004 | In June 2004, Boston College acquired 43 acres of land and five buildings in the nearby Brighton area from the Archdiocese of Boston. BC also purchased St. Stephen's Priory in Dover from the Dominican Friars, to be used as a retreat and conference center. President William P. Leahy, S.J., took the "Church in the 21st Century" program to Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, Naples, and Chicago, so that alumni could discuss issues confronting the Catholic Church. |
| 2005 | BC's "Church in the 21st Century" initiative was transformed into a permanent Center. The Yawkey Athletics Center, a 72,000-square-foot addition to Alumni Stadium, opened in the spring of 2005. BC accepted 130 students from Loyola and Tulane universities until their schools in New Orleans recovered from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. |
| 2006 | A partnership between Boston College, the Archdiocese of Boston, and St. Columbkille Parish will allow the parish school to continue offering a pre-kindergarten through 8th grade Catholic education for children in the Allston-Brighton community. The Carroll School of Management established the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics to examine issues of ethical leadership. Boston College launched a minor concentration in Jewish Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences. During 2006, Boston College set new records for the number of research grants and dollars won by faculty and staff, with a total of 358 awards, amounting to a total of $44.4 million. |
| 2007 | In 2007, a school-record number of twenty Boston College students were awarded Fulbright Scholarships, including 18 undergraduates. In August, Boston College signed an agreement with the Archdiocese of Boston for the purchase of an additional 18 acres of land, and several administrative and academic buildings, on the Brighton campus. The international student body of Boston College has nearly tripled during the past 20 years, climbing from 360 in the 1986-87 academic year to 767 in the current academic year. On December 5, 2007, BC unveiled its 10-year, $1.6 billion expansion plan, including the addition of 100 faculty members, a recreation complex, a fine arts district, and new athletic facilities. |
| 2008 | A record 30,845 individuals applied for admission to the Class of 2012, the highest figure in the history of the University. Tuition for 2008-09 was set at $37,410. The College of Arts & Sciences approved an interdisciplinary major in Islamic civilization and societies for the fall of 2008. The Lynch School of Education received foundation grants totaling $9.2 million to expand its successful "Boston Connects" in the public elementary schools in Boston. In the fall of 2008, BC's new School of Theology and Ministry opened its doors on the Brighton campus. In June 2008 the Weston School of Theology re-affiliated with BC, and joined the Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry and C21 Online to form the new Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. |
| 2009 | On June 18, 2009, the City of Boston approved BC's plans for the Lower and Brighton campuses proposing the construction of a student center, a fine arts district, a recreation center, playing fields for intramural sports, and sufficient residence halls to meet 100 percent of demands for undergraduate housing. Crucifixes and medallions were hung on walls in 50 classrooms, completing an eight-year project placing Christian artwork in all 121 lecture halls at Boston College. On November 11, 2009, BC dedicated a Veterans' Memorial on the Burns Library lawn. The 68-foot long granite wall is inscribed with the names of the 205 alumni of Boston College who died in the service of their country. |
| 2010 | Boston College announced plans for a Sesquicentennial Celebration to be held from May 2012 through the fall of 2013 in recognition of the University's 150th anniversary. Planning has begun on construction of Stokes Hall, a humanities center along the southwest corner of the middle campus. On April 10, the BC Eagles defeated Wisconsin to win the 2010 NCAA men's hockey championship. The Geology and Geophysics Department has been renamed the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences to reflect environmental interest at Boston College. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings has placed Boston College at 161 among the top 200 universities in the world. |
Father Thomas I. Gasson, SJ, 13th President of Boston College.
Groundbreaking for Carney Hall.