Center on Wealth and Philanthropy (formerly Social Welfare Research Institute)

Directed by Paul Schervish, The Center on Wealth and Philanthropy (CWP) is a multidisciplinary research center specializing in the study of spirituality, wealth, philanthropy, and other aspects of cultural life in an age of affluence. Founded in 1970, CWP is a recognized authority on the relation between economic wherewithal and philanthropy, the motivations for charitable involvement, and the underlying meaning and practice of care. [More...]

National Association of Women in Catholic Higher Education (NAWCHE)

The National Association for Women in Catholic Higher Education was founded in 1992 and is currently under the direction of Sharlene Hesse-Biber. NAWCHE is an organization made up of faculty, administrators, staff and students from Catholic colleges and universities around the country. The spirit of the association is one of sisterhood and solidarity. Its objectives are to facilitate support of one another as women, to create, organize, and disseminate work for justice for women in the academy, and to provide a forum for members to speak our on issues relevant to women in the academy, especially those issues unique to Catholic institutions. These objectives are fostered in part by sharing research on women's lives, by encouraging the development of women's studies programs, and by actively supporting the enhancement of the quality of professional life for women at Catholic colleges and universities. [More...]

Media Research and Action Project (MRAP)

Directed by William Gamson and Charlotte Ryan, MRAP's mission is to strengthen communication for social change. MRAP undertakes a network or related activities designed to help grassroots and social change organizations with their media and public education strategies, further the practice of public (or civic) jounalism, and further our understanding of the interaction between the mass media system and social movements in the U.S. and other countries. The central coordinating mechanism of MRAP is an ongoing, weekly, non-credit seminar in which Boston College graduate students in Sociology are welcome to participate. MRAP works with under-represented and misrepresented communities to identify and challenge barriers to democratic communication, to develop proactive messages and strategies, and to build ongoing communication capacity. [More...]

Center for Retirement Research

The focus of the Center for Retirement Research (CRR) is on the analysis of large quantitative datasets, but some of the research is also qualitative. Although research is mainly in the economic realm, there is a very real desire for this center to be interdisciplinary. Thus an effort will be made to support graduate students in social work, sociology, psychology, and political science as well as economics and finance. The center's director is Alicia Munnell of the Carroll School of Management, and John Williamson of the Sociology Department is a member of the center's research team. [More...]

Global Justice Project

The Global Justice Project was formed in the Spring of 1999. It is an ever expanding collaboration between community members, labor and social justice activists, Boston College professors, and both undergraduate and graduate students working to educate and encourage activism towards global social and economic justice. Our goal is to promote a dialogue at Boston College and in the community at large that will lead to organized social action towards the development of a new global policy -- one that will advance justice in the global economy. We feel privileged to work at Boston College where a Jesuit commitment to social justice provides an ideal institutional environment for our work. [More...]

Leadership for Change

Leadership for Change is a year-long, twelve-credit certificate program designed to promote socially responsible business practice. In our rapidly changing, results-driven environment, leaders need to be accountable to many different stakeholders for the impact of their actions. Leaders are individuals who find opportunity in the face of challenge, and productivity in conflict and tension. Leaders guide and facilitate change, seek out allies, tap into forces for action, and work reatively for the benefit of all. A leader's challenge is to balance the impact of decisions and actions on themselves, their organizations, and society. [More...]