Boston College Centers and Institutes
serving the bc community and the world beyond
Boston College Centers and Institutes make significant contributions in scientific research, the exploration of the relationship between religion and society, and improved practice in education, philanthropy, and corporate conduct.
We invite you to explore these highly valued BC organizations through descriptions of their missions, their relationships to the mission of Boston College, and their individual web sites.
To proceed, please click on an individual Center or Institute.
For a complete list of Boston College Centers and Institutes, please go to http://www.bc.edu/centers
Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life
Boston College Business Institute
Center for Child, Family, and Community Partnerships
Center for Christian-Jewish Learning
Center for Corporate Citizenship
Center for Human Rights and International Justice
Center for Ignatian Spirituality
Center for International Higher Education
Center for Nursing Research
Center for Retirement Research
Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy
Center for Work & Family
Center on Wealth and Philanthropy
The Church in the 21st Century Center
The Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy
Institute on Aging
Institute of Medieval Philosophy and Theology
Institute for Scientific Research
Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture
Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry
Irish Institute
Jesuit Institute
The Lonergan Institute
Mathematics Institute
National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services
Sloan Center on Aging & Work
Small Business Development Center
TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center
Weston Observatory
Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life
Mission Statement
To study and promote conversation on the intersection of religion and American public life.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Courses focus on relationship of religion to civil society, politics, and international relations. - Social Justice:
Courses and events focus on issues related to normative conceptions of a just society and the common good. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Regularly host Catholic speakers or address issues of concern to the Catholic community.
Boston College Business Institute
Mission Statement
To successfully bring products from concept to fruition with the result being the founding of operating companies. Additionally, we aim to provide consulting services to existing profit and non-profit businesses and organizations. BCBI also has a concurrent objective to provide graduate business students with a rich educational environment in which to learn and prosper.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Core and elective courses and various publications. - Social Justice:
Through the offering of an elective course in Social Entrepreneurship, and by consulting to socially involved entities. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
The purpose of the Institute is service to others.
Center for Child, Family, and Community Partnerships
Mission Statement
To link the intellectual resources of the University with the lived experience of the community in order to enhance the lives of children and families living in poverty.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
CCFCP engages in research and publication and develops courses related to inter-professional collaboration in community partnerships. - Social Justice:
CCFCP addresses issues related to children and families living in poverty. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
CCFCP strives to make the "betterment of the human condition" the end or goal of knowledge.
Center for Christian-Jewish Learning
Mission Statement
To develop and implement in multifaceted ways new relationships between Christians and Jews that are based not merely on toleration but on full respect and mutual enrichment.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Offers courses and sponsors research and dialogue on unprecedented questions about the Christian and Jewish relationship. - Social Justice:
To replace the stereotypes and caricatures of past centuries of hostility with accurate knowledge and sincere respect. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
The work of our Center flows directly from the mandates of the Second Vatican Council and from the University's recognition that "the contribution of different religious traditions and value systems" are essential to the fullness of intellectual life and to the goal of "living justly together."
Center for Corporate Citizenship
Mission Statement
To help business leverage its social, economic and human assets to ensure both its success and a more just and sustainable world.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
The Center conducts research in the fields of corporate citizenship, corporate social responsibility and community involvement. We seek to establish the leading applied frameworks, management tools, analysis, and trend information on the practice and performance of corporate citizenship. We produce research designed to enhance the capacity of corporations to achieve excellence in Corporate Citizenship performance. Our research is intended to help companies understand how to progress to more advanced stages of corporate citizenship performance and how to succeed as corporate citizens. - Social Justice:
The purpose of our work is to enable corporations and business to operate in a manner that supports and creates social justice -- for their employees, their customers, and the environments in which they operate. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
The Center for Corporate Citizenship work is intended to make it possible for the ethical values of the Jesuit tradition to be realized in the business world, both in the United States and globally.
Center for Human Rights and International Justice
Mission Statement
To address the increasingly interdisciplinary needs of human rights work through interdisciplinary training programs, applied research, and the interaction of scholars with practitioners.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Center conducts a yearlong graduate interdisciplinary seminar on human rights and international justice and offers a graduate Certificate Program in Human Rights and International Justice. - Social Justice:
A constant theme of the Center, as through the Center’s projects and events. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
The Center frequently collaborates with other Jesuit and Catholic institutions and organizations worldwide.
Center for Ignatian Spirituality
Mission Statement
To communicate the vision and history of the Ignatian Jesuit tradition.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Faculty seminars and undergraduate courses. - Social Justice:
Constant theme of CIS. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Center for Ignatian Spirituality at BC says it all.
Center for International Higher Education
Mission Statement
To bring an international consciousness to analyses of higher education to enlighten policy and practice.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Resource base for international higher education. - Social Justice:
Project to improve higher education in Africa. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
We have specialized links to Jesuit universities worldwide.
Mission Statement
To strengthen research productivity of faculty, increase intra- and inter-disciplinary research and scholarship, communicate research findings, and facilitate research utilization.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Fosters rigorous intellectual development via research. - Social Justice:
Indirectly through helping faculty and students in their research. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Treat all with dignity and respect and have an attitude of service to BC and surrounding health care community.
Center for Retirement Research
Mission Statement
To conduct research on retirement income policy issues, disseminate results widely, train scholars, and broaden access to valuable data sources.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
With respect to teaching, CRR hires and trains numerous undergraduate and graduate students to assist with research and dissemination efforts. It provides these students with mentoring and helps them generate topics for, and serves as advisors on, theses. With respect to research, CRR conducts research directly and funds and administers an extensive interdisciplinary research agenda involving approximately 40 individuals at numerous institutions. - Social Justice:
The Center's research focus is on how the nation should best ensure income security for lower-income Americans. Specific issues include the extent to which continued work is an option for supplementing incomes for these individuals, how to improve private pension coverage, and the implications of Social Security reform. CRR pursues a broad program of dissemination that is targeted at educating national policymakers, business leaders, and the public. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Not applicable to this center.
Center for the Study of Testing, Evaluation, and Educational Policy
Mission Statement
To support the conduct of educational research.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Not applicable to this center. - Social Justice:
Equitable test use for disadvantaged pupils. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Work with the Jesuit Secondary Education Association and the National Catholic Education Association on assessment issues.
Mission Statement
To enhance the quality of the workforce by providing leadership for the integration of work and life.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
The Center is committed to bridging the academic world with the corporate world by conducting research and producing publications that are best used by corporate audiences. - Social Justice:
By advancing the notion that organizations must help their employees value and balance both their work and personal lives, CWF believes that it will help create healthier families, better organizations, and stronger communities. Center studies look at the diverse workforce and aim to remedy injustices by helping employers to develop programs and policies that create positive work environments for all employees. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Not applicable to this center.
Center on Wealth and Philanthropy
Mission Statement
To discover, communicate, and apply primary qualitative and quantitative multidisciplinary research on spiritual life in an age of affluence, with a special focus on the biographical meaning and practice of wealth, financial security, fundraising, the intergenerational transfer of wealth, planned giving, donor advisement, and the Ignatian model of discernment.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
The Center contributes to the training and education of undergraduate and graduate students by involving them in cutting-edge research. CWP is the nation's leading research center on wealth and philanthropy, and a recognized authority on the meaning and practice of care, on patterns and trends in individual charitable giving, on philanthropy by high-net-worth individuals, on the forthcoming $41 trillion wealth transfer, the spirituality of wealth, and on successful fundraising strategies. - Social Justice:
CWP research seeks to advance understanding of philanthropy and increase both quality and quantity of individual charitable giving which profoundly shapes the cultural, moral, and spiritual horizons of society. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
CWP's research methods and theoretical concepts are informed by the Jesuit spiritual and intellectual tradition for example, a spirituality of wealth and giving, a discernment method of fundraising and financial planning, and conceiving of philanthropy as part of a larger fabric of love and care.
The Church in the 21st Century Center
Mission Statement
To be a catalyst and resource for the renewal of the Catholic Church in the United States.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Sponsors each semester a series of lectures, panels, and conferences on a theme related to the life and health of the Catholic Church, available by webcast; publishes the C21 book series; publishes C21 Resources twice yearly.
- Social Justice:
Sponsored events and publications often focus on themes of Catholic social justice teaching
- Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Focuses on the health of the Catholic community, bringing to bear the resources of Boston College and the Ignatian tradition
The Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy
Mission Statement
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
- Social Justice:
- Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Mission Statement
To foster education and research regarding spiritual, physical, social, financial and emotional dimensions of well-being of older adults and their families. A distinguishing characteristic of the Boston College Institute on Aging is its holistic approach to the challenges and opportunities of aging in the 21st Century.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
The IOA bolsters teaching by creating a coherent curriculum in aging studies. In particular, the IOA spawns a new undergraduate minor in aging studies. The IOA assists student formation that enables Boston College undergraduate and graduate students to better address the challenges and exploit the opportunities presented by increased longevity and population aging.
The IOA also enriches the aging research efforts by bringing together scholars with different backgrounds and expertise to explore more complex questions. This convening function enables the existing centers to better collaborate on new ventures as well as expand opportunities for researchers not currently aligned with one of the existing aging research centers. - Social Justice:
A distinguishing characteristic of the IOA is its holistic approach to the challenges and opportunities of aging in the 21st Century. The IOA fosters interdisciplinary education, research and knowledge dissemination regarding spiritual, physical, social, financial and emotional dimensions of well-being of older adults and their families. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Through its Research, Training, Community Involvement and Fundraising activities, the IOA enables Boston College to properly address the challenges and issues presented by individual and societal aging.
Institute of Medieval Philosophy and Theology
Mission Statement
To conduct a research and teaching program on medieval philosophy and theology.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Both the Philosophy and Theology faculty who are associated with the Institute enjoy a reputation for quality publications in the medieval field. A large number of our students have published books and articles in the field. - Social Justice:
Invited speakers often deal with current issues of political philosophy and social ethics. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
The very character of the Catholic University--what it is and what it ought to be--dates to the 13th Century, a period of intense study of the Institute. The Jesuit contributions to philosophy and theology date to the late medieval period and are a central focus of the Institute's scholarly research.
Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry
Mission Statement
To promote an atmosphere of mutuality and collaboration among its students, faculty and administration and seeks to:
- educate students for academic and professional competence in religious education and pastoral ministry,
- provide resources for the continuing education of ministers, and
- foster spiritual formation and the opportunities and abilities for human interaction, theological reflection and personal transformation that are needed by leaders in today's church.
Relationship to Boston College Mission
- Teaching/research:
IREPM offers graduate programs in Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry, including master’s degree programs, certificate programs, a doctorate in Theology and Education, as well as Continuing Education workshops and events.
- Social Justice:
Social Justice is an essential part of all of IREPM’s programs. IREPM offers a Social Justice concentration within its master’s degree in Pastoral Ministry, coordinates an Immersion Trip to Jamaica and, through its Faith and Justice Committee, promotes critical fidelity to the church’s rich history of Catholic Social Teaching in a faith that does justice as a foundation to its teaching, service, prayer and ministry.
- Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
When the Jesuits founded Boston College in 1863, they made a commitment to educational excellence, social justice and the preparation of lay people for service to others. The tradition they established continues to this day and is exemplified at the IREPM in the theological education, spiritual formation and pastoral preparation that it offers people for vocations in ministry.
Institute for Scientific Research
Mission Statement
- To conduct ethical and innovative research in both experimental and theoretical aspects of space physics and the solar-terrestrial environment
- To seek sponsored funding for basic and applied research with thoughtful and well-defined proposals
- To provide high-quality and timely publications of our research results
- To act in accordance with contract and grant regulations
- To maintain timely reports and budgetary control of sponsored funds
- To encourage interested and qualified students to become involved in our research projects
- To contribute to the education of future scientists around the world
- To challenge our staff by promoting ground-breaking ideas
- To take an active role in the Boston College Research Council
- To represent Boston College as a world leader in scientific research
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
ISR research covers a wide range of space physics and the solar-terrestrial environment with studies covering the Sun, the interplanetary medium and the near-earth environment. Research results are presented in colloquia and seminars on campus and in national and international conferences. ISR research also results in numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals. In addition, ISR has recently initiated training workshops in using the Global Positioning System for scientific exploration.
- Social Justice:
In partnership with the International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, ISR has begun a series of workshops for the use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) in Africa. GNSS systems can be utilized to reduce poverty, improve food supply, provide emergency location systems, track migratory patterns of animals and in scientific exploration of space.
- Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
The Jesuit order has long traditions of excellence in education, scientific research and social outreach. This Institute continues these traditions by contributing to the education of young scientists, by fostering integrity in scientific research and by promoting research results to improve the human condition worldwide.
Institute for the Study and Promotion of Race and Culture
Mission Statement
To study, develop, and disseminate interventions with a racial or cultural focus.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
We conduct conferences with teaching as a focus and sponsor speakers. Also, conduct research and disseminate measures, consult on research projects, etc. - Social Justice:
Interventions and research have promotion of welfare of ALANA populations as a core theme. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Not applicable to this institute.
Mission Statement
To support peace and normalization processes globally and specifically for the people of Ireland/Northern Ireland.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Faculty interaction with political, social, and business leaders allows for practical implementation of theory to enhance the lives of people and societies. - Social Justice:
Promotes peace, pluralism, secularism, and normalization of societies with histories of ethnic, religious, or other conflicts. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Catholicism and the Jesuit ethos desire peace and call for all people to live together in just, non-violent societies. The Institute contributes to this around the world through its mission.
Mission Statement
To foster the Jesuit Catholic character of BC precisely as a University by encouraging research and intellectual dialogue at the intersections of faith and culture.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
We encourage research on the intersections of faith and culture by way of interdisciplinary faculty seminars, visiting fellows and scholars, and internal and external lectures. - Social Justice:
We pursue social justice through pursuit of its intellectual underpinnings; these activities include interdisciplinary seminars, presentations, and initiatives (e.g., Justice in Jesuit Universities at Santa Clara, Notre Dame, and Boston College). - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
By encouraging research and intellectual dialogue at the intersections of faith and culture we encourage "Faith that does justice."
Mission Statement
To explore and develop the multiple aspects and applications of the scholarly writings of Bernard Lonergan.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Developing graduate and undergraduate programs in Lonergan studies that advance the educational mission of the University. - Social Justice:
Special workshops held to address particular social and economic justice issues. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
The Lonergan Institute is involved in the joint effort with the Lonergan Research Institute of Toronto to publish the twenty-six volume Collected Works of B. Lonergan, on the nature of a Catholic, Jesuit institution.
Mission Statement
To assist in the national effort to improve content and instructional practice of mathematics at the pre-college level.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Focus is on enhancing content knowledge and mathematical background from an historical perspective; encourages participants to become leaders. - Social Justice:
Program development is centered on belief that all students can be motivated to value and learn mathematics. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Program development fosters cross-cultural contextual approaches to mathematics teaching and learning.
National Resource Center for Participant-Directed Services
Mission Statement
The Center seeks to improve the quality of supports and services for older adults and persons with disabilities through consumer direction and foster the development of inclusive communities that recognize and value the roles of all individuals.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
With respect to teaching, the Center hires and trains numerous graduate students to assist with research and dissemination efforts, provides these students with mentoring, helps generate topics/data and provides advisors for theses and dissertations.
With respect to research, the Center engages in basic and applied research, as well as the publication and dissemination of important reports, promising practices, and useful tools. The Center provides an on-line Clearinghouse of resources and information related to the field of home and community-based services. - Social Justice:
The Center for the Study of Home and Community Life strives to empower individuals and create stronger communities by:- Identifying, demonstrating and evaluating innovative and promising approaches for delivering supportive services to older adults and persons with disabilities;
- Synthesizing and sharing key insights and research findings with policy-makers and others; and
- Advocating systems changes that emphasize consumer direction, empowerment and inclusive communities.
- Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Through our research, teaching, and community service, the Center translates such Jesuit values as human dignity, autonomy and mutuality into action. Our Center not only develops new and promising practices, but also facilitates their implementation.
Mission Statement
To develop and disseminate employer-engaged, evidence-based practices that leverages today’s multi-generational workforce as a competitive advantage in the 21st century economy.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
In addition to our formal courses, the Center on Aging & Work’s faculty and staff encourage undergraduate and graduate student formation both through mentoring and through the engagement of students in paid positions, research projects and scholarly papers dedicated to the development and dissemination of new knowledge. The Center’s research facilitates and contributes to a dialogue among academics, policy-makers, employers and employees from the Business, Public and Non-Profit sectors, both nationally and globally. - Social Justice:
The demographic transformation of the 21st century means that several categories of employees may be at risk, including older and low-skilled workers. As part of our commitment to social justice, the Center on Aging & Work focuses on the impact of changes in the workplace that benefit all populations’ income security and quality of life. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
The Center on Aging & Work is committed to the advancement of human dignity, mutuality and intellectual dialogue through the application of knowledge to the pressing human problems of aging and work in the 21st century.
Small Business Development Center
Mission Statement
To counsel and train small business owners to overcome obstacles to growth so they can create jobs and economic opportunity for folks in our community.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
We are teaching those who seek our assistance to do for themselves the very things for which they needed our assistance. Basically, we are teaching management in a one-on-one format. - Social Justice:
A healthy, growing small business segment of our economy creates jobs. This allows the opportunity for a better life for many people, especially those long considered "disadvantaged." - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Not applicable to this center.
TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center
Mission Statement
TIMSS and PIRLS inform educational policy around the world by conducting high-quality comparative studies of trends in educational achievement in more than 50 countries and using the data collected through extensive background questionnaires to address concerns about the quantity, quality, and content of instruction.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
By producing nationally and internationally significant research that advances insight and understanding, thereby both enriching culture and addressing important social needs. - Social Justice:
To monitor the success of mathematics, science, and reading instruction and the context in which it occurs in each participating country; establish international benchmarks for achievement; determine the performance of racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and other social groups to ensure that concerns for equity are not neglected; identify key policy variables that allow countries to monitor their performance in an increasingly global community; and conduct training activities to build capacity within many countries for assessment and policy development. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Work collaboratively with researchers and government officials in many different countries to publish reports addressing educational research and policy issues and make the findings widely available to decision makers and the public in a timely manner.
Mission Statement
To provide a geophysical laboratory for the Dept. of Geology and Geophysics and to enhance and promote geoscience research and teaching.
Relationship to BC Mission
- Teaching/research:
Weston Observatory is recognized as a research-active institute by geoscientists both nationally and abroad. - Social Justice:
Weston Observatory promotes earthquake hazard mitigation efforts in New England. - Catholic/Jesuit Nature of Institution:
Weston Observatory is one of only two U.S. universities (the other being St. Louis U) that continues the long Jesuit tradition of earthquake monitoring and seismological research.