Strategic Directions
Pursuing the Magis Together
The Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
Strategic Directions
As STM enters its second decade, the School intends to strengthen its partnerships with other departments, institutes, and centers at Boston College—as well as other Jesuit institutions world-wide. We imagine that the diversity of the faculty, staff, and student body at STM will reflect even more the diversity of the Church. And we will continue to focus on creating a welcoming and inclusive community where our students are formed to serve a multicultural Church.
Building on foundations already in place, STM will focus on four strategic directions:
I. Continue efforts to establish Boston College School of Theology and Ministry as a premier Catholic institution for theological scholarship and for intellectual and pastoral formation of priests, religious, and lay women and men.
As a professional school within a national and increasingly international university, STM is committed to serving the Church’s intellectual apostolate. Research and scholarship that bring the Catholic intellectual tradition to bear on contemporary issues remain central to the School’s mission. An essential aspect of STM’s theological heritage is training clergy and laity for learned ministry in the Church. Outstanding scholarship goes hand in hand with excellent pedagogy, and the School will continue to offer rigorous courses for student learning in the areas of Scripture, systematic and moral theology, Church history, religious education, and pastoral practice.
Initiatives:
- Support school-wide initiatives that increase and bring together faculty and student scholarship.
- Hire new faculty with expertise in areas relevant to the good of the contemporary Church, skills in teaching, and aptitude for student formation.
- Continue to provide faculty development opportunities for effective pedagogy and use of technology in the classroom.
- Increase online presence, ensuring the academic rigor of online courses.
II. Advance STM’s commitment to theological and ministerial excellence and to leadership in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition through integrative spiritual and human formation.
In concert with Boston College’s Strategic Direction to “Enhance the University’s commitment to formation among students, faculty, and staff to further Boston College’s mission and strengthen its institutional culture,” STM will draw deeply from the Ignatian charism to provide school-wide formation. In addition to exceptional theological and pastoral education, the preparation of future ministers requires effective integration of human and spiritual formation with their academic programs, as well as leadership skills.
Initiatives:
- Strengthen school-wide formation in multicultural competency, engagement, and encounter.
- Develop the Magis Formation Program to introduce students to central themes and practices of Ignatian spirituality.
- Focus more explicitly on leadership development for future ministers.
- Explore models for possible development of living-learning communities for lay students.
III. Leverage current faculty resources, interests, and strengths to develop programming in Christian and Jesuit/Ignatian Spirituality.
The best of Catholic formative, theological education appreciates the importance of translating theological truths into living practices of faith—in short, into spirituality. Christian spirituality, properly understood, is rooted in the tradition of the Church and the community of faith. Future ministers need to be equipped to help people in the formation and growth of their relationships with God, self, others, and the world. STM is well-positioned to offer programs in Christian and, more specifically, in Jesuit/Ignatian Spirituality. Such programs will contribute to the academic field of Spirituality Studies, to the formation of future ministers, and to continuing education.
Initiatives:
- Develop specialization offerings in Spirituality Studies for advanced-level degrees (Th.M., S.T.L., S.T.D., Ph.D.) and free-standing certificates in Spirituality Studies.
- Engage with other BC schools, departments, centers, and institutes to develop spiritual resources for the wider University community, for the professions, and for practitioners in the field.
- Expand on-campus and online continuing education offerings in spirituality.
IV. Engage and encounter individuals and communities around us to address targeted crucial social issues, both locally and globally.
The study and appropriation of theology inspires response to needs in society and the world. In this spirit, STM will align with the Boston College Strategic Direction to “Increase the University’s presence and impact in the City of Boston, the United States, and around the globe.” The School seeks to respond strategically to pressing social concerns, such as the displacement of peoples—both locally and in strategically selected domestic and international places.
Initiatives:
- Develop relationships and collaborations with select international Jesuit institutions.
- Find resources for building and strengthening STM’s Latino/a outreach.
- Discern and choose crucial social issues for school-wide theological reflection and action.
- Expand STM’s non-credit online outreach to allow the School to serve individuals who minister in under-resourced areas across the nation and around the globe.