The Boston College Board of Trustees elects William P. Leahy, S.J., the 25th president of Boston College.

The Leahy presidency begins on July 31. He is inaugurated in October with a two-day ceremony that includes a Mass and a symposium on Catholic education.

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern attends the inauguration of BC's Irish Institute.

Boston College establishes the Center for Ignatian Spirituality, through a gift from its Jesuit community. 

A groundbreaking partnership is announced between BC and the Allston-Brighton community to establish an extended services program at the Thomas Gardner Elementary School.

Irish President Mary McAleese visits Boston College for the formal opening of Connolly House as the center of the University’s Irish-related programs.

BC is selected by the Social Security Administration to run one of two university-based retirement policy research centers in the nation.

The School of Education is named for Carolyn and Peter Lynch '65 following a major gift of more than $10 million.

BC's endowment tops $1 billion.

The University announces the establishment of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life through a gift from Geoffrey T. Boisi ‘69 and his wife Rene (Isacco) Boisi ‘69.

BC launches the $400M "Ever to Excel" campaign, its most ambitious fundraising effort to date.

BC hosts "The New Economy" conference, a gathering of leading financial regulators and tech moguls featuring a keynote by Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan.

Undergraduate applications for the Class of 2004 surpass 20,000.

The University establishes a permanent home at St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin as a resource for the Irish Studies Program and BC students studying in Ireland. It also establishes the Center for Irish Programs. 

Fr. Leahy and priests from the Jesuit Community celebrate Mass in New York City, paying tribute to the 22 Boston College alumni and three parents of then-current BC undergraduates killed in the September 11 attacks.

BC launches the “Intersections” program to promote vocational discernment.

Fr. Leahy establishes the Church in the 21st Century initiative to help renew and revitalize the Catholic Church in the wake of the clergy abuse crisis.

The College of Advancing Studies is named for James Woods, S.J., through a gift from BC parents Katharine B. and Robert M. Devlin.

The University announces a new strategic planning effort.

The Council for Women of Boston College is established to heighten alumnae involvement with the University.

BC dedicates the labyrinth on the lawn of Burns Library as a memorial place of prayer, peace, and consolation, in honor of alumni killed on September 11.

The Connell School of Nursing is named in honor of the late Trustee William F. Connell.

Boston College accepts an invitation to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Brett Huneycutt ’03 and Paul Taylor ’04 are the first BC students to be named Rhodes Scholars.

The Ever to Excel Campaign concludes, raising $441 million.

Two new University traditions are established: First Year Academic Convocation and its accompanying 'First Flight' procession for the new class.

Fr. Leahy takes the Church in the 21st Century program to Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, Naples, and Chicago for alumni discussions on issues confronting the Catholic Church. Later in the year, a permanent Church in the 21st Century Center is established in response to overwhelming public interest.

The University announces the purchase from the Archdiocese of Boston of 43 acres of land across Commonwealth Avenue that will become the Brighton Campus.

A gift from Trustee John M. "Jack" Connors '63 establishes the Connors Retreat and Conference Center in Dover.

Through an agreement between Fr. Leahy and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, BC welcomes students from Loyola and Tulane universities in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. 

BC launches a Jewish Studies program, among the first of its kind at an American Catholic university.

A gift from Robert L. '60 and Judith T. Winston establishes the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics.

A first-of-its-kind partnership is established between Boston College, the Archdiocese of Boston, and Saint Columbkille Parish to save Saint Columbkille School, the last Catholic K-8 school in Brighton. 

Provincials of the Society of Jesus authorize the reaffiliation of Weston Jesuit School of Theology with Boston College.

Manresa House opens as BC's first center for vocational discernment.

Boston College unveils a 10-year Strategic Plan that calls for the addition of 100 new faculty; new academic centers and institutes; and $300 million in new academic facilities.

The University purchases an additional 18 acres of land and several buildings from the Archdiocese of Boston, expanding the Brighton Campus to 65 acres.

The School of Theology and Ministry opens on the Brighton Campus.

Undergraduate applications top 30,000. 

Boston College establishes the Institute for the Liberal Arts to examine and advance liberal arts education.

The University kicks off the $1.5 billion "Light the World" campaign to fund the academic programs, financial aid commitments, student formation initiatives, and campus construction projects outlined in its Strategic Plan.

The Veterans Memorial Wall is unveiled on Burns Library lawn. 

Boston College is ranked 10th among the nation's research universities in producing student Fulbright Award winners, according to the Institute of International Education.

A $20 million commitment from Patrick ’51 and Barbara Roche establishes the Roche Center for Catholic Education within the Lynch School of Education.

A gift launches the Lynch Leadership Academy, a first-in-the-nation program to train public, Catholic, and charter school leaders.

Gasson Hall reopens following a multi-year renovation and restoration project.

The University dedicates Maloney Hall at 21 Campanella Way, named through a major gift from Nancy and T.J. Maloney ’75.

A gift from Patrick Cadigan '57 establishes the Cadigan Alumni Center.

Four faculty members win Sloan Fellowships, a rare accomplishment for a university without a medical or engineering school.

Boston College launches its Sesquicentennial celebration with a Mass at Fenway Park, to be followed by three semesters of activities honoring the 150th anniversary from 2012-13, including academic symposia, a naturalization ceremony, student and alumni service projects, and a student concert at Symphony Hall.

The University undertakes a major Core Renewal initiative.

Stokes Hall, designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration among BC’s humanities departments and enhance student-faculty interaction, officially opens on Middle Campus thanks to a major gift from Trustee Patrick Stokes ’64 and his wife, Aja. 

BC Professor of History Robin Fleming wins the University’s first MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship.

Boston College launches the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies. 

Construction begins on a new home for the McMullen Museum of Art on Brighton Campus, thanks to a lead gift from the McMullen Family Foundation.

The University opens the Center for Teaching Excellence.

The University copes with "Snowmaggedon," a series of storms from late January to mid-February that drop more than 95 inches of snow on the Boston-area. The record-breaking total snowfall for that winter would exceed 110 inches.

The Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences is named in honor of long-serving Trustee and alumnus Robert J. Morrissey ’60.

St. Mary's Hall, home to BC's Jesuit community, reopens following a two-year renovation project.

BC concludes the “Light the World” campaign, having raised a record-breaking total of $1.605 billion in support of academic programs, financial aid, faculty research, student formation initiatives, and capital projects.

Fr. Leahy is honored by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, in recognition of the campus-based mentor program "BC Bigs."

Boston College is recognized as an RI Institution, the highest designation for research, by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.

The University announces the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, named for Trustee Phil Schiller ’82 and his wife, Kim Gassett-Schiller, through a major gift.

The University releases "Ever to Excel: Advancing Boston College’s Mission," a 10-year strategic plan that includes a commitment to liberal arts education, formation, research, and an increased global and local presence and impact.

Harrington Athletics Village on Brighton Campus, home to BC’s new baseball, softball, and intramural fields, is named for John L. Harrington ’57, MBA’66.

The University establishes the Global Observatory on Pollution and Health to track efforts to control pollution and prevent pollution-related diseases.

BC opens the Fish Field House indoor practice facility adjacent to Alumni Stadium, through a gift from Trustee Chair John Fish.

Fr. Leahy accepts on behalf of BC the Spirit of Francis Award, presented by nonprofit Catholic Extension in recognition of the commitment “to reach out to the margins of society” in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.

The University dedicates the new Connell Recreation Center, in recognition of a major gift from Trustee Associate and BC parent Margot Connell.

A previously inaccessible four-acre parcel of land owned by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority opens as Pine Tree Preserve, featuring BC-funded pedestrian walkways, park benches, lighting, and a view of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. 

A conference sets an agenda for a University-wide leadership role in formative education.

Boston College sends students home on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic; the spring semester continues online. On-campus classes resume in the fall, with a requirement that community members be tested for COVID-19, wear masks, and practice physical distancing. 

BC is invited to join QuestBridge, a select program for high-achieving, low-income students seeking admission to the nation’s top colleges.

Fr. Leahy announces the launch of the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America to examine issues of systemic racism and offer solutions through the expertise of faculty, staff, and alumni. 

Pine Manor College in Brookline integrates with Boston College. 

The University enrolls the first cohort of students in its human-centered engineering degree program. 

Boston College receives an estimated $75 million gift from the estate of Joyce L. and E. Paul Robsham M.Ed.’83—then the largest estate gift in University history.

BC announces that the internationally recognized Ricci Institute for Chinese-Western Cultural History will move to Boston College, including its library of more than 100,000 volumes.

Boston College celebrates the opening of 245 Beacon Street, a 150,000 square-foot facility that houses the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, the Engineering and Computer Science departments, and the Shea Center for Entrepreneurship.

Fr. Leahy announces the establishment of the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success, which includes the Academy, a cost-free summer enrichment program for students in grades 8-12, and Messina College, an associate’s degree-granting two-year residential college, as part of the University’s $100-million initiative to enhance educational opportunity for first-generation students.

The University tops 40,000 undergraduate applications for the Class of 2026.

BC launches the $3 billion "Soaring Higher" initiative, the largest capital campaign in its history, to raise money for key priorities in academics, financial aid, and student life.

Nobel laureate Paul Romer joins Boston College as the Seidner University Professor in the Carroll School of Management and leader of its new Center for the Economics of Ideas.

Boston College purchases the 23-acre Mount Alvernia High School campus and convent property at 790 Centre Street in Newton, to be known as Newton East.

NASA selects the Institute for Scientific Research to lead an international team of researchers as a space weather center of excellence.

Messina College, BC’s two-year residential college for first generation students, opens its doors on the Brookline Campus. 

The Clough School of Theology and Ministry is named following a major gift from Trustee Associate Charles “Chuck” Clough Jr., ’64 and his wife, Gloria L. Clough, M.Div. ’90, M.S. ’96.

BC is named among the "New Ivies" by Forbes magazine. 

Fr. Leahy announces that he will step down in the summer of 2026.

The Board of Trustees elects John T. “Jack” Butler, S.J., as the 26th president of Boston College. 

Sponsored research reaches $84.8 million.

The Murray Center for Student Wellness opens through a major gift from parent Tami Murray ’83.

The University receives a record 41,835 applicants for the Class of 2030.

Boston College is ranked 5th globally in the QS World University Rankings of the top places to pursue theology, divinity, and religious studies, reflecting the joint contributions of its Clough School of Theology and Ministry and the Department of Theology in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.

Boston College receives a $125 million commitment, the largest in its history, from the Patrick F. Cadigan Family Foundation to support the expansion and renovation of Carney Hall. 

A major gift from Trustee Jason Krantz ’95, P’23 and his wife, Keely (Fitzgerald) Krantz ’95, P’23 establishes the Krantz Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Humanity.