Dean's Message

Dear Woods College of Advancing Studies Colleagues and Friends,

We are very excited that you are a part of this incredible Woods College community, where our singular focus is accompanying you on your educational journey. Part of what makes the Woods College such a special place is the fact that each of you comes to us from profoundly different walks of life—from career changers to young parents to Veterans—and yet what unites us all is the desire to deepen ourselves through ongoing learning in a community that fundamentally seeks to serve your development and growth as a person. 

Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., coined the phrase “Men and Women with and for Others” as a way of describing the formative goal of Jesuit Catholic education. This is not a tagline. It is a radical disposition. It is a counter-cultural disposition. It is built on a type of love that carries with it the imperative to bring ourselves fully into this world as a gift. There are so many forces and preoccupations that sideline us; so many distractions, pulls, and tugs that tangle us in self-riveting lives. We are meant to be available, attuned, and responsive to a world full of need. Each of us is meant to live in our fullest form in order to be a part of creating a more just and loving society. Our time here, on this planet, is limited, and there is much to do!

The entire point of education, as I understand it, is to learn how to bring yourself more fully into this world– all of your gifts, your energy, and your attention. Your time at the Woods College should be a period that helps you deepen and expand your capacity to address the real issues, needs, and opportunities in this world with the gifts you have been given. Education is a formative journey toward this end–to light the world on fire. This means being fully present, equipped, and alive to the vocation you were meant to take up.

At the Woods College, we are committed to designing the pathways for this sacred journey. Our desire is to come to know you, accompany you, and participate in your formation as a gift and change agent in this world. We want to see you more fully alive and available to live for Others.

I invite you to fully engage in the Woods College and Boston College communities. We are excited to be part of this experience with you and look forward to sharing all the gifts that Boston College has to offer.

Let’s go!

David Goodman, Ph.D.
Dean of the Woods College of Advancing Studies