Strategic Direction IV
Increase the University’s presence and impact in the City of Boston, the United States, and around the globe.
Boston College has evolved in the last 150 years from being a small, local, commuter college to a post-World War II regional university and, in the past four decades, to the status of a national and increasingly international university, a development that fits with its charism, history, and traditions as a Jesuit, Catholic institution.
Boston College commits itself in the coming years to increasing its presence and impact through creative partnerships on the local and national levels, increased outreach to international students, recruitment of faculty with international backgrounds, and the development of programs that promote global cooperation.
Specifically, the University will implement this Strategic Direction by:
- enhancing the undergraduate curriculum to incorporate greater attention to global issues and concerns and to include international perspectives in courses and programs;
- providing targeted financial aid to graduates of Jesuit high schools;
- dedicating resources necessary to achieve institutional goals and competitive success in intercollegiate athletics;
- making available the expertise of its nationally recognized schools of law, education, social work, nursing, theology and ministry, and management to specific challenges in the Greater Boston area, particularly those with possible application nationally and internationally;
- maintaining and expanding its commitment to educating leaders for the Church in the United States and in various parts of the world; and
- developing a more effective structure to promote and coordinate international initiatives.
INITIATIVES
The University will encourage and support faculty to increase, where appropriate, the level of internationally relevant content in their classrooms, and will expand the undergraduate international studies major with additional faculty and a revised curriculum. Boston College will also pursue additional ways of partnering with local and international entities to expand opportunities for experiential education.
The University will develop targeted financial aid programs for graduates of selected Jesuit secondary schools in the United States and around the world. Such an initiative will establish stronger connections between Boston College and the extensive network of Jesuit high schools, and it will also enhance the University’s international undergraduate community.
Boston College’s commitment to a broad-based athletics program reflects the importance it attaches to competitive excellence, leadership development, character formation, and alumni connections, as well as recognition of how athletics contributes to the University’s image and national profile. Building on its heritage and current investments, Boston College intends to provide resources necessary to achieve institutional goals and competitive success in intercollegiate athletics.
Working with local governmental units and nonprofit organizations, the University will offer the expertise of its nationally recognized schools of law, education, social work, nursing, theology and ministry, and management to address specific challenges in the Greater Boston area, and will seek to extend successful endeavors—such as the City Connects program—nationally and internationally as applicable. These partnerships will provide students additional opportunities to engage in experiential learning and community-based research.
The presence of priests, religious brothers and sisters, and Catholic lay leaders on campus adds greatly to the University’s local and global impact and its goal of being the world’s leading Catholic university and theological center. It will develop deeper partnerships with the local Church, and will strive to increase the number of lay, religious, and priests from around the world who study at Boston College, as well as strengthen their impact on the campus community. Drawing on the success of established centers, programs, and initiatives, the University will develop deeper partnerships with the local and national Church, with a particular focus on Catholic elementary and secondary schools.
Boston College’s international aspirations and current activities require greater clarification and coordination. Current and future investments in programs must also be managed more strategically.