Boston College

For other uses, see Boston College (disambiguation).

Boston College
Seal of Boston College
Latin: Collegium Bostoniense
Motto	Αἰέν ἀριστεύειν
Motto in English	"Ever to Excel"
Established	1863
Type	Private
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic (Jesuit)
Endowment	US $1.5 billion [1]
President	William P. Leahy, S.J.
Academic staff	725[2]
Admin. staff	1,368[3]
Students	14,640[4]
Undergraduates	9,099[5]
Postgraduates	4,916[6]
Location	Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts,  United States 42°20′6.3″N 71°10′13.3″W / 42.335083°N 71.170361°W / 42.335083; -71.170361Coordinates: 42°20′6.3″N 71°10′13.3″W / 42.335083°N 71.170361°W / 42.335083; -71.170361
Campus	Suburban 381 acres (1.5 km2)
Colors	Maroon and Gold
Athletics	NCAA D-I (ACC, Hockey East)
Sports	Baseball, Basketball, Cross country running, Fencing, Field hockey, Football, Golf, Ice hockey, Rowing, Sailing, Skiing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis, Track and field, Volleyball
Nickname	Eagles
Mascot	Baldwin the Eagle
Affiliations	AJCU, 568 Group
Website	bc.edu

Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early history as a liberal arts college and preparatory school in Boston's South End. It is a member of the 568 Group and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Its main campus is a historic district and features some of the earliest examples of collegiate gothic architecture in North America.

Boston College offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees through its nine schools and colleges. Boston College is currently ranked 31 in the National Universities ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

Boston College is categorized as an RU/H: Research Universities (high research activity) in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.^[7]

Boston College sports teams are called the Eagles, the colors being maroon and gold; the school mascot is Baldwin the Eagle. The Eagles compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in all sports (except wrestling and men's lacrosse) offered by the ACC. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East.

History

Early history

Benedict Joseph Fenwick, S.J.

In 1825, Benedict Joseph Fenwick, S.J., a Jesuit from Maryland, became the second Bishop of Boston. He was the first to articulate a vision for a "College in the City of Boston" that would raise a new generation of leaders to serve both the civic and spiritual needs of his fledgling diocese. In 1827, Bishop Fenwick opened a school in the basement of his cathedral and took to the personal instruction of the city's youth. His efforts to attract other Jesuits to the faculty were hampered both by Boston's distance from the center of Jesuit activity in Maryland and by suspicion on the part of the city's Protestant elite. Relations with Boston's civic leaders worsened such that, when a Jesuit faculty was finally secured in 1843, Fenwick decided to leave the Boston school and instead opened the College of the Holy Cross 45 miles (72 km) west of the city in Worcester, Massachusetts where he felt the Jesuits could operate with greater autonomy. Meanwhile, the vision for a college in Boston was sustained by John McElroy, S.J., who saw an even greater need for such an institution in light of Boston's growing Irish Catholic immigrant population. With the approval of his Jesuit superiors, McElroy went about raising funds and in 1857 purchased land for "The Boston College" on Harrison Avenue in the Irish neighborhood of South End, Boston, Massachusetts. With little fanfare, the college's two buildings — a schoolhouse and a church — welcomed their first class of scholastics in 1859. Two years later, with as little fanfare, BC closed again. Its short-lived second incarnation was plagued by the outbreak of Civil War and disagreement within the Society over the college's governance and finances. BC's inability to obtain a charter from the anti-Catholic Massachusetts legislature only compounded its troubles.

Old BC in Boston's South End

On March 31, 1863 (1863-03-31), more than three decades after its initial inception, Boston College's charter was formally approved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. BC became the second Jesuit institution of higher learning in Massachusetts and the first located in the Boston area. Johannes Bapst, S.J., a Swiss Jesuit from French-speaking Fribourg, was selected as BC's first president and immediately reopened the original college buildings on Harrison Avenue. For most of the 19th century, BC offered a singular 7-year program corresponding to both high school and college. Its entering class in the fall of 1864 included 22 students, ranging in age from 11 to 16 years.^[8] The curriculum was based on the Jesuit Ratio Studiorum, emphasizing Latin, Greek, philosophy, and theology.

Move to Chestnut Hill

Gasson Tower viewed from Linden Lane.

Boston College's enrollment reached nearly 500 by the turn of the 20th century. Expansion of the South End buildings onto James Street enabled increased separation between the high school and college divisions, though Boston College High School remained a constituent part of Boston College until 1927 when it was separately incorporated. In 1907, newly-installed President Thomas I. Gasson, S.J., determined that BC's cramped, urban quarters in Boston's South End were inadequate and unsuited for significant expansion. Inspired by John Winthrop's early vision of Boston as a "city upon a hill", he re-imagined Boston College as world-renowned university and a beacon of Jesuit scholarship. Less than a year after taking office, he purchased Amos Adams Lawrence's farm on Chestnut Hill, six miles (10 km) west of the city. He organized an international competition for the design of a campus master plan and set about raising funds for the construction of the "new" university. Proposals were solicited from distinguished architects, and Charles Donagh Maginnis' ambitious proposal for twenty buildings in English Collegiate Gothic style, called "Oxford in America", was selected.^{[citation needed]} Construction began in 1909.^[8]

By 1913, construction costs had surpassed available funds, and as a result Gasson Hall, "New BC's" main building, stood alone on Chestnut Hill for its first three years. Buildings of the former Lawrence farm, including a barn and gatehouse, were temporarily adapted for college use while a massive fundraising effort was underway. While Maginnis's ambitious plans were never fully realized, BC's first "capital campaign" — which included a large replica of Gasson Hall's clock tower set up on Boston Common to measure the fundraising progress — ensured that President Gasson's vision survived. By the 1920s BC began to fill out the dimensions of its university charter, establishing the Boston College Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, the Boston College Law School, and the Woods College of Advancing Studies, followed successively by the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, the Carroll School of Management, the Connell School of Nursing, and the Lynch School of Education. In 1926, Boston College conferred its first degrees on women (though it did not become fully coeducational until 1970). With the rising prominence of its graduates, this was also the period in which Boston College and its powerful Alumni Association began to establish themselves among the city's leading institutions. At the city, state and federal levels, BC graduates would come to dominate Massachusetts politics for much of the 20th century. Cultural changes in American society and in the church following the Second Vatican Council forced BC to question its purpose and mission. Meanwhile, poor financial management lead to deteriorating facilities and resources and rising tuition costs. Student outrage, combined with growing protests over Vietnam and the bombings in Cambodia, culminated in student strikes, including demonstrations at Gasson Hall in April 1970.

The Monan era

J. Donald Monan, S.J.

By the time J. Donald Monan, S.J. assumed the presidency on September 5, 1972, BC was approximately $30 million in debt, its endowment totaled just under $6 million, and faculty and staff salaries had been frozen during the previous year. Rumors about the university's future were rampant, including speculation that BC would be acquired by Harvard University. Monan's first order of business was to reconfigure the Boston College Board of Trustees. By separating it from the Society of Jesus, Monan was able to bring in the talents of lay alumni and business leaders who helped turn around the university's fortunes. This same restructuring had been accomplished first at the University of Notre Dame in 1967 by Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, CSC with many other Catholic colleges following suit in the ensuing years. In 1974, Boston College acquired Newton College of the Sacred Heart, a 40-acre (160,000 m²) campus 1.5 miles (2.4 km) away that enabled it to expand the law school and provide more housing for a student population that was increasingly residential and geographically diverse. No less than the university's rescue is credited to Monan who set into motion the university's upward trajectory in finances, reputation, and global scope. In 1996, Monan's 24 year presidency, the longest in the university's history, came to an end when he was named University Chancellor and succeeded by President William P. Leahy, S.J.

Recent history

Since assuming the Boston College presidency, Leahy's tenure has been marked with an acceleration of the growth and development initiated by his predecessor. BC's endowment has grown to $1.83 billion,^[9] it has expanded by almost 150 acres (610,000 m²), while dramatically reducing the greenery of its middle campus. During this period, undergraduate applications have surpassed 31,000. At the same time, BC students, faculty and athletic teams have seen indicators of success — winning record numbers of Fulbrights, Rhodes, and other academic awards; setting new marks for research grants; and winning conference and national titles. In 2002, Leahy initiated the Church in the 21st Century program to examine issues facing the Catholic Church in light of the clergy sexual abuse scandal. His effort brought BC worldwide praise and recognition for "leading the way on Church reform."^[10] Recent plans to merge with the Weston Jesuit School of Theology were followed by an article in The New York Times claiming "such a merger would further Boston College's quest to become the nation's Catholic intellectual powerhouse" and that, once approved by the Vatican and Jesuit authorities in Rome, BC "would become the center for the study of Roman Catholic theology in the United States."^[11] On February 16, 2006, the merger was authorized by the Jesuit Conference.^[12]

Collegiate Gothic buildings on Chestnut Hill.

In 2003, after years of student-led discussions and efforts, the school approved a Gay-Straight Alliance, the first university-funded gay support group on campus. In 2004, between 1,000 and 1,200 students rallied behind a student-led campaign to expand the school's non-discrimination statement to include equal protection for gays and lesbians.^[13] Earlier that year 84% of the student body voted in favor of a student referendum calling for a change in policy.^[14] After several months of discussion the university's policy was changed in May 2005.^[15]

On December 5, 2007, Boston College announced the Master Plan, a $1.6 billion, 10-year plan to revamp the campus and hire new faculty. The plan includes over $700 million for new buildings and renovations of the campus, including construction of four new academic buildings, a sharp reduction in the size of the legendary "dustbowl" campus green, a 200,000 sq ft (19,000 m²) recreation center to replace the Flynn Recreation Complex, a 285,000 sq ft (26,500 m²) university center to replace McElroy Commons (which is slated for destruction), and the creation of 610 beds for student housing, as well as many other constructions and renovations.^[16][17] The plan has been criticized by Boston city officials. On February 21, 2008, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino warned the school to construct new dormitory building on its main campus, rather than on property acquired from the Archdiocese of Boston. The school was long an institution that targeted commuter students from the Boston area, however in the school's pursuit of a national legacy, that function has been forgotten as the number of commuter students enrolled dropped from well over 50% to a mere three students, according to statistics published by the alumni magazine.

On June 10, 2009, Mayor Menino and Boston's zoning commission approved the Boston College Master Plan, signaling an end to the long approval process, while allowing the school to enter design and planning phases.^[18]

Campus

Chestnut Hill

Main article: Boston College Main Campus Historic District

Maginnis master plan

Boston College's main campus in Chestnut Hill, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of downtown Boston, is 175-acre (710,000 m²) and includes over 120 buildings. Set on a hilltop overlooking the Chestnut Hill Reservoir the sprawling campus includes an ever-increasing number of ever-larger buildings, and markedly reduced green areas. A "Boston College" streetcar station on metro Boston's "T", or public transit system is located at St. Ignatius Gate. It is the western terminus of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line's B-branch (also known as the "Boston College" line) and connects the school to Boston's city center and to destinations in the Boston metropolitan area. Due largely to its location and presence of buildings featuring gothic towers reaching into the sky, the Boston College campus is known generally as the "Heights" and to some as the "Crowned Hilltop".^[19] The main campus is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[20]

St. John's Meadow

Designed by Charles Donagh Maginnis and his firm Maginnis & Walsh in 1908, the Boston College campus is a seminal example of Collegiate Gothic architecture. Combining Gothic Revival architecture with principles of Beaux-Arts planning, Maginnis proposed a vast complex of academic buildings set in a cruciform plan. Maginnis's design broke from the traditional Oxbridge models that had inspired it — and that had till then characterized Gothic architecture on American campuses. In its unprecedented scale, Gasson Tower was conceived not as the belfry of a singular building, but as the crowning campanile of Maginnis' new "city upon a hill". Though Maginnis' ambitious Gothic project never saw full completion, its central portion was built according to plan and forms the core of what is now BC's iconic middle campus. Among these, the Bapst Library has been called the "finest example of Collegiate Gothic architecture in America" and Devlin Hall won the Harleston Parker Medal for "most beautiful building in Boston". The 1895 Louis K. Liggett Estate was acquired in 1941 and developed into a Tudor-style upper campus, while an architecturally eclectic lower campus took shape on land acquired by filling in part of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. Modernism had an enormous impact on development after the 1940s, though some of the modernist buildings at BC maintained non-modern rough stone facades in keeping with Maginnis's original designs.

Chestnut Hill Reservoir

Boston College's eight research libraries contain over two million printed volumes. Including manuscripts, journals, government documents and microform items, ranging from ancient papyrus scrolls to digital databases, the collections have some twelve million items. Together with the university's museums, they include original manuscripts and prints by Galileo, Ignatius of Loyola, and Francis Xavier as well as world renowned collections in Jesuitana, Irish literature, sixteenth century Flemish tapestries, ancient Greek pottery, Caribbean folk art and literature, Japanese prints, U.S. government documents, Congressional Archives, and paintings that span the history of art from Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Opened in 1928, Bapst Library was named for the first president of Boston College (Johannes Bapst, S.J., 1815 to 1887) and it was one of the few structures built according to Charles Donagh Maginnis' original "Oxford in America" master plan. Bapst served as the university's main library until 1984. A guide to the building's stained glass windows is available online.^[21] The Burns Library of Rare Books and Special Collections is home to more than 150,000 volumes, some 15 million manuscripts and other important works, including a world-renowned collection of Irish literature. A rare facsimile of the Book of Kells is on public display in the library's Irish Room, and each day one page of the illuminated manuscript is turned. It also houses the papers of prominent Boston College alumni. The library is named after the Honorable John. J. Burns (1901 to 1957), Massachusetts Superior Court Justice and a member of the Boston College Class of 1921.

Gargan Hall, Bapst Library

Located in Devlin Hall, the McMullen Museum of Art houses a prominent permanent collection and organizes exhibits from all periods and cultures of art history. Recent exhibits and acquisitions, including works by Edvard Munch, Amedeo Modigliani, Frank Stella, Françoise Gilot, John LaFarge, and Jackson Pollock. Admission to the Museum is free and open to the general public.

In the fall of 2010, Boston College began construction of Stokes Hall, a 183,000-square-foot (17,000 m²) academic building on what was formerly known as the Dustbowl. Stokes Hall is the first academic building to be constructed on the Middle Campus since 2001 and its construction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2012.

Other properties

In addition to the main campus at Chestnut Hill, BC's 40-acre (160,000 m²) Newton Campus, formerly Newton College of the Sacred Heart, is located 1-mile (1.6 km) to the west and houses the law school and residential housing for roughly one third of the freshman class. Other BC properties include a 20-acre (81,000 m²) seismology research observatory and field station in Weston, Massachusetts, an 80-acre (320,000 m²) retreat center in Dover, Massachusetts, and the Centre for Irish Programmes: Dublin on St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, Ireland. In a new building opened in 1996, the Law Library is located on the Boston College Law School campus in Newton.

In June 2004, Boston College acquired 43 acres (170,000 m²) of land from the Archdiocese of Boston.^[22][23] The new grounds, adjacent to the main campus (on the opposite side of Commonwealth Avenue), include the historic mansion that served as the Cardinal's residence until 2002. The new grounds are referred to as Brighton Campus, after Brighton, the area in Boston in which it is located; as the municipal border sits on the street intersection that the two properties meet at.

Sustainability

In publicity materials, Boston College claims to utilize sustainable energy, water efficiency, local food, recycling, and green computing.^[24] Since February 2007, Boston College has submetered electricity in 24 of its residence halls^[25] and since 2008 the college holds an annual energy competition between residential halls. During that time and throughout the year, students can track their energy consumption in real time on their computers using an Energy Dashboard application built by Lucid Design Group Inc.^[26] It is not known how many students participate in this program. Boston College is considering the potential of geothermal power, solar panels, and combined heat and power plants.^[27] A student-run organic garden was started in spring 2008.^[28][29][30] The college says it is looking into implementing the practices and ideology of xeriscaping and sustainable landscape architecture to minimize water use on campus grounds.^[30]

Organization and administration

The gilded bronze eagle on Linden Lane

At US$1.5 billion, BC's endowment is among the largest in American higher education, which represents a 25% percent drop from the start of the 2008-2009 academic year.^[9] Its annual operating budget is approximately $667 million.^[9] The most recent and ongoing fundraising campaign, dubbed "Light the World", was announced on October 11, 2008. The seven-year campaign aims to raise $1.5 billion in honor of the 150th anniversary of the college. Funds raised will be used to support the strategic priorities of the university, including academic programs, financial aid, Jesuit Catholic identity, athletics, student programming, and capital construction projects.^[31]

Catholic and Jesuit

An entrance featuring the Jesuit motto Ad majorem Dei gloriam

The 112 Jesuits living on the Boston College campus make up one of the largest Jesuit communities in the world and include members of the faculty and administration, graduate students, and visiting international scholars.^[32]

The chapel for the university is located in St. Mary's Hall, the Jesuit residential facility. The college also maintains close relations with the nearby Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.^[33] The church is named after the founder of the Jesuit order, Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Although not technically the university's church, Boston College provides the parish with Internet access, e-mail service, telephone and voice mail service, parking, and dormitory space for the religious education program. Each year, several Boston College students teach in the religious education program. Jesuits priests from Boston College occasionally preside at the church's liturgies. St. Ignatius provides a spiritual home for many students during their time at Boston College and is chosen by many for weddings. The church building is also used by the college for some of their larger religious events.

St. Ignatius Gate entrance

Affiliated institutions

St. Columbkille Parish is a Roman Catholic Church and elementary school in Brighton, Massachusetts that has an alliance with BC. Under the agreement, the parish school is to be governed by a board of members and a board of trustees comprising representatives from the Archdiocese of Boston, Boston College, St. Columbkille Parish and the greater Boston community. The board of trustees will authorize an audit of the school's curriculum, faculty, finances, and facilities before creating a strategic plan to guide the school in the future. Lynch School of Education faculty will work directly with the school's teachers on faculty and curriculum development, presenting new approaches to education and working to establish best practices in the classroom.^[34] The agreement, announced in March 2006 by University President William P. Leahy, S.J., and Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM, Cap., is believed to represent the first such collaboration between a Catholic university and a parochial school in the United States.

Admissions

The middle half of the class of 2012 had test scores that ranged from 1950-2220 on the SAT and 30-33 on the ACT.^[35] Admission to Boston College is among the most selective in the United States. For the class of 2012, BC received a record 31,000 applications from prospective undergraduates, admitting 26%, making it the most selective class in the school's history. BC ranks fifth (after NYU, USC, BU, and Northeastern) among private American universities in the number of applications it receives, although it is nearly half the size of the other four institutions.

Academics

Schools and colleges

Boston College Coat of Arms from a stained glass window in the Gasson honors library

Boston College is a research university^[36] and comprises nine schools and colleges:

• Boston College College of Arts & Sciences
• Boston College Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
• Carroll School of Management
• Lynch School of Education
• Connell School of Nursing
• Boston College Graduate School of Social Work
• Boston College Law School
• Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
• Woods College of Advancing Studies

Rankings

University rankings (overall)
National
U.S. News & World Report[37]	31
Washington Monthly[38]	63
Global
ARWU[39]	401-500
QS[40]	349
Times[41]	161

BC ranked 16th on the Forbes.com 2009 edition of "America's Best Colleges"^[42] and 31st (tied with College of William & Mary) among national universities in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges 2011" rankings.^[43] Boston College was added to the "25 New Ivies" list in 2006 by Kaplan/Newsweek.^[44] BC placed 26th in a ranking of national universities (published in Forbes Magazine) by the Center for College Affordability & Productivity, a research group in Washington, D.C. that used data from ratemyprofessors.com among other sources.^[45] The undergraduate school of business, the Carroll School of Management, placed 16th in an annual survey of US undergraduate business schools by BusinessWeek, which noted that "Alumni and professors love helping students find jobs, making BC's campus networking an invaluable resource."^[46] A study by Carnegie Communications in 2004 ranked BC 17th among national universities.^[47] The same study cited BC as the 8th "most popular" choice among U.S. high school seniors, as measured by the number of applicants who plan on applying.^[48] A Princeton Review survey of parents that asked “What ‘dream college’ would you most like to see your child attend were prospects of acceptance or cost not issues?” placed BC 6th.^[49] In 2008 U.S. News & World Report ranked the full time BC MBA program 34th in the nation, and the evening MBA program climbed to 15th, the 5th year it has been in the top 20 nationwide. Furthermore, BC also has commendable graduate programs in the Arts and Sciences. In 2010 Financial Times ranked the full time BC MBA Program 23rd in the US and 47th in the world.^[50] The U.S. News and World Report^[51] rated its economics, sociology, and psychology programs 31st, 41st, and 66th in the nation, respectively. The US News ranking of its sociology program the survey made it the second highest-ranked such program in the Boston area, trailing only Harvard.

Presidential Scholars Program

The Presidential Scholars Program is a competitive undergraduate program offered to a subset of early action applicants of Boston College.^[52] Students who accept an invitation to apply for the program are asked to spend a weekend at Boston College, where they complete several interviews and participate in a mock honors program seminar.^[53] The Presidential Scholars Program is very competitive; out of the Boston College applicants invited to apply to the PSP program, 15 are awarded the scholarship.^[54] Since the entire early application pool is evaluated in determining who to grant application invitations to, the overall admissions rate of the program is less than 1%.^[55] The scholarship includes a number of enrichment opportunities such as several summer programs, among them a summer-long international study program for language proficiency and academic or professional advancement and "high-level" internships.^[56] Students who have completed the Presidential Scholars Program have often gone on to attend prestigious graduate schools and have successful professional careers.^[57] They have been the recipients of some of the highest awards including Rhodes and Marshall scholarships.^[55]

Research

See also: Research centers at Boston College

Scholarly publications

• C21 Resources,^[58] a progressive journal of contemporary Catholic issues, published by BC's Church in the 21st Century Center.
• Guide to Jesuit Education^[59]
• Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment^[60]
• Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review^[61]
• Boston College Law Review^[62]
• International & Comparative Law Review^[63][64]
• Third World Law Journal^[65]
• Uniform Commercial Code Reporter-Digest^[66]
• New Arcadia Review^[67]
• Religion and the Arts Journal^[68]
• Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations,^[69] the official journal of the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations (CCJR)^[70] and is published by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College and the Boston College Libraries.
• Teaching Exceptional Children / Teaching Exceptional Children Plus^[71]
• The Eagletarian,^[72] published by The BC Economics Association.

Student life

Development Programs

• Shaw Leadership Program, a nationally recognized four-year intensive leadership development program

AHANA

• AHANA is a term coined (and trademarked) by BC students in 1979 to refer to students of African-American, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American descent.^[73] In 2009-10, AHANA students comprised 24.4% of BC undergraduates.^[19] International students make up an additional 5.3% of the student population.^[74][75]

Student Media

Newspapers

• The Heights,^[76] the principal student newspaper, published twice-weekly; established in 1919
• The Observer,^[77] a conservative student newspaper founded on the principles of the Catholic Church
• The Gavel,^[78] an independent progressive student newspaper; launched on October 27, 2009. The Gavel is a mainly web-based publication and updates twice-weekly, while it prints monthly.
• The New England Classic,^[79] a satirical newspaper unrecognized by the University but regularly published and distributed on campus; launched in Fall 2007 and is independently funded.

Broadcasting

• The BC,^[80][81] a widely-acclaimed parody of The OC featuring students, Jesuits, and administrators
• UGBC-TV,^[82] the student-run cable television station featuring the campus' longest running TV show, Now You Know,^[83] a news-variety show occasionally including taped broadcast coverage of campus events
• WZBC, 90.3 FM,^[84] the student-run radio station which provides independent and experimental music

Other notable publications

• Sub Turri,^[85] the Boston College yearbook, published since 1913
• The Stylus of Boston College,^[86] the undergraduate art and literature magazine, founded in 1882
• Elements Undergraduate Research Journal,^[87] the premier undergraduate research journal of Boston College, published biannually
• Al-Noor: The Boston College Undergraduate Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Journal,^[88] one of the only undergraduate Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Journals in the world.^[89][90]

Ensembles

• "BC bOp!",^[91] the Boston College jazz band
• Boston College "Screaming Eagles" Marching Band^[92]
• "Pep Band",^[93] the ensemble that performs at Boston College Hockey and Boston College Basketball games
• "University Wind Ensemble of Boston College"^[94]
• "University Symphonic Band"^[95]
• University Chorale of Boston College ^[96]

Alma Mater

Alma Mater was written by T.J. Hurley, who also wrote For Boston (the Boston College Fight Song) and was a member of the Class of 1885.

Hail! Alma Mater! Thy praise we sing.
Fondly thy mem'ries round our heart still cling.
Guide of our youth, thro' thee we shall prevail!
Hail! Alma Mater! Hail! All Hail!

Hail! Alma Mater! Lo, on the height,
Proudly thy tow'rs are raised for the Right
God is thy Master, His law thy sole avail!
Hail! Alma Mater! Hail! All Hail!

Athletics

Gasson Quadrangle

Main article: Boston College Eagles

The mascot for all Boston College athletic teams is the Eagle, generally referred to in the plural, i.e., "The Eagles". The character representing the mascot at football, hockey, and basketball games is an American bald eagle named Baldwin, derived from the "bald" head of the American bald eagle and the word "win". The school colors are maroon and gold. The fight song, For Boston, was composed by T.J. Hurley, class of 1885. The Eagles compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in all sports offered by the ACC. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East. (Skiing, fencing, and sailing are also non-ACC.) Boston College is one of only thirteen universities in the country offering NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (Formerly, I-A) football, Division I men's and women's basketball, and Division I hockey.

In hockey and (less famously) baseball, Boston College participates in the annual Beanpot tournaments held at TD Banknorth Garden and Fenway Park, respectively. Boston College competes in the Beanpot against the three other major sports colleges in Boston: the Northeastern University Huskies, Harvard University Crimson, and Boston University Terriers. BC has reached the championship game 31 times and has won the Beanpot 16 times, including the 2011 championship. The less renowned baseball tournament, was first played in 1990 and out of seventeen baseball Beanpots, Boston College has won nine, last winning in 2008. The baseball team also plays an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox at City Of Palms Park in Ft. Myers, Florida during Major League Baseball's spring training. The men's hockey team won the 2008 NCAA Championship on April 12, 2008 with a 4-1 victory over the University of Notre Dame in Denver, Colorado, and the 2010 NCAA Championship with a 5-0 victory over Wisconsin on April 10, 2010.

Principal athletic facilities include Alumni Stadium (capacity: 44,500), Conte Forum (8,606), Kelley Rink (7,884), Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at John Shea Field (1,000), the Newton Soccer Complex (1,000), and the Flynn Recreation Complex. The Yawkey Athletics Center opened in the spring of 2005. BC students compete in 31 varsity sports^[97] as well as a number of club and intramural teams. On March 18, 2002, Boston College's Athletics program was named to the College Sports Honor Roll as one of the nation's top 20 programs by U.S. News & World Report.^[98]

Although a founding member of the Big East Conference, the Eagles left the Big East and joined the Atlantic Coast Conference on July 1, 2005. Boston College athletes are among the most academically successful in the nation, according to the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR). In 2006 Boston College received Public Recognition Awards with fourteen of its sports in the top 10% of the nation academically. The Eagles tied Notre Dame for the highest total of any Division I-A university. Other schools having ten or more sports honored included Navy (12), Stanford (11), and Duke (11). Teams honored were football, men's fencing, men's outdoor track, men's skiing, women's rowing, women's cross country, women's fencing, women's field hockey, women's indoor track, women's outdoor track, women's skiing, women's swimming, women's soccer, women's tennis, and women's volleyball. Boston College's football program was one of only five Division I-A teams that were so honored. The other four were Auburn, Navy, Stanford, and Duke.

Football

Main article: Boston College Eagles football

Baldwin the Eagle, the Boston College mascot

The Boston College Eagles have achieved occasional success in college football. On November 16, 1940, BC's Frank Leahy-coached championship team took a win from two-season undefeated Georgetown in the final seconds in a game that renowned sportswriter Grantland Rice called the greatest ever played. The Eagles completed their only undefeated season with a bowl victory over Tennessee that year, and many historians argue that the Eagles deserved a share of the national championship.^{[citation needed]} In 1942, the team spent three weeks ranked at #3 in the nation and one week at #1, but they were upset by a then-dominant Holy Cross, 55-12.^[99] As a result, the team canceled a party at the Cocoanut Grove, which ended up as a wise thing to do because that night the club caught fire.

Boston College's two most famous football victories came in dramatic fashion, on the final play of the game. On the day after Thanksgiving, November 23, 1984, before a national audience on CBS, Doug Flutie became a legend when his 48-yard (44 m) Hail Mary found its way into the arms of Gerard Phelan for a 47-45 victory over Miami in the Orange Bowl. This was also the year Flutie won the Heisman; the only Eagle to date so honored. (See also: Flutie effect) Nine years later almost to the day (November 20, 1993), the Eagles went into South Bend and defeated top-ranked Notre Dame 41-39 on a 41-yard field goal by David Gordon as time expired. A win would have completed Notre Dame's season at 11-0 with a berth in the national championship game. (See also: Holy War (Boston College vs. Notre Dame)) An additional nine years later, BC again thwarted a potential Notre Dame perfect season, defeating the #2 Fighting Irish in South Bend, 14-7. Boston College ran their football winning streak over Notre Dame to five games in 2007 with a 27-14 victory, helping the Eagles rise to #2 in the BCS rankings.^[100]

Two of Boston College's alumni hold special places in the NFL record-books. Mike Woicik, a history major,^[101] holds the record for most Super Bowl rings won by a non-head NFL coach. He gained (as a strength and conditioning coach) three with the New England Patriots and three with the Dallas Cowboys. Bill Romanowski, a business major,^[102] holds the defensive record as an NFL player for most consecutive games played at 243, is the only linebacker in history to start in 5 Super Bowls, and also shares a record as one of only three players in NFL history to win back to back Super Bowls with two different organizations, the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos.^[102] On October 21, 2007, Boston College received its highest ranking since 1942, coming in at #2 nationally in both the AP Poll and in the USA Today/Coaches' Poll.

The Eagles beat Virginia Tech on October 25, 2007, led by Matt Ryan with two touchdown passes in the final 2:11 of the game. This win solidified their spot at #2 in both the AP and Coaches' Poll as well as the BCS rankings. The team faced Virginia Tech again on December 1, 2007 in Jacksonville, Florida in the 2007 ACC Championship Game as Atlantic Division champions, but lost 30-16.^[103] Boston College won the Atlantic Division for the second consecutive year in 2008 but would again fall to Virginia Tech in the conference championship game. The Eagles won the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl over Michigan State, extending their bowl winning streak to eight consecutive victories—at the time the longest active bowl win streak in the nation. The streak ended the following year with their loss to Vanderbilt in the 2008 Music City Bowl.

Ryan broke the Boston College single-season touchdown record previously held by College Hall of Famer, Doug Flutie.^{[citation needed]} He was awarded the 2007 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given annually in the United States to the nation's most outstanding senior quarterback in college football^[104] and was selected third in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, making him the highest-chosen BC player in NFL Draft history.^[105]

Fight Song: For Boston

Main article: For Boston

"For Boston" is America's oldest college fight song, composed by T.J. Hurley in 1885. It has two verses but the most commonly sung one is the first verse. Boston-based band Dropkick Murphys covered this song on their album Sing Loud, Sing Proud!.

Notable persons

Main article: List of Boston College people

"The Heights" is a nickname given to Boston College. It recalls both BC's lofty aspirations — the college motto is "Ever to Excel" — and its hilltop location, an area initially designated as "University Heights". The name has lent itself to a number of campus organizations, most notably the principal student newspaper, The Heights. BC students were universally called "Heightsmen" until 1925 when Mary C. Mellyn became the first "Heightswoman" to receive a BC degree. "Heightsonian" was originally conceived^{[citation needed]} as a way to gender neutralize the original term "Heightsmen", though "Eagles", once exclusively used for members of the University's athletics teams, is more commonly used.^[32] Contrary to its occasional usage by misinformed sportswriters and announcers,^{[citation needed]} the term "Golden Eagles" refers strictly to BC graduates who have celebrated their 50th anniversary reunion.

There are 143,000 alumni in over 120 countries around the world.^[19] Boston College students have enjoyed success in winning prestigious post-graduate fellowships and awards, including recent Rhodes, Marshall, Mellon, Fulbright, Truman, Churchill, and Goldwater scholarships, among others. BC's yield rate for Fulbright awards is the highest in the country.^[106] In 2007, the German department was awarded a record 13 Fulbright scholarships, five more than the previous number from a single department. Though formal numbers are not kept, the number of award winners from one department to study in a specific country is thought by academic scholars to be the largest in the 60-year history of the Fulbright program.^[107]

• 

  John F. Kerry
  United States Senator from Massachusetts
  2004 Democratic Presidential nominee
  J.D. '76

• 

  Tip O'Neill
  Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
  '36

• 

  Paul Cellucci
  Governor of Massachusetts
  United States Ambassador to Canada
  '70, J.D. '73

See also

	Boston portal
	University portal

• Boston College Coat of Arms
• Double and Triple Eagles
• Jesuit Ivy
• Presidents of Boston College

References

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45. ^ "How to Choose a College". Forbes.com. 2008-05-19. http://www.forbes.com/opinions/forbes/2008/0519/030_2.html. 
46. ^ Undergraduate B-School Rankings
47. ^ "Project Connect" Carnegie Communications
48. ^ "'Project Connect' results". Boston College Chronicle. 2004-03-04. http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/rvp/pubaf/chronicle/v12/mr4/numbers.html. 
49. ^ http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/rvp/pubaf/07/DreamCollege07.pdf
50. ^ "Business school rankings and MBA rankings from the Financial Times". Rankings.ft.com. http://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolrankings/global-mba-rankings. Retrieved 2010-05-18. 
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52. ^ "Presidential Scholars Program - Boston College". Bc.edu. 2010-05-12. http://www.bc.edu/centers/psp//. Retrieved 2010-05-18. 
53. ^ Ibid.
54. ^ Ibid.
55. ^ ^{a b} "Undergraduate Admission - Boston College". Bc.edu. 2010-05-12. http://www.bc.edu/admission/undergrad/. Retrieved 2010-05-18. 
56. ^ Ibid.
57. ^ "Boston College Presidential Scholars Program <Scholarships". Student Scholarship Search. 2006-03-29. http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/Detailed/Scholarships/Free_Ride_Full_Tuition_Scholarships/Boston_College_Presidential_Scholars_Program_147.php. Retrieved 2010-05-18. 
58. ^ C21 Resources
59. ^ A Pocket Guide to Jesuit Education
60. ^ Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment
61. ^ Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review
62. ^ Boston College Law Review - Boston College Law Review
63. ^ "Boston College International and Comparative Law Review". Bc.edu. http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/law/lwsch/interrev.html. Retrieved 2010-05-18. 
64. ^ "International & Comparative Law Review - Boston College". Bc.edu. 2010-05-10. http://www.bc.edu/schools/law/lawreviews/iclr.html. Retrieved 2010-05-18. 
65. ^ Third World Law Journal
66. ^ Uniform Commercial Code Reporter-Digest
67. ^ The New Arcadia Review
68. ^ Religion and the Arts Journal
69. ^ Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations
70. ^ Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations
71. ^ Teaching Exceptional Children / Plus
72. ^ [2]
73. ^ "What is AHANA?". Fairfield University Student Life Multicultural Relations. http://www.fairfield.edu/x1876.xml. Retrieved 2006-05-07. 
74. ^ "International Students & Scholars By School, 2005-2006" (PDF). http://www.bc.edu/publications/factbook/meta-elements/pdf/05-06/05-06_internatl_students.pdf. Retrieved 2006-08-14. 
75. ^ "Enrollment, Fall 2005" (PDF). http://www.bc.edu/publications/factbook/meta-elements/pdf/05-06/05-06_enr_by_ft_and_pt.pdf. Retrieved 2006-08-14. 
76. ^ The Heights
77. ^ "The Observer at Boston College"
78. ^ The Gavel: The Progressive News Source of Boston College
79. ^ The New England Classic: Boston College's Only Satirical Newspaper"
80. ^ Welcome to The BC
81. ^ The BC
82. ^ [3]^{[dead link]}
83. ^ Now You Know
84. ^ WZBC
85. ^ Sub Turri
86. ^ The Stylus
87. ^ "Elements - The Undergraduate Research Journal of Boston College". Bc.edu. http://www.bc.edu/elements. Retrieved 2010-05-18. 
88. ^ "Al-Noor: The Boston College Undergraduate Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Journal". Bc.edu. 2009-08-21. http://www.bc.edu/alnoor. Retrieved 2010-05-18. 
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101. ^ "Mike Woicik - Official New England Patriots Biography". New England Patriots. http://www.patriots.com/team/index.cfm?ac=coachbio&bio=532. 
102. ^ ^{a b} Bill Romanovski. "About Romo". Bill Romanowski Blog. http://www.billromanowskiblog.com/about/. 
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External links

• Official website
• Official athletics website