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This story is part of our “Universities the world needs” series which profiles universities that make an impact through their innovative research culture and curriculum.
To identify a university that is needed in the world, we must first understand what the world needs. William P. Leahy, S.J., President of Boston College, believes this begins with identifying your purpose for education.
Freedom fighter Martin Luther King Jr. believed education functions to teach one to think intensively and critically. Physicist Lawrence M. Krauss said education overcomes ignorance. Philosopher Plato opined that education fills the body and soul with beauty.
“This is a world that has developed wondrous technologies that link continents, but isolate human beings, leaving many men and women weary and dispirited, feeling distant from moral purpose, uncertain about knowledge or the very worth of human endeavour,” said president Leahy.
At Boston College, students receive the tools to tackle such uncertainties on their formative education journey. This institution draws from an illustrious 157-year history; through the decades, it has become an internationally-respected research university and a centre of academic excellence.
A leader in formative education
Employers today look for employees who can think critically and reason ethically. These skills and values are cultivated through the liberal arts approach at the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.
Source: Boston College
“Formative education at its heart pursues the full human flourishing of all of our students,” said David Quigley, Provost and Dean of Faculties at Boston College.
In the Graduate School of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, students explore enduring questions of human nature to acquire the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind and heart to become considerate global citizens.
Whether you pursue a programme in the humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences, you will integrate intellectual, spiritual and social parts of your life to achieve the goals of a college education.
With approximately 800 students and over 400 full-time faculty dedicated to the highest levels of teaching and research, the Graduate School is small enough to know you as a person, but large enough to serve you and prepare you for a rewarding life and satisfying career.
Shaping responsible, impactful leaders
Boston College conducts research that is significant not just in the US, but internationally. Through the application of the rigorous scientific method, students and researchers advance insight and understanding into the critical issues of our time.
This rich research culture is important beyond academic progress. It also shapes scientific minds to consider the social implications of their work from very early on in their career.
Scholarly collaboration at Boston College draws research and teaching beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. The Core Curriculum, the Institute for the Liberal Arts, the upcoming Institute for Integrated Science and Society, and a variety of research projects bring together students and faculty from different areas of inquiry.
“I believe that what the world most needs from Boston College is for it to thrive as a leading research university that is distinguished by a commitment to rigorous and formative liberal education,” said Gregory Kalscheur, S.J., Dean of Morrisey College of Arts and Sciences.
“We help our students to develop the critical and analytical skills, capacity to communicate effectively, and broad intellectual foundation that they will need for a lifetime of learning and growth in a rapidly changing world.”
Only then can education inspire a depth of thought, creative imagination, and reflective discernment.
Boston College: Where passion becomes purpose
Service and spirituality are integral to the Boston College experience. Students are encouraged to give back and support their community via the Volunteer & Service Learning Center. Graduate students engage with Boston folk through a day of service activities every year.
Besides that, those called to missionary work find their opportunities with the Campus Ministry and at the Centre for Ignatian Spirituality.
Through this and a focus on formative education in the sphere of global research, students at Boston College become independent thinkers with the passion to spread their skills far, wide and justly. Their work is guided by a keen purpose: to solve contemporary issues of the world, thus influencing industries of the future.
Source: Boston College
The University may be built on traditions, but it is always looking to the future. That’s why it remains committed to leading students in their comprehensive journey, from college through graduate school and beyond.
In the words of president Leahy, “Boston College endeavours to educate a new generation of leaders — men and women who will be capable of shaping the future with vision, justice, and charity — with a sense of calling, with concern for all of the human family.”
Come join the new generation of change-makers and help solve the challenges of contemporary life.
Your ultimate lesson? Turning passion into purpose for global impact.
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