Wall Street Tribute Dinner
Each year, Presidential Scholars enjoy meeting the donors who have supported them for the past four years at the Wall Street Council Tribute Dinner.
Each year since 1991, a select group of young men and women of outstanding talent and character have come to Boston College to embark on an integrated honors educational experience designed to embody the best of the University and its Jesuit heritage of educational excellence in service to society—the Boston College Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program. The 4 core values which are the pillars of the Program are: Global Leadership, Hospitality, Fidelity to our Partners and Promoting the Common Good.
The Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program works in tandem with the University's rigorous curricula, challenging Scholars over four years through summer programs focusing on service learning, international experience, and professional internships. During the academic year, Scholars interact with one another on a weekly basis. Each Tuesday night the Scholars gather to attend a cultural event, meet to discuss their academic disciplines, discuss career discernment, or to work on special projects. These gatherings are intended to nurture their development into the nation's future leaders.
On Tuesday evenings our Scholars meet from across the four classes to discuss their area of concentrations (science and pre-med, humanities, political science and international studies, and management, economics, and finance) to share experiences and find greater wisdom in applying for study grants, language programs, internships, and prestigious fellowships; and, to partake in the cultural life of Boston at the theater, the ballet, or at the symphony.
The Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program has close links with the University Fellowships Committee and can offer advisement and guidance on many fellowships available to undergraduate and graduate students. A special workshop is held for Scholars to learn about the proposal writing process so that they are fully prepared to apply for these opportunities. See a list of awards won by BC Presidential Scholars.
Learn more about the many opportunities available through the University's Fellowship program.
To fulfill the Jesuit ideal of being men and women in service to others, during the summer following their freshman year the Scholars explore the problems of hunger, homelessness, and educational inequity in the Boston area through participation in a program modeled after PULSE, Boston College's nationally acclaimed course of study and service. Through their work, Presidential Scholars are challenged to see themselves in relation to acute national problems, to think creatively about the roots of these problems, the nature and efficacy of society's response, and the response that these problems elicit in their own personal and professional lives. Placements in recent years have included the Spectrum Boys' Unit, the Suffolk County House of Correction, Rosie's Place, the Labouré Center, the Italian Home for Children, the Project Bread Hunger Hotline, Haley House, and St. Francis House. In parallel with their service, Scholars read and reflect on a variety of texts--from philosophy, social science, public policy, economics and theology--pertinent to issues of poverty and social justice. Weekly discussion sessions challenge Scholars to integrate these readings with their field experiences and to reflect on the implications for their personal values and professional goals.
During spring break freshman Presidential Scholars travel to a country in Europe, while the sophomore Scholars travel to a country in Latin America during winter break. These trips are intended to be the starting point in the Scholars' journey on becoming "global citizens." In their freshman year, they spend a week in a non-English speaking European country, so as to realize skills that meet the challenge of linguistic differences. In their sophomore year, they have an immersion experience of the social and economic challenges for our neighbors to the South.
In the summer following their sophomore year, they are expected individually to construct a minimal eight-week experience that combines language study with service learning, lab work or some other activity where they can become fully immersed into the culture and country where they are spending the summer. These summer experiences may be extended into their first semester junior year by studying abroad.
Below is a sampling of International Perspective & Language Program placements. International Perspective & Language Program reports are available upon request. Access to reports is restricted to current Scholars. Email sarah.gregorian@bc.edu to request an e-copy of any report. A hard copy of each report is available in the GPSP Library for current Scholars to read.
Summer 2024
Summer 2023
Summer 2022
Summer 2021
Summer 2020
Summer 2019
In pursuit of the Boston College tradition of education as instrument, Presidential Scholars work in demanding professional settings during the summer following their junior year. The internship provides Scholars with an initial exposure to a potential career path, and the opportunity to reflect on themselves as emerging professionals and leaders. Scholars spend six - ten weeks at their placements, where they are expected to function as full-time employees. Supervisors are encouraged to assign tasks that allow Scholars to work creatively and independently, and to provide them with as broad an overview as possible. In tandem with their practical work experience, Scholars develop:
Internship reports are available upon request. Access to reports is restricted to current Scholars. Please email sarah.gregorian@bc.edu for an e-copy of any report. A hard copy of each report is available in the GPSP Library for current Scholars to read.
Summer 2024
Summer 2023
Summer 2022
Summer 2021
Summer 2020
Summer 2019
Boston College has a vibrant study abroad program and approximately 25-30% of the junior class studies in another country. Through the Office of International Programs (OIP) BC has over 40 partnerships worldwide through which students are integrated into overseas universities.
Presidential Scholars are encouraged to take advantage of this educational opportunity. Over the years Scholars have gone to such diverse locations as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, England, France, Nepal, The Netherlands, Russia, Scotland, South Africa and Germany.
Scholars who study abroad on a BC administered program retain their scholarship. Scholars participating in non-BC administered study abroad programs will have their BC financial aid put on hold for the time they are away and will have the aid reinstated upon the student's return to BC. In many cases, state and federal financial aid may travel with students on non-BC administered programs.
In order to capitalize on the reservoir of talent and initiative of the Scholars, committees are formed so Scholars can exercise their leadership skills and implement projects of interest. The committees are organized around a specific topic or project and will run until the completion of the project. For some, that will be throughout the academic year and for others that will be over a shorter period of time.
Committees that generally run from year-to-year include:
Scholars who wish to attend occasional meetings to edit Ex Libris make up the Ex Libris committee and are lead by upperclassmen Scholars along with the GPSP Administrative Assistant. Members come up with ideas for articles for Ex Libris (the GPSP Newsletter), write and edit the articles and/or assign articles to be written by other Scholars. A member of this committee is also assigned to be the liaison with the alumni so that alumni news is included in the newsletter on a frequent basis. This committee meets approximately once a month throughout the academic year.
Members of this committee help to organize the yearly recruitment process where approximately 65 high school seniors visit BC, have interviews and participate in program activities. The members help to host and find other hosts for the visiting students, they arrange social events and accompany the visiting students on excursions into Boston. This committee generally functions from October/November until about mid-February each year.
This committee is comprised of the sophomore class of Scholars. It is their task to come up with and lead all of the Scholars in a social justice project to take place throughout each year. The project should be something that involves multiple campus-wide events in order to educate the wider BC community about the topic they have selected.
The Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program has a special partnership with the BC Library. This partnership enables us to offer the following to our Scholars:
The Boston Library Consortium*
The Boston Library Consortium is a cooperative association of sixteen academic and research libraries. Its purpose is to share human and information resources so that the collective strengths of the group advance the research and learning of the members' constituents. Founded in 1970, the Consortium supports resource sharing and enhancement of services to users through programs in cooperative collecting, access to electronic resources, access to physical collections, and enhanced interlibrary loan and document delivery. Access to research materials at member institutions is facilitated by:
*Text from the Boston Library Consortium User Guide 2000/2001
Each year, Presidential Scholars enjoy meeting the donors who have supported them for the past four years at the Wall Street Council Tribute Dinner.