The Boston College Board of Regents, formed in 2017 to advise the University President and Board of Trustees on strategic priorities and matters essential to the University’s future, recently held its annual meeting to welcome new members, hear reports of board activities, and set goals for the coming year.
The Board of Regents, led by Trustees Vice Chair John Fish, provides opportunities for alumni, current and former BC parents, and friends of BC to serve as University ambassadors and thought leaders. Regents, who convene on campus once a year, are selected on the basis of their professional, charitable, and civic pursuits, and for their capacity to bring diverse and unique perspectives to the work of the University. They are expected to experience and model practices of reflection and discernment, and to prioritize philanthropic support of the University’s current-use needs as well as significant longer-term commitments.
At its 2018 meeting, the board added 13 new members to bring its total membership to 94. Two members, Kevin Smart and Jonathan Rather, were appointed to the University Board of Trustees.
In addition to participating in periodic conference calls and off-campus experiences that enrich their learning and demonstrate the vibrancy of the Boston College community around the world, regents serve on advisory committees, each working with a senior administrator or academic leader and focused on a priority area of the University. One committee, on Entrepreneurship and Innovation, completed its charge during the first year and presented its recommendations at the annual meeting.
Three other committees—Integrated Science and Society, Formation, and Global Engagement—are continuing their work this year, and two others have been formed: Leadership Development and Financial Aid.
During the past year, regents served as speakers, hosts, and conveners for Boston College around the world, including for a visit to Asia this past fall by University President William P. Leahy, S.J.. A small group of regents also attended an Ignatian Pilgrimage in Spain last June, accompanied by Fr. Leahy, Vice President for University Mission and Ministry Jack Butler, S.J., and Vice President and University Secretary Casey Beaumier, S.J.
–University Communications