As a nearly 500-year-old tradition of academic excellence around the world, it is interesting to ponder how Jesuit, Catholic liberal arts education will intersect with the future of higher education. There has been a striking decline in the value of a college degree in U.S. public opinion polls. The liberal arts are being threatened and, in some cases, completely abandoned as part of cost-cutting measures. Americans are wondering what the actual advantage of a liberal arts education is. In this issue, we explore the historical, contemporary, and future value of Jesuit, Catholic liberal arts education from multiple perspectives.

Explore resources from this issue and more

The Invaluable Question: Who Will Our Students Become?
The Invaluable Question: Who Will Our Students Become?
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The Invaluable Question: Who Will Our Students Become?

The Invaluable Question: Who Will Our Students Become?

Watch "The Power of a Jesuit Education" video.
A Vision for a Jesuit, Catholic University
A Vision for a Jesuit, Catholic University
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A Vision for a Jesuit, Catholic University

A Vision for a Jesuit, Catholic University

Learn more about University President Fr. William P. Leahy, S.J.

Liberal Arts in the Jesuit Tradition: A Historical Perspective
Liberal Arts in the Jesuit Tradition: A Historical Perspective
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Liberal Arts in the Jesuit Tradition: A Historical Perspective

Liberal Arts in the Jesuit Tradition: A Historical Perspective

Order Michael T. Rizzi's Jesuit Colleges and Universities in the United States: A History (Catholic University of America Press, 2022).

Explore the map of Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S.

Gasson Hall (center) – Photo Credit: Courtesy of Clifton Church, Boston College, 1918 

Church of the Immaculate Conception (top right) – Photo Credit: Courtesy of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Boston College, c. 1860 

Reservoir (left) – Photo Credit: Boston College campus aerial view, 1946 

Library bookplate (bottom right) – Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gary Wayne Gilbert, Boston College 

Caption: With the completion of Gasson Hall in 1913 (center), Boston College moved from its first home in Boston’s South End (top right) to its current campus in Chestnut Hill. By 1946 (left), four buildings had been completed on the new campus. However, it was on Harrison Ave in the South End where BC’s tradition of excellence in Jesuit education began and many achievements were made, such as this library bookplate awarded to the student Patrick Callanan in 1873 and signed by Robert Fulton, S.J., Boston College’s first dean and the only person to have served twice as BC’s president.
Celebrating Catholic Education
Celebrating Catholic Education
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Celebrating Catholic Education

Celebrating Catholic Education

Watch Fr. Michael Himes's full homily from Fenway Park celebrating the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of Boston College.

Watch Fr. Michael Himes's Agape Latte on Family. 

Watch Fr. Michael Himes's Agape Latte on Finding Hope.
Core Curriculum: The Heart of a Jesuit, Catholic University
Core Curriculum: The Heart of a Jesuit, Catholic University
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Core Curriculum: The Heart of a Jesuit, Catholic University

Core Curriculum: The Heart of a Jesuit, Catholic University

Learn about Boston College's Core Curriculum.

Learn more about Boston College's Justice and the Common Good Living Learning Community.
Student Reflections on the Core
Student Reflections on the Core
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Student Reflections on the Core

Student Reflections on the Core

Learn about Boston College's Perspectives Program.

Explore Boston College's Retreat Programs.
Unveiling Sources: The Jesuit Tradition in Higher Education and How to Cultivate It
Unveiling Sources: The Jesuit Tradition in Higher Education and How to Cultivate It
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Unveiling Sources: The Jesuit Tradition in Higher Education and How to Cultivate It

Unveiling Sources: The Jesuit Tradition in Higher Education and How to Cultivate It

Learn more about Boston College's Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies.

Ratio Studiorum and Fulton’s Rules – Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gary Wayne Gilbert, Boston College 

Caption: Pictured here is the handwritten manuscript entitled Various Rules for the Direction of the Teachers of B.C., penned by Robert Fulton, S.J., BC’s first dean. Accompanying this manuscript is a copy of the 1850 edition of the Ratio Studiorum (“Plan of Studies”), which provided the common curriculum and academic structure that united all Jesuit colleges.
The Value Proposition of a Liberal Arts Education
The Value Proposition of a Liberal Arts Education
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The Value Proposition of a Liberal Arts Education

The Value Proposition of a Liberal Arts Education

Learn about Boston College's Catalyst Program.

Explore Professor Thomas Groome's books. In addition, find Professor Thomas Groome's Faith for the Heart.
The Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the Jesuit, Catholic University
The Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the Jesuit, Catholic University
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The Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the Jesuit, Catholic University

The Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the Jesuit, Catholic University

Watch the full lecture on The Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the Jesuit, Catholic University by Gregory Kalscheur, S.J. given on January 30, 2024.

Learn more about the Catholic Intellectual Tradition.
Love in Jesuit Pedagogy
Love in Jesuit Pedagogy
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Love in Jesuit Pedagogy

Love in Jesuit Pedagogy

Learn more about Boston College's PULSE Program.
Investing in the Future: Lifelong Skills through the Liberal Arts
Investing in the Future: Lifelong Skills through the Liberal Arts
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Investing in the Future: Lifelong Skills through the Liberal Arts

Investing in the Future: Lifelong Skills through the Liberal Arts

Learn more about John L. Mahoney. 
The Value of My Jesuit Education
The Value of My Jesuit Education
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The Value of My Jesuit Education

The Value of My Jesuit Education

Explore Boston College's Center for Student Formation.
The Most Practical of Questions
The Most Practical of Questions
Cultivating Conscience: Why I Chose Catholic Higher Education
Cultivating Conscience: Why I Chose Catholic Higher Education
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Cultivating Conscience: Why I Chose Catholic Higher Education

Cultivating Conscience: Why I Chose Catholic Higher Education

Learn more about Boston College's Division of Student Affairs.
A Theological and Ecological Reflection
A Theological and Ecological Reflection
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A Theological and Ecological Reflection

A Theological and Ecological Reflection

Learn more about Boston College's Clough School of Theology and Ministry.

Explore courses and more online resources open to all interested with Clough School of Theology and Ministry's Crossroads.
Shine Your Light for All to See
Shine Your Light for All to See
Opening Minds
Opening Minds
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Opening Minds

Opening Minds

Liberal Arts for All | Learn more about Boston College's Prison Education Program.

Human-Centered Engineering and the Core | Learn more about Boston College's Human-Centered Engineering Program.
Messina’s Mission: Expanding Access to Transformative Jesuit Education
Messina’s Mission: Expanding Access to Transformative Jesuit Education
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Messina’s Mission: Expanding Access to Transformative Jesuit Education

Messina’s Mission: Expanding Access to Transformative Jesuit Education

Explore Boston College's first two-year residential program, Messina College.

Discover more

St. Ignatius Statue with flowers
Students sitting outside of Burns Library

Boston College Mission & Ministry Programs

Seniors walking convocation
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