University Convocation

Speaking at University Convocation on August 28, Boston College President William P. Leahy, S.J., said American higher education’s financial and demographic challenges have been exacerbated by an increasingly negative image: that colleges and universities are elitist, too costly, and out of touch with traditional beliefs and commitments.

But Boston College—while not immune to the effects of such trends and issues—has innate strengths and resources to continue building on its success as a top-tier, Jesuit, Catholic university, he said.

“I can say with great conviction that amid a competitive and sometimes challenging environment,” Fr. Leahy told the Robsham Theater audience, “Boston College today is so fortunate and strong, and has a bright future.”

Executive Vice President Michael Lochhead and Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley also spoke at the convocation, a longstanding tradition of the new academic year.

During his remarks, Fr. Leahy, who announced in June that he will step down as president in 2026, outlined the process for choosing his successor. The search will be led by the Board of Trustees Executive Committee, he said, and include trustees and trustee associates, as well as student, faculty, and staff leaders, the BC Board of Regents, BC Alumni Board, Jesuit leaders, and members of the University’s Jesuit Community. The timetable calls for the next president to be named by the spring of 2025 and, following a sabbatical and orientation period, to take office in the summer of 2026.

The Trustees Executive Committee is “committed to maintaining stability, continuity, and momentum during the presidential search and transition,” said Fr. Leahy.

In his overview of the pressures affecting enrollment in American higher education, Fr. Leahy cited the ongoing decline in the number of births in the United States—down 17 percent from 2007 to 2023—the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the number of international students opting to study in the U.S., as well as the U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting use of affirmative action in undergraduate admission and problems with the U.S. Education Department’s Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) program.

Fewer student deposits, combined with other financial trends, has had a cascade effect on American higher education, said Fr. Leahy, with some colleges and universities eliminating academic majors, reducing faculty and staff, undergoing institutional restructuring, merging, or closing.

Meanwhile, he said, the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel precipitated months of unrest in American higher education, as campus protests and demonstrations disrupted teaching and learning and raised issues of free speech and campus safety. Critics in government, the media, and many segments of the public excoriated colleges and universities for their response—or what they saw as the lack of it—in dealing with the turbulence, further diminishing support for higher education.

While Boston College, as a higher education institution, is hardly insulated from such controversies, Fr. Leahy said the prospects for its sustained upward trajectory are excellent: “BC has a vibrant, caring community of talented students, faculty, and staff serious about teaching, research, and learning.  Finances and enrollment remain strong, and it is blessed to be in a world-class city and have an attractive campus. It is an institution with vision, stability, and momentum, and its alumni, parents, and friends are known for their loyalty and enthusiasm.”

The University’s $3 billion Soaring Higher Campaign, launched almost a year ago and expected to be at its halfway point later next month, is critical to ensuring that BC continues its academic and formational mission, he said.

“We have had another strong year, showing clear evidence of momentum and growing support among BC among alumni, parents, and friends.  But still much work needs to be done to reach the $3 billion goal.”

Fr. Leahy listed what he called the “essential” characteristics for BC: a place that “prizes search for truth, dialogue, teaching, research, where people can disagree, engage in debate and learn from one another,” for example, and which “insists that everyone on campus should be valued, treated with respect, and helped to feel welcome and at home, manifesting our Judeo-Christian, Catholic roots that all are made in the image and likeness of God and that members of our community should strive to love God and neighbor.”

In an overview of BC’s financial and facilities operations, Lochhead pointed to such highlights as double-digit growth in the University’s endowment—now nearing $4 billion—a strong credit rating, and a now 50-year tradition of balanced budgets. These and other vital elements make it possible for BC to meet academic and institutional goals, such as offering ample undergraduate financial aid.

Following a summer that saw some $57 million in construction-related activity, Lochhead said, the University looks ahead to upcoming projects such as the “Newton East” campus, at the former site of Mount Alvernia High School, and the Catholic Religious Archives building on Brighton Campus. Related to this, BC expects to complete its new 10-year Institutional Master Plan shortly.

While also referencing the pressures facing American higher education, especially with regard to the Gaza conflict and the U.S. Supreme Court affirmative action ruling, Quigley pointed to numerous academic- and enrollment-related highlights for BC during the past year, including: the opening of Messina College; $83 million in sponsored research activity; the first graduates in the Boston College Prison Education Program; and the arrival of another academically impressive first-year class at the Heights, as well as 79 new full-time faculty members.

Quigley touched on the formational aspects of BC as a Jesuit, Catholic university promoting a “culture of care and concern,” noting that times of controversy and discord compels administrators, faculty, and staff to serve as role models for positive engagement.

“Our generational responsibility is to create a hope-filled future for the next generation,” he said. “I can think of no more noble calling.”