(Photos by Lee Pellegrini)
Larger, more diverse, younger
The first quarter of the 21st century has seen significant changes in the Boston College faculty: It’s become larger, more diverse, and younger.
Statistics presented by Winston Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley at last month’s University Convocation clearly show these trends:
•The overall number of BC faculty was 679 in 2005, climbed to 805 in 2015, and this year stands at 936.
•The median age of the BC faculty—meaning half are younger and half are older—was 52 in 2005 and 53 in 2015, but has now dropped to 50.
•In 2005, 38 percent of the faculty was female. By 2015, it was 41 percent and is now 45 percent.
•The faculty was 14 percent AHANA in 2005, 17 percent by 2015; as of the 2025-2026 academic year, over a quarter of the faculty are AHANA.
Winston Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley
Institutional mission, University and departmental priorities, and emerging trends in teaching and scholarship are major considerations in recruiting new faculty from year to year, according to BC senior administrators. At the same time, the University takes a broader, holistic view when considering the size and make-up of the faculty, and how it will enable BC to live out its calling to be a particular kind of great university, one animated by the Jesuit and Catholic dimensions of its mission.
“As I begin my 12th year in Waul House, I come to see the work of faculty renewal, across all nine schools and colleges, as central to the work that the deans and I are called to do,” said Quigley. “We have worked hard to recruit and retain a remarkable cohort of teachers and scholars. The successes of the past two decades gives me hope that Boston College will retain its distinctive ethos and culture across the next generation and beyond.”
The overall growth of the faculty during the past 20 years—nearly 38 percent—stems in part from the success of the University’s capital campaigns, such as “Ever to Excel” (1997-2003) and “Light the World” (2008-2013), which have provided resources making it possible for BC to add more teaching positions, notably including a considerable expansion of the number of endowed chairs. Besides contributing to a highly favorable student-to-faculty ratio—approximately 10-1—that increase also reflects BC’s movement into new areas of teaching and research.
This doesn’t happen in one fell swoop, however, but on a year-by-year basis, note senior administrators.
The process for hiring new faculty begins a full 18 months before new hires will ultimately arrive in a Boston College classroom. Departments and schools submit proposals to the Provost’s Office, where all submissions are assessed against institutional priorities, shifting enrollment patterns, and the University’s Strategic Plan. Hiring authorizations that are made typically combine long- and short-term factors with regard to financial resources, available space, and other constraints.
Vice Provost for Faculties Billy Soo
“In March, we start telling the deans for BC’s schools, ‘Here are the slots that you can fill,’” said Vice Provost for Faculties Billy Soo. “By then, we’ve had discussions—some of which have been over the course of a few years—about what we’re trying to accomplish programmatically, so there are some clear objectives in our recruitment and hiring.”
For example, Soo noted, in recent years the University focused on building up the faculty for new programs and departments, such as Messina College, the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, and the Engineering Department.
“At the same time, every year there are faculty members who have retired or decided to retire,” he added, “so we need to address how those slots will be filled.”
BC faculty turnover is generally low, even when compared to many peer schools, noted Soo, which is by no means a drawback.
“You need experienced faculty. You want the historical overview and insight. Inevitably, of course, a college or university must work to renew the faculty across schools and colleges.”
When schools and departments begin recruiting new faculty, they scrutinize candidates’ academic and professional credentials according to the specific characteristics of the field or discipline. While BC greatly values these qualifications, say senior administrators, the University also seeks to build a faculty who draw on varying experiences and perspectives.
“Above all, we look for faculty with innovative, creative ideas and views related to their field of interest and expertise,” said Soo. “Our departments and schools like to be out looking in the job market as often as possible: They say, ‘We need to see what the new frontiers are. What new data are these new faculty using? What angles are they looking at?’
“That said, however, it’s vital for us to see how well a candidate understands our charge as a Jesuit, Catholic university, and what that entails in terms of a commitment to formative education.”
Soo adds that the cura personalis aspect of BC’s mission extends to its employees, faculty included. He points to the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Office of the Vice Provost for Research as vital resources for new faculty, along with the University Mission and Ministry division and its various programs and activities, from writing retreats to discussions on interdisciplinary work, and more informal events that encourage fellowship as well as collaboration.
“BC wants all new faculty members to flourish. We present ourselves to junior faculty as a community that will provide support and mentoring that will help them realize their potential as teachers and researchers. The University’s long-term success depends upon this work of ongoing faculty renewal.”