The Assessment and Planning Initiative will enter its final phase this semester, producing some 200 proposals that will effectively shape the future of the University for the next 10 years.
The committee, chaired by Academic Vice President John J. Neuhauser and Executive Vice President Patrick Keating, will review the proposals and organize them for a presentation to the Board of Trustees in June.
The proposals were gathered by 15 task forces composed of over 200 administrators, faculty, students, and staff and cover all aspects of the University from academics to the Jesuit identity. Each subcommittee concentrated on a different aspect of the University and its future, pushing several key issues to the forefront as well as new ideas, said James O'Toole, director of the Assessment and Planning Initiative.
Should any or all of the proposals be pursued, O'Toole projected the need to hire about 100 new faculty members in addition to filling current vacancies within the University.
"It will have a good effect on faculty-student ratios," he said. "The hope is to allow students to work with a faculty mentor."
The influx of proposals and ideas was aided by the option presented by the newly acquired Brighton Campus, said O'Toole.
"Without having a specific proposal on what to do with it, it gave us breathing room and a safety valve in a way," he said. "It took the brakes of a lot of innovative thinking."
Academics
Improving undergraduate education is at the forefront of the committee's proposals. Several ideas to improve and reinforce the undergraduate academic experience have been made, including changes to the core curriculum to turn it into a more dominant, continuous component.
"In our discussions, people often found the core as something that should be done in the beginning to get it out of the way," said O'Toole. "We'd like to turn it into a unifying educational experience across the different academic disciplines, no matter what major a student is."
Each academic department grouping will be reviewed as well. In the humanities, such as English and history, a proposal has been made to create a "humanities hub" or center that will physically and intellectually enable the different departments to increase interdisciplinary work.
"It will help break down the barriers between departments," said O'Toole. No plans have been determined as to where the center will be located.
In the social sciences, such as political science and economics, the committee has pushed to increase the international focus by creating the Society of International Fellows.
"It's so faculty and interested students would have a place to exchange their ideas in related disciplines," said O'Toole. "It might be so a student could apply for membership in the Society and remain a member even after they graduate."
The task forces see the hard sciences moving towards new discoveries in their respective fields.
"Chemistry, physics, and biology, among others, will work on strategies to develop new drugs and discover new drugs," said O'Toole. "We're looking to have a center where they can do that and promote faculty and student research."
Residential Life
Currently, Boston College follows a residential system of housing lotteries conducted every year, but the Initiative has considered the feasibility of other systems like residential colleges, house systems, and freshmen colleges.
"We've also discussed having more adult presence in dorms and more faculty interaction through different events," said O'Toole.
Student Life Issues
The construction of a new student center was at the forefront of the proposals, as well as the renovation of the Plex. Whether the two will be one and the same remains to be seen.
A task force focused on the bigger issue of student formation by implementing new programs.
"They looked at what a BC graduate should look like," said O'Toole. "What qualities and capabilities should the BC ideal have after graduating?"
The Jesuit Identity
BC's dedication to the Catholic tradition could be manifested in a center for Catholic scholars, said O'Toole.
"We would look for faculty and people in different departments whose own teaching connects to the Catholic intellectual tradition so that BC becomes a center for people doing this kind of research that is related to the Catholic identity," he said.
O'Toole said attracting high-powered faculty would aid in this endeavor.
Furthermore, BC is currently in talks to merge with the Weston Jesuit School of Theology, which would create a new school of theology on Brighton Campus. More support and funding for immersion trips and retreats was also discussed.
Research
While the focus on undergraduate education remains strong, research for both undergraduates and graduates will be expanded according to one of the proposals. More faculty members will be needed should this proposal succeed.
"The danger is that research removes faculty from teaching," said O'Toole. "We want faculty to involve their students in research. Those in the hard sciences want to move towards an ideal where for every student who wants to do research, we could say yes."
Be the first to comment on this article!