Dean of the Carroll School of Management Andy Boynton emailed CSOM Honors Program students, alumni, and parents Tuesday seeking to address concerns expressed by some about the end of the program.
Boynton said that the end of CSOM Honors will have no effect on attracting top students to Boston College.
“The Office of Undergraduate Admission has been closely examining the data for quite some time,” Boynton wrote. “It is now abundantly clear that acceptance into the Honors Program does not increase the likelihood of a student attending BC.”
“Those who are accepted into the Program are no more likely to attend than other admitted students with the same academic credentials,” he added. “Put another way: top students want to come to the Carroll School, and increasingly our non-Honors students share with Honors students a stellar academic profile. Many are qualified for admission into the Honors Program (every bit as much as the 35 or so who are actually admitted each year), but we are able to extend an invitation only to a small subset.”
Boynton referenced the improved academic credentials of admitted students as part of his reasoning, including average SAT scores, which are now above 1400. This rationale echoes Dean of MCAS Rev. Greg Kalscheur, S.J., in his October letter announcing the end of the MCAS Honors Program.
Boynton emphasized bringing the Honors program experience to all undergraduates in CSOM.
“I want to make sure they receive the best we have to offer—the most rigorous academic preparation together with personal formation that promotes a desire for lifelong learning and dedication to the good of all,” he wrote.
Boynton also stated the ambition for CSOM to become the best undergraduate school of management in the world. CSOM is working to improve programs for undergraduates within the school, as well as increasing options for minors for non-management students, due to increased demand, he wrote. In the Class of 2017 alone, he said, 867 non-management students enrolled in an average of more than two courses each in CSOM during their time at BC.
Boynton closed his letter thanking alumni, faculty, students, and parents for their continued support.
“To underscore a central point: we want to be the best undergraduate school of management anywhere. To do that, we need to take further steps toward creating the richest possible learning experience for 2200 students, not just 150 students,” he wrote.
Featured Image via Heights Archives
