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.

Read & download this issue

Watch & listen to events inspired by this issue

Magazine Launch Panel Liberal Arts 9.12.2024 - Video Thumbnail - 1

Magazine Launch Panel

How to Be Attentive Event Thumbnail 9.27.2024 - Video Thumbnail - 1

How to Be Attentive, Reflecting, & Loving

Magazine Liberal Arts Event Thumbnails 9.12.2024 - Video Thumbnail - THE COURSE THAT CHANGED MY LIFE 9.17.2024 Thumbail

The Course That Changed My Life

Liberal Arts Education Event 10.3.2024 - Video Thumbnail - 1

A Wise Investment

Explore resources from this issue and more

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

The Invaluable Question: Who Will Our Students Become?

Watch .
A Vision for a Jesuit, Catholic University
A Vision for a Jesuit, Catholic University
X
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
X
Liberal Arts in the Jesuit Tradition: A Historical Perspective

Liberal Arts in the Jesuit Tradition: A Historical Perspective

Order Michael T. Rizzi's (Catholic听University of America Press, 2022).

Explore the

Learn more about Boston College's history听through a brief history of 51茶馆, or read the books 听(Linden Lane Press, 2014) and听听(Jesuit Sources, 2021).

Photo Caption听|听With the completion of Gasson Hall in 1913 (center), Boston College moved from its first home in Boston鈥檚 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 51茶馆鈥檚 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鈥檚 first dean and the only person to have served twice as 51茶馆鈥檚 president.

Photo Credits |听Gasson Hall (center), Courtesy of Clifton Church, Boston College, 1918;听Church of the Immaculate Conception (top right), Courtesy of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Boston College, c. 1860;听Reservoir (left), Boston College campus aerial view, 1946;听Library bookplate (bottom right), Courtesy of Gary Wayne Gilbert, Boston College.
Celebrating Catholic Education
Celebrating Catholic Education
X
Celebrating Catholic Education

Celebrating Catholic Education

Watch from Fenway Park celebrating the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of Boston College.

Watch .听

Watch .
Core Curriculum: The Heart of a Jesuit, Catholic University
Core Curriculum: The Heart of a Jesuit, Catholic University
X
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
X
Student Reflections on the Core

Student Reflections on the Core

Learn about Boston College's Perspectives Program听and Complex Problems and Enduring Questions Courses.

Explore Boston College's Retreat Programs.

Let鈥檚 Hear From You:

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
X
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

Read the full text of (Inside Higher Ed, 2023).

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

Photo Caption |听Pictured here is the handwritten manuscript entitled "Various Rules for the Direction of the Teachers of B.C.," penned by Robert Fulton, S.J., 51茶馆鈥檚 first dean. Accompanying this manuscript is a copy of the 1850 edition of the听Ratio Studiorum听(Plan of Studies), which provided the common curriculum and academic structure that united all Jesuit colleges.

Photo Credit |听Ratio Studiorum and Fulton鈥檚 Rules, Courtesy of Gary Wayne Gilbert, Boston College.听

听
The Value Proposition of a Liberal Arts Education
The Value Proposition of a Liberal Arts Education
X
The Value Proposition of a Liberal Arts Education

The Value Proposition of a Liberal Arts Education

Learn about听Boston College's Catalyst Program.

Discover Boston College's opportunities for service work through the Volunteer & Service Learning Center and Campus Ministry's Service Immersion programs.听

Read about the 29th Superior General of the Society of Jesus.

Learn more about Fr. Kolvenbach's influence and thought regarding Jesuit education:

鈥�Fr. Kolvenbach's speech from "Assembly '89," the 1989 gathering celebrating 200 years of Jesuit education in the United States听

鈥� Fr. Kolvenbach's October, 2000, contribution to听The Santa Clara Lectures.

Explore Professor Thomas Groome's 听(Orbis, 2021).
The Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the Jesuit, Catholic University
The Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the Jesuit, Catholic University
X
The Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the Jesuit, Catholic University

The Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the Jesuit, Catholic University

Watch ,听given on January 30, 2024.

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

Love in Jesuit Pedagogy

Learn more about Boston College's PULSE Program听and the Center for Teaching Excellence.
Investing in the Future: Lifelong Skills through the Liberal Arts
Investing in the Future: Lifelong Skills through the Liberal Arts
X
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.

Explore the Boston College Career Center's support and resources for 51茶馆 students and 51茶馆 student outcomes.

Learn about Boston College Admissions.
The Value of My Jesuit Education
The Value of My Jesuit Education
X
The Value of My Jesuit Education

The Value of My Jesuit Education

Explore Boston College's Center for Student Formation.

Gather听tools to "find God in all things" by learning about the Examen.
The Most Practical of Questions
The Most Practical of Questions
X
The Most Practical of Questions

The Most Practical of Questions

Read Christopher Higgin's .

Explore Christopher Higgins's book,听听(The MIT Press, 2024).

Learn more about Formative Education at the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development.听
Cultivating Conscience: Why I Chose Catholic Higher Education
Cultivating Conscience: Why I Chose Catholic Higher Education
X
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
X
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听Clough School of Theology and Ministry's Crossroads.

Find more information on the .听
Shine Your Light for All to See
Shine Your Light for All to See
X
Shine Your Light for All to See

Shine Your Light for All to See

Learn more听about听Boston College's Companions Program.

Explore Steve Pemberton's .
Opening Minds
Opening Minds
X
Opening Minds

Opening Minds

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

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

Messina鈥檚 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
Back To Top