Writing the next chapter of Boston College history
Since its founding in 1863 and early days in Boston’s South End, Boston College has grown to become a major national university on four campuses and across nine schools. Every step of BC’s transformation has been aided by the visionaries and benefactors who saw the promise of where we stand now.
Following in the footsteps of those that helped build our University, BC proudly launches Soaring Higher: the Campaign for Boston College. This ambitious effort will help BC fulfill its potential as the greatest Jesuit, Catholic university in America. It will grant an unmatched formative experience to all students, and its legacy of impact on future generations called to serve others will live on “’til the echoes ring again.”
CAMPAIGN PROGRESS
$1.8B Raised
- 59%
As of 05/31/2025
September 30, 2024
On September 28, 2023, just steps away from a glowing Gasson Hall, Boston College officially launched Soaring Higher: the Campaign for Boston College. Nearly one year to the day after the historic announcement, we are proud to share that the campaign has surpassed the halfway mark! As of this morning, 83,000 donors have given $1.52 billion to BC.
One of the goals of this campaign is to sustain Boston College’s upward trajectory—to carry on its momentum. The past year did that and more, with BC securing its best fundraising year ever—more than $366 million was pledged to the University, all of it counting toward Soaring Higher.
In just the past six months we celebrated the naming of the Clough School of Theology and Ministry, announced a gift to name the Seidner Department of Finance at the Carroll School of Management, and welcomed the first class of Messina College students—all made possible because of philanthropic investments from our Eagle community. Through BC’s commitment to financial aid and the generosity of donor-established scholarships, 14 percent of the Class of 2028 are the first in their families to attend college. The recent championship drives of BC’s hockey and lacrosse programs and the strong start to the football season are also the result of the many gifts that support our athletic programs. The campaign benefits every part of campus and your support has made the difference this year.
It goes without saying we are ecstatic to have reached this point in the campaign so quickly. Yet just like the world-famous race that runs through the Heights, Soaring Higher is a marathon, not a sprint. Last year may have been the fastest sprint to date but there are many more left until we reach our ultimate goal.
Soaring Higher is the most ambitious campaign the University has ever undertaken. Now is the time for our collective generosity to match this ambition. Philanthropic support fuels Boston College, helping it maintain its status as the preeminent Jesuit, Catholic University in America.
On behalf of Boston College, thank you for a wonderful year. You are an integral part of this campaign and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
Sincerely,
Campaign Co-Chairs
Brigid Doherty ’96, Regent and René Jones ’86, P’25, Trustee
Cyndy and John F. Fish, Trustee
Jonathan and Patti Kraft, P’24, Trustee
Kim Gassett-Schiller and Phillip Schiller ’82, Trustee
Raymond Skowyra, Jr. and Marianne D. Short NC’73, JD’76, P’05, Trustee
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:31
Through Soaring Higher, the University aims to bolster financial aid, sustaining BC’s need-blind commitment and ensuring that the Heights are attainable for all students with ability and promise.
FOR EXCELLENCE
Soaring Higher will carry forward the tremendous momentum achieved by BC’s scholarly enterprise, add game-changing faculty to its roster, and further the integration of innovative ideas and opportunity.
Philanthropic support through Soaring Higher amplifies BC’s efforts to foster a rich, vibrant campus community that is strengthened by its diversity of experiences and perspectives.
Boston College invites your support of the Soaring Higher campaign through an online gift, an estate or planned gift, or by way of a direct conversation with one of our giving officers.
Halfway to History
Comprehensive Soaring Higher campaign takes flight—and surpasses a milestone—in its first year
“I’m investing in you.”
BC Trustee Sue Martinelli Shea ’76 has helped 38 students—and counting—find a home at the Heights through scholarships. “It’s a gift for me…I love looking at somebody in the face and saying: ‘I believe in you.’”
“I came out better on the other side.”
For these three, their experience at BC has made all the difference.
“… that’s what a BC education is all about”
Investing in faculty and academic programs creates a richer student experience and a more academically competitive institution.
Boston College announces $3 billion Soaring Higher campaign
Initiative prioritizes academics, financial aid, and student life
A Plan for Every Child
An anonymous gift honors and amplifies the work of City Connects, BC’s holistic approach to K-12 student support.
Boston College Receives Gift to Endow Women’s Hockey Head Coaching Position
Boston College Athletics received a $3.5 million gift to establish the first women's head coaching endowment in Boston College Athletics history.
It Runs in the Family
For Donna and Fred Seigel, P’13, ’19, it’s all about the impact they can have, working in tandem with the University, to make sure the possibility of a BC education isn’t withheld from anyone just because they can’t afford it.
The Player-Coach Approach
A life of hands-on philanthropy and a passion for sports come together in BC’s new Hoag Basketball Pavilion.
Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Romer to join Boston College as the Seidner University Professor
Nobel laureate Paul M. Romer, one of the most influential economists of this century, joined Boston College as the Seidner University Professor in the Carroll School of Management, launching the new Center for the Economics of Ideas.
Contact a member of our team