Over the summer, the University founded the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies (IAJS) to promote the research of the history and work of Jesuits in the U.S., collect literature on the Society of Jesus, and host events—such as an international symposium and a summer immersion program—that showcase the United States’ rich Jesuit history.
The launch of this center, which is led by Rev. Casey Beaumier, S.J., GCAS ’13, is an encouraging development for Boston College, which would like to see itself as the flagship Jesuit university in the U.S. On a more immediate level, this center will certainly establish BC as the hub of research on American Jesuits, through the Institute of Jesuit Sources (IJS). Formerly housed at St. Louis University, IJS has over 50 years’ worth of English-language literature about the Society of Jesus and will provide researchers interested in studying the Jesuits a single location in the U.S. where they can find the resources they need, and it is an integral part of completing the mission of IAJS.
In addition to the sources that the institute will provide academics, IAJS will offer programs and access to undergraduate and graduate students alike. The decision to open the center to undergraduates and not only graduate students is commendable, and students should take advantage of the resources that the institute has to offer.
The establishment of IAJS represents a serious commitment of BC to its Jesuit roots. This worthwhile investment shows promise to meld the University’s spiritual and academic missions—a truly Jesuit thing to do.
Featured Image by Connor Farley / Heights Editor
