Boston College was named in a group of the most elite research schools in the nation, termed “R1.” The updated list for colleges making that level in 2015 was announced on Monday. Notably absent from the list was Dartmouth College, which lost its R1 status this year. Placement on this list marks BC as a school with one of the highest research rates in the country, a great distinction for the University.
This success in the research field is a positive sign for BC. As it expands through its 10-year plan and various fundraising efforts, a new focus on research bodes well for increasing prestige and creating a more elite educational environment. A more robust research program delineates the University from its peers, which is especially evident with the new R1 distinction. As a University that focuses mainly on the liberal arts, as evidenced by the recent building of Stokes Hall, it is good to see an expansion into other areas while not forgetting the core of a BC education.
As a school founded on the liberal arts, it is essential that the University continues to strongly support that path of education, as it has proven to do, while also continuing to expand and create a holistically wider-reaching University. The expenditures that have bolstered science and research departments at the University were, and continue to be, well-spent.
Every student benefits from the improvement of these portions of the University because it increases BC’s influence and, through this, allows for the continued support of liberal arts projects such as the previously mentioned construction of Stokes Hall, as well as other humanities-based projects. Being named to this list is a tangible demonstration of the positive effects of BC’s 10-year plan and fundraising efforts. This success deserves to be celebrated and should provoke further effort to establish BC as a high-quality research institution with strong liberal arts roots.
As BC continues to fundraise and determine future projects, it should take this success as an indication of where its efforts have achieved success and use it as a roadmap for future endeavors.
Featured Image by Kelsey McGee / Heights Graphics
