Boston College’s faculty has grown younger, larger, and more diverse over the past 20 years, according to data from BC’s Office of Institutional Research.
Since 2005, the number of BC faculty has increased by nearly 38 percent—from 679 in 2005, to 805 in 2015, and now 936 in 2025. During the same period, the median age of faculty has fluctuated, from 52 in 2005 to 53 in 2015, and then to 50 in 2025.
The gender composition of the faculty has also shifted. In 2005, women represented 38 percent of the faculty, 41 percent in 2015, and now compose 45 percent in 2025, with 414 female faculty members currently employed, according to the 2025 BC Factbook.
The proportion of female faculty was lower in every school aside from nursing and education in 2005, while now, female faculty are equivalent in number to male faculty in the law school, and make up the majority of faculty in the schools of nursing, education, social work, and the newly added Messina College in 2024 to 2025.
Racial diversity among faculty has also increased. In 2005, 14 percent of faculty identified as AHANA, rising to 17 percent in 2015, and now represents over 25 in 2025, Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley shared in a University release.
The undergraduate population of BC has gradually increased, with 9,567 students in 2005 and approximately 9,677 in 2025. With the addition of faculty, the student-to-faculty ratio has decreased from about 14:1 to 10:1.
These shifts reflect some of the long-term efforts of BC’s various fundraising campaigns, including “Ever to Excel” from 1997 to 2003, and “Light the World” from 2008 to 2016. Together, the two campaigns raised nearly $2 billion for various improvements, and “Light the World” in particular established 31 assistant and full professorships, supporting the growth of faculty.
Additionally, BC’s 2007 Strategic Plan, a $1.6 billion initiative, called for an increase in faculty, endowed chairs, and academic centers.
Some of the faculty growth can also be attributed to the creation of Messina College, the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, as well as the engineering department, which prompted the addition of new faculty to support the expanding academic offerings, according to Vice Provost for Facilities Billy Soo.
While the overall number of faculty has grown, the hiring process remains slow and deliberate. Most full-time faculty searches take 18 months from the start of the process to the new arrival’s presence in a classroom.
According to senior administrators, a number of factors go into the faculty hires, including departmental and University priorities, the institutional mission, and emerging trends in teaching and scholarship. Understanding the interests of a Jesuit Catholic University is also considered.
Additionally, the search takes into account other constraints such as financial resources and available space, said Soo.
“In March, we start telling the deans for BC’s schools, ‘Here are the slots that you can fill,’” he said in the release. “By then, we’ve had discussions—some of which have been over the course of a few years—about what we’re trying to accomplish programmatically, so there are some clear objectives in our recruitment and hiring.”
Once hired by the University, turnover for faculty is relatively low, said Soo. In a 2018 interview with The Heights, Soo reflected on this aspect, highlighting the benefits and drawbacks of each hire being a long-term commitment.
“Turnover is just very slow, and it’s really double-edged,” he said. “On the one hand, you don’t want to have faculty leave, unless it’s a situation where it’s not just working out. But at the same time, you have to be careful in bringing in new faculty because once you commit to them, they could be here 30, 40 years.”
Looking ahead, Quigley emphasized the importance of sustaining momentum in regards to faculty.
“We have worked hard to recruit and retain a remarkable cohort of teachers and scholars,” Quigley said in the release. “The successes of the past two decades gives me hope that Boston College will retain its distinctive ethos and culture across the next generation and beyond.”
