BC HIGH LAUNCHES LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN IN SCHOOL HISTORY, AIMS TO RAISE $125M
“Illuminating Excellence: The Campaign For BC High” Prioritizes Investments in Human Excellence, Access and Affordability, and Campus Enhancements
Boston, Mass. (October 27, 2023): At a gathering of students, faculty and staff, alumni, benefactors, and community members on a beautiful Friday evening in late October, Boston College High School Board of Trustees Chair Kevin Powers and President Grace Cotter Regan announced the launch of Illuminating Excellence: The Campaign For BC High, the largest and most comprehensive fundraising effort in the history of BC High. With a goal of $125 million – $97 million of which has already been raised – the campaign will provide the essential resources needed to advance the school’s mission and legacy of leadership on campus, in Boston, and beyond.
“This campaign represents the culmination of many years of strategic planning and thoughtful discussion, combined with deep engagement and bold action on behalf of the Board, President Regan, and the school’s senior leadership and advancement teams,” said Powers. “Together, we identified and prioritized the primary areas where our school has tremendous opportunity to not only reaffirm its leadership in all-boys Jesuit, Catholic education, but also honor BC High’s commitment to cura personalis – caring for the whole person – and the school’s responsibility to develop and further relationships and experiences that best support lifelong intellectual, spiritual, physical, and social growth and development.”
The three campaign priorities – which are aligned with and support the school’s Vision 2026 Strategic Plan – include making strategic investments in:
• Human Excellence, specifically the school’s new House System, Centers of Excellence, and faculty – investments which embody the heart of BC High’s mission and strengthen the foundation of intellectual and spiritual formation, a bedrock principle of Jesuit education;
• Access and Affordability, specifically increasing financial aid and scholarships so that BC High can serve students and families of all means and backgrounds;
• Campus Enhancements that align the school’s philosophical approach to forming young men with the spaces where they learn, play, and grow, and support BC High’s commitment to fostering deep connections among community members.
“BC High is poised to enter an era of unprecedented achievement,” said President Regan. “After St. Ignatius was struck by a cannonball during the Battle of Pamplona in 1521, he experienced an epiphany – a ‘cannonball moment’ – that led to the creation of the Society of Jesus. BC High enters this campaign at its own cannonball moment, and during a time when the world needs what we offer more than ever.”
“There are exciting developments underway at the school on multiple fronts that strengthen our capacity to recruit students of exceptional promise – from the creation of the Patrick Cadigan ’52 Family Foundation Wellness Complex to the establishment of the new House System, where boys feel a greater sense of belonging and connect more deeply with the school and one another,” continued Regan. “As our school evolves, a core truth endures: no institution is better positioned than BC High to help boys discover their way in the world through a formative process that nurtures their academic skills, capacity to engage with others, and spiritual development.”
In addition to Powers and President Regan, the event featured several BC High alums and luminaries, including Linda Dorcena Forry P’22, ‘25, Michael White ’70, Jack Shields ’79, and Souren Ouzounian ’85, each of whom intertwined personal and moving reflections throughout their remarks. BC High students Henry Sulce ’26, Ahmed Omo ’24, and Gustavo Bosques ’25 also offered insights on their experiences at the school. The BC High Chamber Choir, under the direction of Dr. Marina Rozenberg and with the accompaniment of pianist Anna Pyon, performed as well.
BC High seeks to build on the momentum of the last two years, which has seen unprecedented levels of support and engagement from alumni. The school and its leadership have secured gifts of more than $65 million, including $49 million to build the 50,000-square-foot Wellness Complex. This transformative gift was the largest in school history, the largest ever to a Catholic secondary school in New England, and among the largest to a high school nationwide. The school also recently received $10 million to endow the Center for Emerging Leaders, fund capital improvements, and enhance financial aid, $2.5 million to build Murphy Family Stadium, and $5 million to establish the Shields Center for Innovation.
“BC High is a school on the move, with ambitious goals and clear strategies for achieving them,” said BC High Vice President of Advancement Kelly DeGregorio. “By investing in human excellence, increased access to a BC High education, and key campus enhancements, this campaign honors both our proud history and our commitment to educate men from all walks of life who go on to benefit the world by serving others.”
“Our mission is more relevant than ever – and the world needs our graduates as never before,” added DeGregorio. “Achieving the ambitious goals of Illuminating Excellence will play a critical role in ensuring that BC High endures—and thrives—as both a world-class institution and a shining example of leadership in all-boys Catholic education.”
More information about Illuminating Excellence: The Campaign for BC High can be found online.
About Boston College High School: Boston College High School is a Jesuit, Catholic, college-preparatory school for young men in grades 7 to 12. Founded in 1863, the school enrolls more than 1,400 students from more than 100 communities in eastern Massachusetts. For more information, please visit bchigh.edu.