Boston College to Provide Housing for All Undergraduates

    CHESTNUT HILL, Mass., June 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Boston College
 will add 1,280 new beds of undergraduate housing, making it the first
 college or university in Boston to meet 100 percent of student demand. The
 University will reach this milestone by converting a recently purchased
 apartment building near campus to 560 beds of University housing, and by
 adding 500 beds on the 65 acres it purchased from the Archdiocese of
 Boston.
 
     To ease neighbors' concerns, the University will build housing on the
 former Archdiocesan property in two phases, with 150 beds being built
 within the first 1-3 years of its 10-year Institutional Master Plan (IMP),
 and the remaining 350 beds being planned for years 8-10. Once the new
 housing is completed, Boston College will have a total of 8,610 beds for
 its 8,600 resident students.
 
     Among the highlights of the plan, which will exceed $1 billion in
 construction and renovation projects over the next decade and generate an
 estimated 12,000 jobs, Boston College will build: four new academic
 buildings, including new facilities for the humanities, the Graduate School
 of Social Work, the Connell School of Nursing, and an Institute for
 Integrated Sciences. Other projects include a new recreation complex,
 student center, fine arts district with an arts museum and auditorium, and
 an athletics center with a 1,500-seat baseball and 500-seat softball field.
 
     "The Institutional Master Plan presented by Boston College results from
 three years of internal assessment and planning as well as extensive
 consultation with our Brighton neighbors," said Boston College President
 Rev. William P. Leahy, SJ. "What we are proposing, especially in regard to
 undergraduate housing, is a win-win for Boston College, the surrounding
 neighborhood, and the City of Boston. This plan reflects BC's longstanding
 commitment to be a good neighbor and to continue providing a quality
 educational experience true to our Jesuit, Catholic heritage."
 
     The $1 billion investment in construction and renovation and the
 commitment to full housing are particularly significant for Boston College,
 which only 35 years ago was a nearly insolvent commuter school. Today, it
 is a national university that draws students from all 50 states and more
 than 80 countries, and is considered one of the nation's most selective
 schools. It is currently ranked 35th in the US News & World Report rankings
 and its endowment now stands at $1.75 billion. It is one of only 30 private
 universities in the United States that has a need-blind admissions policy
 and meets the full demonstrated need of all accepted students.
 
 
 

SOURCE Boston College