Mission & History
The Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College, a Catholic and Jesuit university, endeavors to improve the human condition through education and applied psychology.
We pursue this goal through excellence and ethics in teaching, research, and service.
We prepare undergraduate and graduate students to serve diverse populations in a variety of professional rolesāas teachers, administrators, human service providers, psychologists, and researchers.
Through research, we seek to advance knowledge in our respective fields to inform policy and improve practice. As teachers, scholars, and learners, we engage in collaborative school and community improvement efforts locally, nationally, and internationally.
What unites our diverse work is the underlying aspiration to enhance the human condition, to expand the human imagination, and to make the world more just.
Campion Hall
The Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College's first coeducational school on the Chestnut Hill campus, opened its doors on September 22, 1952 to 176 freshmen. Founding Dean Charles F. Donovan, S.J., sought to establish "a good and flourishing school of education" that would "exercise a beneficial influence on education and educational policies in this part of the country."
Prior to the opening of Campion Hall in 1955, the School of Education was located in Gasson Hall. Fr. Donovan was assisted by Marie M. Gearan, an experienced administrator who served as dean of women.Ā
The Boston College School of Education reached a new level in 1999, when philanthropists Carolyn and Peter Lynch contributed more than $10 million to the University. In recognition of that gift, then the largest individual gift ever made to the University, the School of Education was formally named in their honor in November 2000.
The Lynch School of Education and Human Development has experienced more than 65 years of sustained growth in stature and impact on education and educational policy. It looks forward to continuing to fulfill its mission to enhance the human condition, expand the human imagination, and make the world more just.