Boston College. Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
Biography
A four-month study of student life at Boston College led to the creation of the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs in 1967. The university eliminated the Department of Student Personnel Services and named its director, the Rev. George L. Drury, SJ, vice president. The new office was responsible for “the staffing, planning and coordination of admissions, counseling, Dean of Students, financial aid, food service, foreign student office, health services, housing, placement, religious activities, student activities and student government.”
James “Jim” P. McIntyre became Boston College’s first lay vice president in 1968, when he was named head of student affairs. As vice president, he was charged with building a centralized student affairs office and easing BC’s transition from a commuter school to a residential campus. He also guided the university through the student activism of the late 1960s and early 1970s. His memoir, My Journey to the Heights: A Memoir of Boston College (1951–2015), covers his years in Student Affairs.
Kevin P. Duffy succeeded McIntyre in 1976 and led the division for 24 years. Duffy came to BC in 1968 as director of student services and served as housing director from 1970 to 1976. During his tenure, BC changed from a largely commuter school into a national residential university.
Cheryl Presley, formerly associate vice president for student affairs at Colorado State University, succeeded Duffy in 2000. Patrick H. Rombalski arrived from John Carroll University in early 2008 and wrote the division’s first strategic plan. After he left in November 2012, Executive Vice President Pat Keating oversaw the division until Barb Jones arrived from Miami University on July 1, 2013. Jones expanded the division’s programs, including Counseling Services and the Career Center, before retiring in 2018.
Joy Haywood Moore, a 1981 graduate and former associate vice president of alumni relations, became interim vice president in August 2018 and was named to the permanent role in 2019. That year the division reorganized under associate vice presidents for student engagement and formation, student health and wellness, residential life and career services. Moore went on leave in October 2020 and stepped down in February 2021 to lead the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success. Executive Vice President Michael Lochhead served as interim vice president until Shawna Cooper-Gibson (later Cooper Whitehead) arrived from Seton Hall University in 2021; she left in 2026 to become president of Regis University. Corey Kelly, associate vice president and dean of students, became vice president in 2026.
As of 2026, the vice president leads the Division of Student Affairs, which reports to the executive vice president and has 15 affiliated departments and a staff of 180. Its departments and programs include BC Bands, the Business Service Center, the Career Center, the Office of the Dean of Students, Graduate Student Life, the Murray Center for Student Wellness, Residential Life, the Robsham Theater Arts Center, Student Involvement, the Thea Bowman AHANA and Intercultural Center and the Women’s Center.
Found in 4 Collections and/or Records:
Boston College Career Center records
Contains correspondence, surveys, clippings, and publications. The files from the 1940s include information on Boston College students enlisted in the military reserves and correspondence from the National Youth Administration. Later files primarily contain departmental reports and student surveys.
Collection is closed until processed.
Boston College publications
Publications and printed materials produced by Boston College administration and students.
Collection is open for research. Digital content in this collection has been migrated from source media; digital use copies can only be accessed onsite in the Burns Library Reading Room.
Boston College student activities collection
A collection of materials produced by and for Boston College student clubs, societies, and other activities, including correspondence, reports, meeting agendas, planning documents, awards, newsletters, photographs, publicity, and artifacts.
Collection is open for research.
Audio and video recordings have been digitally copied; all original media were retained, but may not be played due to format. Digital use copies can only be accessed in the Burns Library Reading Room.
Boston College student theater collection
Materials, predominantly programs and photographs, pertaining to dramatics at Boston College, including productions organized by the Dramatics Society, English Department, Rhetorics Department, Theater Department, and other campus organizations.
Collection is open for research.