Historical note

The Office of the Executive Vice President was created in December 1968 with the appointment of Francis X. Shea, an assistant professor of English at Boston College. The new president, W. Seavey Joyce, SJ, had been inaugurated two months earlier on 20 October 1968. Joyce’s choice to create the office in the first year of his own presidency likely reflected a desire to affect administrative oversight over an expanding campus. Although the scope and duties of the office were initially vague, Shea was understood to have been appointed as Joyce’s “right arm”. He was enthusiastically involved in almost all of the Joyce administration’s decisions.

The office evolved under Frank Campanella who was selected by Joyce’s successor, J. Donald Monan, SJ, in part due to his reputation as a management consultant. Campanella was appointed on 16 July 1973, taking on the responsibility of Boston College’s internal management. His first priorities were establishing management standards, and developing an information system for administrators. Campanella also had an interest in University finances and worked closely with the Financial Vice President, focusing on long-range fiscal and capital planning. In addition, Campanella was a skillful architectural planner and construction manager, and oversaw $460 million worth of construction and major renovation projects.

When Campanella retired in 2001, The Heights reported that the Office of the Executive Vice President had “authority over finances, human resources, student affairs, information technology and facilities”. Patrick J. Keating replaced Campanella as Executive Vice President and remained in office until 2014. In this time, he worked closely with William P. Leahy, SJ to carry out extensive campus growth, including the construction of Stokes Hall and the renovation of Gasson Hall. Keating also oversaw technological improvements at Boston College, including the data center at St. Clement’s Hall and the implementation of open source administrative systems.

In 2014, Keating retired as Executive Vice President and was succeeded by Michael Lochhead, who began in February 2015. Lochhead oversees Boston College’s Facilities Management, Finance and Treasury, Human Resources, Information Technology Services, Institutional Research and Planning, Student Affairs division and Veterans programs and services. He was the driving force behind the 10-year Strategic Plan, “Ever to Excel: Advancing Boston College’s Mission”, announced in 2017, which focuses particularly on enhancing liberal arts education and increasing the university’s international profile.

In 2024, the Executive Vice President is a senior administrator, answerable directly to the President. Six officers report to the Executive Vice President: Vice President of Human Resources, Vice President of Student Affairs, Financial Vice President and Treasurer, Vice President of Information Technology (IT) Services, Vice President of Facilities Management, and the Vice President of Institutional Research and Planning. The Executive Vice President works alongside the President, Board of Trustees, Provost, and Dean of Faculties to shape Boston College’s planning efforts.

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