The Faculty, Staff, and Student Formation

Higher education faces unprecedented challenges, with faculty and staff experiencing increasing burnout, disengagement, and emotional labor. In addition to workload pressures, faculty members navigate increasing emotional labor, balancing the academic and personal needs of students while managing institutional demands. These challenges are further compounded by enrollment declines, which have placed additional strain on higher education institutions. These trends not only threaten faculty well-being but also diminish institutional vitality, teaching quality, and student success.

Amidst these challenges, Boston College’s Jesuit tradition offers a distinctive approach to faculty, staff, and student engagement, purpose, and well-being. Through programs such as Intersections, the Center for Ignatian Spirituality, and leadership development initiatives including the Ignatian Colleagues Program (ICP), Ignatian Leadership Development Program (ILDP), and Elevate, BC fosters personal and professional integration. These programs provide structured spaces for reflection, relationship-building, and alignment with institutional mission.

This study is guided by the overarching research question: How do formation programs impact the personal and professional experience of faculty, staff, and students? More specifically, the study seeks to address that gap in research on the impact of faculty, staff, and student formation programs by systematically examining the following guiding research questions:

Do faculty, staff, and student formation programs contribute to personal and professional flourishing? If so, in what ways are formation programs most influential?
Do these programs foster purpose, well-being, and institutional engagement? If so, how?
How do faculty, staff, and students value orientations interact with program engagement and outcomes?

By providing a research-based understanding of faculty, staff, and student formation, this study will offer insights for enhancing personal and professional development within Jesuit higher education and beyond.