The Institute of Advanced Jesuit Studies at Boston College recently published the new book « Ever to Excel: A History of Boston College » written by James M. O’Toole.

Ever to Excel describes the transformation of Boston College from a small commuter undergraduate college to a comprehensive modern American university. It focuses on the students, faculty, staff, and alumni who helped shape Boston College and related changes in curriculum and campus life.

Boston College was founded by Jesuits in 1863 to help educate children of immigrants and has grown into a major academic institution of national and international standing.

James M. O’Toole is University Historian and Clough Millennium Professor of History Emeritus at Boston College. He is the author, among other works, of The Faithful: A History of Catholics in America.