In Boynton’s office on the fifth floor of Fulton Hall, a maroon and gold t-shirt with the words “Irrational Persistence” hangs on the wall. It’s a memento of his memorable partnership with Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley and Thomas F. Rattigan Professor of English Mary Crane, from when they were co-chairs of the Core Renewal Committee. Tasked with envisioning the first major academic overhaul at BC in more than 20 years, the trio coined this motivational (and playfully self-deprecating) phrase to remind themselves of the grit and creativity they needed to achieve their goal. 

Irrational persistence still characterizes Boynton’s attitude toward his work. In his view, perhaps his biggest accomplishment as dean has been to create an “aspirational vision” for the Carroll School. “We said, ‘Let’s set out to be great, and then figure out how to get there.’ We created big goals and a big vision, and we’re always pushing forward,” he remarks. In fact, under Boynton’s direction, the Carroll School just achieved one of these “big goals.” For the first time, the School has made several of its academic minors available to undergraduates enrolled in any school at BC; similarly, Carroll School students can now pursue a minor at any school of their choice. 

Boynton understood that this meaningful enhancement to the student experience came with significant risks, if improperly executed: “There was a big demand for these minors right away, and we could have easily outstripped the School’s resources. I think the fact that all of us at the School have such great teamwork made it possible,” he reflects. “The growth of the School in general has really stretched our limits. It’s not the same school it was 15 years ago, right? It’s a completely different animal. It takes a lot more resources to run it, but the results are worth it. The journey’s been a team effort at the Carroll School, each step of the way.”

The Carroll School’s growth is just one of the many ways that BC has changed over the years, and for the better, Boynton acknowledges. One of the most transformational changes he’s witnessed has been the strengthening of BC’s student formation programs. “The intellectual, spiritual, and social development of our students really comes alive now through the curriculum, Mission and Ministry, and different divisions across the University. When I was a student here, this concept wasn’t explicit; it wasn’t uniform. A lot of work has gone into that, especially over the past 10 years, and it has put BC in a very strong position. It differentiates us, every day.”

In 2015, BC Trustee Associate John Powers ’73, P’10 ’10 ’18, and his wife, Linda, endowed the Carroll School deanship.

As one of the University’s most confident leaders, Boynton looks the part. His mannerisms are informal and entirely unselfconscious; his voice carries. It comes as a surprise, then, to hear him admit, “I’m really kind of an introvert.” He credits his ability to “tune in at work and energize a room” to his 10 years of teaching executive education in Switzerland. “It was intense. I was dealing with 40 to 50 executives at a time, almost daily, and they’re some of the best in the world. So I learned under those conditions—how to project energy and inspire people. My job at BC is to give people opportunities to do great things. I always have that goal in mind,” he says.

Away from work, Andy Boynton the introvert comes out. “I love to fish—I fish relentlessly on Nantucket, mostly alone.” Andy goes on lots of walks with his wife, Jane, who he met at BC, and he has four sons, a granddaughter, and two dogs who “all take up a lot of my time,” he said, grinning. The COVID-19 lockdown wasn’t such a big adjustment for him, he insists. “It was actually pretty easy for me, because I’m a relatively boring person. I watched a lot of good shows at home with Jane.” 

This quiet contentedness which characterizes Boynton’s personal life, even in a time of crisis, may be another benefit of his “irrational persistence”—the buoyant attitude which always leads the Carroll School forward, unfazed by the most daunting challenges.