Трэвис Родес избран новым председателем совета попечителей Бостонского колледжа

Travis Rhodes, investment executive and BC ’93, was elected to succeed John Fish as the next chair of Boston College’s board of trustees, the University announced today. “Being elected chair of the BC Board of Trustees was both surprising and a great honor,” Rhodes wrote in a statement to The Heights. “I view this new job as the next stop on my personal journey, and I’m so fortunate to be coming home to do it after first stepping foot on campus almost four decades ago.” Rhodes is president and managing director of Abrams Capital—a Boston-based investment firm with a portfolio exceeding $4.6 billion, according to the latest Securities and Exchange Commission filings. Rhodes earned an economics degree from BC in 1993 and later attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1996. He joined Abrams Capital in January 2003 and has remained there since. He has served on BC’s board since fall 2023 and previously served on the board of regents with his wife, Rachel Rhodes, BC ’93, starting in 2020. Rhodes steps into the role at a critical juncture as the University’s longest-serving president, Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., handed the presidency to former Haub Vice President for Mission and Ministry Rev. Jack Butler, S.J., on July 31. As he assumes the role, Rhodes acknowledged the mounting challenges facing higher education and affirmed his commitment to leading the board through this period, relaying its confidence in the University’s next era under Butler. “My commitment is to keep that north star ever-present at the Board level as we navigate what are sure to be increasingly complex times,” he wrote. “I speak for the entire Board when I say that the future of BC is very bright under Fr Jack’s leadership and that is both a testament to his unique skills and gifts as it is to those who came before us in these roles.” Higher education institutions face growing criticisms over their affordability, with a recent report finding that college costs have more than doubled since 1974—adjusted for inflation. At BC, the cost of attendance has increased nearly 50 percent since the 2016–17 school year. Institutions are also grappling with the disruptive effects of AI and a looming demographic cliff expected to shrink the pool of college applicants. Rhodes acknowledged these pressures will demand a “thoughtful approach,” but said he believes BC will overcome them through its unwavering Jesuit and Catholic principles. “What stands out for me with respect to Boston College is that it has been, and will continue to be, an institution that takes most seriously its responsibility for intellectual, moral, and spiritual formation of the whole person,” he wrote. “BC has met with much success because our leaders and our community do not lose the north star—a disposition toward the greater good and a real instinct against complacency in any given standard.” Rhodes inherits the chairmanship from Fish, real estate magnate and CEO of Suffolk Construction, who held the role since 2014, with a brief gap between 2017 and 2019 when he served as chairman of the University’s Board of Regents. He was the first chair not to have graduated from BC. Fish oversaw the University’s most ambitious capital campaign—seeking to raise $3 billion for the school—which, as of July 1, has already surpassed $2.2 billion. He and his wife, Cyndy Fish, co-chair The Soaring Higher Campaign alongside several other prominent trustees. During his tenure, the University’s endowment more than doubled from $2.2 billion to $5.2 billion, and its assets increased by nearly 93 percent from $4 billion to $7.7 billion. His time as chair also saw the University’s land holdings grow by an additional 27 percent with the purchase of the Brookline and Mount Alvernia High School campuses in 2020 and 2023, respectively. The University also completed construction of the Thomas More Apartments, Hayden Hall, Fish Field House, and the Margot Connell Recreation Center during Fish’s tenure. Rhodes pointed to the University’s stable leadership as a source of confidence in this transitory period for the school. “When I came to BC all those years ago, the school was midway through Fr. [Donald] Monan’s 24-year tenure as President,” he wrote. “For a school of BC’s size and reach to have been led by two presidents over 54 years speaks to the enduring qualities that make BC so special.” Update (09/03/2026, 12:05 p.m.): This article was updated following a University announcement that its endowment is $5.2 billion, up from the previously reported total of $4.3 billion.