Message from President Robert A. Brown

Welcome to Our Pursuit of Excellence

Broad, Deep, and Interconnected.

Our 17 schools and colleges and Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences offer students more than 300 programs of study in the liberal arts, the sciences, engineering, health, education, the arts, and other professional disciplines. These programs encourage students to engage deeply with a chosen field, drawing on the vast knowledge, wide experience, and diverse viewpoints of our outstanding faculty. We offer multiple opportunities for students to explore connections across traditional disciplines, discover new ways of doing things, and apply methodologies in new domains. From our BU Hub undergraduate program, which guides students as they develop six multidisciplinary skills and habits of mind, to our Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, which is exploring the potential of artificial intelligence and data science across all fields, Boston University is developing new ways to prepare the next generation of leaders and innovative thinkers to create value for the world.

In a Changing World, Changes Start Here

Boston University’s faculty are committed to excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship. With more than $570 million in annual research funding, 1,600+ laboratories, and more than 130 centers and institutes, we are expanding the boundaries of knowledge across a vast array of fields. We place a strong emphasis on preparing experts to address the world’s great challenges, including climate change, poverty, global development policy, and, at BU’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, emerging infectious diseases and the pathogens that cause them.

Inclusive from the Beginning

Boston University has a rich history of inclusion, having admitted students regardless of race, creed, or gender since our founding in 1839. Our legacy includes awarding the first PhD to a woman at a US university and awarding a doctoral degree in systematic theology to Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59).

BU’s strategic plan includes “becoming an even more diverse and inclusive institution that provides fair access and opportunities to all faculty, staff, and students” as one of our five strategic priorities. In January 2020, we reopened the historic Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground, a venue for community building, in a welcoming new space at the heart of campus. We have funded financial aid programs that make it possible for students from low-income circumstances to take advantage of a Boston University education. These programs—along with academic support structures that we continually improve—have contributed to an undergraduate student body that is the most diverse in the University’s history.

Globally Connected

The University’s global reach is evident in a student body recruited from more than 130 countries, alumni living and working in more than 180 countries, and faculty from more than 90 countries conducting research on six continents. We have a long-standing commitment to the global engagement of our students through highly regarded study abroad programming and we offer more than 80 programs in over 20 countries, many based on our own campuses in Geneva, London, Shanghai, and Sydney.

Boston University is an energetic and forward-looking institution full of curiosity, aspiration, and optimism. We welcome you and invite you to browse the BU homepage to learn more about our dynamic University and to visit BU Today to learn what is happening on campus right now and every day.

Sincerely,


Kenneth W. Freeman
President Ad Interim