It’s often said that BU offers the best of both worlds: the advantages of a large, urban campus with many small, thriving communities within it. As we zero in on priority #4 of the Strategic Plan for 2030—Community, Big Yet Small—consider connecting with our students and your alumni network in new, meaningful ways.
Get to know the new LGBTQIA+ student center
After months of preparation and years of student advocacy, BU will open this professionally staffed resource center for students—an important step toward creating a more inclusive, welcoming campus.
Read the story
The news was announced on February 23, 2023, in a joint memo sent to the BU community from Jean Morrison, University provost and chief academic officer, and President Robert A. Brown. The center is expected to open at the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year.
“This is an exciting time for our campus community,” says Morrison, who worked with Brown, the Dean of Students office, BU Student Government, and student groups to bring the center to life.
“Our ability to create spaces where students can feel a sense of belonging, build connection, and enjoy new opportunities for engagement and reflection is central to both our mission and our strategic planning,” Morrison says. “This effort is the culmination of countless hours of conversation around our community and an important step toward our creating a more inclusive and welcoming BU for our LGBTQIA+ students.”
The center, tentatively named the LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center, will be housed on the second floor of 808 Commonwealth Avenue, near existing spaces like the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground and the LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff.
Meet Q's social media coordinator, Sabrina “Sabi” Liu (CAS’23)
Political science major Sabrina “Sabi” Liu is BU’s Queer Activist Collective (Q) social media coordinator. The University’s largest LBGTQ+ student club, Q is committed to ensuring awareness, visibility, and full inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community. “I’ve seen firsthand the importance of having spaces that are tailored specifically for the LGBTQ+ community,” says Liu (CAS’23). “Spaces like Q are so precious for people who don’t always feel welcome in other places….Q plays a vital role on campus.”
Join a BU Alumni Regional Network near you
Vice President Erika Jordan’s alumni engagement team is launching BU Alumni Regional Networks this spring. Check out the pilot cities and see how you can connect with your fellow Terriers.
Explore the map
Regional Networks can be found in areas with high alumni populations and provide a wide range of opportunities for connection through online channels and in-person activities. Explore the map and select the paw icons (🐾) to find information about upcoming events and ways to connect with your network.
Sign me up!
Update your contact information to join your regional network. Need help? Please reach out to us at alumni@bu.edu or 617-353-9511.
First-gen students can benefit from your experience
Share your BU experiences and career journey as a Terrier F1RSTS advocate for undergrad and grad students who are the first in their families to go to college or pursue an advanced degree.
Join the Terrier F1RSTS Network
Be part of the BU first-gen community by signing up for BU Connects and joining the Terrier F1RSTS – The First-Generation Network subgroup. Build your network with fellow first-gen alumni, undergraduate/graduate/professional students, faculty, staff, and allies; and watch for special events and mentoring opportunities with current first-gen students.
Not sure if you’re a Terrier F1RST alum? Check out the definitions below:
Undergraduate alum: An alum whose parents/guardian/caregivers did not earn bachelor’s degrees, although elder siblings or cousins may be attending college already or have earned four-year degrees
Graduate/Professional alum: An alum whose parents/guardians/caregivers did not earn a master’s, doctorate, or professional degree, such as a JD or MD.
Learn about the Newbury Center
The Newbury Center opened its doors in January 2021 with the goal of fostering the holistic success of first-generation students at Boston University—students they refer to as “Terrier Firsts.” The Center aims to become a highly visible, transformative unit of the University, offering programming and services designed to ensure that first-generation students experience the same sense of well-being, belonging, self-efficacy, and academic accomplishment as their continuing-generation peers. The center is located in the heart of campus, at 755 Commonwealth Ave. and is primarily funded by an endowment established with funds received from Newbury College, a private liberal arts college that served many first-generation students in nearby Brookline before closing its doors in 2019.
Meet first-gen student Katarina “Kat” Quach (COM’24)
As a middle and high school student in Seattle, Wash., Katarina “Kat” Quach wanted to give students a voice, so she became active in student government. She also wanted to share her love of art, so she interned at the Seattle Art Museum, and after coming to BU, worked on a series of public art installations designed to promote learning and engagement in children. As a first-generation college student, Quach (COM’24) works at the Newbury Center, where she provides support and resources to other first-gen students.
Now, her commitment to public service has earned Quach a rare distinction: she has been named one of the inaugural recipients of the Obama Foundation’s Voyager Scholarship, also known as the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service.
Created by Barack and Michelle Obama and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, the scholarship is awarded to college students pursuing careers in public service. It provides up to $50,000 in financial aid to reduce college debt, a stipend of $10,000, and free Airbnb housing for a “Summer Voyage,” where students gain exposure to new communities and experience in a field they choose during the summer between their junior and senior year, plus an additional $2,000 travel credit for 10 years after graduation, designed to provide them with an opportunity to continue to make new connections through their public service careers. In addition, winners receive access to an invaluable network of leaders and mentors.
“I have a really strong foundation in believing in and investing in community. I really do try my hardest to work for others. That’s what I’ve centered my life around,” says Quach, who first found out about the scholarship from a Newbury Center newsletter. She applied in June and was notified in August that she’d been selected.
