A Busy First Week for BU President Melissa L. Gilliam
Photo gallery chronicles meetings with staff, building tours, and an introduction to Bean, BU’s comfort dog
A welcome sign greets Gilliam during a visit to BU’s LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty & Staff, July 2. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
A Busy First Week for BU President Melissa L. Gilliam
Photo gallery chronicles meetings with staff, building tours, and an introduction to Bean, BU’s comfort dog
Melissa L. Gilliam, BU’s new president, wasted no time getting to know the University’s sprawling Charles River Campus and introducing herself to students, faculty, and staff. On July 1, her first official day on the job, she met with members of BU Libraries and the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, visited BU Police Department headquarters (which included a quick introduction to Bean, the University’s new community resource dog), and got a tour of the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering.
The rest of the week was equally busy, with stops at the LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center, the School of Hospitality Administration, and the Center for Computing & Data Sciences and a tour of the Charles River Campus Kenmore area. BU Today photographers Jackie Ricciardi and Cydney Scott were there to capture it all. Take a look.
And welcome, President Gilliam!
During her first day in office as the University’s 11th president, Melissa Gilliam gets a tour of the BU Police Department headquarters from Kelly Nee (right), chief safety, security, and preparedness officer.
Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
During her visit to BUPD headquarters, Gilliam meets comfort dog Bean.
Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
On a July 1 tour of the Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering, Gilliam and Gloria Waters, University provost (third from left), chat with Chantal Stern, a College of Arts & Sciences professor of psychological and brain sciences (far left) and David Boas, College of Engineering Arthur G. B. Metcalf Chair and professor of biomedical, electrical, and computer engineering.
Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Gilliam’s Kilachand Center tour took in the nine-story, 170,000-square-foot research facility.
Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Gilliam visits a Kilachand Center lab, one of many devoted to research in optogenetics, neurophotonics, systems neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, and neuroengineering.
Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Ahmad “Mo” Khalil, an ENG professor of biomedical engineering and associate director of the Biological Design Center, and Gilliam tour a Kilachand Center lab.
Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Visiting the new LGBTQIA+ Student Resource Center, Gilliam chats with center director Katy Collins, July 2.
Photo by Jackie Ricciardi
Gilliam gets a tour of the Kenmore area of the Charles River Campus with Pam Beale, chair of the Boston Planning and Development Agency Task Force for the Charles River Campus, July 3.
Photo by Cydney Scott
Strolling the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in Kenmore Square: Gilliam (center) with Ken Ryan, BU assistant vice president for government and community affairs, and Pam Beale, July 3.
Photo by Cydney Scott
Gilliam, with one of Kenmore Square’s most iconic landmarks—the Citgo sign—in the background, during a tour of East Campus, July 3.
Photo by Cydney Scott
Visiting the School of Hospitality Administration, Gilliam hears from SHA Dean Arun Upneja, July 3.
Photo by Cydney Scott
SHA faculty and staff, including Leora Lanz (COM’87), an associate professor of the practice (far right), meeting Gilliam during her SHA tour, July 3. The new president then sat with faculty and staff to learn more about the school.
Photo by Cydney Scott
During a visit to the Center for Computing & Data Sciences (CDS) on July 5, Gilliam views the sustainability wall, an interactive screen introducing visitors to the building’s workings. Shepherding the president: Azer Bestavros, associate provost for computing and data sciences (right), and Chris DeVits (Wheelock’10,’16), CDS director of administration.
Photo by Cydney Scott
The president checks out the modular seating in the BU Spark! suite during a tour of CDS with Azer Bestavros, July 5. BU Spark! is the University’s innovation and experiential learning lab.
Photo by Cydney Scott
Gilliam gets a quick tutorial about the trash, recycling, and TRUE Zero Waste Certification program at CDS from Azer Bestavros (left) and Chris DeVits.
Photo by Cydney Scott
Taking in the view from the CDS 17th floor balcony with Azer Bestavros.
Photo by Cydney Scott
Siobhan Dullea (CAS’91), Innovate@ BU executive director, about to give Gilliam a tour of Innovate@BU, a training ground for creative, entrepreneurial student ventures and projects, housed in the state-of-the-art BUild Lab IDG Capital Student Innovation Center, July 5.
Photo by Cydney Scott
During her visit to Innovate@BU, Gilliam learns from students about the projects they’re working on, July 5.
Photo by Cydney Scott
Gilliam, with Siobhan Dullea, chats with Parth Mutha (MET’24) (left) about the successful soy-based snack PROMUNCH he created (now being sold on Amazon) with support from the BUild Lab IDG Capital Student Innovation Center.
Photo by Cydney Scott
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