The Campaign for CAS
Over the past seven years of the Campaign for Boston University, numerous alumni, friends, and parents have helped to raise $121.6 million for CAS—exceeding our aggressive goal of $100 million. As a result of our success, we have decided to extend our campaign until September 2019. Over the past year, private gifts have made a tremendous impact across a variety of areas within CAS. Below is a snapshot of three specific gifts and the impact they have made on the BU and CAS communities.
CAS students Astrid Arias (CAS'19) (from left), Alison Furneaux (CAS'17), and Vasudha Agarwal (CAS'19) take advantage of the new CAS Think Tank to catch up and collaborate. The Think Tank offers huddle rooms and team rooms with dry-erase boards and flat screens as well as individual and group study space. Students can even charge their devices at the charging station, allowing them to keep on learning! The Think Tank was made possible by gifts from generous alumni and supporters. Photo by Cydney Scott
- Gene Stanley, a William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor and a CAS professor of physics, made a $1 million commitment that will be used to encourage women and minorities to engage in the study of physics.
- Six CAS alumni created scholarships in 2017 that will help to provide resources to students with significant financial need. The alumni include Tom McKiernan (CAS’42) (The Estate of Thomas D. McKiernan), Howard Cooper (CAS’61), John Giouroukakis (CAS’94), Frederick B. (“Ted”) Fitts, Jr. (CAS’65), Larry Sanitsky (CAS’74), and Scott Webster (CAS’93).
- Over the years, Professor Ralph B. D'Agostino (CAS'62, GRS'64 [Par SED'92, CGS'90]) has impacted the world of research in the areas of data analysis and biostatistics, but his commitment to the lives of students at Boston University continues to inspire. Led by Dr. D'Agostino and his wife Leilanie, they and a community of donors have established the Ralph B. D'Agostino Endowed Fellowship in Mathematics and Statistics Fund, aimed at teaching and research stipends on behalf of PhD candidates in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Since 2011, nearly $218,000 in gifts and pledges were made in his honor in support of aspiring statisticians. Thanks to the D'Agostino family’s leadership, over $27,000 has been added to the fund in 2017.
Giving Day, held in April, was a tremendous success, raising $209,911 to support the CAS Annual Fund. CAS received 1,132 gifts from 945 alumni, friends, students, faculty, and staff members. Alumni made up the largest number of donors on Giving Day, accounting for 566 donors, and CAS raised the second most funds of any entity at BU.
This year’s Annual Fund raised just over $809,000 from 8,281 generous alumni and friends, a four percent increase from last year and a testament to the commitment of our donors to help ensure the dean has the resources necessary to allocate them where they are most needed quickly and with great flexibility. In just the past year, these dollars have been used to retain faculty against attractive offers by other universities, provide exciting enrichment opportunities for students to take their learning outside of the classroom walls, and offer our teachers professional development opportunities to help improve their craft and expand their knowledge.
The additional resources raised through the campaign will provide for further scholarship opportunities for our talented students, helping to ensure that we have the resources that allow us to attract and support diverse students regardless of socioeconomic status. These funds will continue to allow us to focus our attention on our students—the lifeblood of the University—by taking advantage of the digital revolution, tackling the global problems that shape human life, and expanding the humanities. After all, students are at the heart of who we are and what we do here at CAS.
View the full Donor Roster for FY2016/17
Dean's Advisory Board
The Dean's Advisory Board has played a leading role in ensuring the success of the Campaign for CAS. The alumni, friends, and parents who comprise the board advise the dean on broad matters of policy and planning within the college. They also help foster relationships and connections with potential students and their families, alumni, and potential employers, as well as with individuals, corporations, and other organizations that might be in a position to support the college and its mission. (See Appendix, The Campaign for CAS: 2017 Status Report.)
Stewarding Our Resources
The successful Campaign for CAS, robust demand for our graduate and undergraduate programs, and Boston University’s wise financial management have put the College of Arts & Sciences in a strong fiscal position. However, in order to achieve all of our many goals, we must remain careful stewards of our still-limited resources. This means monitoring closely and modifying as needed our long- and short-term goals, aligning resources at the college level according to these priorities, and being on the lookout for better ways to leverage our resources.
At the close of the 2017 fiscal year, the college achieved a balanced, unrestricted expense budget of just over $122.8 million. Faculty, staff, and student salaries account for the vast majority of expenditures, and regular operating expenses account for most of the rest. In addition to master's tuition recovery and the generous gifts made by alumni and friends, the other major revenue sources available to the college are a portion of the indirect cost recovery generated by federal grant expenditures generated by CAS researchers ($2.1 million). Thus, the faculty themselves, as well as the many alumni, parents, and other friends who have participated in the capital campaign, are directly responsible for contributing to the financial health of the college. (See Appendix, Budget.)
Annual Report 2016/2017
From the Dean
The 2016/17 academic year was an exciting one for the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. We made tremendous progress on important fronts, including working to increase faculty and student diversity, providing enhanced experiential educational opportunities, expanding our research impact, and enhancing our academic programs.
Improving Undergraduate Education
Providing a world-class undergraduate education is no easy task, but at CAS it is part of our core mission. In 2016/17 we made curricular improvements, launched new career preparation programs, increased access to our world-class education, and gave our students a space to call their own, the CAS Think Tank.
Strengthening Graduate Education
The Graduate School of Arts & Sciences’ evolution continued in and out of the classroom, with a 10% increase in master’s applications in 2016/17 and continued high PhD acceptance rates affirming the strength of our programs.
Enhancing a World-Class Faculty
The quality of CAS’ academics and research depends on the quality of its faculty, and so we work hard to hire the best and brightest. In 2016/17, CAS hired 30 new professors across the humanities and the social, natural, and computational sciences.
Conducting Pathbreaking Research
Discoveries and innovations at CAS helped put BU at 32nd on the list of U.S. News & World Report’s top research universities in the world. Our faculty earned numerous prestigious awards and grants, helping to advance human understanding in the fields of biogeoscience, religion, computer science, and biology, just to name a few.
Building Our Future Together
In 2016/17, the seventh year of the Campaign for Boston University, numerous alumni, friends, and parents have helped to raise $121.6 million for CAS—far exceeding our aggressive goal of $100 million.
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