Engaging with Our Community
My travels this summer took me to Israel to attend the inaugural Jerusalem Deans’ Workshop on “The University as a Neighbor” at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. There I met with deans and faculty from Hebrew University and with public officials, including the President of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, and the Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat.… More
Remembering Susan Jackson
Professor Susan Jackson passed away peacefully on June 30, surrounded by her loving family, including her husband Richard, son Nathaniel, and daughter Hannah. At the time of her death, Susan was assistant provost for general education implementation; before that, she served as the senior associate dean in charge of undergraduate curriculum and policy in the College of… More
Reflecting on the Academic Year’s Achievements
If you ever have any doubt about whether we in the College of Arts & Sciences succeed in conveying to our students our commitment to critical thinking, understanding, and truth, whether they share our passion for liberal education, then all you need to do is read about student speaker Maxwell Robidoux’s Commencement 2017 Speech. Max graduated… More
Celebrating Advising
Last week, at the final College of Arts & Sciences faculty meeting of 2016-17, I had the pleasure of honoring eight faculty members with awards for excellence in teaching or advising. At the end of the previous academic year I focused my dean’s note on the teaching awards; today I want to focus on academic… More
Supporting the Humanities as vital to a flourishing, democratic future
The sciences are often thought to be the main source of innovation, but arguably one of the most important conceptual breakthroughs of the twentieth century was made in the humanities—the invention of the sex/gender distinction. When Simone de Beauvoir wrote “One is not born, but becomes a woman,” she coined the idea that gender is… More
Recruiting Undergraduate Students to the College of Arts & Sciences
This month all across the nation and, indeed, around the world, high school seniors are deciding where to spend their next four years. Nearly 61,000 applied for admission to Boston University for Fall 2017, and we accepted approximately 25% of them; now it’s their turn to decide whether to choose us. In the College of… More
Play Ball!
On Monday, April 3, the Boston Red Sox will open their season playing the Pittsburgh Pirates at 2:05 pm at Fenway Park. On Tuesday, April 4, author Bill James will give the Silas Peirce lecture at 6 pm in the BU Law Auditorium. His topic: “The Arts & Sciences of Baseball.” (Read Bill’s speech here) I… More
The BU Hub: Spreading Liberal Education Across the Curriculum
Now is the time for the faculty and departments of CAS to get to work to create enticing new courses—with dynamic, interdisciplinary pedagogies—that take advantage of the opportunities the BU Hub offers.… More
Neuroscience: Probing Minds, Brains, and Behavior
Boston University has made significant investments in neuroscience graduate and undergraduate programs. As a result, the study of the brain at BU is a booming enterprise, already world class, and poised to be at the very top.… More
Freedom of Speech, Protest, and the Idea of a University
In this political moment of stark, sometimes violent, partisan divisions, we as a university community must reaffirm our first principles and consider how to react to these and other threats to our fundamental ideals and mission.… More