CFA Strategic Priorities
Boston University College of Fine Arts merges a tradition of excellence with forward-looking innovation to prepare artists and arts patrons to lead lives inspired by creativity.
CFA Strategic Priorities
Boston University College of Fine Arts merges a tradition of excellence with forward-looking innovation to prepare artists and arts patrons to lead lives inspired by creativity.
For more than 150 years, BU College of Fine Arts (CFA) has been a pioneer. In 1872, Boston University became the first college in the United States to declare that the study of music was worthy of a degree. Today, CFA Music maintains our long-held commitment to the power of symphonic sound, opera, and music history while championing pedagogical innovation and inspiring new forms of expression. A deep, sincere commitment to the art of storytelling remains the through-line of CFA Theatre as we embrace emerging technologies and alternate modalities to engage, educate, and inspire artists and audiences wherever they are. In CFA Visual Arts, foundational skills rooted in observation, drawing, painting and sculpture are combined with ultracontemporary methods to guide explorations that shape every aspect of our lives from the local art museum to commercial industries.
BU College of Fine Arts aims to create meaningful experiences in the arts for everyone. BU Art Galleries organizes free, critically acclaimed and award-winning exhibitions with prominent and emerging artists. Wheelock Family Theatre harnesses the transformative power of live professional theatre to educate and inspire tens of thousands of young people and their families every year. The BU Office for the Arts, a unique university-wide arts program in New England, introduces and promotes the arts across one of the largest private universities in the nation. The BU Tanglewood Institute brings together the most promising high-school artists from around the world to make music and exchange ideas. BU Bands, including the Marching Band, Pep Band, Big Band and more, provides the heartbeat of Boston University.
Looking Ahead.
CFA’s Strategic Priorities
incubating the art of tomorrow
Ensuring the arts are open to all
Incubating the art of tomorrow
From its founding, BU College of Fine Arts pioneered a conservatory-style education within a major research university.
Looking toward 2030, the creation of more expansive arts-centered interdisciplinary learning environments that enable exploration into significant social issues as well as innovation with new technological discoveries is essential.
- Recent (2025) CFA institutional collaborations include partnering with The Hungtington on the Ufot cycle, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston on the John Wilson exhibition, as well as ongoing collaboration with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (via BU Tanglewood Institute).
- CFA is currently designing a new MA-track (online) in AI & the Arts.
- In 2021 CFA created the Jim Spruill Fund to support new works in Theatre.
- Since 2020, BU Art Galleries (BUAG) has organized exhibitions featuring works of major artists, including Cey Adams, Laurie Simmons, Josef Albers, and (in 2025) Victor Quinonez.
- CFA bring scores of professional artists to campus every year as part of our Tuesday Night Lecture series (Visual Arts) and onSET (Sharing Experiences in Theatre) guest artist program.
Inspiring learning
Whether it was the telephone or the bionic pancreas, great and impactful discoveries have been made at Boston University that have transformed our society.
Looking toward 2030, continued innovations in teaching and mentoring at BU College of Fine Arts will shape the future of the fine and performing arts.
- In 2019, CFA established professional staff advising for all undergraduate students.
- Since 2018, CFA has hired 25 new professorial faculty (10 in the School of Music, 5 in the School of Visual Arts, and 10 in the School of Theatre) and has created one named professorship, the Mildred P. Gilfillan Professor of Music.
- Since 2019, approximately $40M has been invested in CFA renovation and construction projects, including the creation of a new 2000 sq ft student lounge, the installation of windows and the restoration of the 855 building façade, and the renovation of the CFA concert hall and movement studios.
Ensuring the arts are open to all
Boston University was founded in 1839 with a mission to be open to all. Access is part of our DNA.
Looking toward 2030, BU College of Fine Arts seeks to redouble our efforts to ensure that we’re eliminating barriers to access and working proactively to partner with any- and every-one with imagination.
- Today, CFA provides $7M in graduate student scholarships. This is a 38% increase since 2018. In addition, CFA has increased the hourly-rates for graduate student workers.
- Wheelock Family Theatre provides ASL interpretation, audio description, and open captioning for each class and performance, ensuring that theatre is accessible for all.
- In 2023, a CFA donor created the Grandma Sonia Fund to assist School of Theatre students experiencing financial hardship.
- CFA hosts artists and artworks representing the gamut of experiences and viewpoints.
Building bridges
Since its founding, Boston has been one of the world’s great cities. Through the work of BU College of Fine Arts, we strive to bring people together.
We believe in the power of the arts to rally and create a sense of community and togetherness.
- CFA and BU Office for the Arts currently are planning to launch BUenniale, an annual festival of arts and ideas on BU’s campuses.
- Via the BU Office for the Arts, all graduate and undergraduate BU students have access to free membership to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), the Harvard Art Museum and free access to the Encore Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Recitals Series, the Pathways to the BSO webinars, and additional select BSO performances.
- In 2018, CFA established a partnership agreement with Boston Public Schools (BPS) that allows public school teachers to receive a 33% discount when enrolled in select CFA programs.
- A comprehensive campus master planning process (with attention to the arts) is currently underway.
Shrinking the world
Boston University was one of the first major universities to invest in global campuses, buildings, and centers.
Looking toward 2030, the creation of meaningful fine and performing arts exchange programs in which ideas and people flow between our Boston campus and select global cities around the world will invite conversations that can impact the world.
- CFA, in partnership with BU Advancement, hosts annual alumni events in New York City and Los Angeles.
- In recent years, CFA has collaborated with the Popayan Music Festival in Colombia and Prague Shakespeare.
- In 2022, CFA began producing a biennial art exhibition in Venice, Italy (concurrent with the Venice Biennale). The next exhibition will occur in October 2026.
- In 2021, CFA launched an annual Carnegie Hall recital series. The next BU at Carnegie Hall concert will be March 24, 2026.