Announcements
Register for New Interdisciplinary Hub Course!
HUB IC 203 is a 4-credit elective course in which students learn to pitch business ideas and start their own ventures, including how to receive funding for, operate, and grow an enterprise. Bringing together the fields of business and communications, the course develops the skills needed to execute a future business plan through three different types of learning–lectures, case studies, and pitching and feedback.
Additional details about the course:
- Fulfills Hub requirements in Quantitative Reasoning I and Digital/Multimedia Expression
- Co-taught by faculty from Questrom and COM
- Open to all BU undergraduate students
- No prerequisite
- Offered in Fall 2024
- Video introduction to the course available here!
For more information about these new interdisciplinary Hub courses, visit here.
Save the Date: Spring 2024 Experiential Learning Expo
Thursday, May 2, 2024, 3-7 pm
Location: Center for Computing & Data Sciences, 665 Commonwealth Avenue, 1st and 2nd Floors
Join us for an immersive and interactive experience at BU’s Experiential Learning Expo!
The Expo, presented by Boston University’s Office of Undergraduate Affairs, will showcase more than 100 student projects undertaken in conjunction with the BU Hub Cross-College Challenge (XCC), the Learning Assistant Program, and BU Spark!
To learn more, visit bu.edu/expo and check back often for more details as the event gets closer.
Fulfill GCI, IIC with Study Abroad
BU undergraduates who study abroad can now fulfill a requirement in the Hub areas of the Individual in Community (IIC) and/or Global Citizenship & Intercultural Literacy (GCI) by submitting a written reflection on how they fulfilled the learning outcomes during their abroad experience.
Students who still need GCI or IIC Hub requirements and have already studied abroad may also enroll.
Learn more about these 0-credit courses on the Study Abroad & the Hub webpages.
Earn RIL with your Honor’s Thesis
Are you taking an honors thesis or other directed-study project with a faculty mentor?
o Do you still need to fulfill a requirement in the BU Hub area Research and Information Literacy (RIL)?
o If you answered yes to both questions, sign up for HUB RL 401!
For more information, including process and deadlines, check out the Earning Research and Information Literacy with Honors Thesis or Directed Study page.
Call for Teaching Fellows for HUB SJ 101 for AY 2024-25
Teaching Fellows are needed for HUB SJ 101: Social & Racial Justice: Systems and Structures, for Fall 2024 and Spring 2025. HUB SJ 101 is a 4-credit elective course for first-year undergraduates housed in the BU Hub. The course provides students with foundational knowledge concerning the historical and systemic bases of social and racial inequities and the efforts to build a more just world. Using a module-based approach, consisting of four or five multi-week units, the course engages students in critically assessing inequities and efforts towards justice in social systems such as education, environment/sustainability, health, housing, and entertainment. The course also fulfills Hub requirements in Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, and Critical Thinking. The teaching team for the course will include one BU faculty members and two Teaching Fellows.
For more details and information on how to apply, please see the Teaching Fellow Call. The initial deadline for applications is February 5, 2024.
Appointment of Lynn O’Brien Hallstein as the next Assistant Provost for General Education
We are delighted to welcome Professor Lynn O’Brien Hallstein as the new assistant provost for general education, effective July 1, 2023. Dr. O'Brien Hallstein is the associate dean for faculty research and development, the director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching & Learning, and a professor of rhetoric in the College of General Studies. She brings with her a deep knowledge of the undergraduate experience at BU and the needs of an expansive general education program, informed in particular by four years as a member of the BU Hub Council and by her time as chair for the Cross-College Challenge Steering Committee. We are excited to welcome Dr. O'Brien Hallstein to the Hub team and look forward to working with her to identify and cultivate opportunities for future growth and improvement of the BU Hub. Please join us in congratulating Dr. O'Brien Hallstein as she takes on her new role.
Updates to Hub Learning Outcomes
Based on recommendations from the 2022 faculty Hub Assessment Workshop, the faculty of the BU Hub Council made changes to learning outcomes of nine Hub areas to increase clarity and flexibility. These changes include an important update to the Diversity, Civic Engagement, and Global Citizenship capacity: each area within this capacity has a new optional learning outcome focused on social and racial justice. You can view the updated and new learning outcomes in the "What is the Hub?" pages of the Hub website.
BU Hub Courses to Become Eligible for Pass/Fail Credit
Beginning in the fall 2023 semester, BU Hub courses will be removed from the list of exclusions under the University’s Policy on Pass/Fail Courses for Undergraduate Students.
This change means that if a student elects to take a class Pass/Fail (P*/F*) and they receive a passing grade (P), they will still fulfill the Hub requirements associated with the class. The change aligns with the spirit of the Hub, which is designed to encourage exploration.
While the new policy will be effective fall 2023, it will be retroactive for continuing students. This means that if you have elected to take a class Pass/Fail this semester or during a past semester and you are returning as an undergraduate in fall 2023, you will fulfill the Hub requirements that were associated with the class at the time. Students may not elect to retroactively change a graded course to be P*/F*.
The deadline to elect to take a class P*/F* for this spring 2023 semester has been extended to Friday, April 7. We encourage you to contact your academic advisor should you have any questions about this change in policy.
We hope this announcement comes as welcome news and that the change in policy encourages students to explore areas of study beyond the familiar.
New Hub Cocurricular on Student Wellbeing Available This Summer!
Beginning summer 2023, the BU Hub will offer a new Hub cocurricular experience: HUB CC 107: Thriving Together: Student Wellbeing at BU. Developed by BU Student Wellbeing, this Hub cocurricular invites students to explore what wellbeing looks like in their own lives through seven dimensions: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, financial, environmental, and social. Students will explore wellbeing ideas and concepts through teamwork activities that culminate in a proposal for a wellbeing project that aligns with the mission of BU Student Wellbeing. The final projects will be considered for funding. HUB CC 107 fulfills 1 Hub requirement in Teamwork/Collaboration.
This summer, HUB CC 107 will be offered in Summer Term 2 (July 5-August 15) and will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:30-3:15 pm. Summer course registration starts on February 16, 2023, on MyBU Student Portal. Register today!
New Hub Courses on Social & Racial Justice Available to First-Year and Sophomore Students!
Two new Hub courses on social and racial justice, HUB SJ 101/102, are available to first-year and sophomore students! Following are additional details on the course content and structure:
HUB SJ 101: Social & Racial Justice: Systems and Structures
- 4-credit course
- Explores the historical/systemic bases of social and racial inequity
- Fulfills Hub requirements in Historical Consciousness, Global Citizenship and Intercultural Literacy, and Critical Thinking
- No prerequisite
- Next offered in Fall 2023 and Spring 2024
HUB SJ 102: Social & Racial Justice: Advocacy and Action
- 4-credit course
- Focuses on how to engage in advocacy and action
- Fulfills Hub requirements in Social Inquiry I, The Individual in Community, and Teamwork/Collaboration
- Prerequisite: HUB SJ 101
- Next offered in Spring 2024
Note: space is limited. Register on the MyBU Student Portal!