B.A., Reed College
Graduate study at Oxford University and UCLA

Professor Westling was brought up in Yakima, Washington, and graduated from Reed College in Oregon. He received a Rhodes scholarship and studied history at St. John's College, Oxford University. Before coming to Boston University, he had taught at Centre College in Kentucky, Reed College, University of California, Irvine, and at UCLA. He served Boston University for over two decades in a number of influential positions, including that of Provost, before his appointment in 1996 as the University's eighth President.