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    Art Janke

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    Senior Video Producer

    Devin Hahn

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There are 29 comments on $25 Million Gift Largest in BU History

  1. Dear BU community
    What a historic event. What a wonderful moment for all of us to make the extraordinary work of our students talents through Making Learning Visible: the ePortfolio Project. Honors College students are developing ePortfolios for the community to see their growth through the BU experience!
    I am honored to support this work and ask others to join us.

  2. He seems like a wonderful and generous man. But I’m not sure he picked the right place to donate the money. The Honors College has always had more than enough money to take the students to fancy dinners, cruises, etc. Other BU programs do a lot more for education and use their funds (which are smaller) less excessively.

  3. Katie, I dont think you have your facts straight. The Honors College offered their students a Boston harbor cruise, so before you try to spin words, that is what happened. There is no telling what the KHC will use this endowment on, but with the support and careful watch of President Brown and the trustees, i dont think you have to worry about Mr. Kilachand’s choice.

    1. They offered their students a Boston harbor cruise…i.e. a waste of money and probably one of the reasons our tuition/r&b prices increase by around 3.8% each year (even though inflation last academic year was roughly 2% and even less the year before that). And the average college increase within the U.S. was 3.2% in 2006.

      And even with their increased costs, the accepted pool of incoming freshman becomes less and less impressive each year. Average SAT scores of incoming students continue to decline each year.

      Rant complete…Point being that BU is an inefficient institution and Mr. Kilachand should have been a philanthropist elsewhere because i can almost guarantee this money will get blown on another useless endeavor.

      1. 1. Balking about tuition or complaining about research funding have nothing to do with this unprecedented generosity.

        2. Your selfish, disrespectful, and uninformed comments run totally counter to the point of this story.

        For your next rant, try placing it somewhere that makes you look less immature. It will carry more weight if people think you’re a big boy.

        1. Could not agree more. This is a moment in history that should be celebrated and will be. It is donations like this that give us students the opportunity to have the best available resources at our disposal so we can possitively impact the world in which we live.

      2. John, you clearly do not understand how endowments and tuition increases work. Additionally, each school and department at any university must submit detailed budgets to the office of the president and provost which will include all plans for funds throughout the next academic year. Did you stop to think that perhaps because the Honors College is small it is able to use discretionary social activity funds for things such as harbor cruises, whereas schools and colleges with more students are forced to hold ice cream socials and BBQs due to having less funds available per student?

        Additionally, the incoming students at Boston University are more and more impressive each year. (http://www.bu.edu/today/2011/class-of-2015-smaller-but-smarter/). Based on the numbers in the previous article, UHC students score an average of 728/800 on each section of the SAT. I can guarantee you, as an alum of BU, that these scores are a significant increase compared to those of students admitted in previous years.

        As a student of BU, you should be glad that your university is being recognized and is gaining prestige, if nothing else it makes your degree worth more. This is not the appropriate forum to discuss your unhappiness with your undergraduate education.

    2. I attend BU now and was admitted to the College or General studies. To be honest, we have a boat cruise EVERY YEAR…… I do not see why this event is even an issue.

    1. It’s impossible to make everything benefit students directly but increased research funding definitely would. Students support many of the professors that do research through assistantships and other roles. Research also helps increase the reputation of the university which in turn increases the value of each student’s degree.

      But really, you probably won’t change your opinion no matter how much contrary evidence is thrown at you.

    2. What an unbelievably narrow view. Universities across the river are considered to be one of the best in the world predominantly because they are the world leaders in research. This in turn benefits all students, helps create an active alumni body which funds more money into the university. The end result: better facilities and more scholarships for all students, regardless of their interest in research.

  4. First, I think we should all show Mr. Kilachand a great deal of gratitude and respect. He invests in all kinds of causes that he finds worthy, from art to education. This undoubtedly benefits all students.

    I say, thanks.

  5. Thank you Mr. Kilachand for your generosity. I agree 100% with Marcus on showing gratitude and respect for Mr. Kilachand.

    Those of you with negative comments on where and how the money should/will be spent need to grow up and show respect period.

  6. I agree that this is a wonderful donation, however I can’t help but wonder specifically where the money will end up. Everyone has thier own opinion on what is appropriate use of money and what is not, but at the end of the day if it’s used to benefit the students, it can’t be bad.

  7. I personally will never donate a dime to Boston University. The school’s reputation is not what it should be given the cost of attendance. Their alumni association is among the worst I have ever seen, schools like Penn State (much cheaper) are far superior. If BU wants to get better it needs to get top notch students and top notch alumni support to place its students.

    I have also noticed a decrease in the average SAT score of the accepted student at BU. It is disheartening and not what we needed. I remember when I was there the school under Chancellor Silber, was trying to deflate grades to make it look like a more difficult institution, well you know what it didn’t help as the school’s academic reputation did not increase.

    Just saying that I am disappointed that’s all..

  8. Great show from a fellow Indian indeed. Let it be used to further BU’s name internationally. In this regard, I had written another piece elsewhere on BU and its momentum which I have quoted below for information:

    BU Profile
    BU has already stepped up its pace particularly in the last 24 months. I see that Provost Jean Morrison has undertaken vital structural changes to further the momentum at BU. For one, I gather she is working diligently with each academic department to clarify and articulate the competitive strengths and to identify the initiatives necessary to further the various degree programs. Here self-assessment becomes a key with a new provost to gear up to the accreditation maintenance review. Another avenue that Provost Jean Morrison could look to do well is to assess the marketplace, the competition and student satisfaction and performance. This way, each department would have developed a clear articulation of the theoretical and practical value it provides to its students and identified the areas where the investment of incremental resources is most compelling. It may be noted that the dramatic impact of technology is not restricted to the industries but to the field of education as well. BU will do well to ensure that the classrooms have all been significantly upgraded technologically and the faculty is well trained on the latest pedagogical tools for the classroom. As BU also provides a significant amount of curriculum online, it should further develop a strategy to leverage the reach of electronic delivery systems and platforms so that this generation of students at BU take the full advantage of technology and its pedagogical possibilities, efficient dissemination of information and growth. BU should strategise further to give due importance to Interdisciplinary learning as it will become an increasingly important element for growth and will aid students to be more effective problem solvers in career and in life. I am sure Provost Jean Morrison has already set plans to further BU in the global space.

  9. JFK asked Americans to IMAGINE a man on the moon. Steve Jobs told us to IMAGINE new technology. John Lennon wrote a song called IMAGINE. They were all BIG IMAGINERS. Rajen, by his gift, is asking BU to IMAGINE BIG. As a BU grad myself, I personally cannot think of a more thoughtful way to express his appreciation to BU. My wife is from Missouri – the SHOW ME state. Rajen doesn’t just imagine big, he shows us big money to do it. If you think any less, you are just “thinking small”. America was built on imagining big first. Although I do not know you personally, thanks again Rajen.

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