Arrow icon Divider icon

Merger leads to a new college of education at BU

Joining forces

Nancy Harayama, Felicity Crawford & David Chard
Nancy Harayama
Director of the Special Education Program
Felicity Crawford
Associate Professor of Special Education in the Teaching Students with Moderate Disabilities Program
David Chard
Dean ad interim of Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development

Faced with shrinking enrollment and rising costs, small, education-focused Wheelock College approached us last year looking for a partner. Teaming up was a no-brainer. And on June 1, 2018, Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development was born.

The merger of BU and Wheelock created a new college of education at the University that combines the research capabilities of BU’s School of Education with the early childhood expertise of Wheelock’s School of Education, Child Life and Family Studies.

“The combination of the programs of the two schools and the additional resources we plan to deploy gives Boston University the opportunity to commit with renewed energy to our long-standing efforts to promote quality early childhood and K–12 education,” says President Robert A. Brown. “That is the foundation for the prosperity and stability of our city and the nation.”

Wheelock College was first established in 1888, with the goal of educating the children of immigrants

Wheelock College was first established in 1888, with the goal of educating the children of immigrants.

Founded in 1888 with the goal of educating the children of immigrants, Wheelock College evolved into three schools—the School of Education, Child Life and Family Studies; the School of Arts and Sciences; and the School of Social Work, Leadership and Youth Advocacy. Outgoing Wheelock president David Chard, who has assumed the interim deanship of the new BU college, says “education needs new and effective ideas, and this merger will give us an opportunity to be more innovative.”

“Bringing our schools together gives us an opportunity to create a strong, nationally recognized college of education with a local footprint with Boston Public Schools.”

Boston University Provost Jean Morrison had high praise for Wheelock’s Field Education program in particular, which places students in local schools, hospitals, and nonprofit agencies, guaranteeing that all graduates gain real-world experience and forge important connections with our host city. “Bringing our schools together gives us an opportunity to create a strong, nationally recognized college of education with a local footprint with Boston Public Schools.”