BU Community Defines 8 Values That Will Shape the University for Generations
BU Community Defines 8 Values That Will Shape the University for Generations
BU Community Defines 8 Values That Will Shape the University for Generations
William Fairfield Warren, the inaugural president of Boston University back in 1873, declared at the outset of BU’s existence that it would be a place to welcome “all comers without respect to creed or race or sex.” It was a spirit and a vision he hoped would guide future University leaders and shape the culture of BU for generations to follow.
More than 150 years later, the 11th president of BU, Melissa Gilliam (read her letter to campus here), aims to build on the framework Warren launched. After announcing the Living Our Values initiative in fall 2024, a yearlong process ensued. Led by members from across the BU community—faculty, staff, students, and alumni—a set of values emerged from those conversations that the University says it will lean on as guiding principles moving forward to shape the University community and its campus life and to amplify the impact BU is making in the world.
The values identified were the result of an immersive approach that included nearly 100 meetings with various community members and extensive research into peer colleges and universities to learn how they define and share their own values. In the end, eight values surfaced as BU’s guiding principles:
Integrity
Excellence
Learning
Community
Global
Inclusion
Service
Collaboration