Gloria Waters to Leave Provost Role at End of Academic Year
President Gilliam lauds her “lasting impact” on Boston University, says search will begin for a replacement
Gloria Waters to Leave Provost Role at End of Academic Year
President Gilliam lauds her “lasting impact” on Boston University, says search will begin for a replacement
Gloria Waters, a longtime Boston University senior leader who has been serving as provost and chief academic officer during a transitional period under new President Melissa Gilliam, will leave the role at the end of the academic year, the University announced Tuesday.
Waters stepped into the position on short notice during a critical moment for BU, Gilliam wrote in a letter to the campus community. Starting a national search now will allow for a smooth transition with the aim of having a new provost in place by summer 2026. Gilliam says she chose Waters to take on the senior leadership role in the summer of 2024 for what both leaders envisioned would be a limited period of service through the 2025-2026 academic year.
“From the outset, I knew Gloria Waters was the right person for the role,” Gilliam wrote in her letter to the BU community. “Her strong leadership, deep institutional knowledge, and steadfast commitment to academic excellence makes her an ideal partner during a time of transition for our university and an especially challenging moment for higher education.”
Waters, who has served in leadership and administrative roles at BU for 20 years, is assisting with the president’s transition as well as with filling key leadership positions. Two new deans have been hired, at the College of Engineering and at the School of Public Health, as well as a vice president and associate provost for research.
“It has been a pleasure to serve the University at such an important time. Given the groundwork that has been laid, it is a good time for President Gilliam to bring on a provost who can work with her to reenvision Boston University,” Waters said.
Given the groundwork that has been laid, it is a good time for President Gilliam to bring on a provost who can work with her to reenvision Boston University.
Prior to serving as provost, Waters was BU’s vice president and associate provost for research for 11 years, a period that saw the University’s research expenditures—the amount spent on research—grow by more than $200 million, to nearly $600 million. Before her research role, Waters was the dean of Sargent College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences and a professor of speech, language, and hearing sciences. She has been instrumental in strengthening BU’s membership within the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of 71 leading research universities that “transform lives through education, research, and innovation.”
Waters will serve through the academic year before returning to the BU faculty. Gilliam says Waters has also “agreed to be available for special projects to lend her considerable talents and expertise to the university she has long served.”
Among the complex challenges Waters took on as provost: leading the negotiations with the BU graduate union for a new contract, restructuring the Office of the Provost, and building stronger partnerships with deans across the BU landscape. She is currently conducting a university-wide academic strategic planning process and pushing forward key institutional priorities, from improving student success to bettering faculty development to growing research investment.
In recognizing Waters’ body of work, Gilliam wrote, “Her contributions have been far-reaching, and I am profoundly grateful for the lasting impact she has had across our institution.”