Being Boston’s University: The Many Ways BU Partners with the City of Boston
Special Feature
Being Boston’s University
BU is more than a hub of learning, teaching, and research. It’s firmly rooted in—and engaged with—the city of Boston, partnering with its government, schools, nonprofits, and neighborhoods in so many ways.
From Packard’s Corner in Allston, along Commonwealth Avenue to Kenmore Square and the Fens, and over to Massachusetts Avenue in the South End, Boston University is deeply entrenched throughout the city of Boston. It has been that way since BU was chartered in 1869—and the University’s roots in the city grow deeper by the year.
At the highest vantage points in BU’s tallest buildings, you can take in glorious views of the Boston skyline and the Charles River. At street level, the University—140 acres and more than 340 buildings across 3 campuses—hums amid the churn of the city.
BU’s place in Boston is a big reason students choose to study here. And the city embraces the University. Besides its arts, culture, sports, history, food, and recreation, Boston offers endless educational, research, and service opportunities to faculty, staff, and students. Internships at city hall. Partnerships with nonprofits. Meaningful experiences with Boston Public Schools.
This engagement was established in the early 20th century, as the University grappled with the example it intended to set. Lemuel Merlin, BU’s third president, determined that the institution would thenceforth be “in the heart of the city, in service of the city.” That mission remains true today.
“From student organizations’ involvement to faculty research and institutional partnerships, BU makes our city a hub of innovation, where big ideas become breakthroughs,” says Michelle Wu, the mayor of Boston. “From leading community organizations to running businesses, BU students and alumni strengthen every one of our neighborhoods and remind us that Boston is at our best when we open our doors to the world.”
BU President Melissa Gilliam describes the relationship as symbiotic: “At Boston University, we say we are ‘Boston’s University,’ because we are deeply committed to serving this city, and because the city is deeply committed to us.”
